Holders England prepare for Australia heat

'Anything against Australia is hard fought' - Taylor

Big Picture

A little over four months ago, Charlotte Edwards and her team stood on the pitch in Durham and celebrated an emphatic 12-4 series victory over Australia. As their male counterparts have emphatically proved, however, back-to-back Ashes series leave little time to revel in victory. A series win over the Southern Stars in England, even a recent one, means nothing in Australian conditions, and must be put out of the visiting players' minds completely when the Test starts in Perth on Friday.

What has happened in the four months since that series ended? It might be thought that England are better prepared for the forthcoming series; Australia have played no international cricket since the Ashes ended in August, whereas many of the England squad played in the recent T20 tri-series in the Caribbean, as well as the victorious ODI series against West Indies. But Australia's players are, of course, fresh from their domestic season, the importance of which should not be underestimated. The squad in fact appears to have been selected largely on the basis of some impressive recent performances in women's state cricket.

And then, of course, there is the climate. Aside from Edwards, the England squad will have been in Perth for less than a fortnight before the Test begins in 40C heat. Practising in the nets at Loughborough with the heating on, as England have reportedly been doing, is no substitute for these conditions. There is a reason why England have only ever beaten Australia in Australia twice (in 1934-35 and in 2008); retaining the Ashes is bound to be an uphill struggle. Australia, this time around, must be the favourites.

The Format

Once again the series being played across all three formats, with points on offer for each (six for the Test - or two for a draw - and two for each of the ODIs and T20s). This multi-format structure, used for the first time in England, is still a pioneering concept, with all the possibilities yet to play out, but it is clear from what transpired last year that momentum is a massive factor: a good performance in the Test, or the subsequent ODIs, is vital for Ashes success.

The WACA, venue for the Test, will therefore be a crucial battleground for the two teams. It looks to be a green wicket, similar to the one which the men's Test was played on a few weeks ago. The conditions will suit pace: Katherine Brunt and Georgia Elwiss for England, and Ellyse Perry and Holly Ferling for Australia, will be looking for early breakthroughs. Back in England, both sides played defensively throughout the drawn Test; this is not a pitch which will allow for such tactics. Meg Lanning, Australia's newly appointed vice-captain, agrees. "I really do think there'll be a result here this time," she said. "I think that just being at the WACA, and the pace and bounce, the game will always be moving. We'll see some really attacking cricket being played."

The Players

Both the England and Australia squads look similar to those that competed for the Ashes in England last year. Heather Knight, England's Wormsley centurion, missed the recent tour of the Caribbean but she is now well and truly back to match fitness, hitting an unbeaten 123 in the two-day warm-up match against Australia A, and will again open for England in the Test. Brunt and Anya Shrubsole, who also missed the West Indies tour through injury, will be England's opening bowling partnership throughout the series, assuming both remain fit. That is a big if, though: they bowled just eight and nine overs respectively in Perth. Match fitness in a multi-format series is an even more important factor and could prove the decider.

England are not short of second-change pace bowlers, though: Elwiss, back from injury having not played since the World Cup in India last year, will have an important role to play on the bouncier pitches and Natalie Sciver will almost certainly play in all three formats, fresh from her T20 hat-trick against New Zealand in Barbados. England, crucially, also have the run-machine that is Edwards in their armoury: Perth will be her 12th Ashes Test, second only to one other woman.

One problem for England may be their lack of spin options, with Holly Colvin having made herself unavailable and Laura Marsh still injured. Australia have no such issues: their first-choice spinner, Erin Osborne, has had an excellent season for New South Wales, taking 10 wickets in the WNCL at an average of 12.50. Jess Jonassen, who will come in to play in the ODIs and T20s, is also bowling well and took 2 for 45 in the warm-up match.

Jonassen may also be picked at least partly for her batting - she hit 43 against England's bowlers in the same match - as may Elyse Villani, who has 494 runs in the T20 Cup this season. Nicole Bolton has also been selected in the 14-man squad on the basis of her exceptional batting this season, and may well open in the Test, while also offering a back-up offspin option.

In terms of pace for Australia, Perry is certain to take the new ball throughout the series, with Ferling, Megan Schutt and Sarah Coyte all in contention for bowling spots alongside her. In Rene Farrell they also have an experienced Ashes player returning to the side for the first time since the 2011 Test in Sydney, when she took 5 for 23 in England's second innings, including a hat-trick, and helped win the Test for Australia. The Southern Stars will be hoping she can emulate this over the coming days.

Stats and trivia

• 2014 marks the 80th anniversary of the first ever women's Test match, played in December 1934 in Brisbane on England's tour of Australia.
• The WACA has hosted two previous women's Tests, in 1958 and in 1984. Both were drawn.
• When Charlotte Edwards leads her team out, she will have played in more Ashes Tests than anyone aside from Myrtle Maclagan, who leads the list on 12. Edwards has captained in 3 of them.
• Edwards needs just 103 runs to overtake Jan Brittin's total of 1024 in Ashes Test runs and become the leading Ashes run-scorer; and only 47 runs to make her the second-highest run-scorer ever in women's Tests.

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Manzoor makes use of lifeline

Question marks will continue to hang over Khurram Manzoor's technique, but the opener fought it out to score 73 on a day when few of his team-mates could put bat on ball

There are few batsmen in the Pakistan side who can safely be called technically sound, and Khurram Manzoor isn't one of them. He might not have the prettiest technique, but it worked well enough for him to score 73 on a day when barely any of his team-mates managed to put bat on ball. On a day dominated by Sri Lanka's seam attack, Pakistan lost their last eight wickets for 58 runs to be bowled out for 165.

Pakistan's top order has been in transition for ages, and they have tried a number of opening combinations over the years. As one of four openers in this squad, Manzoor himself was facing the axe. Since scoring 146 against South Africa in Abu Dhabi more than three months ago, his visits to the crease in Test cricket before this innings had yielded him scores of 4, 0, 0, 21 and 8. It was expected that Shan Masood would replace Manzoor for this Test. But the team management gave him another chance, and they would have been pleased with the manner in which he grabbed it.

For all that, it wasn't a particularly fluent innings, and didn't entirely answer the questions about his technique that have dogged him right since the time he was dropped after his seventh Test - in Hobart in January 2010 - with a record reading 326 runs at 29.63. He returned, after a gap of nearly four years, and has since scored 373 runs at 33.90 in six Tests in which his fortunes have swung dramatically. In the two-Test series against South Africa, for instance, he followed up a match-winning century in the first Test with a pair in the second.

At the Dubai International Stadium today, Manzoor spent 214 similarly fluctuating minutes at the crease. He oscillated between fluent drives and streaky edges through the slips, and looked shaky even after he had crossed 50.

"It wasn't easy out there. The toss was vital because the pitch is helping seam bowlers," Manzoor said. "The ball was seaming exceptionally and it was tough and this is the reason why we all struggled. Also credit should be given to the Sri Lanka bowlers. I took time and was positive and that's why I got runs and that's all I have been thinking, to stay positive."

Having witnessed batsmen come and go at the other end, he seemed set to get to a hundred, having smacked three successive boundaries off Nuwan Pradeep and a six over mid-on off Rangana Herath. An injudicious poke at an away-going ball from Suranga Lakmal, however, ended his innings at 73.

The innings might not have stalled Sri Lanka's charge, but it should help Manzoor retain his place for the next Test in Sharjah. Beyond that, Manzoor will have to show he can kick on from this knock and produce a sustained run of good scores. He won't want this to become just another spike in a wildly fluctuating career graph.

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BCB acts to calm Sri Lanka safety doubts

The Bangladesh Cricket Board could make several concessions, including changing venues, to ensure Sri Lanka's tour of the country goes ahead as scheduled later this month despite security concerns. Senior officials of the two boards are due to meet on the sidelines of the ICC executive board meeting in Dubai on January 9, and one of the proposals that could be made by Bangladesh is to stage all the matches in Dhaka.

Sources within the BCB suggest the board has spoken to security agencies in the country and the idea of a single-venue series - though the least favoured option - has been discussed at top levels. While it is possible to stage all the matches in Dhaka, the BCB is aware of the message that will send out and its acting CEO, Nizamuddin Chowdhury, has officially denied such a proposal exists.

The security situation in Bangladesh, the fallout of prolonged political instability, has been the subject of intense discussion in the cricket world with two multi-nation tournaments - the Asia Cup and the World Twenty20 - and the bilateral series with Sri Lanka scheduled to be staged in the country over the next three-odd months. While the Asia Cup has been cleared to be staged there in February-March, the World Twenty20 and the Sri Lanka series may yet see changes.

Though Sri Lanka Cricket has denied making any sort of requests based on safety issues, it will send a security team to Dhaka on January 13. There is also talk of dropping Sylhet as a venue as it would entail more traveling for the two sides for a single ODI in the northeastern town. But the BCB are eager to keep all three venues if possible, to give a brighter picture of the security situation across the country.

They now has more time to convince the tourists. SLC had previously said it would make a decision on the tour during the ICC meeting in Dubai but has since said it will send a two-man committee to Bangladesh to assess the situation on the ground. Former SLC CEO Ajit Jayasekara - an Air Commodore with the Sri Lanka Air Force - and vice-president Mohan de Silva will leave for Bangladesh on Monday, incumbent CEO Ashley de Silva said.

"We haven't sent any requests to [the BCB], but we are sending our former CEO and vice-president to Bangladesh on Monday to assess the current situation," de Silva said. "Once that has been assessed we will make a decision about whether we need to change the itinerary.

"We have to make the final decision before January 15 because the team is supposed to go on January 24. I'm not sure if it will be discussed at the ICC meeting on the January 9, but basically that's where we stand right now."

SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga had earlier said Sri Lanka would seek to honour its commitment to the tour if possible, because Bangladesh had been among the teams eager to tour Sri Lanka during its own conflict. The board is unlikely to take security threats lightly however, given the Sri Lanka team were victims of a terrorist attack in Lahore, in 2009.

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Johnson to rest, Bailey seeks his best

Mitchell Johnson will be the first of Australia's Test players to be rested in the upcoming one-day series against England, but George Bailey will be one Ashes winner keen to take every opportunity to play. Bailey is the only member of Australia's unchanged XI throughout the Ashes whose Test position could be considered in danger ahead of next month's tour of South Africa, and there is no Sheffield Shield cricket for him to regain form before the trip.

In the lead-up to the Ashes in Australia, the selectors made it clear that one-day form on October's tour of India would be considered in picking the Test squad and Bailey's remarkable ODI efforts in India earned him the No.6 place for the Gabba Test. Bailey made batting contributions through the series, including 53 in Adelaide and 46 in Sydney, but his average of 26.14 reflected his status as the weakest link in the top seven.

Alex Doolan joined the Test squad in Sydney but was overlooked as the selectors opted for another unchanged side, but what they do with the No.6 position in South Africa looms as the major selection decision. Bailey is Australia's vice-captain for the five ODIs against England, which begin in Melbourne on Sunday, and the matches will provide him with one last opportunity to find some runs before the Test squad is named.

"Every time you represent your country you're trying to play in all formats," Lehmann said on Thursday when asked about Bailey. "Every game, as we've talked about pre-summer and with the Indian one-day series, it's important for guys to make runs and take wickets."

One man whose Test place is under no scrutiny is Johnson, the Player of the Series in the 5-0 Ashes clean sweep. Although Johnson is part of the one-day squad the selectors have decided to rest him for the first match in Melbourne, with the intention that he will play the second ODI at the Gabba. Lehmann said several of the Test players would need a break at some point, but he wanted to avoid a situation like last summer when several high-profile men were all rested at the same time.

"It's obviously been a big summer for him so we're just giving him a short little break, making sure he's getting fresh for the other one-dayers as well [as the Tests]," Lehmann said of Johnson. "It's important we put the best side we possibly can out understanding it's been a hectic five Test matches and some of the Test boys especially are a bit weary.

"We'll sum it up as we go. We certainly don't want to go down the path previously where we've rested clumps of players. We want to pick and choose where we can do it. We want them to play in their home state and we want to make sure we're putting a good squad together looking ahead to the World Cup. This one-day format is very important for us."

The World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is just over a year away and the opportunities to settle on a preferred line-up will be slim, with no ODIs on the tour of South Africa and then Australia spending most of their winter at home. As well as working out a first-choice attack, the top of the order also poses a number of possibilities with Shane Watson, David Warner, Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh all potential openers in this squad.

The series will also provide the first opportunity for James Pattinson to play international cricket since he suffered a back injury during the Ashes tour of England in July. Like Bailey, Pattinson will be hoping to press his case for selection on the Test tour of South Africa through the five one-day internationals over the coming weeks.

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Steyn recovering from rib injury

South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn is suffering from a minor fracture to his rib but is set to recover in time for the home series against Australia, the first Test of which begins on February 12.

"During the second Test [against India] in Durban, Dale dived for the ball and he felt a bit of discomfort on the right side of his chest," South Africa's team doctor Mohammed Moosajee told Eyewitness News Sport. "He finished the Test unscathed and about two days after the match, he complained that the area was feeling quite tender.

"We proceeded to have an x-ray done, which didn't reveal much. A subsequent scan revealed a minor fracture of the eighth rib on the right hand side. He will be fit for Australia. We're quite confident that with this type of injury, he'll have time to recuperate and to recover fully."

Steyn took nine wickets in that Test, which South Africa won by ten wickets to take the series 1-0, and was Man of the Match. Australia are set to tour South Africa for three Tests and three T20 internationals from February 5 to March 14.

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Openers, pace bowlers worry Mushfiqur

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim wants his opening batsmen and pace bowlers to make best use of the two longer-version matches later this month. The Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), a first-class competition that starts next week, will provide the players match practice ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka, even if they get just two games each.

It will be the players' first taste of first-class cricket since the second Test of the home series against New Zealand nearly three months ago and Mushfiqur believes the longer format is the best place for Bangladesh to improve in two vital areas. Bangladesh's second opener and fast bowlers were ordinary against New Zealand, and he is worried that the middle order and the spinners will come under pressure if the trend continues.

Two partnerships of 39 were the best that the openers managed against New Zealand. Tamim Iqbal scored two half-centuries but Anamul Haque had a poor outing, which brought his place under question. Mushfiqur isn't keen on dumping Anamul but wants to see the young opener, who is averaging just 10.66 in three Tests, return to form.

"There's nothing better than match practice," Mushfiqur said. "BCL has the four best teams, which means the level of cricket will be quite good, and competitive. We haven't played Test cricket for a long time, so it will definitely help us. In terms of batting, we want the top-order give us a good start.

"Sometimes the entire batting line-up doesn't click so it is important to give a good start; what if there's a lower-order collapse? Tamim and [Anamul Haque] Bijoy know what to do. Bijoy in fact did well recently in the Twenty20 tournament, so I am hopeful of them coming good together."

Tamim has led a lone battle at the top of the order since scoring 53 and 84 on debut against New Zealand in 2008. Starting with those two innings in Dunedin, he has made 18 out of 21 scores of 50 or more by Bangladesh's openers, which includes all four of their centuries.

Tamim - and Bangladesh's openers, consequently - hasn't scored a century since his 103 at Old Trafford in June 2010. The last fifty to come from an opener other than Tamim was Nazimuddin's 78 against Pakistan in December 2011, but he has faded away swiftly since. The last 100-plus opening partnership came more than three years ago when Tamim and Imrul Kayes did it twice against England in 2010. Kayes isn't on the scene anymore but has been among the runs in domestic cricket recently.

Fast bowling is Mushfiqur's other concern. While Robiul Islam gave a glimmer of hope with his Man-of-the-Series performance in Zimbabwe, the same can't be said about the other seamers. Robiul was injured in the New Zealand series, prompting the team management to rest him for the second Test and the subsequent limited-overs leg. Over the two Tests, Rubel Hossain and Al-Amin Hossain took just two wickets in 60 overs.

Rubel, however, bowled well in the ODIs against New Zealand, famously picking up a hat-trick in a six-wicket haul in the first game. Al-Amin too has been in the news with his bowling in Twenty20s. But they need to come good in Test cricket, where Rubel averages 78 per wicket and Al-Amin has bowled in just one innings.

"The pace bowlers too need some work," Mushfiqur said. "There will be enough opportunities to better these areas in the two matches, and the practice sessions afterwards.

"We will look at pace bowling closely. They have to take at least eight of the 20 wickets needed to win a Test match. Otherwise the opponent will be planning very well against spin. [Robiul Islam] Shiplu bowled well away from home, Rubel [Hossain] is doing well and we also have Al-Amin [Hossain]. Even if they don't take wickets and just bowl economically, that would really help us."

In 2013, the selectors tried seven pace bowlers, of whom Robiul topped the wicket charts. Abul Hasan is on an extended injury layoff while Shahadat Hossain and Sajedul Islam were risked for just one Test each. Curiously, they have kept aside Ziaur Rahman, a seam-bowling allrounder who took four wickets in his debut Test in Zimbabwe. He has been labelled a limited-overs player, but Ziaur has shown a knack of contributing when it matters. Although a knee injury has cut down his pace drastically, he can still do a holding job in home conditions, with the added advantage of batting in the lower order.

Bangladesh's other source of confidence, according to Mushfiqur, is their recent record against Sri Lanka. The drawn Galle Test was the first between the two sides, after 12 straight Sri Lankan wins. Bangladesh also beat them at home in an ODI for the first time, levelling the 3-match ODI series.

"There isn't any fear factor," Mushfiqur said. "They have a good record against us but we are confident after doing well in their conditions last year. We now believe that we can do well against them. Throughout last year we have played well, so this is a chance for us to start the New Year on a good note."

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USA National Championship to be broadcast live

The USA Cricket Association announced on Tuesday that its 2014 National Championship will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The tournament is scheduled be to played in the Twenty20 format from August 21-24 at a new facility scheduled to be opened this summer in Indianapolis, Indiana. It will be the first USACA National Tournament involving teams from the eight USACA Regions since 2011. It will be the first time that USACA will have live broadcast coverage for one of its domestic tournaments.

"2014 will be an exciting year for US cricket and the agreement with ESPN3 is a positive start. The US cricketing scene will receive a boost by not only having the chance to play on the brand new Worlds Sports Park in Indianapolis including a new turf pitch, but to follow the lead-up to the Championships starting in May," said Darren Beazley, CEO, USACA. "By working closely with ESPN3, we hope that the Finals on August 24 will draw a significant audience across a number of platforms."

"Fans have come to know ESPN3 as a leading destination for live cricket events in the US," said Todd Myers, Director of Programming and Acquisitions, ESPN. "By carrying the US National Cricket Championships, we hope to continue to grow the sport by giving it national exposure across a variety of accessible platforms."

USACA is planning on using the tournament as a selection mechanism for the annual Auty Cup series against Canada, which is scheduled to be played in the USA in September, as well as for selection for the next ICC World Cricket League Division Three 50-over tournament, which is due to be played in early 2015. USA fell short of the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand by finishing third at ICC WCL Division Three in Bermuda last May.

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NZ hit back after Powell blitz

West Indies 145 for 3 (Edwards 26*, Bravo 1*) v New Zealand
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Kieran Powell handed West Indies a flying start at Seddon Park with a blistering 73 off 44 balls to give the visitors a position from where to build a strong total as they aim to level the series although they were in danger of wasting his efforts.

Powell hit 12 fours and two sixes before being given lbw to Nathan McCullum, after dominating an opening stand of 95 in 12 overs with Johnson Charles, although he was unlucky with replays showing the ball would have slid past leg stump but the batsman declined to use the available review. The pace slowed after his departure; Charles was run out by Nathan McCullum and Lendl Simmons was taken at point shortly before the midway mark of the innings leaving West Indies needing to rebuild.

Powell dominated the early exchanges after Brendon McCullum had inserted West Indies, confident in his team's ability to chase down a target. That faith could now be tested, although conditions are ideal for batting with an easy-paced surface and rapid outfield.

Powell set the tone in the opening over when he collected consecutive boundaries off Tim Southee and in the paceman's next over another pull carried for six. His innings kicked into an even higher gear during the sixth over of the innings, from Mitchell McClenaghan, which cost 19 runs include three fours and another six - this time it was caught, one-handed, by a supporter in the crowd which earned the lucky man a prize of NZ$100,000.

In an attempt to change the tempo, Brendon McCullum introduced his brother, Nathan, for the seventh over although after a tight first over from the offspinner the runs kept coming at a good clip. Powell's fifty came from 28 balls and he was eyeing a rapid hundred when we went to sweep McCullum and was taken on the boot.

The breakthrough allowed New Zealand to regain some control. Charles was shaping to try and bat through the innings, but misjudged a single into the off side and Nathan McCullum's direct hit from cover found him well short.

West Indies' running continued to be uncertain - there were two further opportunities for direct hits - and in the 13 overs following Powell's wicket there only three further boundaries as Anderson and Kyle Mills put pressure on the batsmen.

New Zealand 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Jesse Ryder, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Mitchell McClenaghan

West Indies 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Kirk Edwards, 4 Lendl Simmons, 5 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 6 Chadwick Walton, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Andre Russell, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Jason Holder, 11 Nikita Miller

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Finest Ashes pace numbers since 1890

Australia's fast bowlers averaged 18.35 runs per wicket, which is the best by either team in an Ashes series since 1890. Read on for more stats highlights

At tea on the opening day of the Gabba Test, Australia, after choosing to bat, had been reduced to 153 for 6. For all those who had witnessed Australia's top-order struggles in England only a few months earlier, this seemed to be a familiar story repeating itself all over again. Then, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson, quite fittingly, put together Australia's first significant statement of the series, adding 114 for the seventh wicket, before Johnson started working over England's batsmen. Over the next six weeks, the pair scripted many more game-changing performances that so thoroughly demoralised England that it seems scarcely believable that the visitors would've envisaged being 1-0 up from their tea-time position on that opening day in Brisbane.

The difference between the two Ashes contests held over the last six months is stark. England won 3-0 at home, but the Australians were at pains to explain that the difference between the two teams wasn't as much as that. The series stats suggest as much as well: England averaged only about three runs more per wicket than Australia, and scored one more century. With the ball, they took four more wickets than Australia's bowlers. The brand of cricket they played was attritional; it had served them well over the last few years, and it worked here too: they scored their runs much slower than Australia, but they batted longer, gave their bowlers longer periods of rest, and won all the key moments. It didn't feel like 3-0, but it was.

In Australia, it felt like 5-0, and it was 5-0. The stats reveal the gulf between the two sides. Australia scored ten centuries, which equals their record for an Ashes campaign, while England had one, their lowest in an Ashes series in the last 40 years. England averaged 21.58 runs per wicket with the bat, their lowest Ashes average since 1950-51, while Australia's average was a healthy 41.41.

The Australian batting wasn't always top-class, but the bowling was terrifying - they took 100 wickets for the first time in a five-Test Ashes series, and the strike rate was their best in an Ashes series since 1896. The bowlers took 99 wickets (one was a run-out) at the rate of one every 45.2 balls (while the overall strike rate for the team was 44.8 balls per wicket); the last time they bettered that was in 1896. Australia's run rate of 3.75 illustrates the aggressive brand of cricket they played, compared to England's run rate of 2.99 when they won at home last year.

Ashes 2013-14 series stats

Team	Runs scored	Wkts lost	Average	100s/ 50s	Run rate	Bowl SR
Australia	3189	77	41.41	10/ 15	3.75	44.8
England	2158	100	21.58	1/ 10	2.89	66.3

Ashes 2013 series stats

Team	Runs scored	Wkts lost	Average	100s/ 50s	Run rate	Bowl SR
Australia	2735	89	30.73	4/ 13	3.37	67.4
England	2856	85	33.60	5/ 13	2.99	54.7

Aussie domination
In this series, the ratio of batting averages of the two teams was 1.92: Australia's average of 41.41 runs per wicket was 1.92 times England's average of 21.58. In the entire history of Ashes contests (excluding one-off Tests), this is the fourth-largest ratio between the averages of the winning and losing teams. The highest was in 1886, when England won a three-Test series 3-0; they averaged 31.02 with the bat and 13.20 with the ball. Australia take up the next four positions in the table below, with all those wins happening in the last 25 years. In 1989, when they won 4-0 in England, they averaged 57.86 with the bat and 27.71 with the ball; in the 2006-07 clean sweep, they averaged 52.77 with the bat and 26.35 with the ball, a ratio of 2.00. When England won 3-1 in Australia on their last tour, their batting average was 1.75 times the bowling average.

In their only other 5-0 Ashes triumph, in 1920-21, Australia's ratio was 1.63 (batting average 46.13, bowling average 28.35).

Highest ratio of averages in an Ashes series*

Series	Win team	Bat ave	Los team	Bat ave	Ratio	Series margin
1886, in England	England	31.02	Australia	13.20	2.35	3-0
1989, in England	Australia	57.86	England	27.71	2.09	4-0
2006-07, in Australia	Australia	52.77	England	26.35	2.00	5-0
2013-14, in Australia	Australia	41.41	England	21.58	1.92	5-0
2001, in England	Australia	49.11	England	26.44	1.86	4-1
1888, in England	England	15.10	Australia	8.45	1.79	2-1
2010-11, in Australia	England	51.14	Australia	29.23	1.75	3-1
1946-47, in Australia	Australia	52.71	England	30.81	1.71	3-0

The Haddin factor
Australia were by far the superior team, but one aspect of their game that wasn't convincing was their top-order batting. Repeatedly they were five down for not too many, and needed Brad Haddin and the lower order to bail them out. Australia's scores at five down in their first innings in the five Tests were as follows: 100, 257, 143, 112 and 97; except in Adelaide, their top order struggled every time. Yet, England failed to drive home the advantage, as Haddin found at least one batting partner each time to rescue the team.

The table below lists the averages of Australia's batsmen overall in the series, and in the first innings. The table shows Haddin's contributions in even better light, as 407 of his 493 runs came in the first innings, when England were still competitive in the match. Haddin scored at least a half-century each time he batted in the first innings: his scores were 94, 118, 55, 65, and 75 - 407 runs at 81.40. Steven Smith was the other batsman whose first-innings contributions stood out: he scored two centuries in the series, and both were in the first innings. His failures were in the second innings when Australia were generally under less pressure.

However, most of the other Australian batsmen struggled in the first innings. Five of them averaged less than 40, including Michael Clarke, whose 148 in Adelaide was his only meaningful first-innings contribution. David Warner, Chris Rogers and Shane Watson all averaged less than 35, while George Bailey had a shocker, aggregating 64 in five innings.

Of the ten centuries Australia scored, six were in the second innings, including two each by Warner and Rogers, and one by Watson. Given that Australia had a first-innings lead of 130-plus in four of the five Tests, the one instance where second-innings runs were scored under pressure was in Melbourne, when Australia chased a target of 231 and won comfortably, with Rogers getting 116 and Watson getting 83.

England's batsmen were poor throughout, but Michael Carberry did much better than the rest in the first innings, scoring 181 runs at 36.20; in the second innings, he scored only 100 in five tries. Kevin Pietersen managed only 115 in the first innings, while Ian Bell scored 121 - though he was unbeaten once, in Adelaide.

Australia's batsmen in the series

	1st innings			Both innings
Batsman	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Brad Haddin	407	81.40	1/ 4	493	61.62	1/ 5
Steven Smith	282	56.40	2/ 0	327	40.87	2/ 0
Michael Clarke	193	38.60	1/ 0	363	40.33	2/ 0
David Warner	163	32.60	0/ 1	523	58.11	2/ 2
Chris Rogers	156	31.20	0/ 2	463	46.30	2/ 3
Shane Watson	144	28.80	0/ 1	345	38.33	1/ 2
George Bailey	64	12.80	0/ 1	183	26.14	0/ 1

England's batsmen in the series

	1st innings			Both innings
Batsman	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Michael Carberry	181	36.20	0/ 1	281	28.10	0/ 1
Alastair Cook	122	24.40	0/ 1	246	24.60	0/ 3
Ian Bell	121	30.25	0/ 1	235	26.11	0/ 2
Kevin Pietersen	115	23.00	0/ 1	294	29.40	0/ 2
Ben Stokes	80	20.00	0/ 0	279	34.87	1/ 0
Joe Root	45	11.25	0/ 0	192	27.42	0/ 1

Australia's lower-order rescue acts
The partnership stat further illustrates how even things were between the two teams through the first half of their first innings. It also shows clearly the areas Australia will need to address before what's likely to be a tough tour to South Africa. In their first innings, their average stand for the first wicket was 20, for the third 21.80, for the fourth 23.20 and for the fifth 23.80; among the top five wickets partnerships in the first innings, only the second one made substantial runs. The opening stands in the first innings were 12, 34, 13, 19 and 22, numbers that don't inspire confidence when the next challenge will be against Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel.

England's opening partnerships in the first innings were actually more substantial than Australia's: in Perth, Cook and Carberry added 85, before the rest of the batting crumbled. Add up the average stands for the first five wickets in the first innings, and Australia's score is 142 for 5; England's 124 for 5. Not a whole lot to choose between the teams there.

Look down the second half of the partnership tables, though, and huge differences emerge. Australia's average stand for the sixth wicket in their first innings was 98.80; the sum of the average stands for the last five wickets for England was 70. Australia's last five, on average, added 220. That 150-run difference completely altered the balance of the game.

Australia's sixth-wicket stands in the first innings were 32, 200, 124, 10 and 128, with Haddin being a common factor in all those stands. Out of nine century stands for Australia in the series, Haddin was involved in four. Out of the 1780 runs that Australia scored in their first innings over the entire series, 811 runs - or 45.56% - were scored when Haddin was at the crease. That's a whopping percentage of runs for a No. 7 batsman to be involved in, and it made all the difference between things being even after the first innings, and Australia getting a huge advantage at the halfway mark.

England, on the other hand, were hurt badly by the lack of significant contributions down the order. Also, the top order got starts, but failed to push on towards substantial scores: there were only two 50-plus stands in the first innings, but seven partnerships between 44 and 49. In the second innings, England had one century stand - their only one of the entire series - and six half-century partnerships, but it was still too little too late.

One century stand is also England's poorest effort in an Ashes campaign since 1950-51. In the 2013 series in England, both teams had six century stands.

Average partnerships for Australia

	1st innings		Both innings
Wkt	Average	100/ 50 stands	Average	100/ 50 stands
1st	20.00	0/ 0	41.90	1/ 2
2nd	53.00	1/ 1	45.50	2/ 1
3rd	21.80	0/ 1	47.11	1/ 2
4th	23.20	0/ 0	36.12	0/ 2
5th	23.80	0/ 1	38.75	1/ 2
6th	98.80	3/ 0	69.12	3/ 0
7th	52.60	1/ 1	55.28	1/ 2
8th	21.40	0/ 1	20.66	0/ 1
9th	16.20	0/ 0	15.33	0/ 0
10th	31.50	0/ 0	27.20	0/ 0

Average partnerships for England

	1st innings		Both innings
Wkt	Average	100/ 50 stands	Average	100/ 50 stands
1st	35.20	0/ 1	25.00	0/ 2
2nd	26.00	0/ 0	27.10	0/ 1
3rd	19.60	0/ 0	30.50	1/ 1
4th	26.00	0/ 1	27.60	0/ 2
5th	17.00	0/ 0	27.10	0/ 1
6th	12.20	0/ 0	22.30	0/ 1
7th	14.80	0/ 0	16.90	0/ 0
8th	8.80	0/ 0	13.70	0/ 0
9th	9.40	0/ 0	11.00	0/ 0
10th	24.80	0/ 0	14.60	0/ 0

Pace like fire
In the 2013 series in England, there had been little to choose between the pace attacks of England and Australia. Australia's fast bowlers took more wickets - 69 to 58 - but the averages were almost the same - 30.04 for Australia, 30.89 for England.

In the return series, led by a rampaging Mitchell Johnson, Australia's pace attack was all over England's batsmen. Of the 99 wickets taken by Australia's bowlers, 79 went to their fast bowlers, at an average of 18.35 runs, and a strike rate of 42.4 balls per wicket. England's fast bowlers didn't do too badly, averaging a respectable 34.86, but their batting was so poor that they didn't stand a chance. The average of 18.35 is the best by an Australian pace attack in an Ashes series since 1890, when they averaged 18.28 and took 14 wickets in two Tests. In fact, it's the best by the pace attack of either team in an Ashes series since 1890.

In the first innings, especially, Australia's quick men were unstoppable. Johnson took 21 wickets at 12.33, Ryan Harris 11 at 17.27, and Peter Siddle nine at 18.55. England didn't do too badly in the first innings either: Stuart Broad's 17 wickets cost 22.88 each, Anderson's 10 came at 34.60 and Ben Stokes took 10 at 27.80, but then Australia's first-innings bowling was so strong, and England's batting so feeble, that by the time the second innings came along, Australia already had such a big lead and England's bowlers had had so little time to put their feet up, that the second innings was a no-contest.

In the second innings, Anderson took just four wickets and each of them cost him 67.25 runs, while Broad's four wickets cost him 47.25 each. Johnson, meanwhile, took 16 second-wickets at 16.12.

England's spin department did them no favours either. That was a battle they had won convincingly in the home series, but in Australia, Nathan Lyon completely outbowled England's spinners: Australia's spin accounted for 20 wickets at 30.80, while England's took 14 at 72.42. In the second innings, when the pitches started helping spinners more, Lyon proved quite a handful, but England's spinners were completely ineffective, and the match situations and lack of pressure on the Australian batsmen didn't help either.

How the bowling attacks compared

	1st innings			2nd innings
	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	Wickets	Average	Strike rate
Aus - pace	44	15.45	38.9	35	22.00	46.9
Eng - pace	41	29.34	54.7	19	46.78	67.7
Aus - spin	6	40.67	82.3	14	26.57	45.0
Eng - spin	6	89.16	143.0	8	59.87	89.1

The head-to-head battles

Johnson dominated almost all the England batsmen right through the series, but the one batsman who withstood his onslaught and didn't get out to him even once was Ian Bell: in 98 balls Bell scored 48 runs without being out. However, the Australian attack worked as a pack, and if Johnson didn't have Bell's number, then Harris and Siddle did: both dismissed Bell three times each, and gave very little away.

Siddle took the least wickets among Australia's three fast bowlers, but did wonderfully against England's two main middle-order batsmen, Bell and Pietersen. Both scored at less than two runs per over against him, which kept up the pressure on England's batsmen and ensured that there were no easy runs on offer at any stage of the innings. Shane Watson took only four wickets in the series, but three of those were of Carberry's, who averaged five against him. There was thus at least one Australian bowler who had the wood on each of England's top-order batsmen.

England batsmen v Australian bowlers

Batsman	Bowler	Runs	Balls	Dismissals	Average
Ian Bell	Mitchell Johnson	48	98	0	-
Alastair Cook	Mitchell Johnson	73	128	4	18.25
Stuart Broad	Mitchell Johnson	25	56	4	6.25
Ian Bell	Peter Siddle	31	102	3	10.33
Ian Bell	Ryan Harris	64	132	3	21.33
Michael Carberry	Shane Watson	15	41	3	5.00
Michael Carberry	Mitchell Johnson	66	146	3	22.00
Kevin Pietersen	Peter Siddle	72	218	3	24.00
Kevin Pietersen	Ryan Harris	52	114	3	17.33

England's bowlers had a few head-to-head battles to cherish - like Broad's domination of George Bailey and Anderson's successes against Watson - but they weren't nearly enough in a five-match series.

Rogers scored only 27 runs from 107 balls off Graeme Swann, but handled the pace of Stokes and Anderson far more comfortably. Haddin won most of his battles against England's bowlers, averaging 108 against Anderson, 76 against Broad, and not falling once to Swann or Panesar.

Australian batsmen v England bowlers

Batsman	Bowler	Runs	Balls	Dismissals	Average
George Bailey	Stuart Broad	36	73	4	9.00
Shane Watson	James Anderson	71	130	4	17.75
David Warner	Stuart Broad	136	153	4	34.00
Michael Clarke	Ben Stokes	46	98	3	15.33
Brad Haddin	James Anderson	108	126	1	108.00
Brad Haddin	Stuart Broad	76	126	1	76.00
Chris Rogers	James Anderson	98	262	1	98.00
Chris Rogers	Ben Stokes	124	169	1	124.00
Brad Haddin	Swann+Panesar	118	175	0	-

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Manoj Tiwary not fit for Bengal's quarter-final

Manoj Tiwary, the Bengal batsman, will not be fit in time to play his team's Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Railways, which begins on January 8. Tiwary, who is recovering from a knee injury, was named as the 17th member of the Bengal squad, in anticipation of him being declared fit.

Tiwary is having his fitness assessed at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore, but has not ruled out making a comeback in the semis, should Bengal progress.

"The [NCA] physio told me that I need to have at least four to five running sessions, which will be an indicator of how much strength has returned in my knees," Tiwary told PTI. "Today, there wasn't any fitness test but only fitness assessment. As of now I am not available for the quarter-final. I will only make a comeback when I am fully match-fit."

Tiwary was not under too much duress batting in the nets but said his footwork and running between the wickets could suffer if he returns at this point. "There wasn't any discomfort [in the nets] as such, but some of the little things still need to be assessed. I have batted against the spinners but I haven't really used my feet against them at the nets.

"Also, there is running between the wickets where you have to swiftly turn for twos and threes. During the turning, there would be pressure on the knees. The physio needs to assess how my knees are holding up during that pressure. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that I will pass the fitness test and be available if Bengal qualify for the semi-final."

Tiwary has undergone two surgeries on his knee, with the injury keeping him out of action for the second half of 2013. He has suffered a succession of injuries of late: he was sidelined after injuring his back in the Ranji Trophy in December 2012 and hurt his shoulder during the Vijay Hazare Trophy in March 2013, just a month after returning to competitive cricket. He was also out of action for week in the IPL 2013 due to a bruised hand. Injuries have also hampered his international career, particularly the shoulder problem he picked up at practice in Bangladesh in mid-2007, on the eve of what would have been his India debut.

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