AFP
SYDNEY, NOVEMBER 19
Australia hope their impregnable record at the Gabba will help them seize early momentum as they bid to stop England completing their best Ashes run in 123 years from Thursday.Michael Clarke`s team went down 3-0 just three months ago in England, leaving them in danger of losing four Ashes series in a row - a fate they have not suffered since 1890. However, Australia now appear more settled and they will also take heart from their performances at Brisbane`s Gabba ground, where they are unbeaten in a quarter of a century.
Australia have not lost on the famously fast, bouncy pitch since 1988, against a Viv Richards-led West Indies, and England`s last win there was under Mike Gatting in 1986.
While history favours the hosts, a Brisbane victory by Alastair Cook`s England would deal psychological damage to a team trying to rebuild after a long slump. However Australia, strengthening under coach Darren Lehmann, believe they may now be ready to end England`s run of wins in 2007, 2010-2011 and earlier this year.
England`s 3-1 victory in 2010-2011 was their first in Australia for 24 years, pointing to a much tighter contest than the July-August Tests.
All-rounder Shane Watson, who must overcome a hamstring injury to play in the first Test, believes Australia need test the endurance of England`s four-man bowling attack. "That is the way we are going to win the Ashes," Watson said.
"As a batting unit we are going to bat for a long period of time, especially in the first couple of Tests. We will see where they are at physically and mentally. That is one of our biggest goals.
"We have no doubt they will keep coming but at what level? We haven`t been able to challenge that level. Keep them coming back, get them fatigued and try to keep them that way as well. Don`t let them off by batting badly and getting a rest."
England are yet to decide on their third seamer to supplement James Anderson and Stuart Broad, but Chris Tremlett, a success on the last Ashes tour here, looks likely to play along with penetrating off-spinner Graeme Swann. The tourists also have injury concerns, with first-choice wicketkeeper Matt Prior nursing a calf strain and star batsman Kevin Pietersen needing a cortisone injection for a troublesome knee ahead of his 100th Test.
England has also moved to address a weakness from the last series, when they were three wickets down for less than 65 on five occasions.
Opener Joe Root has been bumped down the order to six to accommodate Hampshire`s Michael Carberry, after his strong start to the tour with half-centuries in his three warm-up games. Meanwhile Australia have chosen one-day skipper George Bailey to make his Test debut aged 31 in the problematic number six batting position.
And the enigmatic Mitchell Johnson is poised to share the new ball amid an injury list that includes pacemen James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc and Jackson Bird. Johnson has been plagued by erratic line and length at Test level, and was the target of a merciless campaign by England`s `Barmy Army` travelling support in 2010/2011.
But Australian leg-spin great Shane Warne believes Johnson is now a changed bowler. "He`s forced his way in through bowling some serious pace. He`s going to shake the English side up," Warne said.
The teams are playing twice in the same year, rather than once every other year as is traditional, to avoid having an Ashes series directly before the 2015 World Cup.
Australia must win the five-Test series to regain the Ashes, while England will keep the tiny urn -- said to contain the burnt remains of a bail -- if it ends in a draw.
England have a chance of displacing India from their current second position in the ICC Test Team Rankings table if they can win the upcoming Ashes series against Australia 4-0 or better.
The Ashes series will offer England an opportunity to reclaim the number two spot that they held till India moved ahead of them last week following a 2-0 series win over the West Indies.
While India have 119 rating points, England are three points behind on 116.
Australia, meanwhile, start their quest for regaining the Ashes when they take on England in Brisbane from November 21 with one eye on moving back to top four position in the table.
Australia is currently ranked fifth with 101 ratings points, 15 points behind third-placed England.
Australia can return to the top four by leapfrogging Pakistan if they manage to draw or win the series. They can also move ahead of England into third spot if they win the series 4-0 or better.
With the top four sides as of 31 December 2016 qualifying for the inaugural ICC World Test Championship scheduled for 2017, every Test counts towards the qualification.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) Tuesday confirmed that Real-Time Snickometer (RTS) will be part of the Decision Review System (DRS) in the Ashes which begins in Brisbane Nov 21.
The decision-making technology that will be used as part of the Nine Network's coverage includes Virtual Eye (ball-tracking technology), Hot Spot and RTS. Both Virtual Eye and Hot Spot are on the list of approved DRS technologies and can be used by TV umpires in any series in which they are available. The RTS is not yet on the list but the ICC commenced the process of evaluating it for inclusion following the meeting of ICC member country chief executives in September, where broad support was shown for the new technology.
To assist with the evaluation, Cricket Australia (CA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have agreed to use the RTS.
