Away Woes
Long gone are the days when the Australian cricket team could waltz into an away series and easily dominate on foreign soil.
During the glory days of the nineties and noughties where Australia would rarely lose a series, traveling was never an issue, however in recent years it appears to be tough for any teams to win a test series unless it’s in the comfort of home.
Test pitches tend to vary so much from country to country and they can play a major role in the outcome of the series. It seems that by the time the visiting team has got used to the conditions the series is basically already over.
A couple of lead up tour matches doesn’t seem to be enough to allow batsmen, in particular, to find their touch.
Perfect Practice
While Australia currently hold the Ashes, after their dominate 4-0 home series win in 2017-18, they haven’t won prized trophy on English soil since 2001.
With the busy cricket schedule these days, adding more cricket almost seems impossible but it could be said that countries need to play more lead up games in away series to get used to the conditions.
With the 2019 World Cup being played in England and lot of the same Australia players participating that may be selected in the Ashes squad, this may work in Australia’s favour.
Getting used to the oddities of English grounds, the volatile weather, seaming pitches and the swinging Duke ball can be crucial bringing the little urn back home.
Winning the odd coin toss might help too.