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England’s Ben Stokes (second right) takes a catch during a team training session at Traeger Park in Alice Springson yesterday. England will play a two-day match against an Australian ‘Chairman’s XI’ team prior to their second Test match.
MELBOURNE: If England think their two-day tour match in Alice Springs against a Chairman’s XI will be a quiet interlude from the red-hot Ashes series, Michael Beer says they are in for a surprise.
Two-Test spinner Beer will captain a team of callow youths and battlers grafting on the fringes of their states against England for the match starting today.
Australia were accused of taking the sledging too far in their emphatic 381-run victory in the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Beer said his team would also try to land a few verbal blows if it helped soften up the English ahead of the second Test in Adelaide next week.
“Obviously if you’re playing against a cricket side and there’s any way you think to make them uncomfortable, you’ll do it,” Beer told reporters yesterday.
“In Australia people say stuff. That’s the way we play cricket.
“It’s aggressive and that’s the way we go about it.”
Beer, who made his Test debut in a crushing loss to England in Sydney during the 2010-11 series, captained a Western Australia Chairman’s XI side against an England XI earlier this month in a three-day match that ended up a draw.
Beer said England pace bowler James Anderson, who was involved in a verbal altercation with Australia captain Michael Clarke at the Gabba, was “pretty good” at sledging, no matter the grade of cricket.
“I think Mike Hussey used the example, (Anderson) called him Dave for a couple of sessions to try to get Mike Hussey to bite,” said Beer, referring to the younger brother of former Australia Test batsman Mike Hussey.
“I don’t think it will be too hostile. There will a little bit of chat,” he said.
“My view is what goes on out there stays out there.”
Meanwhile, Australian spinner Nathan Lyon is expecting England to bounce back from their first Test mauling in Adelaide next week and warned yesterday that aggressive tactics will again be needed.
Lyon said England will be fired up for revenge in the second Test starting on December 5 and Australia cannot afford to relax.
“It’s England and it’s a Test match, they’re going to bounce back, we know that,” he told reporters.
“Test match cricket is the hardest format going around. We’re not expecting anyone to roll over. We know the quality of the England cricket side.
“We’re going to have to stand up... and start that fight again. That’s the way Australia play their best cricket.
“We know where the line is and we don’t step over it. We’re going to continue to play aggressive, hard cricket.”
The new drop-in wicket at Adelaide Oval has proven difficult for bowlers so far in the current domestic Sheffield Shield season, and of biggest concern to Australia will be managing their in-form pace attack.
Lyon said he expected selectors to again go into the match with just one specialist spinner -- himself.
“Fingers crossed there’s a little bit more spin down there and we’ll see how we go,” said Lyon, who helped spark English batting collapses in both innings of the Gabba Test.
“Steve Smith, Michael Clarke - they’re pretty capable of bowling a few overs.
“In saying that if the bowling group does our job they (part-time spinners) won’t have to bowl,” he said.
“I’m more than happy to take on the responsibility of being the number one spinner and hopefully get a few overs under my belt.
“I feel confident in my own skill-set to get the job done,” he said.
England, who have lost veteran number three Jonathan Trott to a stress-related illness, are keen to work on their batting problems before Adelaide. AGENCIES
