Image courtesy of Rajiv Bhuttan via Flickr.com
With Australia having drawn first blood in the opening test in Brisbane, England will be looking towards the day/night Test in the early hours of tomorrow morning to try and level the series.
Australia cruised to a 10 wicket victory during the first test of the series, having managed to bowl the visitors out for 195, a margin of victory that didn’t reflect the exciting and tightly fought contest that had been the story of the first three days. England will be bitterly disappointed by their missed opportunities at the GABBA, a ground that has been notoriously difficult for the touring side, and will be hoping for a turn in fortunes this time round. For England, what was perhaps most disappointing in the first test was their batting performance in the second innings with only Joe Root making it past 50. Whilst Cook’s form is a little bit of a concern for the tourists, so too will the number of players getting starts and not converting those into 50s and 100s. Whilst England cannot solely rely on him to anchor their innings, there will be hope that Root in particular, if he is going to emulate the success of his Australian counterpart Steven Smith, will convert more of his double figure scores into triple figures. Even with the absence of the fire power of Ben Stokes in the middle order, England have a competent and long batting line-up which will need to put out a stronger performance if they are to compete in this Ashes series.
Similarly, the tourists will also be looking to improve their work in the field, particularly in the period when the ball is older before the new ball can be taken. England will be pleased with their performance in the first innings, restricting Australia to 76 for 4 and will be hoping to emulate that discipline in the second test. One of the greatest challenges the side faces, like many international sides at the moment, is that they need to figure out Smith’s weaknesses and aim to exploit them. Without Smith’s impact in the first test Australia and England could have found themselves in very different positions and, whilst there is certainly a lot of talent in Australia’s batting line-up, it is Smith who has been the core of it for some time now and has the ability to take a game away or save it. With Craig Overton having been named in the squad for tomorrow’s test it will be interesting to see whether England opt for the Somerset bowler or stick with Jake Ball who didn’t particularly make much of an impact in the first test. Whoever is chosen both he and Chris Woakes will need to put out a strong performance in order to make up for the potential absence of Moeen Ali’s bowling (who may not be able to bowl due to injury) and to help share the workload with their fellow bowlers without any let up for the Australian batsmen. James Anderson and Stuart Broad, as is always the case, will be crucial and their pivotal and successful role as opening bowlers will be both challenged and enhanced by the differing conditions of this test. The England bowlers in particular should be looking towards the day/nighter as an opportunity to exploit what should be slightly more familiar conditions than they will experience at the other test grounds.
In the case of Australia, whilst they will be pleased to have claimed the first test and the lead in the series, they will not be resting on their laurels heading into the second test, especially considering until day 3 the game was in the balance. In terms of their batting, as aforementioned, it was Smith who was the crucial component in Australia’s batting line-up, saving them from 76 for 4. Both Cameron Bancroft and David Warner also proved to be in good form with the bat in the second innings and will be looking to recreate that performance in the second test. In terms of their bowling display it was a very similar story to England, at times they were clinical, bowling tight lines and at others, they were a little bit loose and without rhythm. Pat Cummins was particularly impressive during the first test and will once again be, alongside Mitchell Starc, a key component if Australia are going to continue their winning streak into the second test. The fragility of Australia’s batting line-up in the first innings, bar that of Smith, highlights the additional need for Australia’s bowlers to be on top form throughout the test match and the series. In a game in which ball will most likely dominate the bat, strong and smart bowling from Cummins and Starc could be crucial.
This test match in particular (arguably) places a lot of emphasis on both bowling units as the only day/night test match in the series. With the addition of the lights and the slight difference of the pink ball, the bowlers can and should be using the different conditions to their advantage to place pressure on the batsman and to test their skills, particularly in the transition period as the light begins to fade and the floodlights come into play a little more. If previous day/night test matches are anything to go by then the ball should nip around a bit more and many batsman have noted how it takes a few overs for their sight to adjust to the pink ball. For both sides day/night test cricket is, obviously, relatively new territory. Australia will be playing in their fourth day/night test match since the formats inception in 2015, whilst England will be competing in only their second game, the first being against West Indies earlier this year. What certainly could be a decisive factor within this second test is the toss. Whereas within a regular test the conditions have the potential to be relatively similar throughout the entirety of the days play, for day/night test cricket the fluctuating conditions means that the importance of the toss, perhaps, plays a bigger role and the need for strong tactics and strategy becomes paramount.
This test, for many people, is regarded as one of the crucial moments in the series. If England lose, it will be very hard to come back from 2-0 to win or draw the series. Whilst many favour Australia in the second test, the two sides are still relatively equally and both have glaringly obvious strengths and weaknesses, both displaying a defiant strength of character and also displaying a certain fragility. Over the past year both have had defining performances, both have cruised to victory and both have suffered collapses and defeat. The fact that this test is a day/night test match only further levels the playing field and it is anyone’s guess as to what will happen. The two sides will need seize their opportunities in this test match and make the most of the opportunities that the conditions gift them.
One thing is for sure, the first day/night Ashes test match is sure to be filled with fireworks and character which will hopefully translate into a highly competitive, tightly fought and exciting contest between the two sides.
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