In 2005 we were hammered in the first Test. When you go 1-0 it is essential you win the first day of the second Test.
We scored 407 on day one at Edgbaston and were cockahoop because we knew we were back in the race.
So whatever happens on Wednesday, whether England bat or bowl, they have to win that day. If not, and Australia bowl England out or put up a good score, it is a long, uphill road back into the series.
I don’t think losing at Edgbaston will have hurt England. Like Brendon McCullum said, it backed up the way they have been playing. But there can be no room for mistakes now, especially on day one at Lord’s. If England go 2-0 down they are not winning the Ashes. Teams do not come back from that.
It was great entertainment at Edgbaston but let’s face it, one team will arrive at Lord’s happier and that is the side that is 1-0 up.
I don’t know if MCC can change the pitch now but what England need is lateral movement, especially as they might not have a frontline spinner with Moeen Ali injured.
They need to be sharper in their bowling, too. The stand out seamer for England in Birmingham was Stuart Broad because he has been playing cricket. The others needed a spell or two to find their sharpness.
But more than anything it is lateral movement they need. As soon as that ball did anything at Edgbaston, you felt England would take wickets. It only did a little bit for a short period of time but when Broad started swinging it, he got outside edges off Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.
David Warner was caught behind by one that nibbled away too and Usman Khawaja should have been out on five, nicking a ball that moved. If they don’t find lateral movement I don’t see how they are going to take 20 wickets for fewer than 600 runs.
If it is flat and slow, Australia will score at least 350 in one innings, 250 in the other which means England have to find 600 runs themselves. When you play expansively and aggressively you bring the opposition into play. It is great to watch but 600 runs is a lot. England should be thinking about how they can reduce Australia down to 450-500 which means bowling them out for 300 and 175. That is about right. If it is a 500 run kind of Test, England only have to bat 120 overs given their aggression. That is the way I would be playing the Ashes series.
The slope helps at Lord’s but it has also helped a few overseas teams over the last few years as well. The Test against Australia in 2019 was a draw but had a bit of pace. That is the kind of wicket you want to play Australians on. Fighting fire with fire, and with snicks that carry.
If the pitch is going to be flat then James Anderson has talked himself out of the Test. He has basically said in his own words that if the pitches are going to stay benign he is out of it, which is amazing for our greatest ever who has bowled brilliantly on flat wickets.
Jimmy and Broad both commented on the pitch at Edgbaston, which is a sign to me that something will happen over the next few days to the pitch at Lord’s. If it is dry and hot it might do a little bit at the start of the match but will end up flat and slow and will spin. If it is only going to do a little bit on day one then you have to bowl first.
If you look at this team over the last year-and-a-half, they have chased games better than they have set matches up. It might be that they are a team that has to gamble, bowl first and chase the game.
It is a risk because Australia may put 500 on the board batting first but England did beat New Zealand at Trent Bridge last year when they scored 563 in the first innings.
England will say we should have won at Edgbaston on a flat pitch. They are right. But because Australia were sharper they didn’t win. Ultimately, I thought Australia were not quite at it because Bazball spooked them. I will be interested to see the tactical response from both teams. Will Australia spread the field too soon in the first innings? Will England, if they do get on top, be smarter for longer? It is OK to play risky cricket at the start but once a really good team gets ahead, they stay ahead. It is not about going into your shell, but playing a calmer game when on top.
England’s top three is a worry. Nothing surprises me about that. If there is any movement they are a concern so it all rests on Joe Root. He played so well at Edgbaston, which is why England dominated the game. Without him playing that anchor role in the middle, England would not have competed. They need more contributions from others.
Harry Brook is a firecracker and looks a fine player but he does not have to play in fifth gear all the time. I don’t know if it is the dressing room urging him on or people saying what a great striker of the ball he is, but one thing is certain in the Ashes: it is about scoring big hundreds. Don’t offer the Australians easy wickets.
Bazball spooked Australia – but England's Ashes hopes hang on fast start at Lord's - The Telegraph
Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment