Thu, May 28, 2009 page20

• Aussie players not so bold as they fly to Ashes

  CARDIFF CALLING Despite being the only bowler in the Australian party with Ashes experience in England, Brett Lee is not certain to start the first Test

  • AFP
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  There was no bold 5-0 predictions from Glenn McGrath before the first section of the Australian cricket squad jetted off to England yesterday ahead of the Ashes series.

  In fact, there was no Glenn McGrath. Or Shane Warne. Or Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Damien Martyn or Jason Gillespie.

  Four years ago, an experienced squad departed for England full of confidence and predicting that whitewash, but suffered a 2-1 series loss. They largely stayed together to avenge that defeat with a 5-0 Ashes series win at home in 2006-2007. Then the retirements started.

  Skipper Ricky Ponting, who was the first captain since Allan Border in 1986-1987 to taste Ashes defeat when he led the 2005 tour, is one of only five survivors of that trip.

  Among the other survivors are vice-captain Michael Clarke, opener Simon Katich, Brad Haddin — now first-choice wicketkeeper but a non-playing backup in 2005 — and paceman Brett Lee.

  The squad for the Twenty20 World Cup left for England yesterday to try to win the only major international trophy the Australians haven’t won in recent seasons.

  The remainder will head over in the coming weeks for tour matches at the Hove and Worcester ahead of the first Test starting on July 8 in Cardiff.

  At the corresponding time four years ago McGrath famously predicted a sweep of the Ashes when he attended the pre-tour camp at Coolum. That came back to bite him, hard.

  At Coolum this week, there was no boasting about victory margins.

  There was no bowler with the experience and pedigree of McGrath, who retired with more wickets than any other paceman.

  Instead, the attention was focussed on the competition for fast bowling spots, the attendance of wives and girlfriends (WAGS) at the camp and on the tour and the decision by selectors to overlook allrounder Andrew Symonds, who will play in the Twenty20 World Cup but not the Ashes.

  Australia won the series-opening match at Lord’s in 2005, with McGrath voted man-of-the match. But Australia’s dominance faded quickly after McGrath was sidelined for the second and third matches after twisting his ankle in a warm-up little more than an hour before the second Test was to start.

  Though Lee shouldered a greater load, McGrath’s absence exposed a lack of depth and form in Australia’s pace bowling attack. England, meanwhile, confounded Australia’s batsmen with a pace quartet that mastered the art of reverse swing.

  Depth shouldn’t be an issue this time among the Australian quicks. The selectors named five in the Ashes squad and competition is so intense that only left-armer Mitchell Johnson — player of the series in Australia’s 2-1 series win in South Africa in March — is a certainty to start.

  He has taken 94 wickets in 21 Tests and, adding significant strength to the batting order, scored an unbeaten 123 and a 96 not out against South Africa.

  Lee may be the only current bowler with Ashes experience in England, but will have to push his case in the Twenty20 World Cup as he returns from ankle and foot operations.

  Stuart Clark has Ashes experience but only on Australian soil, and is returning from an elbow problem. Still, his miserly bowling means he should force his way into the reckoning.

  “Where Stuart and Brett are in the pecking order, we don’t know at the moment,” Ponting said this week.

  After his injury, “Lee is a bit of an unknown. The first two games before the first test will tell us.”
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