Why the rarest of SCG sights could be a huge Ashes boost for Australia

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Stand-in Australia skipper Steve Smith will captain a NSW line-up boasting more than 1200 Test wickets against Sheffield Shield ladder leaders Victoria this week in stark contrast to England’s sole three-day Ashes warm-up game among themselves.

As injured star Pat Cummins continues to up his bowling workload, his Test replacement, Scott Boland, will lead Victoria’s attack against Australian teammates Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, as well as back-up quick Sean Abbott, at the SCG on Monday in a star-studded Sheffield Shield final round before Australia’s squad assembles in Perth.

In all, 14 of the 15-man Test squad will turn out in the state competition this week, with only veteran opener Usman Khawaja sitting out after having already played three Shield games for Queensland this season.

While Hazlewood and Starc take the red ball for the first time this summer after T20 and ODI commitments, Lyon (four Shield games) and Boland (three) will go into the opening Test well and truly in first-class mode.

In turn, much has been made of England’s white ball-centric lead-in after an underwhelming tour of New Zealand. Their last Test was against India in August.

The likes of Ian Botham have led criticism of the visitors’ Ashes schedule – which features only one three-day game against an English Lions XI at Lilac Hill beginning on Thursday – before the November 21 Ashes series opener at Optus Stadium.

Steve Smith,Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott in NSW camp.

Australia’s recent touring history has shown in-country tour games largely belong to a different era given the international schedule and congestion of franchise cricket.

But West Australian icon Adam Gilchrist spoke for many observers on Fox Sports, noting during Saturday’s rained-out Australia-India T20 clash that “no comparison” can be made between the conditions offered by the suburban ground Lilac Hill and an Optus pitch that ranks among the fastest and bounciest in the world.

Abbott was diplomatic in assessing England’s preparations before the NSW-Victoria clash, but was more than happy with Australia’s round of red-ball clashes leading into the most anticipated Ashes series in decades.

“You can’t really match game intensity, as much as we try to in the nets,” Abbott, a regular 12th man and tourist in the West Indies and Sri Lanka of late, said.

Mitchell Starc will make a rare appearance in the NSW Sheffield Shield side alongside a host of Test stars.

“It’s just something about being out there in the middle and the thick of the contest. So, we’re pretty lucky [to have] home conditions in a home summer. We get to play a game this week against a pretty good team in Victoria. There’s obviously been a lot of chat about it, and it’s good to see most Shield teams pretty well at full strength.”

Asked if England risk being underdone in Perth conditions, Abbott said: “I certainly won’t be putting up my hand to face the [Test bowlers] in the nets next week, but I think a fair few of the English lads are over there now.

“They’ll have a pretty good lead-in, and I’m sure they’ll leave no stone unturned to be prepped to bat in those conditions, because they are unique and that’s what we love about going over and playing in Perth. It offers up something different compared to the rest of the world and the rest of Australia.”

Smith takes over the NSW captaincy from recent Australia A debutant Jack Edwards with an eye to marshalling the Blues Test speedsters in preparation for the first Test.

The 36-year-old has happily pointed out his stunning Test average of 68 as skipper, but Abbott said Smith’s tactics and intuition have proven just as valuable having played alongside him for more than a decade.

“He captains on instinct,” Abbott said. “He’ll just get a feel that something’s going to happen, and you’ll ask him why. He’s like, ‘I don’t really know. I just feel that this is going to go this way’, and he’ll move something or change something and it’ll pay off.

“It basically happens every game. So that’s what I really like about Steve. He doesn’t second-guess his decision-making.”