Australia vs England 25/26

[Bornadog]

I have this nagging feeling that Australia are going to get mugged in the Ashes series - for a long time now the lower order batting and the bowlers have spared the consistent failures from our top order. I've lost count of the number of times in the last couple of years we have been 5 wickets down for under 100 and get saved by the lower order and then the bowlers. Cummins out all summer is a big loss - he is a crucial partnership-breaker who always steps up to change the course of a match when it is desperately needed, and he makes tough runs down the order.

With Cummins out, the uncertainty in our batting line-up, and England being relatively settled, it feels like this summer will be a perfect storm of failure.

Chris Broad claims this is the strongest England line up in the last 10 years and the weakest Australian line up. Maybe it is somewhere in between because we still have a strong bowling attack and a couple of good batsman. Opening has been an issue for along time now

[lemmon]

I have this nagging feeling that Australia are going to get mugged in the Ashes series - for a long time now the lower order batting and the bowlers have spared the consistent failures from our top order. I've lost count of the number of times in the last couple of years we have been 5 wickets down for under 100 and get saved by the lower order and then the bowlers. Cummins out all summer is a big loss - he is a crucial partnership-breaker who always steps up to change the course of a match when it is desperately needed, and he makes tough runs down the order.

With Cummins out, the uncertainty in our batting line-up, and England being relatively settled, it feels like this summer will be a perfect storm of failure.

Strongly agree - I think England are coming in as favourites.

Our batting is brittle, but I think it's starting to extend into the bowling. Starc isn't filling me with the confidence I had watching him last year, Hazlewood is likely to break down, Boland's length is primed to be attacked, and Lyon isn't pulling up trees in the Shield.

The batting is desperate for Cam Green to stamp himself on a series and take the mantle from Steve Smith as the batting fulcrum, otherwise it feels like we're really just asking Head and Carey to dig us out of holes over and over again.

I'm worried about this side because it feels like the game plan is to produce some spicy decks and try to make it a gunfight. That's not sustainable when they have the best player in the world (Root) and an attack that includes Archer and Wood.

I also don't think there's really anyone to blame either. The standard of First Class cricket in Australia is at a pretty low ebb, and we're trying to bridge the gap with a group that is pretty old and tired. Guys like Jhye Richardson, Pucovski, and Marnus were meant to be the generation for now, and they're just not there.

As you say, at some stage, the storm is going to hit.

[Stevo]

I have this nagging feeling that Australia are going to get mugged in the Ashes series - for a long time now the lower order batting and the bowlers have spared the consistent failures from our top order. I've lost count of the number of times in the last couple of years we have been 5 wickets down for under 100 and get saved by the lower order and then the bowlers. Cummins out all summer is a big loss - he is a crucial partnership-breaker who always steps up to change the course of a match when it is desperately needed, and he makes tough runs down the order.

With Cummins out, the uncertainty in our batting line-up, and England being relatively settled, it feels like this summer will be a perfect storm of failure.

Strongly agree - I think England are coming in as favourites.

Our batting is brittle, but I think it's starting to extend into the bowling. Starc isn't filling me with the confidence I had watching him last year, Hazlewood is likely to break down, Boland's length is primed to be attacked, and Lyon isn't pulling up trees in the Shield.

The batting is desperate for Cam Green to stamp himself on a series and take the mantle from Steve Smith as the batting fulcrum, otherwise it feels like we're really just asking Head and Carey to dig us out of holes over and over again.

I'm worried about this side because it feels like the game plan is to produce some spicy decks and try to make it a gunfight. That's not sustainable when they have the best player in the world (Root) and an attack that includes Archer and Wood.

I also don't think there's really anyone to blame either. The standard of First Class cricket in Australia is at a pretty low ebb, and we're trying to bridge the gap with a group that is pretty old and tired. Guys like Jhye Richardson, Pucovski, and Marnus were meant to be the generation for now, and they're just not there.

As you say, at some stage, the storm is going to hit.

The biggest test in recent years. We are like a good boxer who is just showing some signs of decline
Getting the replacement right for Cummins is vital.
I keep hearing after Boland and Neser we might be temped by Jack Edwatds. That seems risky to me.

We shouldn't open with Marnus, he has to bat at 3 and Green if fit slides down to 6

[GVGjr]

Matt Renshaw says his sole focus is on Queensland’s next Sheffield Shield clash after the Ashes hopeful smashed a half-century on Saturday against India to remind selectors he’s ready to go should they pick him for the first Test next month.

It’s been more than two years since his last Test match for Australia, but Renshaw is right in the mix to take on England in Perth after a strong start to the summer that has seen him play three 50-over matches for his country.

Renshaw made runs in all three matches, with his 56 the top score for the Aussies who were soundly beaten by nine wickets at the SCG thanks to a trademark partnership from Indian legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

There was good news with Australian officials playing down any injury concerns after Josh Hazlewood came off with a finger injury on his non-bowling hand, and Renshaw is hoping to play alongside the tall quick in Perth next month.



Renshaw has played 14 Tests for Australia and is fighting for an opening spot with Marnus Labuschagne, Jake Weatherald and Sam Konstas for the right to partner Usman Khawaja.

While the opening spot is the hottest topic in town, Renshaw says he’s only looking forward to next week’s Sheffield Shield game against NSW where he’ll be looking to score runs against the red ball.

“I’m ready for the Shield game on Tuesday,” he said.

“It’s the same cricket ball but it’s a different colour, so for me, if I’m showing good intent with my batting no matter the format…my feet are feeling really good against the quicks and spin is feeling good so hopefully I can score some runs in the next Shield game and win a game for Queensland.

“I fly home tomorrow (Sunday) and we have a Shield game at the Gabba so I’ll go to training on Monday and see what the wicket is going to look like, and then maybe face the first ball on Tuesday morning.”

Renshaw missed Queensland’s most recent Shield game to play in the ODI series but isn’t concerned that he didn’t get the opportunity to come up against the red ball.

“I got to play against the best ODI side in the world,” he said.

“You’d have to ask the selectors (if it was more beneficial for me playing white ball cricket) but for me, to get to represent my country, play in a format I’ve never played in before and to experience playing in front of full crowds against an unbelievable Indian side in a format I’ve never played international cricket is why I’m happy to be here.

“There was a Shield game last week that Queensland won so that’s another positive for us.”

The Ashes hopeful learnt plenty watching Kohli and Sharma in the middle but he also took plenty from his own innings which ended on 56 when he was trapped LBW despite being well down the wicket.

“I think it was a little bit of a different way to skin a cat today,” he said.

“There was a lot of off spin which on this wicket was a little challenging because they bowled really well.

“There were some times when I wanted to take a risk, but I had to take a second and get off strike, whereas normally the wicket feels true in one-day cricket and you feel like you can take an easy risk and hit a boundary. Today, it was really tough.”

[GVGjr]

Smith to lead in Ashes opener as Aussies confirm Cummins blow

Cricket Australia have confirmed that Pat Cummins is expected to return to bowling shortly

Steve Smith will captain Australia in the first Ashes Test after Pat Cummins was formally ruled out of the series opener against England in Perth.

Less than a month out from the first Test, Cummins has still not yet resumed bowling as he recovers from a back stress injury. The paceman had indicated he would like to have been back with ball in hand at least four weeks out from his return.

Cricket Australia announced today that Cummins is back running and "expects to return to bowling shortly".
The 32-year-old is now pushing time to be right for the second Test in Brisbane under lights, beginning December 4, which is five-and-a-half weeks away.

The confirmation of Cummins' absence in Perth will be a blow for the home side given his leadership as well as being their leading fast bowler, though it is hardly a surprise with coach Andrew McDonald having previously conceded the right-armer's involvement to begin the series was looking increasingly unlikely.

There is a silver lining of a Cummins return from Test two or three onwards given the breaks between Tests get much shorter during the series' back-end.

It appeared unlikely Australia would have been able to carry an unchanged bowling attack through the hectic three-week stretch of the Adelaide-Melbourne-Sydney run of Tests anyway.

In the meantime, the Aussies are about as well covered as they can be to make up for the absence of the all-time great.

Steve Smith, Cummins' captaincy predecessor, is experienced in the role and has filled in for him as skipper six times since the quick took over the job. Smith also lifts with the bat when he is captain, averaging nearly 70 when in the role.

Scott Boland, who averages 12.63 with the ball at home, meanwhile shapes as the likely replacement in the bowling attack for Perth.

[GVGjr]

Mitch Marsh a genuine chance for Ashes re-call

Mitch Marsh says he will have had six beers by lunch on day one of the first Test in Perth.
It might be hard to do that if he’s standing in the slips — which is becoming a genuine possibility.
Australia’s cricket selectors are giving deep thought to using Mitchell Marsh as an Ashes opening batsman to shove Baz Ball back in England’s face.

Jake Weatherald’s double failure in his final Sheffield Shield audition before the first Test squad is chosen and a missed opportunity from Matthew Renshaw raises the question whether Australia will consider activating a wildcard option they were keeping up their sleeve for later in the series, and unleash Marsh at the top of the order as an Ashes Stormtrooper in Perth.

All indications to this point have been that Marsh is unlikely to open in the first Test and Australia is leaning towards a conventional red-ball opener, with Weatherald the favourite in an even field if Marnus Labuschagne is chosen at No.3.

Labuschagne could yet open if Cameron Green can only play as a specialist batsman and Beau Webster is retained as the all-rounder.
But take it as read Australia is actively considering Marsh as a potential Ashes opening option: at the very least, for later in the series, should England’s fast bowlers be causing problems and selectors feel they need to throw a disruptor into the mix.

The question now though is – and certainly the subject of talk around the traps on Thursday – is whether Australia might contemplate pulling the Marsh lever from the outset in an audacious bid to take down England’s express fast bowlers before they get into stride.

Usman Khawaja, the one man guaranteed to open in the first Ashes Test, gave Australia another confidence-booster on Thursday when he made a well-made 87 for Queensland against NSW.

But his opening partner Renshaw, who the likes of Greg Chappell, David Warner and Khawaja himself have all endorsed, missed a golden chance to further press his case for first Test selection when he was bowled for 29 by NSW’s Jack Edwards.

Victorian candidates Campbell Kellaway (147) and Marcus Harris (101 not out) both made late statements, as did South Australians Nathan McSweeney and Henry Hunt, but aside from Labuschagne’s strong early-season form, no other red-ball opening hopefuls have shot the lights out.

Weatherald has been the favourite to partner Khawaja from the outset this season and while scores of 67, 57 and 94 could be enough to get him over the line, making a duck and 12 against Victoria in his final audition does not help.

The shock suggestion that only seems to be gaining in momentum, is for Australian selectors to consider setting the man they call ‘the Bison’ loose on England as an opening batting aggressor at some point in the series.

Marsh’s name has been floated for a couple of weeks now, but the fact he is legitimately being considered as a Test match opener will still come as a shock to many, given his Test career to date has been in the middle-order.

The more likely option might still be that Marsh will play the fifth and sixth rounds of the Sheffield Shield competition when the Ashes starts, so he is prepared and ready should a mid-series entry come his way.

But Australian coach Andrew McDonald certainly hadn’t ruled out the prospect of Marsh playing the first Test against England without a red ball game under his belt when he talked up his T20 and ODI skipper on Monday.

“We feel he’s batting as well as he has for a long period of time. When he got dropped last summer, I think he (held) one of our highest averages (47) from Headingley (in the 2023 Ashes) to that point,” McDonald said.
“…We still haven’t given up on Mitch Marsh’s Test career.

“So what would the prep look like for him? It would have to be through white ball or maybe some Shield cricket after white ball if he isn’t in that first squad and then [he] he can press his claim through that.

“There’s Shield [rounds] five and six also when we’re playing the Test matches, where players that aren’t in the first Test will obviously go to work then.”
There are a number of factors in Marsh’s favour to be an opening bombshell this summer.

Australia feel Marsh – opener for the one-day and T20 teams – is one of the country’s most capable batsmen against high octane fast bowling, which would be of particular interest if England do play their two 150km/h weapons Mark Wood and Jofra Archer in the first Test.

Marsh has the game to counter-attack fast bowling, particularly short-ball tactics and his home deck in Perth could suit him more than any other.
Selecting Marsh would certainly be Australia paying homage to England’s own Baz Ball tactics, but it would also be a provocative way of fighting fire with fire.
Marsh has made all three of his Test hundreds against England and is a proven big-occasion performer.

The 34-year-old has been in sublime form in white ball cricket this summer, and the fact a blistering T20 hundred made off 50 odd balls in New Zealand was made on a pitch described as being as tough as a Test match wicket did not go unnoticed.
The looming crisis Australian cricket can only blame itself for If run-scoring proves tricky in the Ashes on bowler-friendly pitches, then perhaps Marsh’s aggressive stroke-making could be a winning strategy to build competitive totals for Australia.

Tempo-wise, Marsh’s fast scoring could offset Khawaja’s more methodical approach, and would give Australia a left-right combination.

There is no question that backing Marsh ahead of specialist red-ball openers like Weatherald and Renshaw, when they are in reasonable Shield form, would be viewed as a massive gamble by selectors.

[GVGjr]

I quite like Mitch Marsh but I think he would struggle to get through a 5 day test if that was to somehow eventuate
Even backing up from 3 or 4 days Tests might be too much for him.
Marsh hasn't played in a Shield game either.