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| June 15, 2005 | Wednesday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 7, 1426 |
Ashes rivals look to score points in two-horse race
LONDON, June 14: It is a fundamental requirement of triangular one-day tournaments that, all things being equal, three teams should be involved. Even the most politically correct of observers, however, would concede that the event starting at The Oval on Thursday feels, at worst, like a two-horse race and, at best, like England, Australia and A.N. Other in the form of Bangladesh.
To be fair to Bangladesh, who take on England in the opening match, far stronger sides would feel equally out of place.
The Ashes are the main dish of the English summer, pitting the world champions against their nearest challengers. In the meantime, every run and every wicket, whether in the Twenty20 format or one-dayers, will be analysed with that in mind.
Bangladesh’s one hope of not being marginalised altogether would be to stage a drama in one of their six pool games. The odds, though, are slim, despite this week’s limited-overs win over Worcestershire.
They have lost all six one-day meetings with the world champions and all four against England. Only once in those 10 games have they managed to get past 200.
Bangladesh came to England with limited ambitions, hoping to prolong their two Tests into a fifth day, only to be trounced on both occasions by the third morning. In the one-dayers, coach Dav Whatmore will just hope that his unreconstructed strokemakers get lucky, at least once, as the weather warms and the ball seams less.
England have the bolder ambition of testing Australia.
The hosts are beginning to progress under Michael Vaughan, with exciting limited-overs players in batsmen Marcus Trescothick, Kevin Pietersen, all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and fast bowler Steve Harmison, even if they remain far more accomplished in the longer game.
If Vaughan wanted to be highly selective, he could point out that England have beaten Australia in their last one-dayer, their last Test match and, after Monday’s victory, in their only Twenty20 meeting.
Ricky Ponting, however, has heftier statistics on his side, starting with a record eight Ashes series wins in a row. Before England upset Ponting’s men in the ICC Champions Trophy semifinals last year at Edgbaston, Australia had won their last 14 one-dayers between January 1999 and March 2003.
One-dayers are meant to be something of a lottery but Australian excellence — Ponting has suggested that only one Englishman, Flintoff, would get into his team — has made of nonsense of the notion.
England and Australia first cross swords in the triangular on Sunday at Bristol, before meeting in Durham on June 23 and Birmingham on the 28th. Barring miracles, flooding or earthquakes, they should meet in the final at Lord’s on July 2 as well.
Vaughan, buoyed by the Twenty20 win at the Rose Bowl, will want to press his opponents hard throughout, while scoring a few pre-Ashes points besides.
Those Englishmen tempted to embrace optimism too readily, however, might cast their thoughts back to 2001, when England last hosted a triangular one-day tournament on the eve of an Ashes series. The home team lost all three matches against Steve Waugh’s Australia, all three against Pakistan and watched the final on television.
In the second game against Australia, at Old Trafford, England were bowled out for 86 on a damp evening, surrounded by a retinue of close catchers. Waugh ensured Australia played one-day cricket with Test tactics and have never looked back since.
Eight of the Australians who won then are still in the team, while England have just four survivors. Vaughan went first ball that day, but at least most of his current team will not bear the same Manchester scars.
Schedule
June 16: England v Bangladesh (The Oval).
June 18: Australia v Bangladesh (Cardiff).
June 19: England v Australia (Bristol).
June 21: England v Bangladesh (Trent Bridge, D/N).
June 23: England v Australia (Chester-le-Street, D/N).
June 25: Australia v Bangladesh (Old Trafford).
June 26: England v Bangladesh (Headingley).
June 28: England v Australia (Edgbaston, D/N).
June 30: Australia v Bangladesh (Canterbury).
July 2: Final (Lord’s).—Reuters
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