The recent announcement that two Australian cricketers will play English county cricket before the Ashes has been met with stinging criticism and bewilderment in the UK.

Opening batsman Phil Hughes, who’s just played in the third test against South Africa and is fresh from becoming the youngest batsman (at 20) to hit two centuries in a match, and opening bowler Stuart Clark, chief destroyer of England in the 2006-7 Ashes with 26 wickets, will play for Middlesex and Kent respectively.

Cue a whole lot of English whining.

Ex-England wicketkeeper Alec Stewart has hit out at the idea, and radio phone-ins would suggest a lot of the public are also angry that English cricket will be helping rivals find form before the big series.

Several Australians called in too, and one said if a half-fit Andrew Flintoff was allowed to play some warm-up matches before an Ashes series in Australia’s domestic competition (the Sheffield Shield) then some of their finest cricket grounds might be burned to the ground.

Of course there’s also the argument that English youngsters should be given the chance to play at county level, and the decision to allow Hughes and Clark to come for a handful of games seems only to benefit the Australians.

On the other hand, former England bowler and Stewart’s team mate Angus Fraser has no problem with the decisions. He would rather see a high-level competitive battle between two fit and ready sides than a lopsided affair.

And one radio caller said let them come and play; we’ll only get a better look at them that way.

This debate will surely run and run until the first Ashes ball is bowled at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on July 8.

PHOTO: Australia’s Stuart Clark bowls during training in St. George’s, Grenada, June 26, 2008. REUTERS/Andy Clark