'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It’s that time of the year again when another old rivalry will be renewed – this time in white flannels. For all practical purposes, this will be a battle between two highly contrasting teams: one has been quite formidable over the past year, while the other is struggling to get back on its feet in the aftermath of both cricketing and non-cricketing incidents.
Having said that, even though most pundits are backing England to retain the Ashes following successful campaigns in 2009 and 2010/11, there is still a lot of work to be done for the Lions to achieve greatness in this year’s series. Here are some of the things they need to look at to get in shape for the battles with “old enemy” Australia:
1. Get a lot of match practice:
England would do well to get in some much-needed match practice ahead of the all-important Test series. To that end, they need to ensure that all the players in the squad get a good workout in the field.
The Champions Trophy was a precursor to their preparations, but in order to succeed at the Test level, you’ve got to play four-day or five-day matches. Given the fact that England have a vibrant domestic cricketing setup, it should not be too hard for everyone to be match-fit, unless bad weather or injuries have a say.
2. Onus on improving fielding:
You win games against champion sides not on the strength of your batting or bowling alone – the fielding has got to be top-class too.
With the arrival of youngster Joe Root in the side, the fielding could see a slight increase in intensity. Despite their recent travails both on and off the field, Australia have always been a high-quality fielding side, and England need to be aware of this during their preparations.
To counter Australia’s rapid scoring batsmen – particularly Shane Watson – the fielding effort must be raised to levels higher than normal.
3. Emphasis on fitness:
As much as I detest sounding like a fanatic of fitness regimes, this is one aspect England must really need to address before embarking on a rather long home series.
Inclement weather conditions might mean the outfield could be a bit greasy, so the fielders will have to tread carefully. England’s fast bowlers will also need to be handled carefully – a fact that is not lost on coach Andy Flower and skipper Alastair Cook. Hence, the fitness levels will need to be quite high for all the five matches.
4. Prepare against swing:
In the warm-up game against Somerset, Australian seamers Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson extracted prodigious swing with the second new ball and knocked over six wickets for no runs in 29 deliveries.
England’s batsmen will have to develop methods to counter this threat as well as the danger posed by reverse swinging of the old ball. One method could be that of stepping out to hit the quick bowlers over the in-field, as Ian Bell did against Ishant Sharma in their 2008 tour of India.
Another most important thing to practice is getting to the pitch of the delivery; you can negate the swing to some extent if you do that. Fortunately, England have a good set of swing bowlers themselves, and so the batsmen should look to get in some solid preparation at the nets plus in their final warm-up game against Essex.
5. Old-fashioned grittiness needed:
While this is not quite something that England need to prepare for, it is definitely something that they can look to incorporate into their batting. They’ve got batsmen who need to re-adjust their game to Test mode, having just come off an ODI tournament.
The likes of Cook, Bell, Trott and Prior are expected to play a big role in this series, while the rookie batsman Joe Root has displayed shades of being able to tough it out in the middle for long periods. The much-awaited return of Kevin Pietersen will also be a huge factor in getting the old grittiness back in the side, and if they manage to do this consistently in addition to scoring tons of runs, England will be difficult to beat.
These are some important aspects that England needs to focus on while preparing for this all-important series. As long as they remember to enjoy their game and focus on playing good, smart cricket, they ought to be able to regain the urn. Game on!
