Australia captain Pat Cummins has put a lid on calls for his team to match Bazball with fire by declaring they would not deviate from their playing style in the Ashes.
One year to the day since the dawn of England’s new era under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, the touring skipper rejected calls for Australia to match the home side’s high-octane game plan.
“We’ve had a lot of success in the last couple of years playing our way,” Cummins said in an interview with The Times.
“Our team is very experienced and most of the guys know their own games really well. I don’t think we need to change our style, some players are really aggressive, some are happy to build an innings and I don’t think much will change this series.
Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes will lead their teams into battle for the 2023 Ashes. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
“We’ve all played enough to know what works and what doesn’t and I don’t think you need to overcomplicate things. You can get into the minutiae of data and planning but the top of off stump is a pretty good place to bowl.”
Cummins said he planned to play all six Tests of their UK campaign, starting with next week’s World Test Championship final against India at The Oval before the five-match Ashes series.
He is relaxed about their limited red-ball build-up to the tour. The team played golf on the weekend as a bonding exercise before a mini camp to brush up on their skills before the clash with India.
“It’s busy,” Cummins said. “In 2019 we had the World Cup and then went straight into five Tests here and I remember being pretty tired by the last one.
“But that’s part of the reason why I’ve taken the last couple of months off. There are two gaps of just over a week between Tests, so we’ll just make sure we use them as well as we can. And like most Ashes series, you feel like you need over 15 players for five Tests.”
Cummins is not worried about only having four fast bowlers in the touring party, pointing to Michael Neser and Sean Abbott being in good form on the county circuit as back-up options.
England give uncapped seamer a lash
Josh Tongue will make his Test debut when England take on Ireland at Lord’s this week.
The Worcestershire seamer, who has taken 11 county championship wickets this season including that of Australia star Steve Smith in his side’s draw with Sussex, was named in the squad on Tuesday after injuries to James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer and Olly Stone.
“It’s an amazing feeling. Speechless really, even from when I got the first call-up to be in the squad. Now being in the actual team, it’s just a dream come true really,” said the 25-year-old.
“Baz (coach Brendon McCullum) came up to me just before training finished today and gave me the good news. I bowled at some of the lads on Monday, I felt like I bowled nicely and obviously I must have bowled fairly well to get selected.”
Tongue will feature in a three-pronged seam attack with Stuart Broad and Matthew Potts for the four-day match which starts on Thursday.
Jonny Bairstow makes his first international appearance since last August after a long-term ankle injury and will keep wicket.
Bairstow is listed to bat at seven, with Yorkshire colleague Harry Brook keeping his place at number five after four centuries in five Tests against Pakistan and New Zealand over the winter.
They are separated in the provisional order by captain Ben Stokes, while Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley will open the batting, with vice-captain Ollie Pope at number three and Joe Root at four.
The match is England’s last before this summer’s Ashes series but Tongue, Worcestershire’s first England international since Moeen Ali, said: “I’m the sort of person to stay in the present.
“Whatever game I play in I just try and perform and do as much as I can for the team to win a game of cricket so I’m not really thinking about the Ashes as such at the minute.
“I’m just thankful to all those who have helped me on my journey. It’s going to be a very emotional day for my dad. He’s that sort of character.”
Woakes recalled as injuries pile up
Chris Woakes has pointed to misfortune suffered by the injured pair Jofra Archer and Olly Stone as one of the reasons he finds himself in contention for Ashes selection.
Archer was ruled out of contention with a stress fracture to his elbow sustained playing for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, while Stone will miss at least the first Test with a hamstring injury.
Woakes had himself missed over a year of first-class cricket following knee surgery before returning to play for Warwickshire earlier in the summer.
But the 34-year-old has been recalled to Brendon McCullum’s England side for the match against Ireland at Lord’s which begins on Thursday – his first home Test appearance since he featured against the West Indies in June 2020.
The seamer took 6-17 on his last appearance against Ireland back in 2019 and is hoping another strong performance could kick open the door to Ashes selection.
“If you’d have asked me a month or two ago whether I’d even be in this squad – probably not, really,” said Woakes.
(Photo by Matt Roberts – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
“Looking at the pool of fast bowlers that were available, you stick Jofra and Olly Stone in the mix as well, I might not have been. Their misfortune means I’m here.
“But that’s the game, isn’t it? Injuries happen and things do change quite quickly.
“All part of my prep this summer was to miss IPL, play some county cricket for Warwickshire and try and get myself in the space where, if I was to get the call, then I’m ready. Thankfully it’s worked out nicely for myself.”
Lord’s has been a fruitful ground for Woakes, playing host to his only Test hundred against India in 2018 as well as being the setting for three five-wicket hauls.
After a year in injury limbo, he spoke of his gratitude at the chance to put himself in contention for the Ashes and an opportunity to banish memories of the 4-0 series defeat in Australia in 2020-21.
“Last summer wasn’t nice, because I tried to put the surgery off. I didn’t want to have it until it was a last resort, but it did get to the stage where it was last resort.
“It wasn’t serious surgery, but you never know how you’re going to come back from it, especially as it was the front knee, bowler’s knee.
“Thankfully, the surgeon did a good job, I’ve healed nicely and it’s pretty good. It was a tough summer but the winter well from a white-ball perspective so I’m looking forward to this summer.
“Without a shadow of a doubt there were dark moments, you go through days when you’re injured and you see cricket going on, not just England, any cricket with Warwickshire as well, you want to be a part of that.”
Ashes countdown: Days to go …
16
The Ashes bowling average of fast bowler Charles Turner (16.53 to be exact), who was known as the “Terror” and took 101 wickets for Australia from 1887-95 in just 17 Tests.
On This Day …
May 31 – the home of cricket, Lord’s hosted its maiden first-class match at its St John’s Wood venue in 1815 which is now an increasingly modern sports stadium. Thomas Lord played for the Middlesex side which scored 89, dismissed the MCC for 31, then replied with 24 before the MCC fell 17 runs of their victory target of 83. Let’s hope there’s a few more runs at Lord’s next month.
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