Practice makes perfect...if only
A common theory to explain England's poor showing at Brisbane has been their lack of meaningful preparation ahead of the first Test and the English Sunday papers reflect this in a number of pieces
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
A common theory to explain England's poor showing at Brisbane has been their lack of meaningful preparation ahead of the first Test and the English Sunday papers reflect this in a number of pieces. In the The Sunday Times, Simon Wilde says that Michael Vaughan's absence has also been crucial and he would have handled Steve Harmison's situation differently.
If Vaughan had been captain here, things would have been done rather differently. Harmison, who was given a rocket by Vaughan during last year’s Oval Test when he needed fire-and-brimstone from his fast bowler on the third afternoon, would not have enjoyed the licence he has.
In The Observer, Rod Marsh takes a swipe at Duncan Fletcher's tactics and selection for the first Test. Marsh is a known fan of Chris Read and also says that Monty Panesar's exclusion sent out poor signals.
At present there is a crazy situation since it is obvious that the England selectors disagree fundamentally. There are players chosen by those selectors who know that once they get on the plane they will be dropped. No prizes for guessing who that refers to on this England tour.
As usual, Michael Atherton has been busy in The Sunday Telegraph and has also followed the theme of England been under-cooked alongside a piece on Shane Warne
Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo