"They will play into our hands a little bit and we can play on their ego" - Tim Paine says Australia have the advantage heading into 2nd Ashes Test
Tim Paine feels England's predictability and egoistic approach give Australia the edge heading into the second Ashes Test.
The second game of the five-match series will be played at Lord's in London from Wednesday, June 28. Pat Cummins and Co. head into the match after a nail-biting two-wicket win in the first Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham and another positive result will put them on the verge of retaining the Ashes.
While previewing the game on SEN Breakfast, Paine opined that Australia hold the advantage heading into the Lord's Test. He reasoned:
"We had a number of our good players down and I think our depth and our ability to play any situation and any condition and at any tempo is a real advantage in this series given we know how England are going to play."
The former Australian skipper added:
"They are going to come really hard and it makes them quite predictable. We know how they are going to play, they will play into our hands a little bit and we can play on their ego."
Paine pointed out that the green wicket at Lord's will help Australia's cause. While observing that the surface has been prepared to bring Stuart Broad and James Anderson back into the game, he added that the England batters will find it extremely difficult, highlighting their overreliance on Joe Root.
"They know that they can't face Pat Cummins for long periods of time without making mistakes" - Tim Paine
Tim Paine believes the England batters' inability to face sustained spells from the likes of Pat Cummins forces them to play aggressively:
"Our depth and the fact that some of our very best players were down means I think we will get better as the series goes on. They seem to rely on too few for me at the moment. They know that they can't face Pat Cummins for long periods of time without making mistakes, so they try and get you before you get them effectively."
The former Australian wicketkeeper-batter concluded by stating that the England batters will give opportunities if they are denied boundaries:
"If you can stem their boundaries and make them work a little bit harder for their runs, we saw in the first Test that they are not good enough for long enough. Just try to cut the runs while they are in there and know you will create chances."
England scored at 5.03 and 4.11 runs per over in their two innings of the Edgbaston Test. Even technically sound batters like Joe Root resorted to unconventional shots like the reverse ramp to score quickly and put pressure on the Aussie bowlers.