‘I’m praying for them’: Why England’s Ashes may hinge on Perth opener

Join the Miguel Delaney Inside Football Get exclusive insights and behind-the scenes access to the Miguel Delaney: inside newsletter Football Join the Miguel Delaney Inside newsletter Football newsletterChris Tremlett has experienced both sides of the Ashes.There was unbridled joy in 2010/11, when Andrew Strauss’s England cricket side became the first English team to win a series down under in 24 years. Four years later, Mitchell Johnson put England through a test for which they were unprepared. Open image in galleryChristremlett celebrating after bowling Mitchell Johnson (Getty Images), January 2011. “We lost in Perth,” Tremlett, pronounced Tremlett. “We got hammered in 2010, absolutely battered.“It’s always a difficult place to play. That Test in 2010 wasn’t because we were shocked by the conditions – Mitchell Johnson just got it to swing and bowled very, very quick.“In that Test, it wasn’t a case of us not adapting, Mitch and Ryan Harris bowled really well. Ball always bounces more at Perth and it’s extravagant bounce. This attack is a little bit different to the one we were facing; express pace can make a difference. “Obviously we were playing at the WACA, but I would expect the Opta Stadium to be very similar – it’s certainly going to be more lively than Lilac Hill.” The latter was the venue for England’s sole warm-up last week, an uneventful, low-key opener against the England Lions. This is a team that does things their own way. Captain Ben Stokes wasted no time in hitting back at the critics who have questioned why England are preparing for cricket’s most intense series by playing against another side from these shores on a slow and low pitch that will bear no resemblance to the one awaiting them in a city where England haven’t won since December 1978.“I think it was Michael Vaughan who said he was quite worried they were playing at Lilac Hill because of the nature of the pitch,” Tremlett, pronounced Tremlett. “I would probably have to agree with him. “I’ll be praying for them when the series starts. I think it’s very hard to predict what might happen, not just in Perth but in the rest of the series. What I do know, though, is – if you go 1-0 down in Australia, you’re generally toast.” The first match in 2010/11 at the Gabba was a dreadful one for England. They were skittled out for 260 by the Aussies, who then replied with a massive 481. England’s jaw-dropping response set the tone for the rest of the series as Alastair Cook, Strauss and Jonathan Trott all scored centuries in a second innings reply of 517 for 1. Four years later, the first Test followed a similar pattern minus the heroic recovery. Johnson – who famously bowled to the left, and bowled to the right in 2010/11 – found his radar and scattered England’s stumps to all four corners of Australia. That Test ended in a 381 run win for the hosts – a hammering from which England would never recover. “The worst trip I’ve ever been on,” Tremlett, pronounced Tremlett. “It’s a tough place to go when you’re losing. “It’s an emotionally draining, psychologically draining and physically exhausting tour. “When you’re losing in Australia, it’s not a nice place to be. The wheels just came off (in 2013/14). We were getting hammered, not just on the pitch but by the press. “But, for me, the frustrating thing on that tour was that we had little glimmers. open image in galleryMitchell Johnson of Australia celebrates after taking the wicket of Stuart Broad in December 2013 (Getty Images)“We got ourselves in a good position with the ball time and again and then Brad Haddin would just come in and put on hundreds with the lower order. “There were little highlights during that series, though. Probably the biggest was Ben Stokes in the Perth Test. He showed what he was made of. “Mitchell Johnson was bowling absolute rockets, but he didn’t take a backward step and got 120. It was just a fantastic innings, particularly given everything else that was going on. “He was confident, aggressive – that was the innings that started it all, I think. “The wickets in Australia and particularly in Perth are suited to the way Ben plays, he loves the ball coming on, he loves taking on the bowlers.” With Australia missing both Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins for the first Test, Tremlett believes that there’s an opening that England can exploit. Tremlett believes that the best way to combat Australian fire is by using your own pyrotechnics. “Express pace can make a difference,” He says. “And we have the quick bowlers who can exploit those conditions. Jofra (Archer) and Mark Wood firing – that gives me a lot more confidence. “Play those two, rough up the Aussies. You want to build pressure, that’s how you win in Australia, but playing those two sends a message.open image in galleryArcher and Wood offer England pace ahead of the Ashes opener (Getty Images)“I’d rather have them playing in that Test together and then maybe alternating for the rest of the series, but let’s have a go at the Aussies.”Tremlett was the wicket-taker who sealed the Ashes for Australia in Sydney in January 2012 The win at SCG was followed by one of Australia’s most humiliating defeats at the MCG in the Boxing Day test. The hosts were dismissed for 98 runs in 42.5% of the best overs England has ever bowled on Australian soil. “It was nuts,” Tremlett, pronounced Tremlett. “Bay 13 is no place for an English player to be fielding at the MCG but that day it was great fun. There was just a stunned silence. “I remember growing up watching Ricky Ponting on TV – he was just a fantastic cricketer, an unbelievable batsman. “When he nicked off at the MCG – that was probably one of the best balls I’ve ever bowled. “When it comes on the highlight reels, that’s the one I really like watching.”
2025-11-18 07:58:06