What do the warm up games tell us?

It was some clever scheduling to have England and Australia play warm up games simultaneously ahead of the 1st Ashes test next week. They were two different games of course though. England having an easier time of things with a game against a less than full-strength Warwickshire, whilst Australia took on a Lions side featuring plenty of players with something to prove.

And so it panned out. England were in control from the get go and had it been a four day contest would have wrapped up the victory comfortably. Australia had a far tougher time however as (at the time of writing) they also appear to be heading towards a draw, but will this be more beneficial as the two teams now head to Cardiff?

Australia's squad had plenty of question marks over it. Batsman out of form, pace options up for grabs and a spinning department fast becoming a laughing stock. They perhaps found answers though. Whilst Ricky Ponting and Philip Hughes struggled, you expect Ponting's class to come through and it is too early to suggest Hughes has been 'found out'. Brett Lee showed glimpses of years past to bowl himself into the side and Michael Hussey posted a century. Nathan Hauritz continued to struggle, but Marcus North's big century may have earned him a spot and alleviated the pressure to pick Hauritz.

Whilst all England's players were in the runs and wickets (Kevin Pietersen apart) they did not face much of a test. In comparison, the Lions showed plenty of fight and had the upper hand on occasion, mainly with the ball through Harmison and Onions. Will this test have done Australia the power of good, or is it an indication (also evidenced with Sussex game) that this particular squad of players does not possess enough to put sides away in the manner that we have become accustomed to them doing?

England will of course talk about the momentum gained, whilst Australia will reflect on being battle ready and ideally prepared ahead of next week. For the first time in a long time, both sides in an Ashes contest look to be very equally matched - which should make for an enthralling series, even if it cannot live up to 2005.

Still a slight advantage to England in my opinion.

On Michael Vaughan

I only ever saw Michael Vaughan bat 'live' twice. The first was in his very early days when Wasim Akram bounced the shit out of him at Old Trafford in the county championship. That day he turned in a gutsy performance to fend off Wasim at his most dangerous. The second was again at Old Trafford, this time a sublime Vaughan scored a sublime century as Yorkshire chased down an impressive Lancashire total in a one-day quarter-final.

Both serve as useful examples of both Vaughan's doggedness and his undoubted quality. Ultmimately, Vaughan realised there was no way back. No way that he could regain the peaks of those golden years when he earned the Australians respect, both as an individual and a captain, and also at one point became the top ranked batsman in the world.

Injuries prevailed following the golden year of 2005, and Vaughan never truly recovered, continuing one-day woes exacerbating his frustration. There was much clamour for his return this summer and a spot really was available for him, yet he could not show the form and deliver the runs that were required. His omission from the Ashes party was the final confirmation he needed that his time was up, an acceptance that no sportsman would ever want to have to admit.

He leaves as England's winningest captain, with only Mike Atherton having served as captain of England more times that Vaughan. And leaves us with the memory of that cover drive.

Vaughan announces retirement

I wanted to give it one last effort to get into the Ashes squad. I've given it that shot but haven't been playing well enough," he told a news conference at Edgbaston. I have not played well enough. I have not got the rhythm or form to be picked in the Ashes squad. It has to be best 16 players and I am not one of those."

>>Michael Vaughan.

No surprise given the leak over the weekend that Vaughan would officially announce his retirement today. Quite an honest assessment from Vaughan regarding his current position, and as much as it may hurt him to admit so, there is no denying that for all his class, Vaughan is a million miles away from the England side on current form.

I'll have a lengthier post up over the next day or so regarding Vaughan, but in the meantime there has been plenty of praise for him from the cricketing world:

"I learned a great deal from watching him captain the side for five years at close hand and his ability to identify a new strategy for outwitting the opposition or bring the best out of his own players was a priceless asset." >>Andrew Strauss.

"From my point of view, so far I've played my best years of cricket under him. He has helped me out and has helped everyone out who has played under him." >>Andrew Flintoff.

"Good luck to Michael. As he leaves the playing field for the last time, we will remember him for a magnificent string of results in 2004 and 2005, plus his signature stroke: that exquisite cover-drive. It really was a shot to die for." >>Geoff Boycott.

"He's been a fantastic player and full credit to him. All the guys in our dressing room certainly respect him. He was a good leader in 2005 and he had a huge impact the way he presented himself and represented the whole of England.">>Michael Clarke.

Vaughan set to retire

Vaughan, 34, is understood to have made his decision because his right knee makes it impossible for him to field all day and because he does not want to block the progress of some promising young batsmen in Yorkshire’s side.

When Vaughan resigned as England’s captain last August, he had led them to more Test victories than any other captain, beating the previous record of 20 wins by Peter May. He had hoped to regain his England place this summer to have another go at regaining the Ashes, as he did when leading England in 2005.

>>telegraph.co.uk.

There has been no official announcement as yet, but it is something that has been widely expected ever since Vaughan's name was left out of the England squad's earlier this week. He perhaps felt that there was a spot in the England side that was still attainable.

Until Bopara's emergence against the West Indies there was still hope for him, and this was a measure of his quality and stature that despite his struggles with fitness and form (which were perhaps terminal) there was still a clamour in certain quarters for his inclusion.

It was not to be however, as Vaughan could not get even near to posting the bucketful of runs required to earn consideration and once the realisation was there that his England career was all but over, a decision would in all likelihood been a far easier one to make.

Australia frustrated

The Australians opening tour match ended in a draw today at Hove, in a game which could have ended with a win for either side. Chasing 418 off 92 overs, Sussex came close, ending on 393-7.

Does this tell us much about the Australians and their readiness ahead of the Ashes? Well, they were denied a confidence boosting victory and match figures of 1-158 off 38 overs will do little to silence questions regarding Nathan Hauritz and their spin options.

Batting wise, all of their top order got time at the crease and runs behind them but the Susssex attack is hardly one of the county circuits best. They managed to avoid what would have been an embarassing defeat - one that would have been seized upon - but with Mitchell Johnson absent for this game, none of the bowling candidates really stood up to the mark.

They now face England Lions in a game starting Wednesday (when England of course play simultaneously in a fixture against Warwickshire). We should have a better indication of where both sides are at following those games, but at this stage I make England slight favourites ahead of the opening test in Cardiff.

Negativity

"It (playing two spinners) puts more pressure on the spinners, England are making the challenge for them to play well. All of a sudden they are taking the impact away from the faster bowlers who have bowled so well against the West Indies. "(James) Anderson, (Stuart) Broad and (Graham) Onions did well against the West Indies, then all of a sudden they are willing to change that and go a different way because they perceive us to have a weakness."

>>Tim Nielsen.

"The beauty of our top-order is that (Simon) Katich, (Marcus) North and (Michael) Clarke can all give us reasonable part-time spinning overs."

>>Ricky Ponting.

Very un-Australian like in its tone. Despite their protestations, if Australia go in without a recognised spinner it is a real admission that they have no faith whatsoever in Hauritz.

As for England, I'm yet to be convinced they will go with two spinners, so we could see both sides taking the safe option. Could both sides be scared of going 1-0 down rather than aiming to go 1-0 up in Cardiff?

England to stage Pakistan v Australia series

England will stage two Tests and two Twenty20 internationals between Pakistan and Australia in July 2010.

Pakistan cannot host international cricket as the security situation prevents other teams from touring.

England and Wales Cricket Board boss Giles Clarke said: "The ECB is delighted to support Pakistan."

England will also host Pakistan for four Tests, five one-day internationals and two T20 internationals next year, taking place in August and September.

>>bbc sport.

One of the side effects of the Pakistan victory in the Twenty20 World Cup was it focused on their lack of cricket in recent times, and that the international game would be the poorer without the involvement of Pakistan.

Whilst cricket in Pakistan remains untenable for the immediate future, staging games in England is a win-win situation for all involved. Expect plenty of interest, plenty of sell-outs and huge interest in the series.

Tough day for Australia's top order

A less than auspicious start for Australia today, neatly summed up Derek Pringle in The Telegraph:

Australia’s Ashes campaign began in faltering fashion after their top order were humbled by a bowler from Cape Town with an Italian passport who has failed to take a single wicket for his club in the Sussex League.

It is hard to know how much credence to give to talk of this affecting form being taken into the Ashes. But if England's top order had fallen to an unknown in the mould of Pepler Sandri, the Australian's would be certainly be having a field day.

Watson out injured

Australia all-rounder Shane Watson will not be sent home from the Ashes tour after medical staff diagnosed his thigh injury was a "low-grade" strain.

The 28-year-old, who has had bad luck with injuries through his career, missed the four-day tour game against Sussex at Hove starting on Wednesday.

The Aussie camp said there would be no need to send for a replacement.

"His return to play will be guided by progress made in the next few days," said physio Alex Kountouris.

>>bbc sport.

You do wonder how much Watson owes his spot in The Ashes tour party as a consequence of the unreliability of Andrew Symonds. As unreliable as Symonds has been of late though, it pales into insignificance compared to the litany of injuries Watson has suffered from.

Given that he is no better than an average international cricketer, it is puzzling to think how many chances he keeps being afforded.