The Ashes Episode IV: A New Hope

They say the night is darkest before the dawn. Well let me tell you the night can’t get any bloody darker for Australian cricket. 

Coming off the back of an absolute shellacking from a country that barely cares for Test cricket isn’t even the worst of it. As hard as we’ve tried to forget it Shane Watson is for another few hours at least, the incumbent Test match captain. Oh how the mighty have fallen, from Steve Waugh to Shane Watson. Just writing that sentence hurt.

Alas Cricket Australia sought to immediately, well almost immediately, sack the man responsible for this national travesty by replacing Mickey Arthur with Darren Lehmann as head coach. Boof’s honeymoon period unfortunately only lasted days when he announced that his first action as coach would be to reinstate Shane Watson to the top of the order alongside Chris Rogers. Watson remarked that it felt like a return to his ‘halcyon glory days’ as a Test match opener alongside Simon Katich. I beg to differ, 75 innings, 2 centuries and a career average of 35,  are certainly not statistics to be proud of, nor were there actually any ‘glory days’ for which to refer to. To repay Lehmann’s faith Watson will need to spearhead Australia’s batting with a series average of 60 plus and at least 3 centuries from the five Test series in England. I for one won’t be holding my breath.

The decision to return Watson to the top of the order is at the expense of three time centurion from 35 innings’ David Warner who is coming off a miserable tour of India and an enforced ban from competitive cricket for punching Englishman Joe Root. Seriously whatever happened to a pat on the back?

Warner will likely feature in the middle order of this series and his ability to take the game away from England inside a session is invaluable. If Warner can rediscover the touch that saw him post the most impressive Australian century in recent memory against New Zealand in Hobart,  Australia will be a long way towards posting competitive targets.

In 1989 the ‘worst Australian side to tour English shores’ retuned to Australia with the urn in hand to kick start a period of sustained dominance only broken by the greatest Ashes series ever in 2005. The Ashes tour of ’89 made the Test careers of Mark Taylor and Stephen Waugh and Australia will need breakout series from at least two of Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith and Phil Hughes to remain competitive. 

Khawaja is the darling of the disconnected Australian cricket fan but has by and large been underwhelming in his efforts to date at International level and while he has performed satisfactorily at domestic level a Sheffield Shield season average of 40 does not demand Test match selection. He enters the 2013 Ashes with half the Test matches of Steve Waugh in 1989 but the same amount of Test centuries, zero. Without a doubt Khawaja will get an opportunity to prove himself during this series, if he manages to take that opportunity Australia will be a much stronger side.

Dave Warner has held a Test average of 50 for a considerable period of his brief career to date and will need to adjust to batting in the middle order if he is to be successful on this tour. Without a doubt a complete and utter tool, all will be forgotten if runs are scored, just ask Warney.

Steve Smith has tasted Ashes competition in the past and performed as well as could be expected in the circumstances. Has had two stints in the Test team and is yet to cement a position even in the squad. A late call up from the Australia A tour Smith will need to seize any opportunity that comes his way, like the Warner suspension which has him poised for First Test selection.

Phil Hughes is the most decorated of this group of four batsmen, bursting onto the scene with twin centuries before being dropped in the last UK series. Seemingly worked out his flaws and returned to the side for a disastrous series against New Zealand and Chris Martin only to be dropped and forced to work his back again. Has experienced significant success in County cricket and hopefully this translates into a confident and dominant performance from Hughes. He can use this double series to cement his position within the side for the next decade. Has the potential to play all five Tests and return to Australia with a sub 100 or post 1000 run aggregate for the series. Here’s hoping for the latter.

In the bowling department, there are less problems with performance and ability but a hell of a lot more fitness concerns. Ryan Harris and James Pattinson are far and away our two best bowlers and if these two can stay fit have the potential to rip the heart out of the English batting lineup inside a session. They are two of the most tremendously quick, combative and skilful bowlers in world cricket right now and getting them on the field is absolutely imperative.

Peter Siddle will perform his usual war horse duties while Nathan Lyon needs to return selectors faith by at least matching the output of Swann throughout series.

Mitchell Starc is the most exciting young bowling talent in world cricket right now and in our best bowling attack when on song. When off song however Starc is not good enough for park cricket and when he gets his chance, which he no doubt will at some stage, it is fingers crossed that he manages to bowl the unplayable gems we have seen him deliver in white ball cricket.

Basically if the Australian Test side performs to their career performances to date we will return home with our tails between our legs. The great thing about the future however is its unpredictability and for now I prefer to think of the upcoming Ashes series as the coming of age of Australia’s new team of world beaters. Watson , Hughes, Khawaja, Smith, Warner, Pattinson, Starc and Lyon have an opportunity to cement positions in not only the Australian cricket team for years to come but in Australian sporting folklore by coming of age on the grandest stage of all.