Michael Vaughan questions popularity of Australian Test team, as England defend preparation ahead of Ashes
The Australian Test team hasn’t always been beloved by the public, even during the great winning eras under Steve Waugh, the early years of the Ricky Ponting captaincy, and later under Michael Clarke and Steve Smith. Those teams were respected, but their hard-edged approach did not win over all fans.
Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald have worked to transform the image of the Test team, while still maintaining a winning ethos.
The Australians have continued to retain the Ashes urn, but they’ll be challenged massively this summer by the freewheeling tourists, led by skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
Taking aim: England great Ian Botham says the tourists are guilty of arrogance through their minimal Ashes preparation.Credit: Eamon Gallagher
They were due to fly to Australia after Saturday’s third and final one-day international against New Zealand in Wellington, but their decision to have only one three-day warm-up match, against England ‘A’ at Lilac Hill, having opted to bypass any contests against Australian state teams, drew stinging criticism from Ashes great Ian Botham.
The legendary all-rounder said this schedule “borders on arrogance”, but Ed Barney, the England Cricket Board’s performance director, said the clash against a youth development side would have the tourists ready for the five Tests.
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“There is nothing the lads will want more than to raise their game as far as it has ever been, [and] put batters under pressure, put bowlers under pressure,” Barney said.
“I have no shadow of a doubt that the three-day fixture will be a quality exposure that will continue to aid England in their preparation.”
England have used their white-ball tour of New Zealand as Ashes preparation, but nothing compares to what awaits with the red Kookaburra ball in a country they have failed in since 2010-11.
When they won that series 3-1, England, led by skipper Andrew Strauss, had three first-class matches before the first Test, winning two. In 1986-87, a series they also won, England had three first-class matches before the first Test.
An extended preparation doesn’t always guarantee victory, for England, under captain Alastair Cook, were crunched 5-0 in 2013-14.
“I understand where the question comes from, the history of the game,” Barney said about the perceived lack of practice matches.
“The interesting question is – have you looked at the future tours program? Have you looked at franchise cricket and the fact that a multi-format player left the country on 13 October and if they play in every England commitment and play in the Indian Premier League, and The Hundred, they will have less than two weeks off between now and the end of September?
“There is a volume of cricket that takes place that means there is a constant balancing of red-ball, white-ball, franchise and domestic cricket commitments.
“We are confident in the set-up, the approach, the time the team have got together, the ability we have had to provide a set of different preparations that are optimal for different players.”
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