England haven’t won an Ashes series for nine years. Given how frequently the two sides meet – it’s almost as if they compete in the same league, playing each other home and away every year – this is a record England must hope to end.
If you’d like to hear the Aussie version of what is happening, dig out the The Scoop Cricket Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-test-match-talking-points-with-shelley-nitschke/id1532182145?i=1000617451416), where head coach Shelley Nitschke gives an upbeat view of the 3-day games and what may lie ahead at Trent Bridge.
Don’t expect a ball-by-ball recounting of all England’s virtues, and take no notice of the intro which claims that Jess Jonassen scored a cool 1073 not out against the hapless Poms.
A Point about Points
It’s important to remember the points system in operation. The 4 points on offer at the test match can help to swing the final result. That’s why the original allocation of 6 points was adjusted. That distribution was lovely for the winners, not so clever for the losers or everyone involved in maintaining excitement and drama. It’s two points for the winners of all the remaining contests.
Australia won the last battle 12-4 in 2022.
The evidence thus far
All we have to go on till now are the two 3-day games played concurrently last week. Since both sides introduced first-choice players into the support teams – essentially but not exclusively as captain (Jess Jonassen and Lauren Winfield-Hill) it was tricky sorting out who was playing where.
The two strips they played on obviously helped the batters more than was good for players or selectors. Runs came in large doses. But crucially, they came mainly from English bats. The two Australian first innings both failed to reach 300; both English ones sailed past 500.
The Aussies have understandable excuses: they were still getting over jet-lag, were right out of season and were as unfamiliar with the 3-day game as the hosts.
Some Background
Since Australia have been almost permanent winners of every type of tournament for the past many years, that must put a following wind into English sails. One advantage of introducing a younger generation to the line-up is that they don’t have memories of repeated losses to the old enemy.
Tests are still an endangered species. Adventures like the Hundred and the WBBL in Australia do nothing to advance the cause of the most distinguished format cricket has yet discovered. Then the question arises: how are personal performances affected by stepping into the test arena? Can players hold their nerve and remain calm for six hours x five days? It’s the ultimate challenge.
Here’s a glimpse of the top of the mountain:
Test Caps like Gold Dust
RUNS HS AVE
Heather Knight 10 705 168* 47
Nat Sciver-Brunt 8 512 169* 46
Tammy Beaumont 7 267 70 26
Amy Jones 4 82 64 16
These are England’s leading performers with the bat. Only two of the quartet have figures that stand out as exceptional.
Contrast:
Ellyse Perry 9 683 213* 68
Beth Mooney 4 184 63 26
Alyssa Healy 6 236 58 23
Jess Jonassen 4 238 99 39
Ellyse Perry is recognised as the greatest player in the world cricket for the last decade and a half. We will see whether she can maintain those great standards. The stress fracture of her back that she suffered early last year may still be affecting her bowling.
Trent Bridge
The physios will be checking the fitness of every player with a keen eye. The gap between the recent games and the test is narrow. Somehow the staff have to match recovery time against net and field practice.
One of the frustrations of cricket is that captains don’t need to disclose their Elevens till shortly before the start. Much depends on the pitch, how it looks at first glance and how it is likely to alter across the five days.
My hunch is that both sets of selectors and their captains will have agreed on their final choices well before the toss. They have enough flexibility available not to need a dramatic late call.
Nottingham is the furthest north the series will travel. But a series based at Chester-le-Street might have tested the number of sweaters the Aussies have brought with them.
