Cricket Australia XI 9 for 249 (Short 51, Woakes 6-54) v England
Chris Woakes doesn't fit the classic image of a fast bowler.
While the newspapers in Australia are full of stories of his counterparts - brooding, menacing types persuaded to stare down the lens like it just took the last pringle - promising to unleash pace and destruction upon England, Woakes responded to another outstanding performance by saying "it was nice". And then, after a pause, "and pleasing".
Make a headline out of that: "It's nice," roared Woakes. "It's pleasing," bellowed Woakes. "I'm focusing on my processes," vowed Woakes.
But beneath the bluster, beneath the wearying propaganda that seems to preface Ashes series these days, Woakes is getting on with his job "very nicely" indeed. And while most of the media may be fixated on the damage the Australian fast bowlers are promising to inflict on England and the absence of Ben Stokes, the tourists' other fast-bowling allrounder is enjoying the opportunity to warm-up for a confrontation that could go a long way to defining his career. And the result of the series.
Woakes' performance is vital. If he can replicate his record in England - where he has 42 Test wickets at a cost of 24.28 apiece - he will have given England a potency that will support James Anderson and Stuart Broad and ensure they have a viable attack. If he cannot improve his overseas record - he has currently taken eight Test wickets outside England (and Wales) at a cost of 63.75 apiece - then too much will be required of England's opening bowlers and it is hard to see how they win.
The key would appear to be movement. If Woakes can persuade the Kookaburra ball (used here) to move laterally as he can the Duke's (used in England) then his other qualities - his control, his relative pace (upper 80s, you would think) and his bounce - will all be enhanced.
So the good news - from an England perspective - from this tour to date is that he is finding that movement and, as a result, proving a tough proposition. Even on these pudding pitches.
Woakes, for the second time in successive innings, produced a spell that effectively cut the opposition in half. This time it was four - the first four wickets to fall - for 15 in six overs. Later he returned to claim two more. It means he has, at present, claimed 12 first-class wickets on this tour at a cost of just 10.25 apiece. The opposition is about to get much tougher but the pace he is bowling and the movement he is generating are encouraging.
It may be tempting to read some diffidence into Woakes' softly-spoken manner. To imagine that he will recoil in the furnace of the Gabba.
Chris Woakes feels he is coming to the boil nicely ahead of the first Test in Brisbane.
Woakes claimed 6 for 54 on the first day of the match against a CA XI in Townsville and afterwards spoke of his delight at his own rhythm and his ability to move the Kookaburra ball.
"All the numbers are saying I'm getting close to getting cooked," Woakes said. "I'm pleased with where my body is at and getting overs in the legs is important. You don't want to go in to the Test series undercooked and I'm pleased with where I'm at.
"We got a bit of shape with the ball, which was nice. There has been a lot spoken about the Kookaburra ball not doing as much as the Duke's and generally it doesn't. The fact that we got a bit of movement today is pleasing and builds some confidence with this ball that we are not as used to.
"The most important thing today was that I was pleased with how it came out and my rhythm. Six wickets is pleasing but had I picked up one or two I would still have been pleased."
Tempting but wrong. Instead his quiet manner reflects a confidence in his own ability, which doesn't require the layer of bravado others see fit to use. He knows it is performances that matter, not rhetoric. And he knows, if he "nails his processes" he will end the tour in a "very nice, very pleasing" mood. What's that saying about empty vessels and loudest sounds? Talk doesn't take wickets.
It's been noticeable in Woakes' career to date that he has produced some of his most eye-catching performances when his side have been under pressure. How about that 11-wicket haul against Pakistan at Lord's? England lost. Or that unbeaten 95 in an ODI against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge? He came in when England were 82 for 6 and chasing 287. Both times, the pressure brought the best out of him.
His wickets here generally came from deliveries on or around off-stump that either bounced or nibbled away. So once Nick Larkin and Josh Carder's fine opening stand (they put on 66 in 26 overs as England failed to fully utilise the first new ball) was ended with Larkin slashing to gully, Carder and Ryan Gibson were unfortunate enough to receive balls that demanded a stroke and nipped away just enough. Jason Sangha and Simon Milenko were beaten for pace by full deliveries while Harry Nielsen also pushed one to gully.
Broad's figures, in comparison, were modest. But he bowled fine generally and used this game for the warm-up that it is. He is, in the best sense of the word, something of a show-off. And performing amid the bucolic charm of Riverway Stadium - and a vocal crowd who were never far away from reminding him he remained wicketless for most of the day - was never likely to inspire him.
This is another slow pitch, too. Disappointingly slow. England opted to come here over other options (Drummoyne in Sydney and Hobart were mentioned) as the ground had a reputation for pace that was akin to that expected in Brisbane. Instead, they have something more akin to New Road. Mount Louisa, off in the distance, even did a passable impression of the Malvern Hills. For the third time in succession, they surface they have encountered has been markedly different to that expected in Brisbane.
The England camp are remaining tight-lipped on their view of the preparation they have been provided. But it will be no surprise if, the next time they are here for an Ashes series, they bring a battery of their own seamers (and perhaps hire their own training facility) to ensure they face more taxing bowling. The likes of Mark Footitt, Stuart Meaker, Olly Stone and Richard Gleeson could all have been employed - fitness permitting - to ensure England experienced some pace ahead of the Ashes.
Cricket Australia would have you believe this CA XI represents almost the best opposition available with the Shield in full swing. It's not entirely true, though. Ed Cowan, for example, says he would have loved to play this game but, having been offered the opportunity to appear only 48-hours ahead of the Adelaide match, could only promise his availability for the second game. Perhaps, with a bit of planning, the likes of Cameron White and Michael Klinger could have been included, too?
England experienced a few nervous moments during the day, though. The most serious came when Jonny Bairstow had to leave the field after hurting the middle finger of his left hand in scuffing a delivery off the bowling of Woakes that appeared to bounce just in front of him.
While Ben Foakes, who was permitted to take the gloves by the umpires despite not being named in the XI, is a more than capable deputy (and soon had a catch - perhaps the first 'caught Foakes, bowled Woakes' of many), the thought of losing Bairstow from England's middle-order is enough to keep Joe Root up at night. He will, therefore, have been hugely relieved to see Bairstow reclaim the gloves about 50 minutes later having been diagnosed with nothing more serious than a bruise.
The cordon remains a bit of a concern, though. While James Vince, so fallible in the slips during his first spell in the side, has taken to the gully position with some class - he held three sharp chances on the first day here, none of them easy - another two or three chances went begging in the region. The most straightforward went to Root, off Mason Crane, when Matthew Short had 36, while Bairstow - leaping in front of first slip - put down another (this time off Woakes) to reprieve Milenko. Another edge, again off Crane, went between Bairstow and Root, while Mark Stoneman dropped a tough chance - he did well to get a hand on it, really - when Short cut Crane on 25.
Short took advantage of his reprieves to record a stubborn half-century (51 from 122 balls with just two boundaries) and ensure the CA XI recovered from the loss of four wickets for 25 runs either side of lunch.
Craig Overton impressed, too. He has settled into this tour nicely and, with his height and ability to generate movement, has demanded respect from the batsmen. He has conceded almost exactly two an over in the first-class games on this tour so far and has given himself an outstanding chance of a Test debut in a week's time.
There was also good news off the pitch for England. James Anderson, who missed training on Tuesday due to illness, bowled in the nets, while Jake Ball returned to running for the first time since sustaining strained ankle ligaments in Adelaide, and later also enjoyed a gentle bowl.
Day 2
England XI 3 for 337 (Stoneman 111, Cook 70, Root 62*, Malan 57*) lead Cricket Australia XI 250 (Short 51, Woakes 6-57) by 87 runs
Townsville is, in many ways, a ferocious place.
Oh, it's pretty. It has a mountain range, a shoreline and beautiful forests. The shops and bars seem nice, too.
But the sun is brutal and the wind is fierce. It doesn't rain for years at a time - literally - and the land provides a home for snakes, wild dogs, scorpions and spiders so large it's hard to believe they're not ponies on the way to a fancy dress party. "Don't worry," the locals tell you. "The bigger they are the less poisonous they are." But these spiders can beat you to death. They can wait for you in a dark carpark, steal your wallet and demand protection money from local businesses.
But even though there's something that can burn, bite, poison or sting you just about every square inch, it's still preferable to be on land than in the water. Because if you find yourself in the water round here (lakes or sea, anyway; the shower is fine once you've checked for spiders) you're in real trouble. You'll be sharing with sharks, crocodiles and jelly-fish all of which will delight in killing you. Beaches in Queensland have been shut 50 times in recent weeks for one of the above and, at present in Townsville, there is a warning about a four metre croc (described as a "problem crocodile" as opposed to all those laidback easy-going ones) that is lurking close to shore.
The bats have rabies, the koalas have chlamydia and even the magpies - vast, pterodactyl-like creatures that threaten to carry you off in their talons - have been known to kill. "Ah, don't worry," a local said on Thursday. "The worst those spiders can do is paralyse you." It'll be a miracle if any of us get out alive.
But, for a few hours on Thursday, the middle at the Riverway Stadium looked like paradise. For batsmen, at least. The pitch was gentle, the bowling even more so and Alastair Cook and Mark Stoneman seized the opportunity with both hands.
Stoneman has looked fine all trip. He has passed 50 every time he has come to the crease and here became the first man on the tour to register a century. He gave one chance - Nick Larkin, at gully, put him down on 41 off Simon Milenko; Larkin, the one man with a first-class hundred in this CA side, sustained a fracture and will not feature in the rest of this match - but generally looked utterly in command. He doesn't hook - he tends to duck the bouncer - but he pulls nicely, cuts very well and has a lovely, fluid drive. There were many jokes about Australians never having heard of several of this England squad when they arrived: it seems safe to suggest they'll know the Stoneman name before he heads home.
Underlining England's mantra about going on to convert good starts in match-defining scores, Stoneman didn't even take off his helmet to acknowledge the applause when he reached three figures: a century can't be seen as a destination by England on this tour; it has to be a landmark on the way to a more distant goal. He was angry with himself - punching his bat in frustration - for scuffing a return catch to the legspinner Daniel Fallins shortly after tea.
Cook's innings might be more significant. With England's batting line-up lacking experience in these conditions - the likely top nine will, excluding him, have a combination of six Test caps in Australia between them - his knowledge of three previous tours provides reassurance. He has looked horribly out of form until this innings, but here looked comfortable and confident. From his very first delivery, when the ball thudded against the middle of his defensive bat, his movements were more certain, his judgement more precise.
He looked furious with himself for his dismissal - attempting to guide a cut behind point, he managed only an edge - and for missing out on a hundred, but this was a good step forward from him. He, and the England management, will sleep a little easier as a result.
The one nagging worry - and it nagged particularly hard as Dawid Malan and Joe Root settled in against unthreatening spin bowling in the final session - is that this surface and this opposition will bear little comparison to that anticipated in Brisbane. It's like preparing for an artic trek by buying yourself a cornetto. England may still be in for a shock in Brisbane.
Opinion is divided over whether this represents a desperately cynical ploy from Cricket Australia or simply reflects the shallowing depth of their playing reserves. If it is the latter, they have a significant problem lurking just below the surface. If it is the former, there might be a certain poetic justice if this tactic came back to bite Cricket Australia on the backside like one of those spiders that lurks under the toilet bowl round these parts (yes, nowhere is safe). While it is undeniably true that the standard of opposition - and the pace of surfaces - will increase sharply next week, it may be that England have had the opportunity to acclimatise, gain confidence and form ahead of the serious business ahead.
James Vince was the one man to fail to take advantage. Since the 82 he made to start the tour - a non-first-class innings that saw him dropped twice - he has fallen between 26 and 33 in his three subsequent innings. He has time to play the ball and is wonderfully easy on the eye, but there is a vulnerability that renders his selection at No. 3 quite a risk. While he was given not out here initially, the umpires consulted and it was eventually decided he had played one off his pad to short leg. He looked aghast at the decision. Or, perhaps, at having missed out. Batting in first-class cricket in Australia has rarely looked as comfortable.
Day 3
Cricket Australia XI 250 & 121-3: Gibson 49, Moeen 2-34, Crane 1-24
England 515: Stoneman 111, Malan 109, Root 83
England lead by 144 runs
England improved late on a mixed third day of their final Ashes warm-up match against a Cricket Australia XI in Townsville.
Although Dawid Malan converted his overnight 57 into a century, England at one stage lost five wickets for 38.
A last-wicket stand of 58 between Chris Woakes and Mason Crane took the tourists to 515 all out.
CA XI openers Daniel Carder and Ryan Gibson shared 80 but spinners Moeen Ali and Crane reduced the hosts to 121-3.
Joe Root's side are in firm control - they lead by 144 runs - and will probably complete a big win on Saturday's final day, but for long periods this was an unsatisfactory day with the first Test against Australia less than a week away.
As Australia named a surprising squad for the match at the Gabba, England's lower order wasted the opportunity of time at the crease and the pace bowlers then lacked penetration on an unresponsive pitch.
"It was a mixed day," assistant coach Paul Farbrace told BBC Sport. "We took our eye off the ball with the bat.
"We are in a good position but, in terms of preparation for next week, we have dipped below where we have been during the first two days, which is a shame."
Malan follows Stoneman's lead
Like Mark Stoneman on Thursday, Malan responded to calls from captain Root and coach Trevor Bayliss for England's batsmen to convert starts into big scores.
Resuming in partnership with Root with England 337-3, the left-hander played eye-catching cover drives and clips off the pads on the way to his 19th first-class century.
Root, who began the day on 62, looked set for a hundred of his own until he was brilliantly caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Harry Neilsen off pace bowler Simon Milenko for 83.
Malan angled the off-spin of Matthew Short to third man to reach three figures, but his slow response to Moeen's call meant he failed to beat Daniel Carder's throw from short fine leg in the middle of the late-order collapse.
"For someone who is playing in this country for the first time, he has shown that the extra pace and bounce in the wickets suit his game," said Farbrace.
"He found it difficult in England this summer when the ball nipped around, but he looks very much at home here."
Late-order slump
Jonny Bairstow slapped a full toss from leg-spinner Daniel Fallins to mid-on to depart for 19, but he at least made an unbeaten 61 against the same opposition last week.
For Moeen and Craig Overton, who may be required to contribute runs from number nine if he makes his Test debut at the Gabba, chances of batting in the middle may now have run out.
Both fell to consecutive deliveries from off-spinner Matthew Short either side of lunch.
Moeen, in his first match of the tour, was bowled for five and Overton was caught at short leg from his first ball to register a third successive duck.
"In an ideal world, you would like every player to spend the right amount of time at the crease, but it doesn't always work out that way," said Farbrace. "Moeen has a few more days to practise and work at his game.
"You can't see Craig is out of form - he's only faced 13 balls in three innings! He's here for his bowling and any runs that he can contribute will be a bonus."
When Stuart Broad was caught sweeping, England had slipped from 419-5 to 457-9.
The dependable Woakes and solid Crane took England past 500, their stand ended when Woakes was caught behind off Milenko.
England spinners break through
As on day one, England were frustrated by the CA XI openers. This time, Carder was joined by Gibson, with Nick Larkin absent because of a hand injury.
Broad was accurate with the new ball but Woakes, who took six wickets in the first innings, was expensive and Overton's eagerness to be hostile sometimes resulted in over-doing the bouncers.
In truth, the pitch is looking increasingly more suited to slow bowling, with Moeen and Crane successful late on.
Off-spinner Moeen, having recovered from a side strain, was rusty to begin with but, after switching ends, had Carder caught at slip and bowled the sweeping Gibson.
When leg-spinner Crane enticed Will Pucovski to edge to slip, England's efforts looked more respectable.
Day 4
Cricket Australia XI 250 & 364/4 (110 ov)
England 515
Match drawn
England narrowly avoided the indignity of going wicketless on the final day of their last Ashes warm-up game against a Cricket Australia XI in Townsville.
Jason Sangha, 18, and Matthew Short - with only seven first-class matches between them - made maiden centuries.
They shared a stand of 263, Sangha falling to leg-spinner Mason Crane before a draw was agreed with the hosts on 364-4 - 99 ahead.
Sangha was dropped by Mark Stoneman on 43, but England created little else.
The tourists were not helped by a placid, unresponsive pitch, but the mitigating circumstances do little to improve damaged morale so close to Thursday's first Test against Australia in Brisbane.
On Friday, England looked to be heading to the Gabba in good health, especially after the announcement of a surprising Australia squad.
But, at best, this is a setback. At worst, it is an embarrassment.
England humbled by inexperienced hosts
England comfortably defeated a similar Cricket Australia XI in Adelaide last week and for two days in northern Queensland they looked set to do so again.
However, from 337-3 at the beginning of day three, England lost five wickets for 38 runs and needed a last-wicket stand of 58 between Chris Woakes and Crane to get past 500.
Even then, they reduced the CA XI to 121-3 by the close and led by 144, with the hosts a batsman short because of an injury to Nick Larkin.
But Sangha and Short made the most of the benign conditions to ensure England spent the fourth day toiling in the heat.
The slow surface is unlikely to be similar to what England will encounter at the Gabba, yet the tourists should still have had the tools to dismiss a side with only 75 previous first-class matches between them.
"It's not really damaging to us," England coach Trevor Bayliss told BBC Sport. "Obviously we'd like to take 10 wickets for 90 runs in every game, but this is what can happen in cricket.
"A number of guys spent time in the middle with the bat and the bowlers got a lot of overs under their belts. Hopefully everyone now has got their rhythms right and they can come out next week and go from ball one."
Sangha and Short steal the show
Two weeks ago, Sangha and captain Short, 22, were playing club cricket in Sydney and Melbourne respectively. Neither have played a match in the Sheffield Shield.
But they blunted and at times dismissed an England attack that included at least three bowlers who will play in Brisbane.
Sangha, who made his first-class debut last week, was fortunate to be put down when he drilled a Crane full toss to Stoneman at short cover.
With a correct technique, the right-hander regularly scored square of the wicket on the off side.
When he pulled Woakes for four, he became the second youngest man, behind Sachin Tendulkar, to score a first-class hundred against England.
Short, more bottom-handed and with a preference for the leg side, hit one six off Crane that was caught by a diving member of the groundstaff. He reached three figures by pushing Moeen Ali through point for three and ended unbeaten on 134.
Their stand was ended after tea when Sangha top-edged Crane to short fine leg to depart for 133, but by then England had nothing to celebrate.
England do the hard yards
Even allowing for the ideal batting conditions, England showed little penetration, barely beating the bat or hitting the pads.
Stuart Broad was tidy and Woakes used sparingly but fellow pace bowler Craig Overton harmed his chances of a Test debut in Brisbane with a toothless display - his attempts at unsettling Short with bouncers were treated with disdain.
Off-spinner Moeen, in his first game of the tour after recovering from a side injury, has at least bowled 48 overs in the match, while Crane served up too many full tosses.
By the end, England were using part-timers Joe Root and Dawid Malan to protect the frontliners and hasten the finish.
"It was a very flat wicket," said Bayliss. "It was good to spend some time in the field. I'm sure there will be times during the Test series where we're out in the field all day.
"There were two young guys out there that batted very, very well. All credit to them. They looked good. It's good for Australian cricket."
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