From Ashes to Ashes, rust could turn England's hopes to dust

Australia won their three-match series in Mount Maunganui two weeks ago, with Mitchell Marsh making two scores above 80, and now England have their own bit of hit-and-giggle. It gives Zak Crawley and Jacob Bethell the chance to practise the sort of attractive half-hour cameo innings many expect to see from them in the Test series.

They are at least in the T20 squad, who had their first game yesterday and will play again tomorrow and Thursday (TNT Sports 1, 7.15am), along with Harry Brook and Brydon Carse. Four more of the Ashes squad will play in a 50-over series at the end of the month. At least we can say that the remaining eight will be well rested.

It takes time to find your game in Australia. “The grounds are hard, the ball is hard, the men are hard,” said Len Hutton, captain of the 1954-55 tourists. “You need to be harder than they are to beat them.” The story of Hutton’s heroes is well told in a new book by Richard Whitehead. They played seven matches to acclimatise before the first Test.

Even in 2010-11, England had three warm-up matches against state sides. This squad will get a two-day game against the prime minister’s invitational XI and then it’s straight on to the toss at Perth. It feels not so much undercooked as barely out of the freezer. Still, Stuart Broad says it’s the weakest Australia side since 2010 so the result’s in the bag.

Before then, we have another Ashes, of the rugby league variety. Purists may dislike the word being applied to any contest involving Britain and Australia, but it was first used in rugby league in 1908 and the name has been on the trophy since 1928. What also has a long pedigree is Australia winning: Britain last won the Ashes in 1970 (they now compete just as England) and the Kangaroos won five of the last 13 series by 3-0.

Joe Burgess, who scored twice in Hull KR’s Grand Final win over Wigan last weekend, has been recalled after a ten-year absence for the first match in the series (Saturday, BBC One, 2.30pm) by England’s head coach, Shaun Wane, who always makes me think about the other Ashes. Shaun Wane was how my late grandfather mispronounced the name of the great Australia leg spinner.

We may have peace in the Middle East but the region’s politics is still having an impact on sport. Israeli gymnasts, including Artem Dolgopyat, the reigning world and former Olympic champion on the floor, have been denied visas by Indonesia for this week’s World Championships.

Dolgopyat’s absence may help Jake Jarman, from Huntingdon, who won bronze on the floor at last year’s Olympics and is the world vault champion, while Luke Whitehouse and Harry Hepworth were first and second on the floor at the European championships this year. The women’s team is less experienced, with three worlds debutants, but Ruby Evans won a European silver. (All-around finals Tuesday and Wednesday, BBC Two, 1pm; apparatus finals Friday and Saturday, BBC Two, 7.30am).

Photograph by Joe Allison/Getty Images