Flintoff's men in good shape for their ultimate test
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Getty Images
After a lamentable start in Canberra, where Andrew Flintoff's side were thrashed by the Prime Minister's XI, England supporters would have feared the worst, but the team has performed admirably in its final two warm-up matches, against New South Wales and South Australia, and fans can now look forward to the Ashes with optimism, writes Angus Fraser in The Independent.
After all the selectorial upheavals on both sides over the past 14 months, it is amazing to see players such as Damien Martyn, Michael Clarke and Ashley Giles all back in the running for Brisbane. The first Test of 2006-7 is in danger of turning into a 2005 reunion, says Simon Briggs in The Daily Telegraph.
Given the choice, Australia's selectors would have preferred to steal England's clothes by deploying Shane Watson as a sort of mini-Flintoff at No 6. That, in turn, would have cleared a place for Shaun Tait, who works best as a shock weapon, hurling down his 95mph yorkers and bouncers in short, furious bursts. But all these plans have been redrawn since Watson picked up a hamstring strain on Friday. While the Australians are still claiming that Watson has a chance of recovering in time, the truth is that no one outside the X-Men movies heals that fast.
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo