England have found themselves in an uncomfortable position after losing the first test of the Ashes 2019. In this article, we will see the 5 things that England must do ahead of the 2nd Test.
Ben Stokes runs in, bowls a perfect delivery that nips back in sharply trapping Pat Cummins in front of the stumps, and Stokes doesn’t even bother appealing. He knew he had his man! Cummins also knew he was out! The umpire raised his finger and Australia would have felt they were down and out as well. Eight down for just 122 on the board on Day 1 of the Test inside 44 overs.
What followed though was a masterclass from the best Test batsman – Steve Smith. He first ensured Australia had a total to bowl at, by scoring a ton in the good company of Peter Siddle. The Australian bowlers then nullified England’s good start and a Burns century by running through the lower half of the home side to keep the lead to just 90.
England had a chance but it was Smith who once again stood tall and became only the fifth Australian to score a ton in each innings of a Test. Matthew Wade rubbed it in with a Test ton after six years. In return, England were bundled out inside two sessions, with Nathan Lyon taking a 6-for.
England was in prime position at the end of Day 2 but couldn’t make the most of it and it wasn’t the first time this has happened. It was Sam Curran and the lower order who rescued them vs India on more than one occasion but in the first Test, it didn’t quite go to plan and they are now staring down a 0-1 series status.
So what are the areas that need England’s attention urgently? Let us see the 5 things England must do ahead of the 2nd Ashes Test.
1) Bat Big
It may not have been talked about much but a major part of England’s Test woes is the batting. They have batted more than 100 overs only 10 times out of the 34 times they have batted in Tests since 2018. It also has some embarrassing low scores like 58 vs New Zealand, 77 vs West Indies and the most recent, 85 against Ireland just a Test match ago. The last time they scored 400 was against India at The Oval back in September 2018.
They have had their trouble against Australia on their last tour. In the nine Test innings against them, they crossed 350 only twice. What has made matters worse is that England’s top order woes have continued to haunt them. Since 2016, their top three average just 32.21, only above Sri Lanka and West Indies.
It was this problem that prompted Root to bat at No. 3 and England will want more from their top order which would allow them to set up the platform for a big score and thereby bat big.
2) Define the role for Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali has had a rough time off late with an average of just 10 with the bat in the five Tests played in 2019, which is worse than his average of 19.14 from the seven he played in 2018. It has not helped matters that he has been played up and down the order far too often for him to have confidence about his batting and it is now starting to reflect in his bowling as well. He was dismissed as many as seven times by Nathan Lyon during the previous Ashes and in the first Test as well, Ali was out to him twice in two innings.
It’s imperative that he is backed by the management but they need to first decide what role does he best for the side. Ali has been among the wickets and looks at ease when he is bowling with Adil Rashid as the premier spinner which takes the pressure off him. Can England afford playing two spinners is a different conundrum but the team must decide if they want to give him a break or do what it takes to get him back to the free-flowing Moeen that he showed with his century against Sri Lanka back in 2014!
3) The Need for Pace
Mark Wood’s injury is a blow to England’s chances of having more than one genuine fast bowler in the ranks but as was evident in the first Test, they need the extra pace on surfaces which are slow and have little in them for the seamers. It would also help them bowl better against the lower half of the Australian batting line-up which could prove to be a decisive factor going forward.
The new ‘old’ Dukes ball plan has gone to the bin with Jimmy Anderson injured and ruled out of the second Test and hence England need to have options up their sleeve to offer more variety and to challenge the Australian batsmen on more fronts. Jofra Archer seems to be the obvious answer but England will have to monitor and look for more options to keep the workload light on Archer.
4) Find a way to get Steve Smith out cheaply
If only it was as easy as writing this but England couldn’t get him out for a low score when they toured Australia and now at home also, are struggling to get rid of the former Australian skipper. They have tried quite a few things but nothing seems to be working. Before the second Test, the England bowlers must chalk out as many plans as possible. From A to Z to ensure Smith is not back amongst the runs, he is the glue that holds this Australian side together and if they can get him early, it will go a long way in helping them regain control of both the series and the urn.
In terms of numbers, Smith is at his best in the second and third matches of a Test series with an average of 70.82 and 61.64 respectively (Minimum 10 Tests played) and hence England have their task cut out. It could be clutching at straws but there is one area that the hosts can exploit, his average against left-arm spin, 37.19 is the lowest for him against any particular type of bowler. Get Jack Leach on when Smith comes to the crease, he could be the answer to England’s biggest nemesis in recent times.
5) The Lord’s Worry
Since 1980, England have only beaten Australia twice in 11 attempts on the Lord’s ground. They have six losses, with the last one ending as a 405-run loss. It was the same venue where Australia outclassed them in the World Cup 2019 game and would have all the confidence going into the game with a win in the bank already.
With all the odds stacked against them, it is going to take something spectacular from the hosts to get back in the series and level it 1-1. Cricket though is a funny game, stranger things have happened, let’s not rule out anything, even a tie for that matter.
(About the Author: Nikhil is a passionate cricket writer who thrives on following the beautiful sport cricket and writes extensively on the same. Apart from that, he is a Potterhead till the end of time. He can be followed on Twitter @CricCrazyNIKS)
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