In April that national barometer of depression, the Met Office, predicted a ‘barbecue summer’ in the UK. At the same time, most considered cricketing opinion regarded England as the snag on that barbecue and any one of sixteen touring Australians taking it in turns to man the tongs. Fast forward three months and the Met Office has revised their forecast downwards – it’s officially umbrella time. If that was predictable then the cricket has been anything but. With the Third Test due to start today – weather permitting – England finds itself in the surprising position of being one up with three to play which still leaves plenty of time to revert to type and assume their traditional supine position when facing Australia.
With the quality of cricket during the first two matches generally poor and with both sides rarely playing at the top of their game simultaneously then happily the series has not lacked in excitement. However, it is the absence of the personalities from the last contest that are being missed the most, having retired to stud - or so all of Australia hopes. So confident is Andrew Strauss that he stated publicly that he thinks Australia have lost their aura – and he’s right. Fine players all, the new wearers of the baggy green do not possess the cricketing CVs of their predecessors - yet.
Mitchell Johnson arrived in England as an Aussie champion; the leader of the attack who had taken more than twice as many Test wickets as any other Australian in the last year. In his first two Ashes Test matches Johnson has bowled so poorly that he has given pie-throwers a bad name.
Phil Hughes arrived on these shores with even more hyperbole due to the brilliant start he had made to his Test career against South Africa. His natural tendency of backing away to leg was part of the genius of his game and seemingly enabled him to crash almost any ball to the offside boundary. Three innings later the backing away to leg is now seen as a sign of mental and technical weakness as Hughes runs scared from the short ball.
To watch the wheel-nuts working themselves loose on a cricket team is never a wholly pleasant experience, even if it is Australia in need of a wrench. Standing in the middle of an arena for six hours a day being heckled by a raucous crowd of 20,000 as you struggle to rediscover the secret to your success is not a scenario that you or I have had the pleasure of confronting as we earn our corn. Unlike the genteel crowd at Lords, the spectators at Edgbaston will need no invitation to barrack Johnson and Hughes. There is no hiding place either in the outfield or behind one of the Australian legends of yesteryear.
If Matthew Hayden or Justin Langer had been his partner and mentor then would Phil Hughes, just 20, have started the series more confidently? If Glenn McGrath had been opening the bowling would Mitchell Johnson have discovered his rhythm? Truly great players don’t just score runs or take wickets as if they’re shelling peas but they occupy the media and crowd’s attention. They enable junior players to come in to a team and learn the ropes without the pressure of being exposed to the full glare of publicity. Johnson and Hughes have suffered so far on this tour but both are made of stern stuff and just like the weather forecast, you wouldn’t bet against them turning it round if given the chance.
The groundsman may have described the Edgbaston pitch as ‘jelly’ but this match need not end in the widely forecast draw. The English batting remains too carefree and indisciplined to bat Australia out of a game. The suggestion being that if Stuart Clark is picked - and surely he must be if the Australian selectors are on the ball - and can bring the unfashionable disciplines of line and length back to the Australian attack then they will be in with a shout. England can’t rely on Flintoff’s heroics to inspire them in every round against Australia so we may just need some of that rain to lend a hand and save us too. Umbrellas up.
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