Australia is 2-0 down in the 5 match Investec Ashes test
series and you must be wondering as to why The Urn would no more be concerning
them. Well it’s just a part of my perception. The Aussies might still be
fancying their chances in the ongoing Ashes series which will mean that they
have a daunting task of winning the rest of the 3 matches starting tomorrow.
Given that their batsmen don’t even last a day even on batting friendly pitches,
I must say their chances of regaining the urn are almost “BLEAK”. Ah! the word
bleak, certainly reminds me of a statement given by David Warner where he said
“Future of Indian Cricket is bleak” on the backdrop of India’s 3rd
test match defeat in Australia where India was trailing 3-0. May I remind you
that India had already been whitewashed in England in 2011 and the New Year was
no different for the Indians. Yes, India was whitewashed again in Australia. And
then our legends VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid retired. India lost 2-1 to England at
home. For a moment David Warner must have thought that he certainly possessed
the skills of an astrologer. Immediately after that Australia came to India and
it led to dramatic turnaround of events. Young Cheteshwar Pujara had stepped
into the shoes of Rahul pretty well, Shikhar Dhawan went berserk and created
havoc in the Australian camp. As a result Australia was whitewashed by India in
India. Now you must be wondering why bring India into an ashes match preview?
Well, I will make my point here. And what I am trying to speak about is bench
strength. There is no denying in the
fact that presently India has the best bench strength when it comes to cricket.
That’s the reason India has done well recently on foreign turfs. The culture in
Indian Cricket is going through a structural change, thanks to those two
whitewashes that acted as eye openers. Since then BCCI has ensured measures to
develop young cricketers and remove the concept of so called “senior
cricketers”. Those who performed stayed in the team and the rest were
discarded. India went through a transition period, the caterpillars have turned
into butterflies, we have a lot of cricketing talent and proper measures have
strengthened the bench. But can the same be said for Australia also going
through a transition? I guess no. Probably Warner’s comment backfired at his
team. Poetic Justice probably! Australians had spent a long time savouring
their past conquests. The laurels which their legends earned are all the stories
of the past. The fairytale is all over. No batsman in the Australian squad has
shown any sort of urgency in his game, no one has stepped up to resurrect the
team in grave situations like Joe Root or Ian Bell did for England. The
Australians have to be blamed for this, this is what conceit does to you. Once
the sole rulers in the world of cricked have been knocked off the perch and
that’s why I said The Urn is no more a concern for them. The concern is to
prepare for the future, their present challenge is to groom their youngsters
and not go after The Urn as they have already lost the battle per se.
But it’s a human’s job to live in the present. The first
objective for the Aussies is to salvage some pride out of this series and they
can only do this by defying any more victories to the rampant English side,
defeat them or hold a tie, the Aussies can do as they please. But for this to
happen the whole of the Australian side will have to jump into action, the
batsmen need to work on their basics and keep a cool head. Darren Lehmann will
be well aware of the fact that had his batsmen been prudent enough in
Trentbridge a 14 run defeat could have been avoided, actually Aussies could
have won the match. Similarly, his batsmen could have avoided a massacre at Lords
which could have at least earned them a draw and they could still be 1-0 up in
the series. Yes, the Australian batting line up is to blamed majorly for their
failures and adding extra pressure on their bowler’s heads thus reducing their
effectiveness as well. Let’s take a look at what both the teams need to do
ahead of the 3rd Ashes Test at Old Trafford, Manchester.
1)
Australia: With Pattinson out of the tour
because of injury, the first challenge would be to find a replacement. With
Mitchell Starc most likely to comeback after being dropped in the second test
to make way for Ryan Harris, James Faulkner could also get into the playing 11
looking at the fact that he is an all-rounder.
Shane Watson will have to clear his head
and rework on his strategies. Hos front leg was definitely creating a problem
and he has to overcome that problem. If he can get his basics right and come
out with more determination, he could definitely become a cause of worry.
Next job would be to drop Rogers and I
think he will most probably make way for David Warner. Rogers, the 35 year old
batsman nor has used his experience whatsoever and neither has age on his side
to portray him as a future of Australian cricket. As such, it would be wise to
let Warner open for Australia though he has disciplinary issues. The rest of
the challenge is not to lose heart and find a way to handle the English pace
battery which has continuously managed to obliterate the Aussies even on a
belter like Lords.
Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris will be the
guys to watch out for in the 3rd test. Peter Siddle managed to scalp
11 wickets in 2 matches while Harris has taken 7 wickets in the only test match
he has played.
Probable Squad: Shane Watson, David Warner,
Usman Khawaja, Michael Clarke(C), Phil Hughes, Brad Haddin(WK), Steve Smith,
Aston Agar, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Ryan Harris.
2)
England: The English have been flamboyant in
this series so far. While Ian Bell, Trott and Anderson have been phenomenal,
young Joe Root has been sizzling enough to keep cricket enthusiasts interested.
Alistair Cook continues his good run as a captain but unfortunately his batting
efforts have not been up to the mark. Generally, known for setting impeccable
standards with his bat, Cook has just managed 83 runs in the 2 matches with
just 1 half century to his name. Clearly, he would be looking to push himself
to make that number look better.
Ian Bell has already scored 317 runs in
this series so far with the help of 2 centuries and a half century. His
presence in the side has been highlighted with the fact that all his runs have
come at the time when the team needed them the most.
Joe Root who has scored 221 runs in this
series so far was ordinary for most part of the series until he scored that
brilliant 180 at Lords to help his team set a 583 target for the Aussies and
grabbed 2 key wickets of Clarke and Khawaja
to ensure an English victory with an excess of 347 runs. Definitely Root is one of the future
prospects to watch out for.
Jonathan Trott, Matt Prior though don’t
have big innings like Root or Bell to boast of but they definitely have
provided the necessary support required for a big innings and the same will be
expected of them.
Anderson and Swann have been absolutely
clinical in their performances. Both Anderson and Swann have 13 wickets each to
their name in the series so far and have continuously troubled the Aussie line
up.
The only concern for England will be Kevin
Pietersen who is rumored to be fit again to be a part of the playing 11. He has
managed only 85 in this series with one half century and even if he plays it
would be instrumental for England if Pietersen finds his form back.
Probable Squad: Alistair Cook(C), Joe Root,
Kevin Pietersen, Jonny Bairstow, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Matt Prior(WK), Tim
Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.
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