 New Zealand head into this series overwhelming
joint underdogs with fellow recent battlers England. So how will they go? Does
either side have a show of tipping over Australia in the round-robin, let alone
the finals series?
England go into their first match vs Australia at the MCG tonight on the
back of a Twenty20 thrashing at the hands of the same foe who belted a very
similar line-up 5-0 in the Ashes test series. To make matters worse, the MCG –
despite England's’ poor form – is likely to go close to selling out regardless,
creating a white-hot atmosphere with up to 100,000 Aussies baying for more
English blood.
England however can field a potentially very
useful batting line-up, including the returning captain Michael Vaughan, Ian
Bell, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Strauss, the irrepressible Kevin Pieterson and
all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, to name the better-known players. They will miss
Marcus Trescothick however.
Gone from teams of years past also is ODI specialist Nick Knight. Pace
bowler James Anderson, who surprised many in Australia with a solid showing in
the final Ashes test, will spearhead the attack. Anderson performed will in his
last ODI series in Australia however and offers England's’ best hope of cheap
early wickets. Spinner Monty Panesar has so far earned significant respect from
Australia’s batsmen and will be expected to play a mid-innings containment role.
Near-rookie all-rounder Jamie Dalrymple could be a dark horse as England look
for ODI inspiration. They also have the luxury of selecting from a bumper squad
of 16 although depth looks paper thin.
Australia have – as always over the last 10 years or so – an impressively
deep squad. Champion players interspersed with up-and-comers and ODI
specialists. A fearsome prospect on home tracks.
However, while they are at home and do have the ability (in agreement with
New Zealand in exchange for the rotation in of Scott Styris, Jacob Oram and Kyle
Mills at some point) to select beyond this squad of 13, the group named is a
little short of batting options. At their strongest, they can name an impressive
top six (Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Andy
Symonds and Michael Hussey) but would need to pick internationally unproven
batting leggie Cameron White at seven to lengthen the order followed by Brad
Hogg and Brett Lee then some bunnies. This is due to them having named all of
Lee, Glenn McGarth, Stuart Clarke, Nathan Bracken and Mitchell Johnson in the
squad. Basically, they do not have another batsman in the 13 to select. Despite
the undoubted quality of the top six, this could be seen as a weakness. Get
three or four early wickets (please Shane Bond) and the pressure goes on the
last of the recognised batsmen big time – a situation the Aussies don’t often
find themselves in.
Of course this means they have bowling options a-plenty, although as
Stephen Fleming has dangerously pointed out already, they could be seen as weak
in the spinning department. While Clarke, White, Hogg and Symonds can all
potentially do a job, none strike fear into opponents’ hearts with the ball. The
Aussie pace battery does look fearsome with Lee, McGarth and Bracken all proven
ODI bowlers and Stuart Clarke in magnificent test form coming into this series.
Johnson is the player who could be targeted.
New Zealand's’ issues have been well documented in the mainstream media
and on these boards. Batting, batting, batting. Or lack there-of. Experienced
campaigners Fleming and Nathan Astle will need to stand up and be supported at
times by Brendan McCullum, Peter Fulton, Ross Taylor, Craig McMillan and Hamish
Marshall. The lower order cannot be expected to rescue the innings and lacks the
batting talent to do so regardless.
In saying this, Fleming has had only the one international innings in the
last few weeks and will come good in time, Astle was not used in the last match
but has a recent 80-odd and Taylor hit a big century not long ago, so useful
totals may not be too far away. The potential return of Styris, Oram and Mills
will shore up both the batting and bowling departments.
It is hoped Bond can reproduce his 2002 form in Australia when he made his
name (and stay injury-free!) and until new-ball partner Mills comes back will
need help at the other end from Andre Adams, Mark Gillespie, Michael Mason or
James Franklin. Daniel Vettori should do his stock-standard containment job in
the middle of the innings – these days he is becoming more and more a player the
Aussies in-particular simply want to see off and not lose wickets to, in the
same manner as we view the likes of Murali.
At full-strength later in the competition and presuming at least a handful
of these guys strike form, we will be a worthy opponent, but based on current
form, sporting a re-jigged and unproven batting order and missing the all-round
talents of Styris, Oram and Mills, we look – for want of a better term –
piss-weak.
Quite apart from anything else, many of us regard this series as the real
deal and wait for it with baited breath. It’s a fantastic test for our players
on a big stage and I always enjoy hearing the Aussie commentators’ views on our
players – plus Ian Smith winding up the likes of Bill Lawry.
Bring it on!
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