da wazamba： After that temporary glitch at Cardiff, normality has been restored to the NatWest Series
da bet nacional： Andrew Miller27-Jun-2005
Michael Clarke needs a late fitness test on his sore back © Getty Images
After that temporary glitch at Cardiff, normality has been restored to the NatWest Series, with both England and Australia guaranteed of their places in next week’s final at Lord’s. But, in the long drawn-out battle for the Ashes, tomorrow’s dress rehearsal at Edgbaston will lack nothing in terms of psychology, with both sides desperate to stamp their authority ahead of the main event.After a slow start to their tour, it is Australia who enter the match with the wind in their sails. They atoned for their embarrassment at Sophia Gardens with a thumping ten-wicket win in the return match against Bangladesh, having already laid a few ghosts with an impressive victory against England at Chester-le-Street.England, meanwhile, were in scratchy form during their five-wicket win over Bangladesh at the weekend, and Marcus Trescothick, their stand-in captain, was quick to admit that the team had been some way short of their best. “We were not our normal bubbly selves,” he said after the match. “‘It just looked wrong. Our whole energy was not there at the start.”Privately, England must be mightily relieved to have seen the last of the Bangladeshis for this season. As Australia discovered, the only real practice that they offered was a lesson in how to deal with humiliation, and the Aussies, it has to be said, bounced back from their indignity very well indeed. There are now five Anglo-Aussie one-day internationals between now and the start of the first Test on July 21, and both sides can now begin the process of finetuning their form.England expect to be lifted for tomorrow’s clash by the return of their captain, Michael Vaughan. A groin strain ruled him out of the last two games, but now he is set to return at the ground where his thrilling 86 carried England to victory in the semi-final of last season’s Champions Trophy – a result that ended a run of 14 straight defeats.”It was a dirty day for us,” admitted Ricky Ponting, who broke his thumb in the same game and was ruled out of the first three Tests of Australia’s subsequent tour of India. “It was an awful day, weather-wise as well as on the field. But there won’t be any talk about the last time we played at Edgbaston.”England won’t want any talk of Chester-le-Street or Headingley either, where their intensity levels were clearly down a notch or two from the high standards they set earlier in the summer. To that end, they can expect a return for Steve Harmison, who was rested against Bangladesh, with Simon Jones resuming his place on the sidelines.Australia’s main fitness issue concerns Michael Clarke, who has been struggling with a sore back and will undergo a late fitness test.England (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss, 3 Michael Vaughan, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Kevin Pietersen, 7 Geraint Jones, 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Chris Tremlett, 10 Darren Gough, 11 Steve Harmison.Australia (probable) 1 Adam Gilchrist, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Mike Hussey, 7 Shane Watson, 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Jason Gillespie, 10 Brett Lee, 11 Glenn McGrath.
