Has Michael Clarke Correctly Predicted England's Lineup for 1st Ashes Test?
Following Michael Clarke’s impersonation of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho earlier this week when the Australia captain revealed what he thought the England lineup for the opening Ashes Test in Brisbane would be, we examine just how close "Pup" may have been with his predictions with only five days to go until hostilities get underway at the Gabba.
No. 1: Alastair Cook (Captain)
1 of 11
Well, Clarke started with a banker by reading the England captain’s name out first, subject to the left-hander’s dodgy back not seizing up, of course, between now and Thursday.
No. 2: Michael Carberry
2 of 11
A few weeks ago the Aussie skipper would have looked like a real soothsayer nominating the Hampshire batsman to partner Cook at the top of the order in Brisbane.
However, after the 33-year-old was given the nod to open the innings in the tourists’ first warm-up fixture against a Western Australia Chairman’s XI—albeit in the absence of his injured captain—and then again more significantly against Australia A when he made a ton, it is not as though "Pup" was revealing any great secrets here.
No. 3: Jonathan Trott
3 of 11
The only thing stopping England’s Mr Dependable from taking his usual idiosyncratic guard at the "Gabbatoir" next week would be an untimely injury.
So, again, Clarke was on safe ground calling the Warwickshire batsman’s name out third.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
No. 4: Kevin Pietersen
4 of 11
At the time of Clarke’s rather odd game of cat-and-mouse, there were actually genuine fears about the state of KP’s wonky knee after the key middle-order batsman had flown separately from the rest of his team-mates to Melbourne in order to seek specialist advice on the long-running problem.
But the Australian skipper was obviously confident enough to name the Surrey player in his final XI.
And following a pain-relieving cortisone injection in the problem area, Pietersen does now look on course to play in his 100th Test match at the Gabba on Thursday.
No. 5: Ian Bell
5 of 11
As with Cook, a no-brainer really after the 31-year-old produced a career-defining, man-of-the-series display in last summer’s Ashes in England.
No. 6: Joe Root
6 of 11
Again, much with Carberry’s name earlier, selecting the young Yorkshire tyro to drop down the order last month would have been an inspired call by Clarke, only Root has been batting in that position with great confidence so far this winter in all but the tour opener.
No. 7: Matt Prior (Wicketkeeper)
7 of 11
Now, no one can predict with any great certainty the identity of the man behind the stumps at the Gabba on Thursday, so there is no doubt at all that the Aussie captain was very much hedging his bets with this call.
However, Clarke was probably thinking—with good reason, too—that England will do absolutely everything within their powers to get the influential Sussex stumper fit for the first Test. Let’s hope he is right.
No. 8: Stuart Broad
8 of 11
OK, back to the formalities now, with Australia’s Public Enemy No. 1 an absolute certainty to be lining up at the Woolloongabba. What is more, the home crowd would be gutted were the blond-haired paceman not there in Brisbane.
No. 9: Graeme Swann
9 of 11
Graeme Swann's was another name pencilled in for the Gabba even before the squad flew to Australia last month, although you can be sure the hosts would love not to be facing the Nottinghamshire off spinner next week.
No. 10: Chris Tremlett
10 of 11
The only thing that Clarke got wrong was England’s batting order, with the Australian skipper suggesting that the giant Surrey fast bowler would come in at No. 11 in the order behind the walking wicket that is now James Anderson.
Other than that, though, "Pup" was right to claim that the tourists will take a giant leap of faith by selecting "Goober" in Brisbane, with Tremlett’s greater control likely to see him just edge out the less parsimonious Stephen Finn for the back-up seamer’s spot behind Anderson and Broad.
No. 11: James Anderson
11 of 11
And to finish off, we have one of the first names down on the England team sheet and the leader of the bowling attack. So, all in all, Clarke pretty much hit the jackpot then with his 11 picks.
But then again, it was hardly rocket science from the Aussie skipper.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
