England have snubbed a pink-ball warm-up for the second Ashes Test despite their humiliating defeat in the first Test in a decision branded “absurd”.
England lost 1-0 in the series after a two-day Test defeat that was both thrilling and infuriating.
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They were bowled out for 172 in 32.5 overs and 164 in 34.4 overs with Zak Crawley recording a pair and senior batsmen Joe Root and Ben Stokes mustering 16 runs between them.
It follows a three-day warm-up match at Lilac Hill, where slow, low conditions were markedly different from the bouncy pitch at Perth Stadium and those expected at the Gabba next week.
There will be a two-day pink-ball match against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra on November 29, a long-standing annual tradition in Australian cricket. The team, meanwhile, travels to Brisbane ahead of the second Test, which doesn’t begin until December 4.
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After two days of consideration, England chose not to send any of the eleven who played in Perth to Canberra. From the main squad, Jacob Bethell, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue will join the Lions for this match. Tongue, in particular, will have the opportunity to stake his claim to play in Brisbane.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said: “It’s absurd. If it comes back to bite them it will be a big failure of management.
“That wouldn’t happen in football. Imagine if England went to the World Cup without a warm-up match. They need to be more open to changing things rather than sticking to what they believe is best.”
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Vaughan wrote on Sunday that it would be “amateurish” not to send players like Crawley and Root for more training, not least because Australia are far more experienced in day-night matches than England, who only play them occasionally.
The rest of the squad will fly to Brisbane on Wednesday, giving them eight days before the second Test. They will probably return to the nets this weekend, after a week of rest. Brendon McCullum and Stokes value strong team bonds and have shown little interest in warm-up matches.
Discussing the decision to be made after the first Test, McCullum said: “We need to work out whether that extra cricket is the key, or making sure the camaraderie is close and morale doesn’t drop, because that’s a big mantra of the time Stokesy and I have had throughout this term, because we believe in keeping this group really tight.
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“For us, that connectivity and camaraderie is something we’re proud of. We’re going to need it over the next few days.”
The methods of Brendon McCullum, pictured with Ollie Pope, have come under scrutiny following humiliating Perth defeat – Shutterstock/Dave Hunt
Jonathan Agnew, former England fast bowler and BBC chief cricket commentator, said: “When we heard that England were considering sending some players to Canberra for the Lions match, we assumed these would be the ones who would need to train.
“It’s a bizarre situation. The big question is whether England would be better prepared to play a match under lights rather than spending time in net in Brisbane.”
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Bethell and Potts were part of a Lions side that was well beaten by a Cricket Australia XI at Lilac Hill on Monday.
Jacob Bethell, pictured in action for the Lions against a Cricket Australia XI on Sunday, hopes to make his case for selection in the second Test – Getty Images/Gareth Copley
Josh Inglis, the Yorkshire-born Australian wicketkeeper-batsman who is considering joining the Test team in Brisbane, scored a stunning unbeaten 125 from 107 balls while opening the batting.
Inglis is one of the options to replace Usman Khawaja, who suffered back spasms in Perth, leading to the promotion of a devastating efficiency from Travis Head to open the batting in the second innings.
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Khawaja remains in contention for the second Test, which takes place at his home ground, but has received no assurances that he will be retained in the XI by coach Andrew McDonald.
Following heavy criticism for playing three rounds of golf in three days before the Perth Test – which Cricket Australia said was not linked to his back spasms – Khawaja, 38, withdrew from a celebrity pro-am golf tournament he was due to take part in the day before the match in Brisbane. He had been billed as one of the celebrities to take part in the Australian Open Pro-Am at Royal Melbourne.
Wood: If I could drive to Brisbane, I would
Reflecting on England’s response to the Test defeat, Mark Wood said on Stuart Broad’s For the love of cricket Podcast: “We were keeping a low profile yesterday, a lot of guys just spent the day in their rooms. Some guys want some time to themselves to let out some air. I went to Fremantle, I’m trying to get away from cricket. I’m trying to switch off as best I can, watch films, play cards in the team room.”
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Wood said he even considered traveling the 2,500 miles to Brisbane to keep himself busy.
“If I could drive across the country, I would,” the England fast bowler said. “It’s a four-day drive. I spoke to a local Australian who said if you went across the country it was a big danger. So you’d have to go around the coast. But I had a look.”
