Ashes 2010: Comparison between Australia and England Test teams
Over the past couple of decades, Australia has boasted a far stronger cricket team than not only England, but almost all the rest of the cricketing world, and has dominated most international competitions. Australia has won every
World Cup since 1999, thanks to a match-winning lineup studded by legends like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer – but with the retirement of these star players in recent years, the era of Australian dominance over the cricketing
world seems to have all but ended.
At the moment, therefore, the Australian team seems to be on a roughly level playing field with the English team, which recently lost its star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff. England may even have a slight edge over the Aussies because
it still has a lot of new and exciting young cricketers doing well at the international level, including a quality spin bowler by the name of Graeme Swann. According to the ICC’s Test cricket rankings, England is in fourth place, one position above Australia.
As proved by England’s victory over Australia in this year’s World T20 final, gone are the days when any http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 versus England match was an entirely one-sided affair.
In terms of batting, both teams are evenly matched. The Australians have tried out a few different pairings of openers in the past couple of years, but Shane http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Watson-c96326 and Simon Katich appear to have cemented their spots with some
good performances. English openers have also been doing well, especially skipper Andrew Strauss. Alastair Cook was struggling for a while, but his century against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 during the Test series between the two nations earlier this year confirmed him a spot
in the Ashes.
The middle order of both teams is very strong, although there have been a few concerns over individual performances. Aussie captain Ricky Ponting has not been at his best in the past year and has struggled to score big runs. England’s
Kevin Pietersen has also lately been unable to make a good score for England. These two players should definitely be trying to get back on their game in the remaining four matches of the Ashes. Apart from these two, the batting lineup for each team is solid.
Australia has the ever-reliable Mike Hussey, Michael http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120, Marcus North and Brad Haddin. For England, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood and Matt Prior have been doing a splendid job. England can also play flamboyant young lefthander Eoin Morgan,
who made his mark in the international arena very early in his career but has yet to get his chance in the Ashes.
With such strong batting lineups on both sides, it is essential that each team also include top quality bowlers as well. The fast bowlers of both teams have the ability to penetrate through any batting lineup, but the Australian
bowlers have struggled in the recent past. The biggest disappointment for Australia has been Mitchell Johnson, who they were expecting to develop as an all-rounder. The pressure seemed to be too much for Johnson, costing him his ability to regularly pick up
wickets. Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle and Doug Bollinger have been doing a better job but some injury concerns have plagued these bowlers. England’s bowlers have done a fantastic job, often providing a breakthrough when it is needed most. James Anderson has
shown admirable control over his swing, and Stuart Broad and Steven Finn have been a worthy supporting act. In the spin department, the English team has an edge because of Graeme Swann, who has proved to be one of the best spinners ever to have played for
England. The English team also has a second spinner, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Monty-Panesar-c2024, at its disposal. Australia, meanwhile, has struggled to find a quality spinner after the retirement of Shane Warne, and has been trying out different spinners but not gotten desirable results.
Nathan Hauritz and Steve Smith have shown that they can be good limited-over players, but their suitability for a five-day match is doubtful.
It is this slight imbalance in the bowling department between the two otherwise roughly equal teams that may give England the competitive edge. A spinner can decide the outcome of a match or even a series, and the Australians have
struggled to find a quality spinner who can help them win a five-day match. The outcome of the first Ashes match may have been different if Australia had a quality spinner who could have taken a few wickets to pressurize the English batsmen. The home advantage
does indeed remain with Australia, but England has a secret weapon in the shape of its spinner, along with a blend of some talented batsmen and all-rounders, and may well retain the Ashes this year by either winning or levelling the series.
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