Andrew McDonald is confident David Warner has shown the right signs ahead of the Ashes, as the opener prepares for the biggest Test of his career.
Warner’s last Ashes series in England attracted headlines for all the wrong reasons, dismissed by Stuart Broad seven times and left to average 9.5.
Any repeat of that would likely scupper Warner’s plans for a Sydney retirement next January, and leave him in serious danger of not surviving the England series.
Warner has been adamant 2019 is now largely irrelevant, given he will adopt a different approach to his batting after being too defensive four years ago.
The left-hander made a hard-fought 43 in the first innings of the World Test Championship final win over India, before being caught behind for one in his next innings.
It came as Australia’s issues at the top of the order in England continued, with Usman Khawaja scoring 0 and 13.
But McDonald is confident the pair got enough out of the match ahead of Friday’s first Test against England at Edgbaston.
“I thought Davey moved well in the first innings,” Australia’s coach said.
“He got strangled down the leg side. You look at that, and you say ‘a little bit of luck there and potentially that’s a bigger score’.
“But the way he moved, the way he played is exactly what we want.
“And Uzzie’s last two years speak for themselves. There’s going to be failure points for any batters and he’s had one.
“But it doesn’t mean he’s any less prepared.”
If Australia needed any reminder of how hard things would be at the top of the order in England, they got it at The Oval.
The new-ball period at the start of the day was by far the hardest to bat, particularly if there is cloud overhead helping the ball move.
David Warner edges and is caught by KS Bharat on day one of the World Test Championship Final. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Australia failed to pass 20 for the opening wicket in any of their 10 Ashes innings in 2019, with Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft also struggling beside Warner.
But McDonald said it did not mean he would Warner or Khawaja going into survival mode, as was the case with the openers four years ago.
“I don’t think survival comes into most batters’ minds these days,” McDonald said.
“It’s more about how you’re going to score runs and what your method is going to be.
“Last Ashes series it was on average 2-20, so they’re going to be challenged again here.
“But as long as they are clear in the method, that’s the way to get success over five Test matches.”
Moeen challenge for England
McDonald has warned England they face a challenge in replacing Jack Leach with Moeen Ali for the Ashes.
“There’s a challenge there,” McDonald told reporters when asked about Leach’s absence.
“Mo hasn’t played a red-ball game for an extended period of time, no doubt he’ll be prepared, he’s had a couple of weeks’ notice.
“But think Jack Leach really complemented that attack and his wicket-taking ability and the way Ben Stokes has used him has been a little more aggressive and has reaped some great rewards.
“It won’t be the same but they’ll have to operate fractionally differently no doubt about that.”
Moeen, who will celebrate his 36th birthday during the first Test, has scored 2,914 Test runs and taken 195 wickets. He averages 64.65 with the ball in 11 Tests against Australia and he hasn’t played red ball cricket for England since his 64th Test against India at The Oval two years ago.
He refused a call up last year for the tour of Pakistan.
He’s being backed by former England spinner Graeme Swann, who said: “I think it makes us stronger.”
Border backing Boland
Allan Border has likened Scott Boland and expects him to have the same impact in the Ashes.
Alderman took 83 wickets across two tours in the 1980s.
Boland has exploded into contention and taken 33 wickets at 14.47 in eight Tests including his 5-105 against India in Australia’s World Test Championship victory.
Border believes Boland must now be acknowledged as a front-line option and should play instead of Josh Hazlewood at Edgbaston.
“Boland has to stay,’’ Border told News Corp. “He was threatening all the time against India. It was just so like Terry Alderman and Terry was just phenomenal in England. They are both the perfect pace for English conditions in the way they kiss the wicket.
“Boland’s style of bowling and his general accuracy makes him the prototype English bowler. In those conditions Boland is just about first picked. They have to keep the same team that beat India.
“Because Boland has bowled on flat tracks in Australia, particularly the MCG, I feel he is ready made for England. He just doesn’t put a foot wrong when he plays.
“If they start playing Bazball, his style of bowling will be very hard to get on top of. Someone like Mitchell Starc could get 6-30 or 0-130 because he is a more aggressive bowler.
“Hazlewood has not played much and when he has played he has broken down a fair bit. The thing that worries me is that Josh won’t have a preparation.
“There’s no matches to find out how he is really travelling. If you brought Josh back you would have your heart in your mouth he was going to get through.’’
Border is the latest Aussie to express doubts that Bazball will work against the Aussie pacemen.
“I still think against a decent bowling attack over two innings it will be hard to sustain. But I know from playing Ian Botham what impact something like that can have,” Border said.
“Your line and length and your general strategies can all get put under so much pressure. I hope they have a crack at it because I can see some pretty exciting cricket come up.
Scott Boland celebrates the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo by Gareth Copley-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
“If they have the guts to stick with it England may win a series 3-2. You just sense they will come a gutser twice. But they will still be able to win Tests when it comes off.’’
Hazlewood warning to curators
Josh Hazlewood has warned any attempt by England to produce flat wickets for their aggressive batters could backfire and play right into Australia’s hands for the Ashes.
Australia are due to get their first look at Edgbaston on Tuesday afternoon in England, but will not get a proper picture of how the wicket has been prepared until closer to the first day’s play on Friday.
Groundstaff have this week claimed there has been no direct request from England’s camp, and that they are preparing the pitch as normal.
But the hosts have made no secret of their desire for the summer.
With their batsmen having rattled up runs at the rate of 4.85 an over in the past year, captain Ben Stokes said in April he had told curators he wanted fast wickets designed for quick scoring.
As far as Hazlewood is concerned, they would be effectively the kind of wickets he and his teammates grew up on.
“It surprised me when (Stokes made his pitch request). It might have been a furphy, who knows,” Hazlewood, who is aiming to return from a side-strain at Edgbaston, told AAP.
“But if I am England, I am probably going the opposite way.
“You are probably going green wickets that are doing a fair bit, and then back yourself to make more runs than us on those types of wickets.
“They come to Australia and the wickets are harder, flatter and faster. And we’ve seen the results.”
Australia have won 13 of the last 15 Ashes Tests played on home turf, with the other two ending in draws.
In contrast, England have not lost a home Ashes series on their seaming pitches since 2001.
Hazlewood’s comments have been backed by former Test quick Jason Gillespie, who is adamant any attempt to produce batter-friendly wickets could backfire on England’s bowlers.
“We know England’s strength is playing on surfaces that all of their players have grown up playing on,” Gillespie said.
“That they have adjusted to and grown up playing with the Dukes ball.
“I find it interesting that is the way they will go.”
Gillespie spent nine years in England coaching county cricket, and was at one stage considered a potential option to head up their national team.
“It plays into Australia’s hands more,” he said.
“England rely really heavily on (James) Anderson and (Stuart) Broad. And they are not going to play every Test. Broad may do, but Anderson will play no more than three.
“The Australian attack is better equipped with their seam and spin to handle the more batter-friendly surfaces.
“Having better batting surfaces will nullify the impact of the Dukes ball, which has been the thing for (Australia’s batters) for years, the seaming and swinging ball.”
Edgbaston already looms as a fast-scoring venue to open the series, with runs scored at a quicker rate there than any other regular English Test ground this century.
Ashes countdown: Days to go …
3
The number of runs Australia won by when they edged out England at Manchester in 1902 despite being bowled out for just 86 in their second innings. The home side fell just short of their target of 124 when Hugh Trumble’s 6-53 led Australia to victory.
On this day
Terry Alderman completed his second five wicket haul of the opening Test at Headingley as Australia shocked the favoured England team to get off to a flyer in the 1989 series.
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