Australia's Ashes practice game will be "extremely unlikely" to take place

By Talat Masood Nov 30, 2021, 12:06 IST

It is "extremely unlikely" that Australia's Ashes practice game will take place as the south-east of Queensland continues to report miserable weather.

It is "extremely unlikely" that Australia will have a chance to play their Ashes practice match as planned this week, but Cricket Australia insist they will not go to the Gabba Underdone first Test.

The Australia and Australia A squads were due to face each other in a three-day training game from Wednesday, but a CA spokesman confirmed Monday night that wet weather in southeast Queensland had seriously endangered the game.

The likely cancellation of the game means voters are missing their only chance to find the returning T20 World Cup players on the roster - including Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and new captain Pat Cummins - in a full-fledged game of red Watch setting play ball before the ashes begin on December 8th. All five are locks for selection in the first Test at the Gabba, but none have played red ball cricket since last summer's Sheffield Shield season.

However, CA remains confident about the preparation of its key senior executives. A source told NCA NewsWire that the players at the Gold Coast Training Center had four three-hour center wicket sessions over the past seven days, despite the inclement weather.

A CA spokesman confirmed on Monday evening that Australia will not train on Tuesday and that most of the squad will likely "have the next few days off". England, also home to a southeastern hub from Queensland, is similarly faced with the strong possibility of missing its final match simulation.

The remaining members of the English squad will join their teammates at camp tomorrow after being released from quarantine on the Gold Coast. They would have been available for a four day intra-squad match at the Ian Healy Oval in Brisbane this week, but this hitout like the one in Australia is unlikely to happen.

Despite the bumpy road to the first Test, Australian bowling coach Andrew McDonald hinted on Sunday that there would be "no excuses" for a slow start in the ashes. “We had fantastic facilities up here,” he said of the Gold Coast hub in Australia. “The weather was challenging at times, but we still managed to get to the center.

“In addition, these guys have a lot of testing experience that they can fall back on. So the format change is something they could deal with professionally. "I think we'll be really, really, really well prepared."