Australia Cricket

Australia's preparations for the upcoming Ashes series continue with a warm-up fixture against Essex at Chelmsford.

The four-day game, which gets underway on Wednesday, offers the final chance for the selected players to stake their claim for places in the XI to face England in the opening Test in Cardiff.

The tourists overwhelmed Kent in their first action on the trip. Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh and Steven Smith all hit centuries, while their bowlers wrapped up a 255-run triumph on the final day at Canterbury.

Now they face Essex, another side from Division Two of the LV= County Championship.

There are some fresh faces selected for the game—David Warner returns to open, Adam Voges comes into the middle order and wicketkeeper Peter Nevill takes over from Brad Haddin behind the stumps.

Pace duo Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are also included, along with first-choice spinner Nathan Lyon.

However, the focus will be on three players who have already been involved on the tour: Chris Rogers, Shane Watson and Ryan Harris.

Opening up

Rogers stated earlier in the year that it would his farewell series (h/t BBC Sport). So far, though, it hasn't gone according to plan.

No stranger to playing in England, the left-handed opener has featured for no less than four different counties, it was all set up for him to prosper on familiar territory and help Australia retain the urn.

However, things changed during a net session on the recent West Indies tour.

Struck on the helmet while batting, Rogers was ruled out of both Tests because of concussion. Losing your place for a lack of form is disappointing, but giving up your spot because of injury is a bitter pill to swallow.

Shaun Marsh stepped in to open in the Caribbean, hitting one half-century in four knocks as Australia swept the series. He is the man in possession and hit 114 in the first innings against Kent.

Rogers, though, has been given another opportunity to play prior to the opening Test.

He made 84 and 45 in the first match, though most of the talk surrounding him so far has been about an issue over tickets.

The 37-year-old was quick to apologise for his role in the resale of seats through his own company, called Inside Edge Experience, for the Test at Lord's.

Per Ali Martin of the Guardian, Rogers said: "(The business) was something I was hoping to be able to develop after I finished playing. It’s been a distraction, but the cricket starts tomorrow, and I’m just getting on with it. I can’t wait to get out there—the concussion and now this, it’s not how I saw my last tour."

Now it is time for Rogers’ bat to do the talking. Runs against Essex and he may well book his ticket to open alongside Warner in the opening Test.

Elementary for Watson

When Australia last toured England, Watson was sent at the top of the order. He either opened or batted at three, a position from where he made 176 in the fifth and final Test of that summer.

Now, though, he has slipped down into the middle of the pack. It could well be that, unless he shows the selectors what they want to see, he drops out of the team entirely.

The all-rounder did not have a great time of it with the bat in the West Indies, but runs are not the main factor to him keeping his place.

Watson did not send down a single delivery against Kent, while his major rival—Mitchell Marsh—picked up a wicket in each innings.

Marsh also hit a century in his side's second innings, and Australia coach Darren Lehmann admitted after the win, per Daniel Brettig of ESPN Cricinfo, that it’s “going to be tight” between the pair.

He also confirmed that Watson would turn his arm over at Chelmsford. His bowling average in England is much better than his career numbers (26.53 instead of 33.05), and on the 2013 trip he had a stellar economy rate of 2.09.

Australia will not be asking much of him with the ball. If Watson can prove he's capable of getting through 10 or 12 overs in a day, it could just be enough to see him start in the Welsh capital.

Can Ryan "Ryano" Harris Still Charge In?

Harris was simply outstanding in a losing cause in 2013—he picked up 37 wickets in the series at an average of 19.58.

Those numbers are even more impressive when you take into account the fact he did not even play in the opening game, at Trent Bridge.

He went on to be a key cog in the Australia juggernaut that steamrollered Alastair Cook’s side 5-0 on home soil the last time the old enemies met, in 2013/14.

Since then, however, he has only featured in a further six Tests.

Injuries have plagued him, though he did not travel to the Caribbean due to the imminent arrival of his first child.

Against Kent he returned match figures of four for 110, though coach Lehmann felt—per Matt McGeehan of the Daily Mail—that Harris still has to do more: “He's got to prove to us he can bowl 20 overs an innings and make sure he's ready to go. If he can do that then he certainly comes into consideration.”

Australia are fortunate to have such a strong battery of fast bowlers, but that does mean a proven performer like Harris will not be given any special treatment.

The Mitchells, Johnson and Starc, combined with youngster Hazlewood to dismantle the West Indies, putting them in pole position to start against England.

It is up to Harris to edge one of the trio out, meaning the clash with Essex is pivotal for him.

It seems unthinkable given his domination of the 2013/14 series, but there's a chance that Mitchell Johnson may not even start Australia's Ashes defence. Selectorial arithmetic suggests that four fast bowlers into three places won't go. Could England's tormenter-in-chief really be the one to face the chop?

One of the most interesting subplots of Australia's demolition of the West Indies was the jockeying for position of the quicks ahead of the Ashes opener in Cardiff.

Mitchell Starc showed that he can be just as deadly with the red ball as he is with the white. That was no real surprise. What was more unexpected was Josh Hazlewood's excellence.

The 24-year-old was thought to be keeping the third-seamer seat warm prior to Ryan Harris' return. He missed the trip to the Caribbean on paternity leave.

Hazlewood's 12-wicket haul, at an average 8.83, was hugely impressive, especially given the depressingly slow pitches on show in Dominica and Jamaica. Throw in important runs at the bottom of the order in the first Test and the youngster's Man of the Series award was richly deserved. Cricket Australia's official Twitter feed highlighted a group photo taken with the Frank Worrell Trophy:

Great shot of the #FBC letting @NathLyon421 join in the group photo with the Frank Worrell Trophy #WIvAUS #CmonAussie pic.twitter.com/NhJpLeqY4U

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) June 14, 2015

At first glance it appears that Harris is most in the firing line. What happened in Sabina Park suggests a quandary a little more complicated. In both innings, Hazlewood and Starc were given the new ball. Hardly a ringing endorsement for Johnson.

During a commentary stint in the visitors' victory on Sunday, per Martin Smith and Sabina Park of Cricket.com.au, selector Mark Waugh confirmed that Johnson “is still the head of the Australian attack, but he's getting a lot of pressure from the younger guys, Hazlewood and Starc. They're bowling really well.”

He is yet to make his first-class debut in England, but Hazlewood's nagging line and length seem perfectly suited to the conditions he's likely to find this summer. Glenn McGrath comparisons may be a little premature, but he could pose a serious threat to Alastair Cook's side.

Mitchell Starc had pace, swing and control in the Caribbean and is a certainty for the first Ashes Test of the summer.

With 24 scalps, Ryan Harris was comfortably Australia's leading wicket-taker during their last tour of England in 2013.

And we've not even mentioned Peter Siddle, a man with 67 Ashes wickets to his name.

Something has to give. And inconceivable as it sounds, Mitchell Johnson could be the Colt Seavers of the Australia line-up.

It's not that he performed badly against the West Indies. Eight wickets at 18.62 is a fine return by most reckonings. It's just that he often didn't appear as threatening as either Starc or Hazlewood.

The pace was slightly down, albeit on sluggish surfaces, and the deadly late swing wasn't really in evidence.

Of course the psychological wounds Johnson inflicted on a fragile England side in the previous Ashes series are very much on the ledger's credit side.

The Australian brain trust will be picking with an eye on the future rather than the past if Mark Waugh is to be believed, though.

Quizzed on commentary in the Caribbean on whether form was more important than prior record, Waugh said, per The Australian, “I think it’s both, to be fair. I think form may be slightly more important. History depends how far you go back. There’s no point going back five years. I’d say recent history.”

Just how do you define recent history? You have to go back to February 2014 to find Johnson's last five-wicket Test haul, as noted by HowStat.com.

Given the packed schedule, bowling depth will likely come into play this summer. The ample resources Michael Clarke has at his disposal make the Aussies deserved favourites to retain the urn.

Starc, Hazlewood, Johnson, Harris, Siddle. Whatever the makeup of the Aussie attack, England are in for a tough examination. The fast-bowling scrap should certainly make the warm-up games against Kent and Essex a little spicier.

With eight wickets in hand and a lead of 391, it would have been easy for Michael Clarke to push his Australia team forwards in search of quick runs against the West Indies.

The Test in Kingston, Jamaica, was only in the third day, and with No. 3 Steven Smith at the crease alongside his captain and set fair, the Baggy Green could have upped the ante.

They could have looked to accelerate in the closing overs Saturday and in at least some of the opening session tomorrow, still giving themselves plenty of time to bowl the hosts out.

However, having declared on 212-2, and with the West Indies already struggling on 16-2 at the close, Clarke’s decision has been vindicated, and it shows his trust in his bowlers.

Mitchell Starc started things off well with two wickets in his first over, as he removed both West Indian openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Rajendra Chandrika without scoring.

It meant that the home side are already reeling in their fourth-innings run chase, and they already look like they will struggle against a deep and potent bowling attack.

The first innings gave the West Indies the perfect look at what they will come up against second time around, on a wearing pitch that is likely to keep rewarding bowlers.

Starc and Mitchell Johnson represent two very strong left-arm fast bowlers, who are both capable of swinging the ball and doing so at pace.

They may have only finished with one wicket apiece in the first innings, but having both those weapons at his disposal gives Clarke some strong options.

In addition, Josh Hazlewood stepped up to deliver 5-38 for his second-ever five-wicket haul in Tests, including the vital wickets of Jermaine Blackwood and Denesh Ramdin.

He is still young at just 24 years of age, but he has shown plenty of ability already in this game and has proven himself capable of causing all batsmen problems.

Then, spinner Nathan Lyon has already exploited a turning wicket with 3-55 in the first innings, with his economy rate staying very low throughout.

The off-spinner’s removal of the relatively experienced pair of Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo was crucial in Australia restricting the hosts to 220 all out.

Finally, the likes of Shane Watson, Clarke himself and even Adam Voges are all able to deliver overs and could find themselves in the wickets if they hit form.

It takes a bold captain to declare when Clarke declared, with plenty of time left for the West Indies to possibly take what would be an improbable victory.

However, bold he is, and the decision also shows real faith in a deep and talented bowling unit that will back itself to take the remaining wickets for the win.

He knows he has plenty of weapons at his disposal in a wealth of resources not seen for some time, and Clarke clearly wanted to give them as much time as possible to bowl the home side out.

Already, the Baggy Green have started well with the ball, so they will be desperate to finish the job and reward their captain’s trust in them.

Luckily for Steven Smith, international cricket isn't a beauty contest. In terms of artistry, he's no Ian Bell, let alone a Mark Waugh or Carl Hooper. All Smith does is score runs. Bucket loads of them. Given his unorthodox technique, why hasn't any bowler really worked him out?

The West Indies were the latest attack to be put to the sword by the 26-year-old at Sabina Park on Thursday. Coming in at No. 3 on a sporting pitch, Smith first saw off the new-ball challenge posed by a rampant Jerome Taylor. As conditions eased, he made hay against a home attack, missing Devendra Bishoo and Marlon Samuels to close unbeaten on 135.

The latest effort in Kingston was Smith's fifth century in his past six Test appearances, which takes his career total to nine. To put that accomplishment into some kind of context, Sir Donald Bradman, Neil Harvey and Doug Walters are the only other Australians to have scored nine centuries by the age of 26.

Smith in Tests since the start of the Aus summer: 162*, 52*, 133, 28, 192, 14, 117, 71, 25, 5*, and now 102* #WIvAUS pic.twitter.com/YblwrHTt0o

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) June 11, 2015

Yet when you watch Smith bat, it shouldn't really work. There are too many moving parts. The high backlift should make him a prime candidate for a swinging yorker. The exaggerated shuffle across the stumps and constant working of balls to leg seem prime leg-before-wicket territory.

Smith's technique isn't one you'd encourage a youngster to to copy, but it works perfectly well for him. And that's all that counts.

The New South Welshman's unorthodoxy makes him a nightmare for bowlers. As former Aussie great Dean Jones noted in a recent Sydney Morning Herald column, “Smith will not allow a bowler to work on him. He is one of the best players at moving fieldsmen around to positions where he wants them.”

There are few better players in the game today who are so adept at taking on the spinners. Smith always looks to dominate, constantly dancing down the pitch. Occasionally, it will prove his undoing, as Bishoo showed in Dominica. Most of the time, taking the attacking approach removes close fielders and facilitates the easy runs.

ICYMI: @stevesmith49 is really, really, ridiculously good at scoring runs. Highlights: http://t.co/7h4ypfbjYY #WIvAUS pic.twitter.com/2l8e3dyBWi

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) June 11, 2015

If the quicks bowl anywhere near the stumps, he'll whip them to leg. Dare to bowl too far outside off stump and he'll smash them through backward point.

If Smith's technique looks a little flighty, his temperament is rock solid. There's little sense that anything really bothers him out in the middle. This is a man who scored centuries in his debut as Australian Test and One-Day International captain after all.

The promotion to No. 3 seems to have left him completely unfazed too. In his column for Fox Sports this week, Smith wrote, “There’s a lot said about the importance of batting first drop in Test cricket but, to me, it doesn’t make much difference. ... I think the importance of where you bat in the order is overstated—and I should know, given I have batted in seven different positions in the Test team over the years!”

So what hope is there for bowlers? Taylor's accuracy and swing and Bishoo's sharp spun leg-breaks have looked the most likely sources of success for the West Indies.

James Anderson's late swing could be the key to challenging Smith's dominance in the forthcoming Ashes series. No bowler has dismissed Smith more often in Tests. If the Lancastrian cannot unlock the Smith conundrum, it could be a long summer for Alastair Cook's men.

Ask a Test captain about his biggest annoyances, and being unable to prise out the opposition's lower order would probably be right up there with dropped catches and needless run outs. Australia showed just how crucial the performance of the tail can be in their emphatic nine-wicket win over the West Indies in Dominica on Friday.

That Australia stretched their 12-year unbeaten run against the West Indies was largely down to the tale of the two tails. Chasing the West Indies' first innings total of just 148, the visitors looked set for a mighty scrap after subsiding to 178 for eight.

Expertly marshalled by debutant Adam Voges, tailenders Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood instead took Australia from a potentially perilous position into a commanding one. The final two wickets added 140 runs to put the Australians in the box seat on a wearing pitch.

The West Indian attack that had proved so potent during the early stages of the Australian innings had no answer to the obdurate Aussie scrappers. Fast bowlers Jerome Taylor and Shannon Gabriel too often found a middling length that was neither full enough to provoke an edge nor short enough to discomfort the visitors.

By the time Josh Hazlewood finally succumbed to Marlon Samuels' gentle off-spin, Australia had a lead of 170 and the game was effectively up.

Josh Hazlewood out for 39. Brings his Test batting average to a lousy 71 from four matches #WIvAUS

— Martin Smith (@martinsmith9994) June 4, 2015

Contrast that disappointing effort with the clinical masterclass given by Mitchell Starc in the West Indian second innings.

Samuels and youngster Shane Dowrich batted superbly for much of the third day while putting on a partnership of 144 for the fourth wicket. Granted, it wasn't the most scintillating of viewing but given the extremely slow pitch and even slower outfield, the scoring rate was never going to rattle along Brendon McCullum-style.

Some canny captaincy from Michael Clarke brought the breakthrough though. The skipper stationed Shane Watson next to Samuels at a short, straight mid-on and Dowrich fell right into the trap, chipping an easy catch to the ghost-fearing all-rounder.

Yeah, needed that! Blackwood joins Samuels out in the middle. LIVE: http://t.co/XWk4JxGDfN #WIvAUS pic.twitter.com/a6aUaelJ0Z

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) June 5, 2015

With the West Indian batting door ajar, the Australians didn't just open it, they kicked it in. Unable to break the shackles, Jermaine Blackwood walked past a straight one from Nathan Lyon and was stumped.

Samuels then holed out at fine leg for the second time in the match, unable to control a short ball from Mitchell Johnson. Skipper Denesh Ramdin followed soon after, chopping on from the persevering Lyon.

Starc then finished the job in spectacular style, blasting out Jerome Taylor, Devendra Bishoo and Shannon Gabriel.

Mitch doing Mitch things #WIvAUS pic.twitter.com/dmMfOrKsXO

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) June 5, 2015

The West Indies lost their final six wickets for just 18 runs. With the ball turning sharply, a chase of 150 could have caused a few jitters in the Australian camp. Instead, Starc and Johnson made victory a formality.

In their first innings, the Australians showed the value of having bowlers who can bat. More importantly, they possess a pair of fast bowlers who can blow away an opposition's lower order, even on slow pitches like the one on show at Windsor Park.

The West Indies are no strangers to late-innings histrionics, of course. Even accounting for their frailties, watching Starc and Johnson in full flow in Dominica was an awesome sight.

There are far fewer rabbits in world cricket these days. The days of a card-reading Phil Tufnell, Alan Mullally and Ed Giddins are long gone. Tailenders are just much better these days. Jerome Taylor has a Test century after all.

Dismissing the lower order is a skill best accomplished by big-turning leg spinners and express-paced quicks who can swing the ball.

The Australians may not have found a true heir to Shane Warne, but in Johnson and Starc they have a pair of bowlers capable of putting the fear of god into opposition tails. That's one of the main reasons they're the best team in the world today.

When Adam Voges came to the crease for Australia in his first Test for the Baggy Greens against the West Indies, his side were struggling enormously.

They were 61 for three, and they quickly found themselves 178 for eight, as Voges was powerless to prevent a batting collapse around him.

However, by the time Australia’s last two wickets fell, he was unbeaten on 130 and had led his side to a lead of 170 after they had been in dire straits.

It was an innings of contrast, as Voges began his innings cautiously and looked to rotate the strike.

As he grew in confidence, he started to hit more boundaries and brought up his century from 187 balls, a superb effort as the majority of his team-mates struggled.

He received superb support from the tail, too, as Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood all hung around and contributed vital runs as Voges continued on his way.

In the end, it was a memorable day for the 35-year-old, as he became the oldest player in Test history to make a century on debut.

It all could have been so different too, as Voges was left with No. 11 Hazlewood with his own score on 77.

He had waited for many years to make his debut in the game’s longest form, too, having already impressed at times in limited opportunities in the shorter forms.

The wait saw him disappointed on repeated occasions as he found himself usurped in the pecking order by other batsmen.

However, in refining his game and being forced to prove himself again and again in domestic cricket, Voges was more than capable of stepping up for his country in this game.

On a pitch offering extravagant turn for Devendra Bishoo, Voges knew patience was required above all else.

Steven Smith and Shane Watson were both guilty of not exhibiting the requisite patience, and he both learned well from their mistakes and used his experience.

Even with the tail, and knowing that his time might be running out at the crease, Voges refused to panic and ensured that the scoreboard kept moving.

After the day’s play, Voges’ calm at the crease in spite of the issues around him was reflected in his remarks to the media, per ESPN Cricinfo:

Until I got into the 90s, a hundred hadn't crossed my mind. The old ball was tough to score against. We always felt that if they took the second new ball, that was going to be our best scoring option so when that came it always felt like that would be our best chance to attack. Fortunately that's how it worked out.

His knock of 130 showed a great deal of application and determination, and it was indicative of an experienced and adaptable player who has learned a great deal already.

Australia were lucky to have Voges, and he could well have turned the match in their favour.

It's sometimes said that a captain is only as good as the bowlers at his disposal. A quick look at the firepower on offer in the Australian attack and it's no wonder Michael Clarke is considered one of the game's top skippers.

That somewhat simplistic view does Clarke a disservice of course. Alongside Brendon McCullum, he is one of the most tactically inventive minds in the game today. Having such a versatile selection of bowlers under his command does his cause no harm.

A case in point was the Aussie attack's superb effort to dismiss the West Indies for 148 in the first innings of the Dominica Test. Despite winning the toss and batting on a slow but pretty flat surface, Denesh Ramdin's side were suffocated by a disciplined Australian bowling performance.

Josh Hazlewood was the pick of the seamers at Windsor Park. Bowling a beautiful, metronomic line, the 24-year-old found just enough seam movement to trouble all the West Indian batsmen.

He's good. LIVE: http://t.co/XWk4JxYe7l #WIvAUS pic.twitter.com/2h6kxK3Bmj

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) June 3, 2015

After a relatively sedate return to Test action following Indian Premier League duty, Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson cranked up the pace and soon found their range. Even spinners Nathan Lyon and Steve Smith got in on the first day act.

There was much to enjoy in the recent England versus New Zealand Test series. The ragged bowling at the tail wasn't one of them.

Michael Clarke's side gave a masterclass in how it should be done. Of course, having bowlers with the pace of Starc and Johnson helps. After softening up Shannon Gabriel with some short stuff, Johnson bowled full and straight and was rewarded with a nick to slip. Hopefully Stuart Broad was watching.

Clarke showed no reluctance to get his spinners bowling at the tail either, even before tea on Day 1. The filthy long hop can be a dangerous delivery to a lower-order batsman, as Jerome Taylor proved by smashing one from Smith straight up in the air.

The bowlers in Dominica were helped by a superb performance in the field where every opportunity was held.

There's been much talk in England about what sort of pitches should be served up if the hosts are to challenge in the Ashes let alone reclaim them. On this evidence, it won't really matter.

#BowlingUnit pic.twitter.com/qAkX9yP9ry

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) June 3, 2015

It the pitches are quick, Starc and Johnson have pace to burn. If England go in the opposite direction and opt for traditional slow seamers, it could easily play into the hands of Hazlewood.

It's a bit early for comparisons with Glenn McGrath, but the New South Welshman is doing a pretty good impression. Sitting out the IPL to concentrate on his Test career is looking to be a canny move.

Given Moeen Ali's recent struggles, it's unlikely that any pitches will resemble Kolkata dustbowls. If they do, then the underrated Lyon and mercurial Smith will likely be a match for any spinner England pick. And we've not even mentioned Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle.

That's not to say it's impossible to score heavily against this Australian attack. It's less than a year since they were walloped by Pakistan after all.

And despite losing the Test series two-nil, India's Virat Kohli, Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane showed during the winter what was possible with the right mix of attitude, application and a little luck.

Michael Clarke looks to be holding all the aces in the current series in the Caribbean. His hugely versatile attack will make the Aussies firm favourites against the West Indies and in the Ashes series that follows.

Mitchell Johnson may lose his radar. Ryan Harris may lose fitness. Mitchell Starc may not be able to replicate his one-day form in the five-day game. Those are all pretty big ifs. On current evidence, it could be a long summer for England.