After all the hullaballoo, the latest of an increasingly frequent Ashes contests finally got under way with a straightforward England victory. Given that it’s very rare for a side leading 1-0 to lose an Ashes series, New England are already looking a good bet to regain the urn.
It does seem odd to hear an Antipodean accent playing up England’s chances but, even though Jason Gillespie ruled himself out, fellow Aussie Trevor Bayliss has made a best possible start to his reign. I’ve no doubt that the confidence developed during the recent series against New Zealand under the fledgling Strauss/Farbrace regime played its part. There will be strategies, grand and individual, but batsmen will enjoy having the opportunity to go for their shots without fear. The return of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad on home pitches is also vital not only to a harmonious England dressing room and fanbase, but also to upsetting the opposition.
England pretty much led from start to finish, or at least from the time Joe Root came in at 43-3 to accompany Yorkshire colleague Gary Ballance. Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Lyon were clearly targets for the strokemakers, and Joe Root led with finesse. I said it four years ago and will say it again: Joe Root is the real deal at Test level. His proven ability in ODIs and T20 is a bonus. In 28 Tests, he has aggregated well over 2,000 runs at 56. Ballance’s averages also stands above 50 but I suspect that will decrease in time, just as Ian Bell’s has. I fancy Root to advance to three in the order, nudging Bell and Ballance down a slot.
There were breezy half-centuries from Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, surely the best number eight in recent memory, as England advanced to 430 at more than four an over. Only Mitchell Starc’s five-for gave Australia much to shout about, but at least they didn’t let England get out of sight. Chris Rogers responded in the right manner, and was unfortunate not to reach a deserved hundred. He fell to a Buttler catch from a Mark Wood delivery that moved and bounced.
Aussie coach Darren Lehmann cannot have been pleased with the rest of his batsmen. No other man managed 40 in the first innings. Needing 412 to win, and Sunday heading for a likely washout, all Michael Clarke and co needed to do was bat out the fourth day to ensure a draw and re-group for round two. Given all the reports of a ridiculously placid Cardiff pitch, this shouldn’t be too difficult for a classy, experienced team. Yet they failed. Badly.
England bowled and fielded with admirable discipline, while the batsmen generously threw away their wickets at regular intervals. David Warner did at least get to 52 before Ali trapped him just before lunch. Johnson had suffered a miserable match with the ball but he could now open his shoulders and counter-attack. That’s fine, but he needed the top order to provide the ballast at the other end to ensure they had wicket in hand come close of play. They didn’t. Clarke, new old boy Adam Voges and 2013 hero Brad Haddin fell in single figures and Shane Watson’s LBW trials persisted. Game over.
I’d be surprised if Mitchell Marsh didn’t replace Watson at Lord’s but there’s no real need for England to tinker very much. Leave Cook and Bell alone but I’d promote Ali to six ahead of Stokes and Buttler. The bowlers stuck to their task although there may be a case for introducing Steve Finn on his home ground. Having a ‘Dad’s Army’ isn’t necessarily a weakness for Australia but the old heads and hearts need to be more in evidence if they are to salvage the Ashes in the next few months.
