England roar!

The dust bowl in Cardiff produced a scintillating and dominant first Ashes test victory for England that has already led to some Australian supporters prematurely reading the last rites on several of their players’ careers.

In the build-up to this match it seemed that the only hook on which the English could hang their hopes was the aging look to the Aussie squad yet even the 34-year-old Shane Watson is not immune even though Adam Voges, 35, was making his debut.

Very few predictions last week were for an England win, let alone one that was as lopsided as the 169-run difference between the sides.  Yet the result could have been so different had Brad Haddin held on to a catch with Joe Root still awaiting his first run when a wicket would have reduced England to 45-4. It is not just the 134 runs that Root went on to score but the manner in which he helped build a number of crucial partnerships that made the difference.

It would not be fair to isolate that mistake as the sole disparity between the sides as there were several other crucial moments, all of which appeared to go the way of England. 

Another example came with Moeen Ali’s dismissal of David Warner just before lunch on the fourth day that swung the momentum back to the Three Lions after a solid start from the visitors.

The fact that he was bowling at that moment is testimony to the excellent captaincy of Alastair Cook who realised that during the last over before heading for refreshments the batsmen were unlikely to aggressively attack the spinner as they had earlier in the match. The wicket was a bonus.

Cook, who has received much criticism of late, was innovative and decisive throughout while his counterpart, Michael Clarke, had a poor game by comparison.

The fact that he now draws level with his predecessor, Ricky Ponting, with the highest number of overseas defeats (11) as captain, is an indicator of his longevity rather than poor performance.

The win is a significant confidence booster for England having lost the last Ashes series 5-0 and for a team that has won only one of its last five series.  Yet this is a new side that has ironically adopted a more Australian approach than their opponents.

Question-marks remain over the form of some of their players, particularly the openers Lyth and Cook, not to mention Ballance and Bell despite their half centuries, yet that is to be expected after a run of low scores.

What is of greater surprise is the questions now being levelled at many of the ‘baggy greens’.  Mitchell Starc can be excused having damaged his ankle which makes him a doubt ahead of the second Test at Lords.  As a result of this the other Mitchell, Johnson, will surely be selected as a cavalier batsman while Haddin and Watson’s performances are now under scrutiny.

Personally, I believe it would be a little harsh to bring in the likes of Mitchell Marsh and Peter Neville despite their strong recent records. 

One look at the career records of many of the Australian batting line-up demonstrates the drastically-reduced averages while batting in England meaning the Sheffield Shield is not an accurate indicator.
 
David Warner, for example, averages over 50 in Australia yet only 22 while facing the Duke ball.

Joe Root was the man-of-the-match for good reason as his batting made the difference yet England will be particularly pleased with their middle order and their bowlers.
 
Jimmy Anderson led the line without due reward while Stuart Broad gave the Australians a torrid time, particularly in the second innings. However, Mark Wood, bowling with a smile at speeds exceeding 90mph, and Ben Stokes, who becomes the first player to score over 750 runs and take 30 wickets in his first 12 tests, having given England a lift.

And so to the home of cricket, Lord’s, in a match starting tomorrow. Traditionally, the famous slope has made life difficult for left-handed bowlers and so the loss of Starc could be a bonus, particularly if replaced by Siddle who brings greater consistency.
 
It was here in 2009 that Johnson famously fell apart, leading to the Barmy Army, who have introduced an extended repertoire for this series, most notably about Root and Ali – although there is an amusing ditty about Watson’s propensity to be given out LBW – referring to his ability to spray the ball to the left and right. He can take comfort from the recent series against New Zealand where Franklin took nine wickets.

Less comforting is a statistic that the team winning the first test has gone on to win the Ashes in 15 of the last 17 series (although that has only been England on two occasions).

Yet, with a faster wicket predicted this could suit their bowling attack. If this is the case, despite there apparently only being 1 in 10,000 Australians owning an umbrella, they will no longer be praying for rain.