Go-to man: James Pattinson is forever injured but seldom forgotten by the Australian selectors
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When Michael Clarke’s side toured the West Indies in 2015 ahead of their trip to England, it was the rule inside the camp – from captain to coach to the ranks – never to engage with a question about the Ashes that awaited them.
Any number of confected deflections were utilised to avoid the appearance of over-indexing on the Old Enemy. In the best tradition of robotic football coaches, the cliché of “taking it one game at a time” on high...