Why it is not in the baggy for Oz

13 April 2012

If any of us had forgotten just how strong the Aussies are, we were soon reminded during the one-day games. The way they despatched England and Pakistan in that NatWest series was something Parcel Force would have been proud of.

From the word go, their clinical and calculated performance was no fluke and although England will say they can shrug off the one-day drubbings, there will certainly be some concern in the England camp.

As I have always said, Test cricket is a different style, but nonetheless those guys wearing the baggy green cap currently occupy the high ground for the Ashes battle.

Much has been made of the clashes between the usual suspects - Glenn McGrath v Mike Atherton, Adam Gilchrist v Alec Stewart and so on - but it is vital England's 11 players are managed well both by the captain on the field and the coach off it.

Australia, under the class and inspiration of Steve Waugh, seem to be as organised and focused as ever. Although not a great deal is heard from John Buchanan the coach, I can assure you, having spent a season with him at Middlesex, that he will be tweaking all the areas that are required for a successful summer.

In the other managerial corner, we have the still relatively new duo of Duncan Fletcher and Nasser Hussain. As we all know, their track record over the past year has been superb, despite that post-tea cock-up at Old Trafford.

For this series, though, they are stepping up another notch, to an advance level of tactics, selection and mental approach.

The tactics and mental approach almost go arm in arm. In fact, the first tactic is to be mentally tough. I have been fortunate enough to play these Aussies a few times and won some, but lost more!

I know that when our antipodean friends stand out in the middle, they stand tall and want the big time. We must be their equal in this.

For all the team's achievements over the past year, we must not give an inch and allow the Aussies any sort of head start.

For England to succeed, they can't wait for an individual performance to ignite their fire, or they may find themselves down and out before they know it. Fletcher and Hussain need to install some serious guts and determination. Not for a day, nor for a match, but for 25 days of gruelling Test cricket. Then we will be in the hunt.

Tactically, we must be confident of ripping into their top three and making the classy Waugh brothers arrive at the crease at 30 for three and not 300 for three. We certainly have the firepower to do this, especially if Craig White is back to full fitness. Batting wise, I'm sorry my old mate Mark Ramprakash missed out.

Now we will have to see how the squad is kept together and whether there might be room for other players who have been performing consistently well in the early part of the summer.

As some writers were kindly touting my name around for this squad, I best not say anymore on the matter, but just keep leading the wicket table.

And, with England being the underdogs, let us hope that the dog has his summer, rather than just its day.

MORE ABOUT

Cricket

Fitness

Nasser Hussain

Why it is not in the baggy for Oz

Read More