Around the Wicket - Ashes Crystal Balling Part 2

Time to take a look at Australia’s Ashes 09 tilt. If you haven’t already done so – you can read my thoughts on England’s tilt here: [url]http://www.thefanatics.com/web_blog.view.php?web_blog_ID=255[/url]

I don’t know whether anybody has noticed – but this will be the first trip to England Australia has made since 1989 that didn’t contain a bloke named SK Warne, or one named GD McGrath. From that one fact, we can easily establish that the side we send to England in 2009 will be the worst side we have sent to England in 20 years.

Good thing we’re still a long way in front of England then.

Our batting is settled. The top 6 has a nice familiar, strong feel about it, and with Haddin at 7, there is no obvious weakness in the batting side of things. The only slight problem I can see is that Matthew Hayden is struggling – I see he’s going to miss another one day series with injury, and I remember reading that he’s considering giving one day cricket away. If he does that – it will benefit him, and that decision might just enable his creaky bones to get on a plane to England for the Ashes tour. England is the one place he’s never really played well – and the bloke will be desperate to conquer his “final frontier”. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him bow out after that – if he makes it there in the first place.

The area I will be watching with interest is the bowling department. Obviously, Clark and Lee will be the 2 first choice bowlers picked, and I would expect Stuart Clark to dominate the English if he’s given the new ball. Stuart Clark + English conditions = wickets. Go and put a sneaky twenty on him being the leading wicket taker for the series. Unfortunately after that, we look a lot less settled. There’s no spinner with his hand up – although I hear on the grapevine that Casson, McGain, and Hauritz are the 3 candidates foremost in the selectors minds for the Indian tour – and whoever is the best performer there will most likely be first choice for England. I’m backing McGain. Come on the Vics! Finally – Mitchell Johnson is a worry. I hate saying this, because he’s one of my favourites – but he needs to cement his spot in the side yet. I still don’t think he’s an automatic selection, and with Siddle, Bollinger, Bracken, Tait, and Hilfenhaus all waiting in the wings for him to fall over, he desperately needs to do something in the next 12 months to prove he belongs. If he gets to England – he will shake up the Poms with his pace and swing.

Likely Australian squad: Hayden, Jaques, Ponting (capt), M Hussey, Clarke, Symonds, Haddin, Casson, Lee, Johnson, Clark

Backups: Bollinger, Ronchi, D Hussey, Katich, McGain

How to beat Australia? Keep Clark and Lee out with the bat, and attack the spinner and first change bowler. Put as much time into getting Ponting out as you can – bring Panesar on early to him, as well as Sidebottom. Bowl short at Symonds, wide of off stump to Clarke and Hayden, no width for Hussey or Jaques – and attack the bowlers with short balls, except for Lee. We don’t want to annoy him.