In one episode their performance director, Mo Bobat, explained the approach for the first Test: “There’s no debating Australia have a formidable record at the Gabba, you can be intimidated by that or you can frame it as ‘they depend on winning at the Gabba to win their series’. The BBC even turned out a six‑part podcast – “Project Ashes” – detailing all the backroom planning that has gone on, the selection and rotation, the hotels, the training venues, the diet, the strength and conditioning, the Lions squad (who are being battered by Australia A). “We want to travel to Australia fitter, faster, leaner, more ready than ever before, so we get off the plane and it is ‘Right, we’re here, we mean business, and we’re full of confidence, and that will take us through.’ ” “We want to make sure everyone arrives at that point in as good a place as possible.” He did it again in May, before they lost 1-0 at home to New Zealand. “We talk about working our way towards the Ashes and I want the squad to arrive there fit and in form,” he said. He did it in March when explaining the team’s rotation policy during their 3-1 loss in India. This year it’s been the other way around: Silverwood has come back to his plans for this winter again, and again and again. Usually it’s the players and coaches who say the press talk about the Ashes to the exclusion of everything else.
“Job No 1 is to help Joe to keep moving forward so that in two years’ time we can go to Australia and make a real impact,” said Chris Silverwood in his first press conference after he took over as England’s head coach. England started work on theirs two years ago. E veryone has a plan until they get punched in the face.