SYDNEY, (Reuters) – Australia’s squad selections for this year’s Ashes series reflects a growing confidence that they have overcome a spate of high-profile retirements, which spells big trouble for England.
The makeup of the 16-man squad was unsurprising and deeply conservative, a typical blend of youth and experience. Every player in the squad warranted selection and there were no glaring omissions.
It is a measure of Australia’s confidence that they were able to so easily choose their side and testament to their ability to recover from the retirement of so many top players in such a short period.
Most worrying for England, however, was the fact that Australia’s risk-free approach to their selections proved they had not forgotten the lessons of four years ago.
The Australians exacted a measure of revenge for their 2005 defeat when they humiliated England 5-0 at home in 2006-07 but they clearly have more retribution in mind.
“A lot of us have been there and learnt from our mistakes of last time and we’re keen to obviously rectify that,” Australia captain Ricky Ponting said.
“We’re really excited about the prospects of a great series coming up.”
FAMILIAR FEEL
There is a familiar feel about the batting lineup, despite the departure of long time openers Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer. They have been replaced by Simon Katich and Phillip Hughes, both lefthanders and both highly unorthodox.
Katich, like Hayden and Langer, has fought his way back from adversity while Hughes is a brash kid from the bush who embodies the new feel of the team.
Virtually unknown outside Australia a year ago, the 20-year-old Hughes is suddenly poised to be one of the major players in the series.
He became the youngest player to score centuries in each innings of a Test when he blasted a pair of hundreds in just his second match against South Africa two months ago and has been piling on runs during a brief stint with Middlesex.
“I am a little bit worried that he’s scoring so many runs,” Ponting joked. “I would like him to keep a few in the bank for a little later down the track.”
Ponting, his loyal deputy Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey once again feature in the middle order. They have been joined by Marcus North, a left-handed batsman who scored a century on his debut against South Africa last month, and a handy right-arm spinner.
Brad Haddin has proven a worthy replacement for the retired Adam Gilchrist and has been given a back-up wicketkeeper in Graham Manou, the South Australian captain, to avoid any danger of burnout.
The selectors also adopted a cautious approach in the choice of their all-rounders, opting for Shane Watson and Andrew McDonald ahead of the headline-grabbing Andrew Symonds.
Watson has long been recognised as an outstanding, albeit injury-prone, batsman who can fill in anywhere from opener to six, while McDonald is a solid lower-order batsman and deceptive seamer.
PACE COMPETITION
The squad included five pace bowlers in Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle and the competition among them for places is fierce.
Johnson, now the spearhead of the attack, is the only certain selection in the test side. Lee and Stuart are experienced campaigners on the way back from injury while Siddle and Hilfenhaus are newcomers.
Australia’s chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch was in no doubt the trio of Siddle, Johnson and Hilfenhaus would perform well at the Ashes after excelling in South Africa.
“The young fast bowling group which performed so well in South Africa …. will all be taking part in their first Ashes tour to England and …. they have the skills to perform at the international level and will be well suited to English conditions,” he added.
Australia are still searching for a leg-spinner to fill the massive void left by the retirement of Shane Warne but off-spinner Nathan Hauritz has rediscovered his form in time for the Ashes.
Hauritz played the first of his four tests back in 2004, capturing the prized wicket of India’s master batsman Sachin Tendulkar, but fell out of favour before suddenly returning to the top of the spinner’s list this season.
“We’ve been in a transitional phase with our Test and One-day cricket now for the past 12 months but I think we’ve worked our way through that particulary well,” Ponting said.
“I think the selectors have definitely got it right.”
Squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Stuart Clark, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Graham Manou, Andrew McDonald, Marcus North, Peter Siddle, Shane Watson (subject to fitness).
