After a delayed flight from Queensland, where England were kept waiting in the plane on the tarmac at Brisbane airport for more than an hour because of industrial action, the squad were due to have a full and open net practice this morning, with another lighter one tomorrow. When the second Test match starts 24 hours later at the Adelaide Oval, the touring team, according to Mike Hussey, the Australia batsman, may be ready to banish the batting woes that they suffered in Brisbane.
Speaking before departing for Adelaide, Hussey explained that, despite the gulf between the teams in the first Test at the Gabba, the Australians remain cautious of the wounded Ashes holders.
“I think England can definitely bounce back,” Hussey said. “The conditions in Adelaide might suit them a little bit more. I think Brisbane is a hard place to start any Test series for a touring team.
“It is now the fastest and bounciest pitch in Australia. But the pitches in Adelaide are going to be lower and slower, so it’s going to be a much closer Test match and a lot tougher.”
Hussey backed Monty Panesar, his former team-mate at Northamptonshire, to make an impact, if given a chance. “I loved the way he went about his cricket,” Hussey said, adding that he was impressed with Panesar’s discipline early in his career. “A few of my team-mates used to say that we were a marriage made in heaven. He used to like to bowl all day in the nets and I used to like to bat all day. We used to have plenty of battles in the nets.”