Lutters’ Ashes Lines (part two)

The home side usually select just 12 or 13, and they say that the 17 will become 12 or 13 before November 26, but what does this say about the Aussies?

To me it says a number of things:

Some of their squad are not fully fit or not quite in form, and they can’t afford to go into the first test under strength. That’s one theory.

My second theory is that they aren’t sure what their best side is, after all they’ve been going through a pretty poor run of form recently and the selectors might want to freshen things up with a couple of new faces, and show the regular side that there are people ready and itching to take their place in the side.

The likes of Callum Ferguson (very nearly a Worthing CC player for a season) and Steven Smith have got international experience and proved themselves at the top level in the past.

My third theory is that the Aussies are genuinely worried about losing this series and are trying to cover as many bases as possible, and arguably in the process, covering none. They have three spinners in the squad, which is unheard of for an Australian side. Even England only have two, and we have more decent ones to choose from.

Australia do have one fairly major injury worry with Michael Clarke, the vice-captain, suffering from back issues again, a problem that has blighted most of his career.

The England Ashes train rumbles on, and they are currently in Hobart (Tasmania) for their third and final warm-up game, having beaten a decent Western Australia side and had the better of a draw against South Australia.

All the frontline bowlers have wickets, even the ones who broke bones in the character-building boxing matches, and most of the batsmen have got runs, most surprisingly for some, even Alastair Cook, whom many see as the weakest link in the England batting line-up.

England have decided to rest the frontline bowlers for the final game against Australia A in Tasmania, but the batsmen are playing. They have had to defend the fact that the bowlers are not playing and the batsmen are for the following reasons:

1.Hobart is a totally different climate than Brisbane, the venue of the first test. For a start it’s pretty cold, and the likelihood of a pulled muscle is relatively high.

2.It gives the other bowlers a chance – they may be called upon at some point and can’t be expected to perform without having got overs under their belt.

3.The batsmen always need time in the middle – batting is down to form, and minutes in the middle cannot be replicated by time in a net.

The thing is, why should the England management have to defend their decisions?

They have gone to Australia to retain the Ashes, whether by winning the series or drawing it.

If they don’t do that then people have every right to criticise, but since Andy Flower and his team have done pretty well so far without our advice, I think we should leave them to it.