Andrew Strauss, England’s director of cricket, has told the players he was not responsible for sending an email to the five Test grounds specifying what pitches they should prepare. Reports had suggested that the five counties hosting Ashes Tests this summer had received an email from Strauss that at least one county interpreted as requesting “pitches that are slower rather than faster”, although the England and Wales Cricket Board denied this, saying only that it had requested traditional English Test wickets.
Strauss did not deny that an email had been sent, but was clear with the England players and coaches that it had not come from him. There has been real irritation within the England camp about the state of the pitches for the first two Tests. Some players believe the pitches, very slow and with minimal bounce, have played right into Australia’s hands.
Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, who did not have an opportunity to discuss what pitches he would like for the series before he took up the post, has admitted that the slow surfaces negate any threat from Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, but the extra pace of Australia’s bowlers means they can take wickets on lifeless pitches.
After the Lord’s defeat, Bayliss said: “I’d like to see a typical English seaming wicket against the Australians. To take 20 wickets, that would suit our bowlers. The flatter the wicket is, and the slower the wicket is, it actually plays into the Australians’ hands.”
Alastair Cook has publicly expressed his disappointment with the Lord’s pitch, saying: “We want to play on English wickets and that probably wasn’t too English.” County pitches at Edgbaston have been generally good this season, apart from one recent match that ended in a dull draw with both sides scoring more than 600. Edgbaston’s groundsman Gary Barwell has said he has received no direction from the ECB and will be preparing a good pitch.
Darren Lehmann expects more slow wickets. His first experience as Australia’s coach was in 2013, when England also prepared slow wickets, mostly to try to suit Graeme Swann. He said: “There’s been the same wickets since the five Tests in 2013 and the first two here have been exactly the same.”
One county confirmed to the Observer that they had received an email from the ECB about Ashes pitches, but would not be drawn on its source.
