Queenslander Carl Rackemann debuted at the Gabba in the second Test, replacing Alderman, but didn’t make it past 13 overs of the second innings. Bowling the third ball of his 13th over from the Stanley Street end, he never stopped his follow-through – just grimaced and kept going past the incredulous slip cordon, uttering between gritted teeth, “I’m finished”, before hobbling off with a groin issue.
Yardley was again called upon to bowl 40-plus overs – a role Nathan Lyon may well be filling if the pitches are rolled out dry. However, if the pitch is green, Lyon might even be warming the bench.
Ian Botham enjoys a cold drink after England’s win in the fourth Test at the MCG in 1982.Credit: AP Wirephoto
Where once the most feared new-ball combination in world cricket had been Lillee and Thomson, now Thommo came in for Lillee. The Thomson of 1982 bowled at a far more moderate pace than the one who scorched the earth in the mid-1970s, but was twice as canny. Australia won, the seven-wicket margin not a true indicator of the closeness of the contest. But the team that gets ahead in the Ashes, especially at home, is always going to be hard to run down.
Veteran Rodney Hogg, who was having a useful Sheffield Shield season, replaced Rackemann for the third Test in Adelaide. Australian won, to go 2-0 up with two to play. England won by three runs in Melbourne, before the Sydney Test ended in a draw. The Australian attack didn’t change for the final three Tests, but only one starting seam bowler from Perth made it all the way through. Willis described it as “the accidental attack” – certainly not there by design, but the cogs that had to be slotted in were ready to roll when the time came.
There was no rotation strategy for the bowlers when the team was selected for the first Test of the 1982-83 series. Form was king, injuries commonplace and in that era, Australia could call on players who were in the throes of quality Shield campaigns.
Australia’s advantage in the coming series may well echo the one they enjoyed in ’82-83. By the time the Big Bash League starts on December 14, there will have been six rounds of Shield cricket.
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Josh Hazlewood’s hamstring issue has opened the door for Michael Neser, who has been pounding down probing overs in the state competition, and Brendan Doggett, who reminds me of Rackemann in height and threatening bounce. Meanwhile, Fergus O’Neill is in terrific form, Riley Meredith can bring some heat, Nathan McAndrew gives nothing away, Xavier Bartlett has international white-ball experience and Jhye Richardson has been picked for Australia A against the England Lions.
The cupboard looks well stocked. England’s back-up plan revolves around the availability of the promising players in the Lions team they played at Lilac Hill and who will face a Cricket Australia XI later this month. The speed of Wood cannot be replaced. If Archer does a fetlock, then likewise.
If England can learn from 1982-83, when Thomson made an effective comeback, then perhaps they should look to their own GOAT, who happens to still be playing. What odds the 43-year-old Jimmy Anderson getting a call-up and adding to his 704 wickets?
