All-out attack in the warm-up matches or do England need measured control? Derek Pringle ponders the dilemma…

The build-up to an Ashes series in Australia, those matches which allow acclimatisation and form-finding, are often an accurate predictor for what lies ahead. It would be a mistake to refer to them as ‘warm-up games’, at least according to Graham Gooch, a man who has visited Australia as either England player or coach more times than any other.
Gooch believes you must treat the preliminary matches with every bit the same intensity as the Tests. Everything, from...