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Thursday: the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) shared a snapshot of the squad practising indoors in Brisbane, despite the city’s terrible weather. The weather has affected England’s preparation for the Ashes, with the first of their warm-up matches against the England Lions being rained out.
The match between England and the England Lions at Peter Burge Oval in Brisbane’s bayside suburbs was cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday due to persistent rain and storms.
With additional rain in the forecast for early next week, England’s key players Joe Root and Ben Stokes could be forced to start the first Test without any match practise. Stokes, in particular, is in severe need of match preparation, having not played cricket since July. He last appeared in a Test match in March.
Australia’s preparations could be hampered by the rain, with a three-day intra-squad encounter slated for Peter Burge Oval from next Wednesday to determine the final make-up of the home team for the Gabba Test.
Australia’s preparations could be hampered by the rain, with a three-day intra-squad encounter slated for Peter Burge Oval from next Wednesday to determine the final make-up of the home team for the Gabba Test.
The Australians are coming off a triumph in the Twenty20 World Cup, but they have had little time to prepare for long-form cricket, and the Test team’s leadership is still up in the air. Captain Tim Paine resigned last week as details of a four-year-old text-message controversy were made public. His successor will be announced later this week.