Match Review: Cricket Australia Chairman's XI vs. England

With the recently completed two-day fixture between Australia Chairman's XI and England, it is always difficult to know how much significance to draw from such warm-up matches.

The motivation and desire of players is often questionable. So too is the pressure and intensity of the occasion and, of course, the quality of opposition. As much as the media and fans will postulate on the merits and demerits of a performance, the occasion, or rather the lack of, should always be kept in mind.

However, heading into this fixture in Alice Springs, England, as a team and as a group of individuals, had a lot to prove after their first Test humiliation. While it would be hyperbolic to claim England’s tour has hurtled off course, it would be a fair assessment to say that a disappointing performance in Alice Springs has perpetuated concerns and alarms that the series could go very wrong for England.

Scoring 212-7 and then conceding a first innings lead of 42, it was hard to tell, from glancing at the scorecard, which team was the international team and which the inexperienced gallimaufry of cobbled-together state cricketers.

Indeed, the continued struggles with the bat, even in Alice Springs, are alarming considering you’d expect the players were motivated to at least prove to themselves they were still capable of scoring big runs following the Brisbane drubbing.

Following the departure of Jonathan Trott from the tour due to a stress-related illness, uncovering his replacement was perhaps the most pressing concern of the fixture. Yet only Gary Ballance made a case of to be selected with a first-day 55, and speaking after he said he was “ready” for a Test berth, as reported by Sky Sports. With only 71 runs on the tour so far, whether the management agree with such a sentiment is unlikely, but it speaks volumes of the fragility of the squad that he is probably the most likely candidate to play in Adelaide.

Ben Stokes, an outside bet to play at No. 6, failed to make much of an impression with bat or ball. However, as Australia mull the selection of James Faulkner to their bowling on what is expected to be a flat pitch in Adelaide, England may well see similar merit in including Stokes, even on the back of an unbecoming performance here.

The likelihood of Jonny Bairstow to replace Trott is slim, considering his position at No. 7 in the batting order. A declaration midway through his innings suggests he is far from the selectors' thoughts, although he did bat nicely for 31 not out.

Joe Root’s ascension to open in the match suggests it will be he, not Ian Bell, who vacates Trott’s position at No. 3. While the manner with which Root dealt with the pace of Mitchell Johnson on the final day of the first Test boded well for such a move, his first day dismissal—caught at gully off a back-foot push, a high-risk shot on quick Australian wickets—was not so promising, nor was a second failure on the last evening, falling for one to a fast-short delivery.

A mounting concern will be the form of Matt Prior, who missed a golden opportunity to escape from his prolonged run drought when he edged an innocuous wide delivery outside off stump. However, Prior is, much like Kevin Pietersen, a big-match player, and he is probably more likely to end his struggles in an international cauldron than in a tour match that didn't even assume first-class status.

Four wickets for Graeme Swann on the second day will have pleased the management after he appeared unusually insipid in Brisbane. So too will the bowling of Monty Panesar, who took three wickets after a poor start. Picking Panesar in Adelaide would be a surprise, but there’s a growing feeling that England may well need to do something against the grain to turn around their fortunes having been dominated for five consecutive days of cricket by two different teams.

Meanwhile, in the pace department, Steven Finn—whose fall from grace has been prolonged but very significant—and Boyd Rankin may well have bowled themselves out of contention for selection for at least the next Test, with a pair of worryingly poor performances. The threat to Chris Tremlett’s selection in Adelaide thus lies in the fitness of Tim Bresnan, who will join the main squad on Sunday.

The rest of the Performance Programme will train with England ahead of the third Test in Perth. As of yet England have expressed no intention to add players to the squad, as reported by the Daily Express, but that could change if they go 2-0 down after Adelaide.