Australia / Ralph Ellis / 24 August 2010 /

As ever the Aussies are talking a good game, but does Shane Watson have a point when he questions whether Steven Finn is prepared for a long Ashes battle on Australian soil, asks Ralph Ellis.

The Australian side who dominated Test cricket for more than a decade might all be sliding into retirement, but the new side are still world class at one thing - talking.

Hot on the heels of Ricky Ponting promising the Aussies would regain the Ashes with a 2006-7 style 5-0 whitewash comes Shane Watson digging out England's new pace ace Steven Finn. "He's someone we can really try and make the most of his inexperience. If he bowls anywhere near a loose ball I want to put it away. No doubt he will feel the pressure," is just a taste of the opening batsman's comments to his home papers as Ricky Ponting's squad gathered to go into training camp.

The worrying thing, however, is that he's got a point. Finn's figures in England's two summer Test series so far look pretty impressive with 24 wickets in five matches to go with the four he collected in Bangladesh in the winter. But the 6ft 7ins beanpole has still not bowled 200 overs in Test cricket, and too much of what he has been asked to produce has been in conditions that have been nothing like the fast, dry wickets waiting Down Under.

The bad news is that he might not get to bowl too many more at Lord's this week, either. The weather forecast for the five days is horrendous (meaning, incidentally, that there's terrific value in backing the draw now at [3.9]).

Andrew Strauss really needed to use this series to give Finn lots more time to find his feet in the Test arena. hat was the idea after taking him out of the one-day games against the Aussies to put him through a strength and conditioning programme. The 21-year-old should have then come back to use his new physique to get the feel of bowling long, sustained spells of hostile pace in hot weather, exploiting his height to pin down the opposition. That's what he'll need to do in the winter.

Instead it's been cold and cloudy. James Anderson has been swinging the ball round corners and both he and Stuart Broad have been taking wickets for fun. All the while skipper Andrew Strauss has taken the pragmatic route of going for the jugular and trying to bowl the Pakistanis out for cheap scores rather than giving the kid a bit more match experience.

We all shudder at the memory of sitting up to watch the start of that 2006-7 Ashes campaign and seeing Steve Harmison whirl the opening delivery to Andrew Flintoff at second slip. If England are to win a series this time - and I still think they are value to do so at [3.4] - they need to apply pressure from every ball that's delivered.

Australia will go on talking up their chances, they always do. And they'll keep on picking on Finn as the rookie in the party, seeing it as a weak spot they can open up. England's management must make him aware of what's going on, and make sure he's ready to leave Watson eating his words.



Five things you might not know about Shane Watson

1. Born June 1981 in Ipswich, Queensland, he wasn't picked by his home state and started his first class career with Tasmanian Tigers

2. His teenage years were blighted by repeated stress fractures of his back - which flared again to force him out of the 2003 World Cup

3. From 2007 he stopped drinking alcohol and started doing pilates, and was rewarded by an end to injury problems and a dramatic improvement in form

4. His wife Lee is a TV presenter for Fox Sports Australia. They live in a waterfront property at Burraneer Bay, which they bought for £2.2million and share with two schnauzer Maltese puppies.

5. He taught himself the guitar after buying one from a second hand shop when he was 24, and is a big blues fan.

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