Plans for Australia’s domination of the first Ashes Test are in a woeful mess after a day on which eight specialist batsmen in their 17 man Test squad failed in three matches around the country.
Incumbent batsmen Michael Hussey and Marcus North did nothing to ease the scrutiny of their test spots against a tough Victorian line up at the MCG. Hussey was caught at slip by his brother David for an 18-ball duck, and his Western Australia team mate Marcus North also departed cheaply for 17. The only good thing for the pair was the failure of the young batting specialists in Hobart.
Most significant of the failures today was that of Usman Khawaja and ‘Australia A’ team mate Callum Ferguson. The youthful duo, who were both named in the squad for the Gabba Test, struggled on a green top pitch under cloudy skies. Ferguson was removed after starting positively for 7, whilst Khawaja struggled before being dismissed for 13, all but ending a late call up for the first test.
In Sydney, Simon Katich, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin all failed to get past 10, as New South Wales were demolished by Tasmania in their first innings for 97 on a horribly difficult SCG surface. When Tasmania replied, Ricky Ponting came in for the third ball of the innings and managed only 7.
The only positive to come out of today’s failures is that England’s frontline attack was sent to Brisbane early to prepare for the first Test, leaving no true indication of how these two teams will line up come next week.
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