The 2023 Ashes - 4th Test Preview by Jack Nash

 And so…

 

The Ashes often flatters to deceive, especially when England are the touring party. By this stage in an Australian hosted series, with match 4 looming, the home team’s only concern would be how to recover from a raucous couple of days celebrating series victory and retention of the blessed urn. 

 

Fortunately, recent series’ in the UK have at least been a little more balanced and the 2023 version appears no different. All three games, as my fellow scribes have rightly attested, have been close run things and either side could have wrapped up the whole thing if a couple more catches had stuck, or tails hadn’t wagged. Anyway, we are where we are, with both sides yet to fully fire on all cylinders and yet the entertainment and tension are bobbing along at the top end of the Botham-Stokes Scale. 

 

A few days out from the fourth test at Old Trafford and the armchair selectors are in fine form. England are trying to work out how to make up for the loss of Pope (the Ali-Lawrence-Root conundrum in full effect). They are also working out how best to juggle their seam attack with Robinson seemingly to be rested after his back buckled under the strain of too many bouncers and rather average chat (Sledging! – JR Editor). The more dynamic approach would be to reinstate Josh Tongue and give the Aussies a “lickle bit of an ‘urry up” but the more pragmatic and romantic approach would be to bring back THE Jimmy Anderson to assert control and add his remarkable guile into the mix. 

 

I won’t dwell on Jimmy’s series so far. However, I genuinely look forward to him sticking it to both the Aussie team, their rather ordinary press pack (boy, have I got stories to tell…) and the smattering of English talking heads who need to renew their assorted punditry contracts and reckon the best way is to be more confrontational than is either seemly or wise. 

 

Over in the other dressing room the question mark that has hovered over the head of David Warner (like Frank Gorshin as The Riddler on a theatrical fly) has swamped pre-match conversation in the clubs and bars of Warner’s home stomping ground of Coogee. The fact that his car park slot now reads “D.Warner bowled Broad” demonstrates the extent to which everyone in cricket knows exactly what’s going to happen when Mr Sandpaper meets The Nighthawk (aka Malfoy). 

 

Does Cummins have the guts to drop the pugnacious Warner? Is he worried how the opener’s wife might take it? Does the Australian Coach (name?) have a say in the matter at all? That decision might well have an impact on whether Mitch Marsh holds his spot. Cameron Green reclaims his place or if both all-rounders get a run. 

 

History suggests Marsh will lose out (as does Geoff Marsh who shared his thoughts with a roving Jardine Reporter a couple of days ago). Warner will cling on to his place and Hazlewood will replace the club medium pacer Boland who seems to have been rumbled. 

 

Aussie concern over the involvement of spinner Todd Murphy in the third test should not lead to him being jettisoned from the match day team in Manchester but the Aussie Coach (whatshisname?) would not confirm he was definitely going to play. 

Anyway, we only have a couple of days to wait until all is revealed. England will announce their team nice and early, which is either a sign of confidence or bravado (or both). The Aussies normally leave it until nearer the start: Clever? Cagey? (or both).

 

Anyway, not to be outdone. Here are my selections:

 

England

 

1.     Crawley

2.     Duckett

3.     Ali

4.     Root

5.     Brook

6.     Stokes

7.     Bairstow

8.     Woakes

9.     Wood

10.  Broad

11.  Anderson

 

Australia

 

1.     Khawaja

2.     Warner

3.     Labuschagne

4.     Smith

5.     Head

6.     Green

7.     Carey

8.     Starc

9.     Cummins

10.  Murphy

11.  Hazelwood

 

 

Jack Nash

17/7/23