The Ashes 2013: 2nd Test preview
Having lost the opening Test of the 2013 edition of the Ashes, Australia will be feeling the heat, quite literally, when they cross swords with confident England in the second Test starting on July 18, Thursday, at the Mecca of cricket – Lords.
England is experiencing a subcontinent-like heat wave, meaning that London will be more like Lucknow till next week.
Besides demanding a compensation of $3.6 million for being subjected to racial discrimination during his tenure, discarded Australian coach Mickey Arthur opened another Pandora’s Box by calling Shane Watson a ‘cancer’ in the team.
The Aussies, spurred on by Brad Haddin, battled hard at Trent Bridge, but James Anderson’s skill proved too hot to handle. Anderson’s mastery of swing and seam was such that he seemed likely to pick up a wicket off every delivery he bowled. He swung the new ball and old ball both ways, asserting his peerless class with a telling ten-wicket haul.
England have retained the 13-man squad from the first Test. Again, the only berth left undecided is that of the third pacer alongside Super James Anderson and his side-kick Stuart Broad. The struggling Steve Finn may pave way for Tim Bresnan, considering the latter’s handy batting in addition to his propensity to reverse swing the old ball. Graham Onions is another contender who bowls well to left-handers.
There are no alarming problems on the batting front either. Captain Alistair Cook and Jonathan Trott are adept at building or rebuilding an innings. Comeback man Kevin Pietersen added another defining facet to his batting during his 64 at Trent Bridge – patience. Ian Bell displayed immense maturity and assurance en route to his 18th Test ton.
Meanwhile, Australia’s newly appointed coach, Darren Lehmann, has asked his batsmen to ‘shape up’.
Australia’s Most Valuable Player, skipper Michael Clarke, managed a paltry 23 runs, including a duck in the first innings. Shane Watson failed to covert his start into a substantial contribution, as was the case with Chris Rogers. With Usman Khawaja pressing hard for a recall, it is imperative for Ed Cowan to score and score heavily.
Phil Hughes and teenage sensation Ashton Agar starred in a historic 163-run last wicket stand, but that hardly masked the concerns regarding the woefully out-of-form top order.
Much like England, Australia’s bowling is wholly capable of taking 10 wickets in any condition. Peter Siddle is not the same bowler the Poms last witnessed in 2010/2011. He can bowl faster, harder, stronger, and is the leader of the bowling line-up. Despite lacking experience, both Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson can trouble the opposition with raw pace.
Probable XIs:
England: A Cook(c), J Root, J Trott, K Pietersen, I Bell, J Bairstow, M Prior(wk), T Bresnan, S Broad, G Swann, S Finn/ T Bresnan/ G Swann.
Australia: C Rogers, S Watson, Ed Cowan/ U Khawaja, M Clarke, P Hughes, S Smith, B Haddin(wk), A Agar, P Siddle, M Starc, J Pattinson.
In the spotlight:
DRS: As enthralling as the first Test was, it was nearly eclipsed by umpiring blunders and the inefficiency of DRS. If DRS is not foolproof , shouldn’t it be dispensed with? The debate continues.
I Bell: He may not have the aura of KP, but Ian Bell has elevated his batsmanship to become England’s middle-order lifeguard. His crucial close-in catching has been an invisible ingredient in Captain Cook’s recipe to success.
Ashton Agar: Australia’s experimentation to upgrade Agar to the national team paid off handsomely. The 19-year-old followed up his record-breaking 98 with a couple of wickets to prove his worth. Having enjoyed a dream debut, the challenge for Agar to cope up with the mounting expectations.
Prediction:
In-form England will extend their rich form to go 2-0 up in the series.