England have enough to worry about without second-guessing Australian line-up
Pat Cummins’s return to the top of his mark has been the subject of most conjecture due to the rate at which his back is healing rather than queries around form. The captain is an all-time great and there is little use fretting further over which Test match he will re-emerge in – he will be back when he wants to be back. We should bother ourselves more with the living and available. Fortunately, Scott Boland’s record on Australian pitches suggests England cannot take a single relieving breath. But beyond Boland, the staff are less obvious. Curiously, the England encampment appears to be founding its own self-belief on Australia’s injury toll and selection debates, rather than the obvious strengths of their own players. Contemporary mental coaching doesn’t emphasise the acknowledgement of your own weaknesses. The modern athlete wants to talk a good game before they play it, which surely only increases the pressure when it comes to “walking the walk”. The Australians will be fortified rather than diminished by England’s name-calling. Sports psychology 101 dictates keeping your opponent off guard – winning the verbal battle counts for zero if the words aren’t backed up with deeds.