Ashes 2013
Good first day, horrific second day… again
December 6th 2013
This series
is beginning to look more horribly one-sided by the day. At least in 2006/07
England could say that they dominated the first three days at Adelaide before
finally succumbing to a great Australian side. After having the better of the
first day, the second was as bad as anything in 2006/07. Dropped catches,
missed run-outs and, when an early wicket would have given England a real
chance to dismiss Australia for a sub-par score, a partnership of 200 took the
game away from England. From 457-5, Australia slipped to 483-8: keep them to
under 500? Not a chance! Haddin, Harris and Lyon added 87 for the last two
wickets in the final, will-sapping insult.
All the
problems of the 1st Test are back: lack of energy, lack of
imagination and lack of fight. After a much better first day it is a bitter
pill to swallow. England are much better than this.
There is no
question that Australia are the better side by a distance and that England will
struggle to avoid being 3-0 down after the Perth Test. Inevitably there will be
the calls to drop everyone. Graeme Swann, who did so much to win the summer
series, is having a series as poor as 2010/11 but, even then, he produced one
match-winning performance. Alistair Cook, who dominated in 2010/11, is looking
a shadow of his former self – when you lop off a side’s head, the body struggles
to resist and Australia making life difficult for Cook.
However,
this side is already looking very different to the one that played the majority
of the series in the summer. There are three changes of personnel and one
positional change which, in the Andy Flower era, amounts to a real earthquake.
You can make too many changes and just end up destabilising the side in trying
to refresh it.
Right now
the side’s chances depend on Carberry – lucky to be picked in many people’s
book – and Joe Root – who has gone from being the golden boy of the side to
looking in a real slump. They have to get England well past 100 and see of
Harris and Johnson if England are to save the follow on and make a bid for a
fighting draw. Right now the number one priority is to stop the slide and force
Australia to work hard and sweat for every wicket, knowing that the 3rd
Test follows this one immediately. If either batsman falls cheaply, the end
could be mercifully quick. The fact that Michael Carberry, who started the tour
in such imperious form, has hardly scored a run since is not comforting. With
the debutant, Stokes, at 6 and the run-less Matt Prior at 7, the follow-on
target of 371 looks a long, long way away.
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