Ashes decided but pride on the line in Sydney

Michael Beer

SYDNEY, (Reuters) – The fate of the Ashes was   decided last week in Melbourne but with the series and a huge   amount of pride still on the line, neither Australia or  England are calling this week’s fifth test in Sydney a dead  rubber.

For England, with the Ashes already checked in for the   journey home for the first time in 24 years, it is a chance to   show their ruthlessness as they continue on a path they hope   will take them to the very top of the world game.

For an Australian team under the temporary captaincy of  Michael Clarke, it is an opportunity to put behind them the annus horribilis of 2010 and make a new start in a new year  with a morale-boosting victory to level the series at 2-2.

The memory of the humbling defeat in Perth sandwiched   between the innings triumphs in Adelaide and Melbourne was   fresh enough for England captain Andrew Strauss to reissue his   anti-complacency edict yesterday, and warn against a backlash. “Sometimes it can be a bit of a release knowing that   you’ve got nothing to lose anymore,” he said. “So I think   we’re quite conscious of Australia coming back at us pretty   hard this week and if there are any weaknesses to be exposed,   it’s important we do that.”

For Clarke, standing in for the injured Ricky Ponting on   his home ground, the memory of Perth offers hope to a team   including new caps Usman Khawaja and Michael Beer.

“England are high on confidence but as we’ve seen from   Perth, when we’re at our best, we can beat them,” the   confident 29-year-old said.
“There’s no doubt about it, if we are at our best, we will   win this test match.”

FRESH LOOK

England were the last visitors to win a test at the Sydney   Cricket Ground at the end of the 2002-03 Ashes tour — they   lost the series 4-1 — and Australia have since won nine of   the 10 matches at the ground.

Ponting played in all nine and his absence from the   Australian team for the first time since 2004 because of a   fractured finger gives Khawaja a chance to become the first   Muslim to wear the baggy green cap.

The debut of the freescoring Pakistan-born lefthander   gives a fresh look to an Australian team which Clarke hopes   can draw a line under the humiliation of failing to regain the   Ashes. “We’ve spoken a lot about what has gone on before and I   keep saying ‘last’ year, because it is done and we need to be   focused on right now and this test match,” he said.

“The least we can do for the public is to get out there   for five days and show a really good, fighting Australian   cricket team.”
The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is the most spin-friendly   of the five Australian Ashes venues, which could mean another   chance for England’s off-spinner Graeme Swann to shine. “I don’t think it’s going to rag all over the place, but   definitely over the last couple of days he’s going to come   into it more,” said Strauss.

“I think his spell in Melbourne in the second innings was   fantastic and if he bowls anything like that he’s going to be   a handful.”

SPINNING WEAPON
Beer is a secret spinning weapon. So secret, most   Australians had never heard of him before he was selected in   the squad for the Perth test.

The left-armer gets his chance after two tests as 12th man   but will have no local knowledge in his armoury as he had   never been inside the SCG before Saturday’s training session.

As usual, England will announce their team just before the   start of today’s first day (2330 GMT Sunday) with Tim Bresnan  hoping to retain his place among the seamers ahead of Steve   Finn. “We always take a good look at the pitch and decide what   the best balance of the side is for that particular wicket,” a   businesslike Strauss said.
Teams:

Australia – Shane Watson, Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja,   Michael Clarke (captain), Mike Hussey, Steve Smith, Brad   Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus,   Michael Beer.

England – Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott,   Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matt Prior,   Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Tim Bresnan, Chris Tremlett.