The Ashes Blog

Day 1: Australians 337 for 8 (Hussey 143*, Katich 95)

There were some concerns for the Australians with a few of their top batsmen failing, but Mike Hussey looks like he could be back to form and ready to terrorise the England bowlers.

Phillip Hughes was once again dismissed cheaply, and I just wonder if he might have used up too much energy in playing for Middlesex. He’s a terrific player, and I’m not going to discount him, but he needs to get this run of low scores out of him as soon as possible. He is the sort of guy that can just turn it on at anytime … a little bit like Adam Gilchrist, you just never want to write him off.

However, another shining light was Mitchell Johnson, who once again showed the more qualified batsmen the way to go. You England fans shouldn’t underestimate this guy – he is seriously good. And I mean, Flintoff ‘05 good. Look out.

Day 2: England Lions 302 for 6 (Moore 120, Denly 66, Davies 53, Lee 5-53) trail Australians 358 (Hussey 150, Katich 95, Harmison 4-80) by 56 runs

Brett Lee is back and ready to perform, but the other bowlers in this game will have to improve if Australia are to push for a win in the 2009 Ashes. Ok, so Johnson still needs a bit of bowling time to get back into the swing of things, so I’m not too worried about him, but Stuart Clark? Seriously, he needs some work. Sure, he bowls like a superstar on Australian and South African pitches, but in England’s it’s a different proposition. Perhaps the Aussie selectors will regret picking Clark for those few one day matches which prevented him from getting a few games with an English county, which surely would have given him some valuable practice time in English conditions.

Then there’s Nathan Hauritz, who is being out-bowled by part-timer Marcus North. I can’t see him getting a spot in a Test unless the wicket looks like being a massive turner from day one, and even then he’s probably better off carrying the drinks.

Day 3: Australians 276 for 4 (North 106*, Clarke 80) lead England Lions 352 (Moore 120, Rashid 66, Denly 66, Lee 6-76) by 282 runs

Marcus North is back scoring runs, Michael Clarke has shown himself to be the rock of the middle order, and Phillip Hughes doesn’t like facing Steve Harmison. Hughes has been through this sort of battle before, when in South Africa he was peppered with short balls, and he came through that ok so I reckon he’ll figure out a way to survive. Ricky Ponting, though, is a concern. The Aussies always talk of targeting the opposition captain. Well, if England were to do the same then I’d reckon they’ll find their job pretty easy. I mean, he’s a quality player, so you can’t write him off, but I don’t think he’s in the best of form at present.

On the England front, Harmison is looking really good. As an Aussie fan, I’d prefer not to see him in the England side, so hopefully the Pommy selectors do the right thing and stick with Stuart Broad. Graham Onions and Saj Mahmood, on the other hand, have looked pretty ordinary.

Day 4: England Lions 352 (Moore 120, Rashid 66, Denly 66, Lee 6-76) and 162 for 4 (Morgan 28*, Johnson 2-48) drew with Australians 358 and 438 for 4 dec (North 191*, Clarke 80, Hussey 62)

The final day was a good one for the Australians, with their middle order adding a stack of runs, and their key bowlers getting some good game time and a few wickets. With batsmen 4 to 7 doing so well, it seems the only weak link is possibly Hughes and Ponting at the top. However, they’re both still quality players and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them bounce back with some healthy scores in Cardiff.

All up, I think this practice match has been really good for the Australian squad, and it has probably given them a better preparation than the England XI have had in their game against Warwickshire. The England team dominated their game, but I think the quality of the opposition wasn’t that great. The Australians, on the other hand, have been up against some of England’s recent (and possibly current) Test players, so it’s been about as close to a Test match as you can get.

I’ll give the Australians a 7 out of 10 for this game. The batting was very good, with only a couple of players at the top of the order letting the side down. The bowling unit as a whole wasn’t so great and could improve, but Lee and Johnson seem to have their rhythm back. If you put Lee, Johnson, Siddle and Clark together, as I’m expecting they’ll do for the 1st Test, then the only one there who’s a little off his game is Stuey Clark. Even so, I think the team will go to Cardiff feeling pretty confident.