Aussies decide to be more like England

The Australian selectors have decided on their strategy for winning back the Ashes: being more like England. They will play four fast bowlers in Brisbane, just as England did for most of the 2005 series. It’s a case of imitation being the sincerest form of assault and battery.

To make their foursome look even more fearsome, the Aussies have included two spares. Their 13 contains no fewer than six quicks – Lee, McGrath, Clark, Johnson, Tait and Watson. It’s a lopsided squad, with no spare batsman, no Stuart MacGill, and no doubt at all about the first nine places, down to Brett Lee. In fact, if the return of Glenn McGrath is a sure thing, the only doubt is about the third seamer – one of Shaun Tait, Stuart Clark, and Mitchell Johnson. The options come down to a three-way tussle for a single place. One thing is certain: the Aussies’ drinks will be delivered at high speed.

On paper, this is a stronger Australia than the team that surrendered the Ashes. There is no link as weak as Gillespie and Kasprowicz turned out (unexpectedly) to be. Mike Hussey is in a different league from Simon Katich. Watson is a slight improvement on Michael Clarke at number six. Clarke’s contribution in 2005 is often overlooked – he and Damien Martyn put together Australia’s only match-winning partnership, in the second innings at Lord’s – but he did fade after that. And Watson is a proposition unique in Australia’s recent history: a high-scoring batsman who is also more than a medium-pace bowler.

There are two doubts about Watson. Can he do it at Test level? The answer should be yes: he is coming into his prime. And will Ricky Ponting remember to bowl him? Not so sure about that one. In his three Tests so far, Watson has had only 31 overs. A four-man attack gives a captain six possible pairings, while the fifth bowler bumps it up to ten. Michael Vaughan played those ten cards masterfully in 2005. This year’s captains, on both sides, may not be so adept.

Australia have picked a strong squad that might have been even stronger if MacGill and Phil Jaques had been there too. My guess is that England will be happy to see the devil they know. Last time they contained Langer, Hayden and Martyn, and even began to get on top of McGrath. The sight of McGrath’s name on the team sheet, which once spread alarm among opposing batsmen, now brings mere respect. But if the first day is a crazy pressure cooker, as in the last two Ashes series in England, he is just the man to keep cool. Australia are right to have him back in the squad.

Whether Clark, his shadow, should be there is more arguable, skilled as he is. If he makes the final XI, and both the wild cards, the incisive Johnson and the new, improved Tait, are left out, England will heave a private sigh of relief.