NICK HOWSON: After winless series for the senior men's and women's sides over the winter, two impairment groups head to Australia fancied to claim not one, but two series victories
Twelve matches, eight defeats and zero wins: the raw data from England's Ashes series in Australia last winter makes for grim reading. While the men succumbed following a lack of preparation, the women were overwhelmed by the best team on the planet.
It was such a chastening winter you'd be forgiven for wondering when an England team might next head down under heavily fancied for victory. But the answer would be now.
Learning disability and deaf teams head to Brisbane for an eight-match series each, comprising of five T20s and three ODIs, starting from Sunday (June 5), with 16 matches staged over just 10 intense days.
The LD side are protecting an 8-0 win from Ashes series in 2019 and have been beaten once in the last 13 years, while the deaf squad are back in Australia for the first time since 2010/11 when they came away with a tri-series victory over the hosts and South Africa.
"Everyone benefits from competitive cricket," ECB head of disability cricket Ian Martin. "But I guess from our perspective you can only play what is in front of you.
"I think going on the learning disability series last time we won 8-0 so clearly that is a comprehensive thumping. But the games were closer than that. Australia could have won a couple of those.
"We proved too strong and that is the way it goes. I am expecting the deaf series to be quite competitive but hoping we come away with it."
Alex Jervis will lead the attack for England's LD side (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
He added: "The level of competition and in an Ashes rivalry there are no easy games out and it is a difficult place to go and win. The fact that we have done it regularly, hats off to our lads really and the character they show.
"But we can't take anything for granted out there, we have to go out and perform. You do that and you give yourself the best chance of winning."
Even if seamer Alex Jervis helps the LD side retain the Ashes, it might be that his greatest contribution to disability cricket goes well beyond beating the old enemy.
Last year, Lord's Taverners named him Disability Cricket of the Year after he organised an extraordinary fundraising effort in the form of a 60-mile bike ride to ensure Yorkshire's hardball D40 could reform, afford to play, and participate in their first matches in years.
"My next focus is on the coaching and management side," he said. "The England side can keep on going but I already know what I want to do in the future.
"I want to stay within disability cricket for the rest of my life. From playing to coaching to management and picking up different ideas from different people."
England LD haven't played an international match since beating Australia - who are also three years out since their last outings - and that lack of preparation concerns Jervis.
"I'm not as confident as I would have been if we had a full winter programme," he admits. "We've been not as a group for two years and we've had new coaches (Lauren Rowles, a member of the Central Sparks coaching team, has replaced Derek Morgan on an interim basis) coming in.
International Cricket Inclusion Series - Fixtures
June 5: 1st T20s: Australia v England (learning disability), Australia v England (deaf) - Australian Cricket Campus, Brisbane
June 7: 2nd & 3rd T20s: Australia v England (learning disability), Australia v England (deaf) - Australian Cricket Campus, Brisbane
June 9: 4th & 5th Australia v England (learning disability), Australia v England (deaf) - Australian Cricket Campus, Brisbane
June 11: 1st ODIs: Australia v England (learning disability), Australia v England (deaf)
June 13: 2nd ODIs: Australia v England (learning disability), Australia v England (deaf)
June 14: 3rd ODIs: Australia v England (learning disability), Australia v England (deaf)
"Getting to know each other is quite a long process. I am not as confident as I was. I am hoping for close games because we need closer games and test our skills against them.
"If we keep going over there and keep winning, why would they want to keep playing us? That is one perspective. It is not my thing to worry about, but I do worry about it because it may stop me from having more international games."
Rowles will be assisted by James Wojda, who works with Shrewsbury Cricket Club in the Birmingham Premier League. Afforded little preparation time, Wojda, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, has leant on Shrewsbury pals Dillon Pennington and Ed Barnard who both have experience of playing grade cricket in Australia.
"It was great to have input but we're going at a very different time of the year to what they've been out there," he explained.
"We're going to have to take each game as it comes and make our own minds up tactically about the direction we're going to go own per game.
"The skill levels that we've got I'd like to say we can cover all aspects. We've got a lot of depth, a lot of options so we'll take one game at a time when we get over there.
"Play as a team, work harder, go with a plan and what the coach and captain want, and if we follow those plans, we'll win"
"The main reason we're going over there is to win an Ashes series. That is our No.1 goal.
"Regarding the tactical direction we will go down, whether that is focusing heavily on seam or spin will be established initially be as soon as we get there.
"All squad members are coming so it'll be per game when we address how we're playing and what roles they're playing."
Outings for the deaf squad have been scant in recent years. Their last internationals were as far back as 2016, after a three-year absence from the circuit. They missed the last Deaf World Cup in 2018, won by India.
Last in Australia 11 years ago, the hosts hold the Ashes after a drawn Test but their limited-overs superiority bodes well given this series will be contested against the white ball.
There is very little Umesh Valjee hasn't come across his 30-year international career. A former captain and disability player of the year, his 32 List A matches and seven T20s have yielded 1,530 runs and he lends ample experience and plenty of quality to the tourists' squad.
Australia's LD squad is captained by Haydn Brumm (Clint Hughes/Getty Images)
"Play as a team, work harder, go with a plan and what the coach and captain want, and if we follow those plans, we'll win out there," he responded, through his signing interpreter Sula Gleeson, when asked what it takes to win in Australia.
"We have got new players coming through and that is a big test because we had not been playing international cricket for a while, so we haven't had that opportunity.
"We have new players coming in who have not played internationally before. I think it will be a big challenge for them. For me, I want to go there to win and hopefully other players we believe the same as me."
Valjee, who was presented with an MBE by the Queen in 2012 and was a torchbearer prior to the London Olympic Games, ranks Mark Ramprakash, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara as among his cricketing heroes. But for many, it is him that is the inspiration.
"It is nice to feel that and to be used as that example but that is how I play," Valjee, who turns 53 in September, but will continue "as long as I can stand up," admitted.
"I look at other people in the same way as they look up at me. The players that are coming in here I'm like 'wow, wow'. If people want to be the same as me then great and that will help the next generation to come through."
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