Cricket Australia Invitational XI vs. England XI: Date, Time, Radio Info

What: Cricket Australia Invitational XI vs. England XI

Where: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

When: Wednesday 13th November-Friday 16th November, 23.30 GMT

Radio: BBC Radio Five live sports extra

Squads

Cricket Australia Invitational XI: Peter Nevill (c), Ed Cowan, Aaron Finch, Callum Ferguson, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Ryan Carters, James Muirhead, Josh Lalor, Chris Tremain, Nic Bills

England: Alastair Cook (c), Michael Carberry, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, Boyd Rankin, Steven Finn

What will probably be lost amongst the childish laughs, eyebrow raising and general bewilderment at Michael Clarke’s bizarre and immature publicity stunt of ‘announcing’ England’s first Test team yesterday, was that despite the hyperbole and innuendo surrounding what is said to have been a difficult and troubled series preparation for the visitors, England’s XI for the first Test remains relatively predictable.

England head into their final warm-up match against a Cricket Australia Invitational XI in Sydney on Wednesday (12th November) with the position of the final fast bowler to resolve, hopes that Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad will register some more competitive overs and fingers crossed that Matt Prior will recover from his calf injury in time for the first Test in Brisbane starting on November 22nd.

It is indeed the case that England’s preparation for the series since landing in Australia has not gone entirely to plan, but to expect it to do so would've been naive. With the way Andy Flower, Alastair Cook and indeed all of the England players have been speaking and handling themselves, it seems that things are far from turbulent in the camp.

It is expected that Chris Tremlett will be the third seamer in Brisbane alongside James Anderson and Broad, but with Anderson being rested for the final warm-up in Sydney, one Boyd Rankin or Steven Finn will have a final chance to impress.

Elsewhere, Kevin Pietersen will hope for some more time in the middle having faced just 10 balls so far since landing in Australia. However, it is worth acknowledging Pietersen’s proclivity to under-perform in warm-up matches: His average in them is 31.70, almost 20 below his Test average, and perennially the big game player, it is unlikely his lack of match practice will be of great concern to the management. They will more likely be keeping a close eye on his chronic knee problem.

Jonny Bairstow will keep wicket in Prior’s absence, and although genuine worries are being harboured over Prior’s availability for Brisbane, for a man who has never missed a Test for England through injury it would still be a surprise were he not to play.

It is worth nothing how things have changed radically for Bairstow, who until a couple of days ago was surely resigned to a winter of twelfth man duties. If he does feature in Brisbane—with batting technical issues still thought to be troubling him, and wicket keeping not yet mastered—heading into the furnace of a first Ashes Test will be far from easy, but you can be sure he will be spending plenty of time with the wicket-keeping coach Bruce French and batting coach Graeme Gooch over the next week.

And although Prior’s injury is not severe and one match appears to be the maximum he could miss, it has raised questions of the sense in naming Bairstow—far from an accomplished keeper—as the reserve gloveman for the tour. But then again, there are precious few alternatives making an irresistible case for selection.

It is often forgotten that England’s preparation for the historic 2010-11 Ashes victory in Australia was far from smooth. James Anderson suffered a broken rib in the pre-tour boot camp, Graeme Swann was struck on the thumb in the nets, Stuart Broad left the tour injured, and there were concerns over the form of both Pietersen, and to a lesser extent, Alastair Cook. It was preparation that was more problematic than a cook-book leak, some unseasonal weather and a few injury worries.