Fifteen days to go. The countdown to the Ashes has begun, and it’s fair to say Australia will be watching the clock more eagerly than England as the visitors’ problems mount.
Steven Finn has been sent home having failed to recover from the knee injury he sustained in training. It’s a case of bitter deja vu for the fast bowler, who left his last tour Down Under prematurely because of a combination of confidence issues and injuries.
In his place, Trevor Bayliss will welcome Tom Curran, who is actually more of a natural replacement for Ben Stokes – whose name continues to cast a shadow over his side’s preparations – than Finn ever was.
As venues go, the Gabba will be a baptism of fire for England’s untried quartet. Curran joins Ben Foakes, Craig Overton, and Mason Crane in hoping to make his Test debut in perhaps the most difficult match of all.
The selectors are not blooding new players for the sake of it; their hand has been forced by the withdrawals of not just Finn, but also Toby Roland-Jones, so ruthlessly effective against South Africa. Jamie Porter, the star of Essex’s County Championship winning season, is another notable absentee, even if he is still uncapped.
Tom Curran
Although England’s options have been limited somewhat, Curran still finds himself competing with Overton, and indeed with Jake Ball, for a spot. Given the uncertainty surrounding the middle order, the Surrey man’s chances are boosted because he is handy with the bat. His bowling average (29.14) is only slightly higher than Finn’s for Middlesex. Curran has edged Tom Helm to make it into the squad, the main question mark against him that he may struggle on Australian pitches and in the longer format.
Ben Foakes
At 24, Foakes is the oldest of the potential debutants. That has to be a worry, as there is a real danger that the camp is going to lack experience. It’s a bonus to have another wicket-keeper in the ranks, however, and he has been thoroughly consistent since moving from Essex to Surrey. This is a call-up that’s been on the cards since his 127 off 187 balls for the Lions, though it seems unlikely we’ll see much of him barring injury to Jonny Bairstow.
Craig Overton
Liam Plunkett would have been the more obvious choice, but the seamer is thought not to be fit enough for Tests and may now have to consign himself to ODIs. Again, Overton is expected to be a reserve, his chances of participating boosted by Mark Wood’s fitness problems, as the 27-year-old would surely have been on the plane otherwise. It’s far from set in stone that he won’t play, as his batting ability could put him ahead of Ball in the pecking order. His average of 22.84 in first-class cricket compares favourably with Ball’s (13.35) and if recent history is anything to go by, England will need contributors right down the order.
Mason Crane
The leg-spinner took two wickets in the opening tour match in Perth and could be of vital importance if Moeen Ali’s side strain rules him out. The truth is that there is simply no replacing Moeen, especially as Stokes’ absence has robbed England of their finest all-rounder. Even if Adil Rashid might well feel aggrieved to have missed out, Crane is expected to be more disciplined, despite being just 20-years-old. Where Rashid could have been too expensive, England are relying on Crane to keep things tight.
Aside from the well-documented concerns for England leading up to the first Test, there have been positives to take from their latest warm-up match. Dawid Malan has surpassed 50 twice already on the tour, while Mark Stoneman also hit 61 against a Cricket Australia XI.
