England’s plan to counter Brisbane heat with an early move north hailed as a moral victory

ENGLAND will be confronted by a humid heat wave when they enter the Gabba for the first Ashes Test. But their plan to counter that heat has been hailed as a moral victory.

Mark Stoneman celebrates a half century against the CA XI.

THE long grass at Adelaide Oval robbed English batsman of more confidence-building runs according to coach Trevor Bayliss.

But a move to Queensland for 10 days of acclimatising to the conditions they will face at the Gabba for the first Test next week has been hailed a moral victory for the tourists.

That’s two wins already for a travelling outfit littered with so many faces new to Test cricket that it needs confidence from wherever it can get it.

Alastair Cook and Moeen Ali in Townsville. Picture: Zak Simmonds

England’s batsmen piled on 500 runs in two innings in Adelaide, against a line-up of young Aussie bowlers with next to no first class experience, without a hundred from anyone.

But they may have notched up the confidence-building three figures if only the grass was not so long.

It had to be given length because the ground was also hosting the AFL international rules clash between Australia and Ireland on Sunday.

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“Seeing the ball racing away on a shorter outfield gives you confidence, and we weren’t afforded that,” England coach Trevor Bayliss said.

But the move to Queensland, Townsville specifically, 10 days before the opening Test was hailed as a genius move because the climatic conditions can be stifling for Englishman not used to sweating while they play.

The Gabba won’t just be hot and humid, it will be unrelentingly so because the ground “has no gaps for a breeze to wander through” and offer respite.

Touring teams have in the past found themselves in Hobart before the opening Test, but Bayliss knew better than that.

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Originally he wanted to play at the Allan Border field, which is in Brisbane, but settled for Townsville, where it may even be a bit more hot and humid.

Getting used to the conditions could not be any more important for the relatively untried band of English batsmen who will take up half the spots in the top six.

Between them opener Mark Stoneman, Dawid Malan and James Vince have played a combined 15 Tests.

But not one of those games has been outside of England.

Dawid Malan has been England’s form batsman.

They are so new to the game you can’t find their names in the top 100 of the ICC’s Test batsmen rankings.

Their immediate Test numbers don’t make for great reading either, for English fans that is.

Stoneman has one 50 in five Test innings, Malan has two, but James Vince, the most experienced of the trio with seven matches, averages just 19, with a high score of 42.

Despite their newness however, they are the ones who have been among the runs so far on tour, even with the impediment of long grass in Adelaide, with Stoneman scoring three half centuries in his three innings so far.

Mark Stoneman celebrates a half century against the CA XI.

Vince also has a 50, Malan two, and they have outshone their lacklustre former captain, Alastair Cook, who has the grand total of 47 runs through three outings.

“We are slowly getting there,” Bayliss said of his men after their Adelaide Oval victory.

“And we have still got some improvement in us and a way to go before that first Test. We are heading in the right direction.”

North that is, for a Townsville sweat-test, against another CA XI, where the grass will be short enough to offer no excuses for a batting line-up which may not be full of the best batsmen in the world, but it’s the best England have to offer.

BEST OF THE BEST?

ICC TEST BATTING RANKINGS

1. Steve Smith

2. Joe Root (Eng)

5. David Warner

11. Alastair Cook (Eng)

15. Jonny Bairstow (Eng)

19. Usman Khawaja

26. Peter Handscomb

28. Moeen Ali (Eng)

46. Matt Renshaw

68. Gary Ballance (Eng)

81. Chris Woakes (Eng)

96. Glenn Maxwell

Not in top 100

Mark Stoneman (Eng)

James Vince (Eng)

Dawid Malan (Eng)

Originally published as England’s plan to counter Brisbane heat with an early move north hailed as a moral victory