Travis Head has lifted the lid on the final brutal net session that could decide the make up of the Australian side for the opening Ashes Test.
Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland are vying for the final spot in Pat Cummins side with Head revealing what amounted to a bowl off took place in the Edgbaston nets.
And it made things uncomfortable for the batters.
“I wouldn’t want to be the selectors. It’s been a tough couple of days for them to try and make a decision,” he said on Triple M Breakfast with Marto, Margaux and Dan.
“At our main training session everyone was firing trying to get a spot. It wasn’t ideal being a batsman, everyone was tearing in and putting their case forward.
“It’s going to be a big series. Everyone is so keen for it. We’re very lucky to know that our three quicks are raring to go if they get picked.”
LYON’S CHEEKY DIG AT ENGLISH ‘FORTRESS’
It was the classic reply that set the tone for the 2019 Ashes.
Then Australian captain Tim Paine was asked by British reporters if there was another Test match venue as intimidating as Edgbaston.
His answer has since gone down in Ashes folklore.
“Than this? I could name you 15”.
Paine and the Aussies backed it up, defeating England in the series opener on their way to retaining the famous urn.
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With the 2023 series also kicking off in Birmingham, cricket.com.au asked the current Australian Test side if they could name the 15 most intimidating venues in world cricket.
And it generated some predictably cheeky replies.
Nathan Lyon, never one to shy away from a little dig at the opposition, rattled off 16 grounds. Edgbaston didn’t rate a mention.
Josh Hazlewood, meanwhile, said “any ground that’s in New Zealand we play at, the crowd’s pretty loud over there”.
Cameron Green, however, gave the question a wide berth.
“I don’t want to get into that, my first Ashes series over here. I don’t want to get into too much drama”,” he said.
Watch the video below.
STOKES BIG BROAD REVEAL
England captain Ben Stokes insists there will be no let-up in his side’s dynamic approach during the Ashes series against arch-rivals Australia, which starts on Friday.
Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum have overseen 11 wins from 13 Tests since they joined forces last year, playing in an ultra-aggressive style.
All-rounder Stokes, a veteran of several Ashes campaigns, told a pre-match press conference at Edgbaston on Thursday that his players were relaxed ahead of the first Test of the five-match series.
“Every day we edge closer to the start of the series it has been like ‘Oh I wish I started tomorrow’ and now that day is finally here,” said the 32-year-old skipper.
“We are really excited to get going. It has been a long time coming.”
Stokes said England were committed to their all-action brand of cricket despite the challenge of facing Pat Cummins’ men, who have the world’s three top-ranked batsmen in their ranks and boast a fearsome pace attack.
The Australians, who are Ashes holders, last week beat India in the World Test Championship final at The Oval.
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– Winning formula –
“You get asked a lot if we are going to continue to play this way against this opposition, against that opposition, but I think we have just made it clear that this is how England play their cricket against any opposition.
“It has worked more than it has not so I don’t think there is any question around how we are going to try and play our cricket even though it is against Australia.”
England named their side for the Birmingham Test on Wednesday, with veteran seamers James Anderson and Stuart Broad picked alongside Ollie Robinson in the pace attack.
Stokes, a lively seam bowler, has been troubled by a longstanding knee problem but said taking part in practice sessions this week had boosted his confidence.
There was no place in the team for express quicks Mark Wood or Josh Tongue but Stokes is unconcerned about the apparent lack of variety in his pace-bowling line-up.
“I think when you say Broad, Robinson, Anderson, that is a pretty good three guys to say are in your starting XI,” he said.
Broad has dismissed Australia opener David Warner 14 times in 26 Tests and Stokes admitted the bowler’s “incredible” record against him was a factor in his selection.
“I’d be lying if I said no. It‘s just sort of one of those things in it. It’s like (Ravichandran) Ashwin against me,” Stokes said of Broad’s selection.
“But yeah, Broady’s been an unbelievable performer over many years and what the Ashes brings, it’s just so hard to look past someone like that.
Hazlewood fit for opening Ashes Test | 01:33
“So hard to look past someone like Jimmy and, you know, Robbo as well, he’s been incredible for us over the last year in all conditions. So I’m very happy with the team,” Stokes said.
“Broady’s record against Australia is incredible. And it‘s very hard to look past someone like that in the opening game of the series, and such a big series as well.
“All our bowlers have been told to prepare before every game like you are going to play it because it’s going to be a very tough ask for any bowler to play five games throughout the series.
“And I think it will be very likely that we will have to make some changes as the series goes on, but we’ll have to make those decisions when we come to the next game.”
– Aussies to expect hostile reception
Both sets of players, meanwhile will wear black armbands and observe a minute’s silence on Friday in tribute to the victims of a knife and vehicle rampage in the central English city of Nottingham this week.
Three people were stabbed to death, including teenage students Barnaby Webber and Grace Kumar, both of whom were keen cricketers.
“The deeply distressing scenes witnessed in Nottingham this week have brought immense sorrow to everyone, particularly the cherished friends and families of the victims,” said Stokes.
Australian squad
Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner
England XI
Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Andersonj
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