So, the first Ashes test at Gabba has resulted in a resounding victory for Australia. The defeat was so chastening that it is difficult to see England emerge from this rubble but emerge they must. Not just for their sake but for the sake of the cricket watching global fans. We just do not want to see another lop-sided Ashes like the one in 2017 and the one before. Every cricket fan wants to see England fight, fight till the very end. Having said that, it was a devastating defeat but it is not something that cannot be overturned. England will only have to rewind to their past performance, albeit in a different country, for inspiration. Let me review the first Ashes test at Gabba.
Were there any positives for England?
I am afraid there were none. Yes, absolutely none. Even the fight shown by Root and Malan weren’t the positives. The pitch has sufficiently flattened and you would expect a batsman of the calibre of Root to score runs. The fact that he wasn’t able to convert that innings into a major daddy hundred will continue to haunt him and by extension, England. Root despite so many tests in Australia, is yet to score a hundred in that country. It is hard to believe but this is true. Root who had mastered every other country, is finding Australia hard to crack. Being the captain and primary batsman, this has now snowballed into a major deficiency on his resume. If Root fails to score atleast one hundred in this series, I am afraid he will perhaps not get one more chance.
Apart from the partnership between Root and Malan, not much to write about England. Rory Burns was a disaster. He missed a straight delivery in the first innings, dropped a catch that may have reduced the lead and failed again in the second innings. He will be hard pressed to hold onto his spot. The talisman, Ben Stokes, did not have any impact in the game. Neither with the ball nor with the bat. It will be an understatement to say that a lot rests on Stokes’s shoulders.
No practice games arranged
England is one team that always plans meticulously before every series. They always insist on playing atleast a couple of first class games before the first test. However, for some strange reason, they have not had even a single practice game. How did the ECB miss that is strange. Agreed that there is the Covid protocol and that England will have to be under the bubble and couple of practice games will mean England must be in Australia a month earlier than they were which would have meant an additional month inside the bubble. I would have thought that to win an Ashes series in Australia, this is what it takes. It is so surprising to think that England have not had a single practice game.
What do England miss the most?
Belief. Yes, England’s major issue in this series will be belief. They do not believe that they can defeat Australia in Australia. They do not believe that they have the bowlers who are capable of taking Australian wickets and the batsmen who can withstand and prevail whatever Australians throw at them. England firmly believe that in the absence of Archer and Stone, they do not have the personnel for the series. Former England players with their comments before the series did not help matters either. David Lloyd predicted Australia to win 5-0. Ofcourse, he later reversed that to 4-0 for England but the damage was already done. If England were being pessimistic, no one can blame them.
England must be inspired
How will England motivate themselves? From where will they get inspiration? It is not hard to see. All that Root and his team must do is to look at their own performance in South Africa. England lost the first test in that series too but came back strongly and finished that series as 3-1 winners. This must be their inspiration and for further motivation, they can always go through the reels of the India series last year. India came back from an even more horrible situation than what England find themselves under. India won with just a couple of their first choice team whereas England have all of their first choice members.
Also, the fact that they got Smith for a low score. This does not happen everyday. England must keep up with that and must remove Smith for a low score or relatively low score in every innings. They would have won half the battle if they can do that.
What about positives for Australia?
Oh there were so many but for me the biggest positive was the rapid hundred by Travis Head. He was under enormous pressure and justify his place. He was picked ahead of Khawaja. Head has had a difficult career so far but this innings, an Ashes hundred and a rapid one at that must have given him enormous confidence. He must be raring for another opportunity at Adelaide.
Apart from that, the bowling of Cummins. He is proving in each game why he is rated as the best in the world. 7 for the match including a 5-fer, captaining for the first time and that too in Ashes, Cummins have given every reason for Australia to remain positive for the short period atleast.
David Warner getting into the stride immediately and Labuschagne’s continuing maturity. Australia will also be pleased by the 4 wickets that Lyon got. He will be a key player in the remaining games at Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart which will have help for the spinners at some stage. Now that 400 is out of the way, Lyon must be refreshed and rejuvenated which will mean more trouble for England who have traditionally struggled against Lyon. Smith didn’t trouble the scoreboard too much but we all know what he is capable of.
Conclusion to the first Ashes test Gabba
England must believe that they have the players to defeat the Aussies in their country. It is easier said than done but they must have had this belief a couple of months before they left their shores. It is not too late. They can at the least try.