The first Ashes Test at Edgbaston might have been a game for the ages on the Edgbaston surface, but Australia’s batting coach Michael di Venuto gave the pitch a high rating. The docile nature of the track was criticized by many, including James Anderson, even though the Test match continued into the final session on day five. Di Venuto shared a similar viewpoint when questioned about it.
Di Venuto stated, “It was the flattest pitch I have ever seen, especially day one.” The lack of pace, bounce, and movement. Very sluggish That flatness and deadness do not occur on county wickets. Overheads increased the swing as the game progressed. When we had the ball for eight overs one evening, the game became more lively. However, it was an outdated pitch.
The general consensus is that flat pitches may be the way forward for the home team, despite the fact that the captain and coach duo are unlikely to have been in favor of the slow nature of the Edgbaston track, given the manner in which England have been playing their Test cricket since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum got together. Di Venuto is aware that regardless of what Lord’s will offer, Australia must be adaptable.
“That’s beyond our control. We will simply adjust to the situation and respond accordingly. The pitches are out of our hands. This one’s contents are unknown.
The only rare setback for the hosts was the double defeat of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, the foundation of Australia’s batting, in the series opener. Rarely would one of them neglects to perform and to see the two of them failing would commonly be a reason for concern yet Di Venuto decided not to look a lot into it.
In preparation for the upcoming Test match, Smith and Labuschagne were seen having intense net sessions, with the former putting in what appeared to be a lot of work on his practice. Di Venuto shrugged off any such talk, despite the fact that it may have appeared to the outside world to be two batters fuming over their mistakes from the previous game.
They haven’t shadow-batted in their rooms in a few days. Their feet were itchy. We therefore welcomed them to hit cricket balls, which they both enjoy doing. Those two characters share a lot of similarities. The two of them would have been here in the event that they scored runs or not. They just love to bat and try to get better, so I wouldn’t be reading anything to them other than that.”
When Labuschagne received a blow to the finger, the visitors were the only brief source of concern. In that regard, the 29-year-old has had a difficult month, having taken a lot of blows to the finger during the World Test Championship Final prior to the Ashes opener at Edgbaston. Although Labuschagne appears to be in good health, the most recent setback in the net session was a shock.
“He must have been fine because he continued to bat. He would have left otherwise. He has a finger that has been hit a few times. I believe he just acquired another one. He said it felt improved in light of the fact that the blood began to course through or something like that. So it seems OK assuming that is what you need.”
Bowlers all over the world have found Labuschagne to be a difficult opponent ever since he made his Test debut. At Edgbaston, Stuart Broad set up the Australian twice and got him caught off the keeper in both innings, despite the fact that his temperament and ability to leave well outside off stump have been his major strengths. In the second inning, Smith, uncharacteristically trailing by one, was not far behind with a dismissal that was nearly identical to Labuschagne’s.
Di Venuto said that Labuschagne and Smith don’t really need a lot of guidance from him in the net sessions, given the class of players they are, despite the unexpected manner in which he was dismissed. He also said that despite the unexpected manner in which he was dismissed, Labuschagne doesn’t need to tinker much with his batting technique.
“That would be nice if he could probably leave a few balls on the 12th stump line. Marnus never stops improving his game. He is meticulous in the way he prepares, and you have all seen him train before. He is always fiddling with different technical things. All of that is fairly typical for Marn.”
“All of that (preparation) is mud. He collaborates extensively with Neil D’Costa at home, and Neil occasionally sends me messages. We pay attention to various things. However, Marn is his best mentor. identical to Smudge. Their own best coaches are them. Because they are good at coming up with solutions to problems, they have been great players for Australia for a while. We are also here to assist anything we see. We’ll bring it up, but those two are the best coaches they’ve ever had.
Di Venuto additionally had expressions of acclaim for captain Pat Cummins whose exceptional thump moved Australia home in the organization of Nathan Lyon. The batting coach talked about Cummins’ potential as a batsman and said that a lot of work has been done to make sure that Australia’s bowlers can bat when needed. Scott Boland, in addition to Cummins and Lyon, made an important contribution as the nightwatchman late on day four.
“Positively a major focal point of him (Cummins) before we left coming here and since we have been here, he has really buckled down. Mostly with Andrew McDonald, but occasionally with me as well. It was amazing to see him perform like that in a Test match. He was splendid in that last innings, and the equivalent with Nathan Lyon also, that organization. Not to mention Scott Boland in his capacity as a nightwatchman. Our lower order performed exceptionally well in the second inning in comparison to the first.”
