The Daily Telegraph - 01.08.2019

1

England have

suffered one loss in

their past 14 Tests

at Edgbaston

Sport The Ashes

Post-World Cup comedown

gives advantage to Australia

Giles calls

on old pals

to rekindle

winning

mood

of 2005

By Nick Hoult CRICKET NEWS

CORRESPONDENT at Edgbaston

England channelled the spirit of the

2005 Ashes on the eve of this series

by having dinner with members of

that legendary team as Joe Root

looks to fulfil his boyhood dream of

lifting the urn.

Ashley Giles, the England direc-

tor, organised for five of his 12 fel-

low 2005 Ashes players to meet

with the current squad in the team

hotel last night to share stories and

give advice on handling the occa-

sion when the series starts today.

It was not aimed at old-timers

such as Stuart Broad and James

Anderson, who have played a part

in three home Ashes series wins

since 2009, but was designed to

inspire the likes of Rory Burns, Joe

Denly, Jason Roy and Sam Curran,

who are playing against Australia

for the first time. The idea was for

opening batsmen to learn from

Andrew Strauss, and bowlers to lis-

ten to Matthew Hoggard, Steve

Harmison and Simon Jones. For-

mer all-rounder Paul Collingwood

was also in attendance. Those miss-

ing were Kevin Pietersen and

Andrew Flintoff, who are overseas,

Geraint Jones (holiday), and Marcus

Trescothick, who has spent the

week with^ England helping the

coaches at Edgbaston but had to be

at an event for Somerset last night.

Giles and his famous five will be

presented to the crowd today as

Warwickshire mark the epic 2005

Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Root has

always been close to Michael

Vaughan and has leaned on him for

tactical advice and help with his

batting throughout his career, but

for others it was an opportunity to

meet the 2005 Ashes heroes and

pick their brains. England’s players

will also be presented with new

commemorative blazers today, the

latest step in their attempt to rein-

vent the culture of the team that

was initiated last winter by Root

and Eoin Morgan. For Root the chal-

lenge is to exploit the confidence

from winning the World Cup but

also maximise returns from players

fatigued by the effort of that victory.

It is the first series of the World

Test championship, the first

Test series to allow concussion

substitutes and the first Test

series for David Warner, Steve

Smith and Cameron Bancroft after

their bans for ball tampering.

It is also the first Ashes series to

start in August, having the latest

start of any Ashes series in any

English summer. And yet for the

hosts, who hope to regain the

Ashes, it comes too soon after their

World Cup victory only 2½ weeks

ago.

Apart from the purposeful

Australians, Edgbaston, on the eve

of this Ashes series, was more flat

than fizzing. Not the pitch, of

course: that is not going to be flat

because this venue was specifically

chosen for the opening Test so that

James Anderson, though he has

turned 37 this week, and Stuart

Broad could strike the first blows,

to the strains of England’s most

patriotic crowd. It looked

brown, but grassy, and not

very evenly so.

It was the ambience

which was flat, by

comparison with the

start of previous Ashes

series – those nervous

mornings at the Gabba,

pulsing with subtropical

humidity and the tourists’ fear

of the unknown, or at an English

venue, or Cardiff in 2009, when the

Ashes have been always the

summer’s peak. The tale being told

by Edgbaston’s scoreboard was of

the

last

T20

between Birmingham Bears

and Derbyshire.

Only three weeks ago

England played their best game

of the World Cup here, against

Australia, a virtually perfect game.

The aggression of England’s

opening batsmen and opening

bowlers, not to mention that of the

spectators in the Eric Hollies stand,

swamped Australia, who lost a

World Cup semi-final for the first

time, by the huge margins of

eight wickets and almost

18 overs.

For the seven Eng-

land players in their

World Cup squad, this

Ashes series is like a

whole hog roast straight

after a haunch of venison

with only cheese in

between: strong cheese, too, as

England were losing to Ireland for

most of their inaugural Test at

Lord’s. Or Wagner followed, after

the briefest of intervals, by

Beethoven – his ninth as well. All

too much and too rich, however

willing the flesh and spirit.

Australia, after losing their semi-

final, had more of a break than

England, and less need of

down time and more red-

ball preparation. They

now radiate more hun-

ger and motivation, in

addition to the individ-

ual determinations of

Warner, Smith and Ban-

croft to rehabilitate

themselves as people and

players in the eyes of the

cricket world. Warner, 32, has yet

to make his first

Test century

in Eng-

6

England have

failed to beat

Australia in their

past six Tests

5

Australia have

failed to win any

of their past five

away Tests

land. On England’s behalf, Joe Root

said all the right words about being

prepared, but his low tone – almost

flatness – hinted at the difficulty of

raising himself and his World

Cup winners back to con-

cert-pitch. And England’s

supporters have been

lulled into false secu-

rity: England may have

won all four of their past

home Ashes series, start-

ing in 2005, but three

have been by the smallest

margin. Australia, when they

win at home, win in a landslide like

5-0; England, even at their very

best, squeak over the line at home.

Objectivity will bracket the two

countries together in pace bowling,

Opportunity:

James Anderson

(above) and

Chris Woakes (far

right) will hope to

put Australia

under pressure

England face tough ask

to rise to opening Test

Woakes called up but

no place for Archer

Scyld Berry

CRICKET JOURNALIST

OF THE YEAR

at Edgbaston

IST

It is also Root’s chance to erase

memories of his last Ashes series as

captain 18 months ago, which ended

with his team losing 4-0 and him in

a Sydney hospital on a drip after

succumbing to a stomach bug on

the final day of the fifth Test.

“I have dreamt about it [winning

the Ashes as captain] from being a

little boy,” he said. “It’s huge.

Cricket in this country is probably

at an all-time high, it’s got interest it

probably hasn’t had for a long time

and we’ve got an opportunity as a

team to make this summer a very

memorable one. That’s exciting.”

Root named his team, confirm-

ing that Jofra Archer has not fully

recovered from a side strain and

will have to wait for Lord’s in two

weeks’ time to make his Test debut.

Instead Root has put his trust in the

seam bowling old guard of Chris

Excited: Joe Root

says he has

‘dreamt’ about

lifting the Ashes

England have

suffered one loss in

their past 14 Tests

at Edgbaston

orld

first

ssion

Test

Steve

ft after

ng.

series to

he latest

in any

for the

ain the

ter their

½ weeks

rposeful

the eve

more flat

itch, of

o be flat

ecifically

t so that

he has

d Stuart

t blows,

s most

d

al

fear

English

when the

ays the

eing told

d was of

the

last

T 20

between Birmingham Bears

and Derbyshire.

Only three weeks ago

England played their best game

of the World Cup here, against

Australia, a virtually perfect game.

The aggression of England’s

opening batsmen and opening

bowlers, not to mention that of the

spectators in the Eric Hollies stand,

swamped Australia, who lost a

World Cup semi-final for the first

time, by the huge margins of

eight wickets and almost

18 overs.

For the seven Eng-

land players in their

World Cup squad, this

Ashes series is like a

whole hog roast straight

after a haunch of venison

with only cheese in

between: strong cheese, too, as

England were losing to Ireland for

most of their inaugural Test at

Lord’s. Or Wagner followed, after

the briefest of intervals, by

Beethoven – his ninth as well. All

too much and too rich, however

willing the flesh and spirit.

Australia, after losing their semi-

final, had more of a break than

England, and less need of

downtime and morered-

ball preparation. They

now radiate more hun-

ger and motivation, in

addition to the individ-

ual determinations of

Warner, Smith and Ban-

croft to rehabilitate

themselves aspeople and

players in the eyes of the

cricket world. Warner, 32, has yet

to make his first

Test century

in Eng-

England have

failed to beat

Australia in their

past six Tests

Australia have

failed to win any

of their past five

away Tests

land. On England’s behalf, Joe Root

said all the right words about being

prepared, but his low tone – almost

flatness – hinted at the difficulty of

raising himself and his World

Cup winners back to con-

cert-pitch. And England’s

supporters have been

lulled into false secu-

rity: England may have

won all four of their past

home Ashes series, start-

ing in 2005, but three

have been by the smallest

margin. Australia, when they

win at home, win in a landslide like

5-0; England,even at their very

best, squeak over the line at home.

Objectivity will bracket the two

countries together in pace bowling,

Opportunity:

James Anderson

(above) and

Chris Woakes (far

right) will hope to

put Australia

under pressure

h ask

Testt

butt

r

2 *** Thursday 1 August 2019 The Daily Telegraph
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