"For England to win the last three Test matches against a side as good as Australia would be an incredible achievement" - Michael Vaughan
Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes that England have an ideal template to defeat Australia and could trigger a comeback that would mark a sensational achievement.
Ben Stokes and co. defeated the visitors by three wickets in the third Ashes Test at Headingley, Leeds, to remain alive in the series. The hosts' win now puts the Ashes scoreline as 2-1 with two matches to go.
England were under heavy scrutiny despite the margins of defeat being close across the first two Ashes matches. Stokes opted to make three changes to the playing XI for the third match and the combination delivered quite well.
Admitting that an insurmountable comeback is still on the cards following the thrilling win on Day 4, Vaughan wrote in his column for The Telegraph:
"The impossible is still on. For England to win the last three Test matches against a side as good as Australia would be an incredible achievement. Now, they’re one-third of the way there — and they’ve got a template to win the last two Tests too."
Outlining the difficulties for both teams in the remainder of the series, Vaughan added:
"No one can deny how difficult it is going to be, but England can still win this Ashes series 3-2. England have the momentum. It is so difficult to win an Ashes series away from home and Australia were tantalisingly close. To pick themselves up from this psychological blow will be a huge challenge for Pat Cummins and his side."
Australia had an opportunity to retain the Ashes as well as record a red-ball series win in England for the first time since 2001. However, the current world champions still have to notch one more win to seal the proceedings.
"They can get better — which is dangerous for Australia" - Michael Vaughan optimistic about England's chances
England were handed a 251-run target in the fourth innings, they negotiated a short spell towards the end of a rain-marred Day 3. Mitchell Starc claimed a five-wicket haul, but Harry Brook scored a fifty under pressure while a cameo from Chris Woakes took the hosts over the line.
Opining that England winning is a huge positive considering they did not play their best cricket, Vaughan said:
"I think England made a lot of mistakes at Headingley — with their catching, and with some of their shot selection. They can get better — which is dangerous for Australia — and they showed that they can win without Stokes being the hero every time."
He concluded:
"If we can get to the Oval at 2-2, with one to play it will be the greatest Test series in my lifetime."
The fourth Ashes Test is scheduled to get underway on July 19 at Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester. A win for England in the upcoming Test will take the series into the final contest at The Oval.
Have England found their groove to inspire a comeback against their rivals? Let us know what you think.