The Ashes | Gabba Test Preview: Australia, England seek aggressive start of legacy-defining series

The Ashes garners the most number of headlines and eyeballs among all bilateral series in the world of cricket. From the anticipation of marquee events during the series to the personal stories of players across the fence, every single event is worthy of the hype for the seasonal and experienced watchers. 

This lead up to this edition of the series has been a bit different though. There haven't been a lot of instances where, at least in the recent past, off-field affairs have marred the sense of anticipation about the cricketing events that starts tomorrow on 8 December, in Brisbane.

The hosts had to see their heroic captain Tim Paine go away, who was on the cusp of becoming a modern legend in Australia due to his persona and calmness in the aftermath of the ball-tampering scandal. However, he did not go before his Teflon-coated personality was shattered and down in the drains. 

England, too, faced similar scrutiny in the aftermath of Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of “institutional racism” at Yorkshire - the home county of Joe Root. The whole scandal touched upon Root and his 'Mr Clean' image as well over charges of being complacent to racism. He was confronted by the press over the question of episodes of racism with Azeem and he cited unawareness of such acts in his absence to claim innocence. 

His response earned him disappointment from Azeem and the turmoil dealt a massive blow to Yorkshire, and possibly Root as well, who had to be up and running mentally ahead of the strenuous Ashes series.

However, Australia were dealing with a far bigger crisis as they had to search for a new leader and they had to walk a tightrope with the appointment of the new leadership group after a disastrous response to the fallout of the Sandpaper gate.

Cricket Australia assigned the task to a five-member committee and they choose to walk a different path compared to the Australian side of the past and appointed Cummins as their new skipper in a massive watershed moment. The appointment of Cummins could be seen as Australia’s moment of reckoning from one scandal in the form of the ball-tampering saga in South Africa to the “sexting” scandal of Tim Paine.

Now, as all of that is done and dusted, the hosts will be looking to settle all the dust emerging from the off-field scandals with splendid performances and consistency in a series where victories can subsume every other emotion for both the camps.

Contest within contest

Joe Root vs Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins produced a peach to hit Joe Root’s off stump late on the fourth day of the penultimate Test in the last Ashes series to secure Australia’s right to retain the Urn in England. 

When he castled Root with a magnificent outswinger, David Gower exulted although maybe not happily, that it was the moment when both Pat Cummins and Australia were at their best. Gower’s assessment had a deep meaning as it underlined Cummins’ role in Australia’s rise to retain the Ashes series in England.

Cummins has been elevated as the leader of the side now but he was not any less than a leader in his own right even before getting the formal title. He was the leader of the bowling attack and was the only bowler who played all the five Tests of the series while others were rotated and rested to keep the bowling attack fresh and ready to go. 

His presence in all the five Tests also underlined Australia’s trust on his tenacity and mental ability to go through the rigorous workload of an Ashes series apart from supreme fitness.

Now, as he has become Root’s counterpart and has his home conditions to unleash all his arsenal, it would lead to a riveting contest and the winner of this contest will more or less dictate the outcome of the series.

Unlike in the series between sides led by two batting captains, the Ashes series will not offer co-existence to both Cummins and Root as one will have to fail, if not miserably, then certainly, in crunch moments, to produce an outcome.

Both these men have been in a superb run of form and it adds to the anticipation quotient for the series. Root is coming to the series on the back of stupendous performances one after another with the bat in the year when has plundered bowling attacks across various conditions and has piled on 1,455 runs with the help of two double hundreds.

On the other hand, Cummins is way above the other bowlers on the ICC Rankings for bowlers in the Test format and was the lone-man warrior at different stages of the last summer against India. He had all the fire and spirit in the belly to keep going even on the final day at the Gabba when his bowling partners, especially, Mitchell Starc was showing all signs of being tired and burned out.

If Australia have to win the Gabba Test or the series, Cummins will have to have a large say in that or if Root can hold on to his superb run of form for at least one more month, it could be one to watch out for a long long time.

Australia vs England: Match Details

The Ashes: First Test

Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane

Date and time: December 08-12, 05:30 IST, 12:00 GMT

Broadcast: Sony Sports Network, SonyLIV

Pitch and weather

The chief curator at the Gabba, David Sandurski has struggled to prepare a perfect pitch for the first Test in absence of an ample amount of sunlight and drying winds. 

However, he has hinted that the pitch for the first Test will provide the traditional pace and carry as the Gabba is accustomed to and sides will have to bank on the new ball to extract the best help out of the surface.

There is a certain degree of certainty that rain will play spoilsport in the game with chances of precipitation predicted for every day of the Test match. The first day is expected to be the wet of them all and hence it will complicate the decision-making process for the captain winning the first toss of the series.

Team News

Australia

In a sign of continuity and knowing their strengths, Australia declared their playing XI some four days before the start of the Test and chose to close the debate over contentious selection calls till the end of the Gabba Test.

The move could well be seen as muting the selection speculation and giving assurances to the players who are on in the reckoning such as Travis Head.

He was competing with Usman Khawaja for the vacant number five position and the Cummins-Langer duo chose to play another bait on him.

They also had to deal with the third pacer slot as Mitchell Starc has not looked at his best in the longest format and was the weakest link of the attack in the latter half of the series against India. 

Former players have asked for his exclusion from the side for enterprising young pacers such as Jhye Richardson, who has been in top-notch rhythm in the Sheffield Shield, but once again the new leadership chose to play it safe with old successful methods and players.

Australia will also be ecstatic to welcome an in-form and fully fit David Warner back in the squad after a rushed return against India where he looked a pale shadow of himself.

Playing XI

David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

England

Joe Root was not worried about the confidence Australia showed by naming their playing XI way before the start of the game and said that his business won’t be dictated by the Australian methods of doing business.

England have taken a tough but practical approach by resting James Anderson, who they believed is undercooked and not prepared enough to play two Test matches in a row. The second Test of the series is a day-night affair and hence the tourists went to secure his participation for the second Test where his ability to swing the pink ball will be key to England’s hopes.

They have also chosen to overlook Jonny Bairstow’s experience and have gone in with the value and runs Ollie Pope has given them in the limited opportunity he has had in England and South Africa.

They are eager to welcome Ben Stokes back after a long break and his balancing act of the playing XI gives Root the leverage to play a spinner in the form of Jack Leach. However, the move is not finalised yet as England have named a 12-man squad on the eve of the Test and they could still play an all-seam attack considering the wet weather condition in Brisbane.

Playing XI

Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (C), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (WK), Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad/Jack Leach

CE Fantasy XI

Jos Buttler, Alex Carey, Joe Root, Marcus Harris, Chris Woakes, Marnus Labuschagne, Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Josh Hazlewood

Captain: Steve Smith

Vice-captain: Pat Cummins