Nobody really expected England to win as emphatically as they did in the first Ashes Test at Cardiff – we certainly didn’t. Suddenly, England find themselves in the position of being the favorites to win the Ashes – which just goes to prove the adage that cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties.
England would know very well that they cannot afford to rest on their laurels because the Australians will certainly come back at them and hit really hard. The fight-back from the Aussies begins today at Lord’s and England would know very well what they are in for.
The pitch at Lord’s should be more to the liking of Australian fast bowlers, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson and Jos Hazlewood – it seems to have a lot more grass on it, and should carry a plenty of pace and bounce. England should not mind that too much because they have a mean pace attack themselves – with James Anderson, Stuart Broad, the impressive young Mark Wood and of course, Ben Stokes – who is a brilliant fourth seamer to have.
England coach Trevor Bayliss has in fact singled out the young fast bowler Mark Wood for a lot of praise: “He’s a little bit of a joker. He always has a smile on his face. That type of approach rubs off on other people. But behind that he is one hell of a bowler as well. He can get the ball through at reasonably good pace, he moves the ball, he changes his angle on the crease, he makes the batter think and puts pressure on the batter. For him to come on after Broad and Anderson is one of the advantages we’ve got.”
It is also quite clear that the English and Australian players do not really like each other – a point emphasized by the rejection by Michael Clarke of England captain Alastair Cook’s offer of a beer following the end of the match at Cardiff. The supporters of both countries can’t stand losing to each other either, which is why the Ashes are so special.
For England, we expect more of the same. The same team that won so handsomely at Cardiff is expected to be retained, except that Moeen Ali has been struggling from a side strain. If Moeen is forced to miss out, he will be replaced by another spin bowling all-rounder, Adil Rashid, who will make his Test debut. This is pretty much a like-for-like replacement.
For Australia, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh and wicket-keeper Peter Nevill are almost certain to replace the misfiring Shane Watson and Brad Haddin, who is missing out for personal reasons. Mitchell Starc has thankfully recovered from his ankle injury and should retain his place, unless he fails the fitness test just before the start of the match. If Strac misses out, Peter Siddle would be a great replacement.
The Teams
England: 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Adam Lyth, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Joe Root, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Moeen Ali/Adil Rashid, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Mark Wood, 11 James Anderson
Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Chris Rogers, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Match Conditions
We certainly expect the pitch at Lord’s to have more carry and pace than the one at Cardiff. It has been raining in London over the past few days, so it is unlikely that the match will remain unaffected by rain. But generally, the forecast is good and the temperature is likely to be moderate. Fast bowlers should have a great time here at Lord’s.
Watch England take on Australia in the 2nd Ashes Test live on Star Sports at 3:30 PM IST, from 16th to 20th July.
Looking to place a bet on the action? Give these a try:
[table id=16 responsive=”tablet” /]
