Daily Mail - 30.07.2019

QQQ

Daily Mail, Tuesday, July 30, 2019

more pressure than me.

at if it’s started already

79

Bruised:

Warner is

checked

out by

physio

David

Beakley

yesterday

GETTY IMAGES

WARNER’S INJURY SCARE

AFTER BLOW IN THE NETS

AUSTRALIA suffered an injury

scare just three days from the

Ashes when David Warner

suffered a nasty blow on the left

leg yesterday and had to leave

net practice at Edgbaston.

Warner, returning to the

Australian fold after his leading

role in the Sandpaper-gate

scandal, suffered what was

described as a ‘bad bruise’ to his

inner thigh after being hit by fast

bowler Michael Neser and

immediately left for treatment.

Australia are said to be relaxed

about the condition of one of the

most important, if controversial,

members of their side and

expect him to be fully fit on

Thursday to face not just England

but what is expected to be a

hostile reception from the

Edgbaston crowd.

Meanwhile, England have been

warned Australia will continue to

play their cricket tough by Steve

Waugh, the master of sledging

and ‘mental disintegration’.

The great former captain is with

this year’s tourists as a mentor

and does not think the

infamous Aussie way will be

compromised by the

cheating scandal that shone an

unpleasant spotlight on their

cricketing culture.

‘This side is going to be

combative because that’s the

Australian way,’ said Waugh

yesterday at Edgbaston. ‘They

know they can’t cross the line

because obviously what

happened 18 months ago has

had a huge impact on them.

‘These guys have played in a

fantastic spirit since then but we

have to play with conviction and

courage because we are brought

up to play in a positive, aggressive

manner and I don’t see that being

any different in this series.

‘There aren’t going to be any

shrinking violets out there even

though perhaps there’s not as

much mental disintegration as

there used to be.

‘Maybe these days players are

disarmed a bit because they all

know each other so well from

the IPL and other leagues.

‘You can’t really have that power

any more because they all

engage a lot more.’

By PAUL NEWMAN

Cricket Correspondent

Captain’s bold move

to shore up top order

JoE RooT has agreed to

bat at no 3 in Thursday’s

first Test against australia

at Edgbaston in a bid to

solve England’s top-order

crisis.

Head coach Trevor Bayliss

has made no secret of his

desire for the Test captain to

prevent early collapses rather

than react to them, though

Root reportedly made the

decision to move up a spot

before Bayliss spoke to him.

Root averages 40 at no 3,

compared with 48 at no 4 and

71 at no 5, and has not batted

at first drop since the first

innings of the fourth Test

against India at southampton

last summer.

But his new place in the batting

line-up for the ashes will help

bolster an inexperienced top

order, with openers Rory Burns

and Jason Roy having only eight

caps between them.

Root has not batted at no 3

against australia since England’s

disastrous 2013-14 ashes tour,

when he passed 24 only once in six

innings before being dropped for

the only time in his Test career.

But he also made his highest

Test score — 254 against Pakistan

at old Trafford in July 2016 —

from his new position.

LAWRENCE BOOTH

BRUM’S

THE WORD

JASON ROY has an excellent record

at Edgbaston in ODIs. The opener

smashed an unbeaten 112 off 95 balls

as England beat Sri Lanka by 10

wickets in 2016...

ROY AT EDGBASTON IN ODIs

5

INNS

267

RUNS

112

HIGH SCORE

66.75

BATTING AVERAGE

1

CENTURY

2

FIFTIES

HE also enjoys facing the Aussies in

50-over cricket, hitting 85 from 65

in the World Cup semi-final victory...

ROY v AUSTRALIA IN ODIs

17

INNS

844

RUNS SCORED

180

HIGH SCORE

49.64

BATTING AVERAGE

3

CENTURIES

4

FIFTIES