Smith backed to succeed Clarke as Australia braced for turmoil

“There’s going to be some tough times but the talent we have in the Australian sporting community is like no other”.

In 2013, curators at Test and first-class venues in Australia were told to produce pitches that were more conducive to batting and spin and containing less grass following a number of low-scoring Sheffield Shield fixtures that ended in two days.

After going wicketless in three successive innings, it was his six-wicket haul in the first innings of that Edgbaston Test that turned the game into England’s favour from the very start.

Not only had the Ashes been lost in the most emphatic fashion, skipper Michael Clarke also chose the moment to fall on his sword, announcing he would retire from global cricket following the fifth Test at The Oval.

Australian Cricket coach Darren Lehmann. “But we’ve always (previously) wanted five bowlers, so we probably got that selection wrong”, Lehmann was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re doing the right things by the players, both old and new”. However, after his sensational double century and a fifty in the Lord’s Test, Smith has struggled with his technique. “But whether they would do any better against the moving ball than what we’ve seen lately – you wouldn’t want to be betting your house on it”.

“I think its the right time as he has been fighting inner demons and battling his game for the last 12-18 months”.

Losing the coveted urn to arch-rivals England is depressing enough in cricket-mad Australia, but the manner of the team’s capitulation after entering the series favourites and pumped-up with confidence has prompted criticism from all quarters.

“The part I didn’t expect was how hard it hit me personally, there’s no doubt I miss him every day”, he said.

England 5th Test squad: Adam Lyth (Yorkshire), Alastair Cook (Essex, captain), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Jos Buttler (Lancashire, wkt), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Mark Wood (Durham), Steven Finn (Middlesex), James Anderson (Lancashire), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire).

The report which incensed Clarke claimed there was a year-long disintegration in the off-field relationship between him and the rest of the team as he often chose to travel by private vehicle instead of the team bus and rarely attended team get-togethers.

It’ll be a smooth transition.