The third Investec Ashes test will start today at Old Trafford, Manchester. There has never been such a weak Australian cricket team in recent living memory. This team is a far cry from those days of Australian glory when their 11 member team consisted of Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Waugh twins, Martyn, Gilchrist, Warne, Lee, Gillespie and McGrath. 2-0 down already and looking down the barrel with the struggling batting side even before the start of the third test, the Aussie coach Darren Lehmann has given the SOS call and has invited his former team mate Shane Warne to help his boys with the mental side of the game.
The main cause for the recent slump in form for the Australian cricket team is their poor batting performance. With the exception of Captain Michael Clarke there is no one in the team who could be called world class; and even he is struggling with his form. Shane Watson, the burly all rounder, seems all lost with his batting form. Three out of four times he was out LBW in identical fashion to the seamers. Each of these times he planted his left foot down the pitch and got into a tangle when he tried to play around it. There seems to be no end to his woes if he doesn’t find a way out of this technical flaw which has suddenly crept into his batting. His opening partner Chris Rogers has got his task cut out as well. At Lords, which is a home ground for him as he has been playing for Middlesex in the English county cricket since 2011, he was not able to make an impression. When in the first innings he missed a full toss from Swann and was out LBW, in the second innings he missed to read a straight one from the same bowler and was out bowled. Usman Khawaja, who replaced another struggling batsman Ed Cowan, was able to get some good runs in the second innings of the Lords test and he will be looking forward to carry his good performance to the third test. Phil Hughes is a talented batsman and always appears quite confident against the pace bowlers, but against the turning ball he is not quite as good. Steven Smith is a confident cricketer, but his ability to play a long innings that is required in test matches seems doubtful. Brad Haddin is a fighter as he showed in his second innings batting at Trent Bridge, where he took the team almost to a famous win.
Australian bowling headed by the never-tiring Peter Siddle is nowhere near those Warne-McGrath times. James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc are talented bowlers but lacked consistency in the matches they played. Ryan Harris made a good comeback in the Lords test and he will have to give Siddle a good company if the Aussies have to come back into the series. Though Ashton Agar had a dream debut with the bat, where he scored 98 runs at Trent Bridge, his bowling leaves much to be desired.
The Old Trafford pitch will aid the spin bowlers in turning the ball as the days progress. To make use of this turning track, England has already recalled left arm spinner Monty Panesar. Australia could follow suit and can include Nathan Lyon, their front line spinner into the team. The off spinner is widely considered as the best spinner in Australia today and it would be foolish not to make use of him when he is already in the squad. As Pattinson is out of the Ashes with an injury, Australia can always play two spinners in the final eleven. With so many right handers in the England team it would not be a bad idea to continue with the left arm spin of the young Agar.
Extraordinary times require extraordinary decisions and these are extraordinary times for Australian cricket. It would be an inspired decision if Australia calls back David Warner, who has been out because of his rude off field behaviour. If bad off field behaviour could be the reason for not taking a good player in, then the great Ricky Ponting wouldn’t have been picked in the Australia team at all. If Steven Smith, who is down with a back injury, is not able to attain match fitness today then Australia will be able to accommodate Warner in the team without dropping Rogers. If that is the case then the two southpaws will open the innings and Shane Watson could come at number 6 in the place of Steve Smith. As mentioned earlier, as all top order batsmen of England, except Alistair Cook, are right handers, Michael Clarke can always decide to roll his arm over. He is a formidable left arm spinner and with the ball turning away from the right handers, he could be a handful in the turning Old Trafford pitch.
If Ashes has to live up to its name, then Australia has to come back strong and offer a good fight against the English. But it won’t be that easy against a formidable English side in their top form. In a turning track at Old Trafford it would not be a lot of fun to face the spin duo of Swann and Panesar. James Anderson, England’s highest wicket taker in tests would be looking forward to swing the red cherry both ways in his home ground. If the Aussies pull up their act together and fight hard it would be an interesting third test in the Ashes, otherwise it will slip into one of those boring, lopsided affairs similar to what we witnessed at Lords ten days back.
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