When it was announced that Australia would play a mini Test and one-day series in India in October, the news was met with anger in England because it meant the counties would not be able to play in the lucrative Champions League.
The bigger picture could, however, be a little more fulfilling for English cricket, with the tour denying Australia an ideal warm-up for the Ashes series.
Australia’s batsmen will be denied a prolonged period in home conditions before the Ashes starts after their board agreed to replace a seven-match one-day series in India with Tests in Mohali and Bangalore as well as three 50-over matches, which adds up to a challenging and potentially draining month in India.
he tour to India is due to begin on Sept 25 and end on Oct 24, leaving less than a month for the Australians to settle back into home conditions before the first Ashes Test in Brisbane on Nov 25.
“If you were trying to set down and map your perfect preparation for an Ashes series or a home series, it probably wouldn’t be playing two Test matches in India,” said Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain. “But you don’t live in an ideal world. That’s the way international cricket is these days.
“We’ll wait and see who we’ve got that’s fit and ready to go for that tour and pick a squad of players we think can win a Test series over there, and then worry about the start of the Ashes after that.”
Many of the Australian players left Headingley on Saturday for holidays in the UK before returning home later this month, while the Pakistanis moved south for this week’s first Test at Trent Bridge where, despite their win at the weekend, they are still underdogs to beat England.
Ponting said he expects England to win the series and even Salman Butt, the Pakistan captain, admitted he was unsure how his team would react to beating Australia.
“I hope they continue to learn and that this win doesn’t get into their heads,” said Butt. “We have to work harder because we know we will make mistakes. They are pretty young, they are raw.”
