SUNDAY SUNDAY 16 10 NOVEMBER 2013 10 NOVEMBER 2013 25 Cricket Ashes 2013 Roger Tavener Injury worries A Brit behind Aussie lines That louche larrikin is hurt England’s on the loose again ho’s the most important Australian cricketer right Wnow? The game-changer; preparations the one with potentially the most influence over the destination of the Pietersen and Prior are doubtful starters for first Test upcoming Ashes. Captain Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, or David Warner perhaps? Nope, not them or any of the By Stephen Brenkley thing the team do in the field and is other lacklustre Aussies going into vice-captain. battle on November 21 in the first England’s quest to retain the Ashes It is less than a year since test in Brisbane. was severely disrupted yesterday Pietersen first complained of sev- The most important player for by injuries to Kevin Pietersen and ere soreness in his knee in New the Aussies right now is a former Matt Prior. The extent of the dam- 171 Zealand. It was not thought to be bald, fat, text maniac, who, at 44, is Tests is the collec- Spin doctor: Shane Warne. age in both cases is yet to be deter- tive experience of ser-ious then but eventually he flew already playing a blinder with his mined but the tourists will be con- Pietersen (99) and home from that tour and was abs- own spin on verbal warfare. cerned that one or both will miss Prior (72) ent at the start of the English sea- Shane Warne, his hair transplant, After all these years the class of the opening Test in Brisbane which son. That experience at least her- makeover ( looks a bit weird if you 2013 hasn’t learned a thing about is 11 days away. alds the possibility that the present ask me) and his Tweetheart, the Warne. That is, like the old native Pietersen is again suffering pain optimism may be misplaced. clingy former ‘actress’ Liz (call me Americans in the frontier wars, the in his right knee which forced him Flower said: “I don’t think it’s Elizabeth, but nobody, apart from whole aim is to take out the enemy’s to miss three Test matches earlier going to be a huge issue. He’s had Shane, does) Hurley, may have leader. this year. Although Andy Flower, a couple of these injections before retired from playing but he is still If you know Warne – and England the England coach, is confident he 11 and they have been very successful very much on the front-line of the should by now – this louche larrikin will recover, Pietersen was due to days remain and quietened the problem down. pre-Ashes war of words. is 90% psychologist and 10% crick- fly to Melbourne today for a scan for the first It’s obviously an ongoing issue Warne, one of the greatest bowl- eter. He admits he talked out most and cortisone injection instead of Ashes Test for him but we anticipate this one ers ever, doesn’t even have to leave of his 708 test victims, convincing travelling to Sydney with the rest of being successful and him playing a the bar these days to get the English them he was unplayable. the team after their week in Hobart. full part in the Ashes tour.” twitching in the crease. He delivers Well, so far, he’s already out- Also worrying for the England He must feel at present that eve- his home-spun theories on how bad playing the Poms with one hand camp is the tight calf which kept but they would be more keenly felt rything that can go wrong is doing the chinless Poms are via Twitter, on his smart phone and the other Prior out of the field in the final at the start at the Gabba where so. Alastair Cook, the team’s cap- while bigging up his ‘under-rated’ around the one-time English rose day of the tour match against Aus- Australia have not lost for 24 years. tain, missed the first tour match Aussie mates. who appears to have gone over to tralia A yesterday. He felt discom- England’s batting has not been so because of a stiff back and the sec- Well, he would do, wouldn’t he. the other side. It is fair to point out fort while batting and although he assured lately that they can easily ond match was wrecked by rain Especially after the first broadside that Warne has also had a little pop played on, Joe Root assumed the replace Pietersen. with two full days being lost. was fired by the Poms’ very own at Aussie skipper Michael Clarke wicketkeeping duties for the 31 Prior has played 57 successive The weather relented sufficie- megamouth, Sir Ian Botham, who saying he needs to be less selfish. overs that the home side batted in Tests since 2009 and is part of the ntly for 66 overs to be possible on has predicted a five nil drubbing and Seems nobody is safe as Warnie the rain ruined game. England furniture. While he had the final day of the match yesterday, four Ashes series wins in a row. keeps himself in the headlines. It’s Both players would be consider- a lean summer with the bat by his which at least allowed Pietersen, The first target of Warne’s all warming up nicely. able losses for England at any time standards he is integral to every- Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann to verbal spin was England’s skipper have their first cricket of the winter. Alastair Cook who is now squirm- But Prior’s absence immediately ing uncomfortably after the Aussie brought forth dark clouds of a dif- legend called him boring, negative, All that twitters ferent kind. uninspired and a major weakness in “His experience is very valuable the England team. Warne reckons to us,” said Flower. “However if he that despite leading England to If the cricket gets a bit dull is injured and unavailable Jonny victory in the last Ashes and an we can always scroll through Bairstow will step up. impressive tour win in India, the the latest Twitterings from “If that happens, he could be man Three Lions need someone with a Shane Warne and Liz Hurley. of the match in Brisbane. None of bit more aggression, someone like The re-united couple and us know exactly what is going to Kevin Pietersen. Yeah, right! their cheesy public love affair happen.” Incredibly, Cook put himself continues to titillate an open- England batted on briefly yes- at the mercy of Oz TV admitting mouthed Australia which terday, taking their score to 430 for Warnie had a point. He said he was barely recognises the Warne seven with Root hitting an assured actually not the greatest tactician of old. He looks different, be- unbeaten fifty against some impr- on the planet and wouldn’t be haves different and describes oved bowling. Jimmy Anderson human if he hadn’t taken the criti- himself as ‘Soppy Shane’. took two wickets as Australia A fin- Future tense: Kevin Pietersen’s cism to heart. What? It’s done wonders for their ished on 118 for 3. troubled knee has returned to For W G Grace’s sake, Warne had personal profiles though. As haunt him. got the talismanic English opener 1.7m followers testify. Trouble: Matt Prior hurt is calf during the game against Australia A yesterday. © The Independent Images Getty Pictures: for a duck… Lehmann: Watson should be fit for Gabba Experienced Bowden returns as on-field umpire for Ashes By Staff Reporter making good progress and was want him to continue his treat- common for the former vice-cap- By Matt Somerford mer – Kumar Dharmasena, Aleem manager of cricket Geoff Allardice oming increasingly important in a in line to play at the Gabba. “The ment, and if all goes to plan, join the tain – he missed the 2006-07 Ashes Dar, Marais Erasmus and Tony Hill said in a statement. “Billy Bowden DRS series,” Allardice said. Australian coach Darren Lehmann reports from our medical team on Australian team in camp ahead of campaign with one – and there has Billy Bowden has been included in – after the list of appointments was is the most experienced umpire There is still doubt about what said yesterday he is confident Shane’s recovery from injury are the first Test in Brisbane,” he said. always been a question over how an expanded list of five umpires to revealed yesterday. on the international panel, and technology will be available for use Shane Watson will be fit to play in pleasing,” Lehmann said in a Cric- Team physiotherapist Alex to balance his workload as an all- officiate during this winter’s Ashes Hill will, however, be used solely understands what is needed for the in the DRS this winter. the Ashes series opener against ket Australia statement. Kountouris said this week he was rounder. series. as a television official. umpiring team to perform well in It was initially announced that England later this month. “He is making good progress and quietly confident Watson would be Watson has been on the road Following the controversy that Bowden, who has stood in 75 high-profile Test matches.” Hot Spot would be left off the DRS The experienced all-rounder was responding well to treatment. If ready, describing the injury as “a almost continuously since the birth surrounded the officiating during Tests, will make his return in the Allardice said that Hill’s sole list after host broadcaster Channel cleared this week of a serious left that continues, we have confidence low-grade muscle strain”.