Smoke before Ashes

The equivalent ritual in cricket,at least as far as the British media were concerned in Birmingham,was the team photograph session on the day before the big match: England versus Australia. Cameras and tripods swamped Edgbaston in numbers on Friday,placing themselves in front of 16 gold rimmed chairs that sat idle on the meadow.

The anticipation was high. Not only was this going to be the cricketing equivalent of watching Ali and Frazier weigh in,this was going to be the witnessing of Ali and Frazier setting eyes on each other for the first time in the same arena,a day before the first of their 26 yes,26 fights scheduled for the season.

Over the next eight months,England will take on Australia in 26 matches. Five Tests,five one-dayers and two T20s in England and then five Tests,five-one-dayers and three T20s in Australia. And it all begins Saturday,with their Champions Trophy Group A game. This,then,was the moment to probe for early weaknesses. This was the time to assess if they were ready to cope with the pressures of the following months. There was a buzz in the air as the Aussies arrived first,in their shiny gold and greens.

They took their seats without Michael Clarke. Ali had just weighed in without his left arm. Also read: 8216;I am not under pressure as Australia captain8217;

On Friday,the Aussie camp in Birmingham was delivered the news from London that their captain,inspiration and by far the best batsman in the side,Clarke,will not recover from his spate of back problems in time for the England game. Taking his seat instead was T20 skipper George Bailey. The players turned on their most photogenic smiles,Bailey looked grimly ahead.

Were in no ways deterred from drawing first blood, said Bailey in the conference hall,keeping those boxing analogies going. Theres no doubt that Pup not being around,as captain and batsman,is a blow. But it is what it is. What will be a great boost to us is winning and knowing we can do it everything without Michael Clarke.

Bailing out of trouble?

The last time Bailey subbed in for Clarke in a one-dayer,albeit it being in a practice match,Australia were bowled out for 65 what wouldve been their lowest one-day total of all time. Bailey was reminded of it by an English journalist,whose question was more a statement. England laughed at your experience after you got bowled out in such a feeble manner by the Indians the other day, he said. Also read: Clinical India humiliate Australia

They can laugh,they can laugh about the 65 in Cardiff, deadpanned Bailey. Tomorrow they start on 0,just like us. Smart reply,but it didnt stop the England side from chuckling their way through their photo-op. It was either the Cardiff game playing through their minds or someone had just informed them of Clarkes unavailability. Either ways,Alastair Cook and his men won the weighing in hands down,despite not managing a single decent photograph clicked in five attempts.

Trooping in in their bright red jerseys inspired by either Liverpool FC or Zimbabwe Graeme Swann scratched his neck during the first shot. Take two was ruined by a stray bottle below Eoin Morgans chair. Take three Johnny Bairstow sneezed. Take four the giggles caused by the Bairstow sneeze hadnt yet subsided. Take five,Steven Finn yawned. Cook rolled his eyes.

He rolled them again when questions pertaining to Round 1 began in the press conference. While Cook did his best to play it down,even he could not help but call a spade a spade on issue of the weakened Australia side. It is not all doom and gloom,but losing your captain is tough. Very tough, he said. Soon after,though,came the answer of the evening. Asked if there was any such thing as an Australian cricket team at its lowest ebb,Cook replied: I havent seen one.

Yes,a full strength England are the favourites going into this match. But there was a time,not so long ago when,come hell or high water,England just could not put one past the Aussies. Even at home. In 24 Test match attempts after the 1987 Ashes and before the 2005 one,England won just one Test match of consequence against the Australians,while the series was still alive. Incidentally,it was here in Birmingham in 1997,during the first Test. They promptly lost three out of the next five. And hence the series.

All that changed in 2005. It was here in Edgbaston once again that the power shifted,with England winning that dramatic second Test 2 runs away from losing,3 balls away from a draw to first square and then go on to win the urn their first in nine attempts. Since then,they have won three out of the last four Ashes.

So,before the biggest Ashes year of them all begins next month,will there be another shift in momentum at Edgbaston? The weigh-ins are over. Now,the focus is on the customary meeting of the gloves in the centre of the ring.