InMobi

Team first for Australia's Ashes aspirants

Kurtis Patterson says there is a genuine bond between players in the Australia A camp, despite the lure of personal glory and an Ashes tour

There is a strange paradox in team sports where quite often a player's teammates are also their closest competitors.

Take, for example, the Australia A squad that arrived in Brighton on Wednesday ahead of their first four-day match of three in the lead up to the Ashes, which starts in less than a month at Edgbaston.


The A squad is comprised of talented batsmen, bowlers, wicketkeepers and allrounders all looking to win collectively as a team, but also individually push their case through runs, wickets and catches for a spot in Australia's Ashes squad.

The problem is there aren't enough spots to go around, which means come selection time one group of players will be elated at being picked and another disappointed at being overlooked.

And it could be the batsman in the adjacent net, the bowler sitting across from you at breakfast or the gloveman you're sat next to on the team bus that pips you for a position in the squad to face England.

The MVPs from Australia A's one-day series

Professional sport is a cut-throat industry, and many in the past have put themselves above their team and teammates to get ahead.

But that mentality does not exist in the Australia A camp, despite the lure of an Ashes series being so close.

From the first day the squad touched down in London and traveled north to Northampton, the first stop on their six-week tour of England, the message from coach Graeme Hick, captain Travis Head, and senior players like Matt Wade to rookies like Will Pucovski has not changed.

"It's obviously a great opportunity for all the players here but I think if we bond together and look to win games of cricket, then individual performances will take care of themselves," said Wade in Northampton last month.

So far, Australia A is undefeated this tour with almost every player in the team producing a signature innings or spell that has contributed to a triumph.

There is perhaps no better example of the unselfish attitude of the squad than what took place last Saturday in Bristol on the eve of the fourth 50-over clash of the one-day component of the campaign.

Australia A maintain perfect tour record

In the far net on the western side of The County Ground's wicket square, batsman Peter Handscomb, still wearing his pads having just finished batting, was firing down off-breaks to left-hander Kurtis Patterson. 

Handscomb would set the imaginary field, throw down an offie, Patterson would react and play accordingly as the pair would debate whether the result was out, two runs or a boundary.  

For context, Patterson is Australia's incumbent Test No.6 and Handscomb is a Test aspirant desperately trying to get back the spot he lost last summer, with both batsmen hoping to be selected on their first Ashes tour of England.

But in Bristol that Saturday afternoon, they were Australia A teammates working together. 

In the one-day match against Gloucestershire the next day, Handscomb top-scored with 57 while Patterson walked off the ground unbeaten on 22 in the tourists' five-wicket win.

"That's the culture we've got in the group at the moment," Patterson told cricket.com.au on Wednesday. 

"I'm sure that's the culture in the Australian team has as well.

Pattinson v Paine in pre-Ashes Dukes battle

"It makes it a lot more enjoyable around the group when that's the case, as opposed to people potentially trying to get one up over their teammates unnecessarily.  

"We've been gelling really well together and everyone's getting along really well so hopefully we continue to win games for Australia A." 

Following the successful 4-0 one-day leg, the stakes now get higher in the four-day games against Sussex (July 7-10), England Lions (July 14-17) and the showdown against an Australian XI in Southampton (July 23-26).

Every player in the Australia A set-up has a legitimate shot at making the Ashes squad and all it might take are a few standout performances in the next few weeks. 

But as Patterson says, individual glory will not come before team success.

"It's just common sense,” he says. “We all know that’s the situation, but so far this group has been fantastic.

"All the batters have hit the ball really well, everyone's scored runs when they've had the chance and everyone is gelling together really well, training together well and trying to help each other get better.

"That's the most important thing when it comes down to it.

"These trial games, if you will, you still want to be playing good team cricket and play the Australian way.

"I think we've done that really well and I'm sure we'll continue to do that into the four-dayers." 

Australia A tour of the UK

Get live scores and all the latest news from Australia A's tour of the UK on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app

Australia A one-day squad: Travis Head (c), Matthew Wade, Will Pucovski, Peter Handscomb, Mitch Marsh (vc), D'Arcy Short, Kurtis Patterson, Ashton Agar, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood (vc), Sean Abbott, Andrew Tye

Australia A four-day squad: Tim Paine (c), Marcus Harris, Kurtis Patterson, Will Pucovski, Travis Head (vc), Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Mitch Marsh, Michael Neser, Jon Holland, James Pattinson, Jackson Bird, Josh Hazlewood (vc), Chris Tremain

One-day fixtures:

June 20: Australia A beat Northamptonshire by six wickets

June 23: Australia A beat Derbyshire by seven wickets

June 25: Australia A v Worcestershire, match abandoned

June 30: Australia A beat Gloucestershire by five wickets

July 2: Australia A beat Gloucestershire by nine runs

Four-day fixtures:

July 7-10: Australia A v Sussex, Arundel

July 13-16: Australia A v England Lions, Canterbury

July 23-26: Australia v Australia A, Hampshire