Australia beat India in Melbourne Test
The Melbourne Test Match, played before a record crowd, proved to be an eventful and absorbing match as well as instructive as England will play both India and Australia in 2025.
Australia won comfortably in a ding-dong battle after India collapsed after tea 0n the final day. India can add Reddy, who scored a century, to their cadre of young talent but one of the old guard – Jospin Bumrah – took 9 wickets. In a country famed for spin they now have the most lethal pace bowler in the world.
Steve Smith returned to form with a century. The Aussies have the edge over us in the pace department and their tail order added 60 useful runs.
We do not have a spinner to match Nathan Lyon but Yorkshiremen Harry Brook and Joe Root mean parity in the middle order.
Ben Stokes is a problem. He had an indifferent tour of Pakistan but in New Zealand did score runs in his native city of Christchurch. If he is dropped or injured who can take over as captain?
Captaincy proved a mighty burden for Joe Root – and before him Freddie Flintoff and Ian Botham – so Ollie Pope may not be a desirable choice. My view is that they should take Stokes but possibly as a non-playing captain.
Factor in too that we live in an age of home advantage, as England found out when Pakistan prepared a spinner ‘s wicket for the Third Test and I do not have much confidence that we can retake the Ashes, though we might well win the series v India.