Now it is back to good old test cricket after we witnessed a hemorrhage of T20 matches in the IPL and the World Twenty 20. Since inception, T20 has been a major threat to test cricket because it is short and thrilling and the kind of money it generates is unparalleled. But Test cricket still remains as the ultimate test for the cricketers. Ashes has a unique place among the list of elite series in test cricket, thanks to the arch rivalry between Australia and England. Australia are still struggling to fill the vacuum created by the exit of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. Their preparations have been put in complete disarray after Brett Lee was ruled out of the series opener at Cardiff. Apart from Lee, none of the other Aussie fast bowlers have played test cricket in England before and this gives England a slight edge over Australia. England have the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff who are potential match winners in present-day cricket.
Phil Hughes was the surprise package against South Africa and emerged as one of the future prospects for Australian batting. But his tentativeness against short-pitch bowling was well exposed in the warm up match against the England Lions. Besides that, the inexperienced bowling attack, in the absence of Brett Lee, will have to toil hard to contain the strong English batting line up. Apparently, the current Australian outfit doesn’t look as ominous as their predecessors have been in the past . However, few will write off an Australian triumph this time around also.
Tags: Ashes, Australia, England, Test cricket
