Melbourne: England’s Ashes debutants face a baptism of fire in Thursday’s opening Test at the Gabba, where four years ago the tourists’ batsmen crumbled under an Australian short-pitched bowling assault.
Joe Root’s team spent their final tour match in Townsville last week trying to acclimatise to the muggy conditions that will greet them in Brisbane but few of the players will have any inkling of the challenge that awaits them.
The ‘Gabbatoir’ has proved impregnable to visiting teams for nearly 30 years, with its willing pitch, stifling weather and hostile crowds adding up to one of the world’s tougher introductions to a test series.
- Ryan Harris » Former Australia paceman
Only Root, former skipper Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad and James Anderson remain from the England team that suffered a 381-run hiding at the Gabba in 2013-14, when a marauding Mitchell Johnson took nine wickets and set the tone for the series.
The rest of the side, and particularly their inexperienced batsmen, face a big step up after preparing against weak tour sides on tepid pitches far from Brisbane.
“It’s a tough wicket to come and start a series on, especially when you’re not playing on wickets or having practice wickets like that,” former Australia quick Ryan Harris, one of the victors at the ground four years ago, said.
England have not won at the Gabba since Mike Gatting’s team in the 1986-87 series and it may be no coincidence that the last time they held their own at the Gabba in 2010-11, they went on to win the Ashes.
Cook’s brilliant, unbeaten 235 in the second innings, a record, ensured a draw that galvanised Andrew Strauss’s team at the start of their 3-1 series triumph.
The innings also stands as testament that the Gabba can punish the bowlers as much as the batsmen and should provide some inspiration for Root’s team, even with the odds squarely against them.
David Warner gave the Australian camp a scare ahead of the Test by hurting his neck during a fielding drill but the opening batsman is confident he will be fit to face England at the Gabba.
Australia’s vice-captain felt a twinge in his neck as he ran back to take a catch and immediately left the field to receive treatment.
“My neck is quite stiff,” Warner told reporters afterwards.
“I took a high ball out there and something just twinged in my neck. I’m getting a bit of physio treatment at the moment and, hopefully, it’s settled down over the next 24 or 48 hours.
“I’ll try and have a hit tomorrow at some stage. I might have to work on my technique a little bit more, facing up,” he said. “It’s quite sore. I haven’t really had a stiff neck like this one.
“I’ll get some treatment tonight, and get some heat packs on there and get some fingers into it and, hopefully, it’s better tomorrow.”
The 31-year-old tried to have some batting practice later but cut it short. He said he left the nets because of alignment issues and did not want to get into “bad habits” ahead of the series opener.
“It was more of an alignment thing,” he said. “I couldn’t align myself face-on with Hicky (batting coach Graeme Hick).
“So for me, if I’m not being able to face on him, there’s no point because I can’t angle myself and I’ll get into bad habits and that’s not how I want to train.
“I don’t think a sore neck is going to keep me out.”
