Image courtesy of Moondyne via Wikimediacommons.com
After a disappointing start to the series and heading into the third test very much on the back foot, England will be looking for a change in fortunes in the early hours of tomorrow morning as they try to salvage their Ashes tour from 2-0 down.
England head into the third test with everything to do after consecutive losses in the first two tests of the series. The tourists will be bitterly disappointed after producing a promising fightback in Adelaide thanks to the bowling of James Anderson, only to suffer another batting collapse on the final day.
However, the tourists will not be too disheartened by their performances in the first two tests despite what the scoreline might suggest. Although Australia experienced a comfortable margin of victory on both occasions, there are definite weaknesses within the Australian side that the England team will be looking to exploit in Perth. Like their English counterparts the Australian batting line-up has not looked entirely convincing and has, at times, looked extremely vulnerable. England will take solace in the fact that they were able to dismiss Australia for just 138 in the day/night test match and will be looking to emulate that performance in Perth. England will be heading into this third test feeling like they have a point to prove and with steely determination knowing that if they lose this test then they have lost the series. As aforementioned it is the batsman in particular that need to pull out a much improved performance in Perth. One of the biggest issues England have faced with the bat so far is that no player has gone on to score a hundred, with players going on to make starts but being unsuccessful in turning them into bigger scores. One player who has had a particularly disappointing series with the bat so far is Alastair Cook whose highest score across the four innings has only been 34. However, for Cook, if ever there was an occasion to pull out a match winning performance, Perth would be it. The WACA marks the former captain’s 150th test and to emulate the incredible success he has enjoyed throughout his career would be the perfect way to mark the occasion.
The WACA has been a difficult venue for the tourists over the years particular in terms of batting, however England are determined to put their past demons behind them and sway the momentum in their favour at Perth, something they will hope to carry through to the end of the series. Perth is the pivotal moment in the series for England and as such they will be putting everything into this test in order to keep their Ashes hopes alive.
In contrast, Australia will be hoping to continue their winning streak and wrap up the series quickly with victory at Perth. Whilst the home side are firmly in the driving seat as the series stands, they know that any form of slip up could be costly and will have their hopes pinned not only on winning the urn but also in a crushing whitewash of their English rivals. The Australians have been particularly strong with the ball throughout the series, with Mitchell Starc in particular being a key component in the home side’s exploitation of the weaknesses in England’s batting line up. The strong attack of Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood has been a decisive factor so far, managing to dismiss the tourists for under 300 on three of the four occasions. In contrast, however, whilst the Australian batsman have enjoyed individual displays of brilliance the line up, as a whole, has been less convincing. In the first test it was Steven Smith who stepped up to the mark and in the second Shaun Marsh provided fans with a stunning hundred, however as previously mentioned the team failed to put up out a convincing performance in the second innings of the Adelaide test showing that there are weaknesses there for the England bowlers to exploit. It is that aspect of the Australian side in particular that offers England the largest glimmer of hope in reviving the series in their favour and as such, Australia will need to put on a confident batting display across the board when they take to the crease at the WACA.
Whilst the odds are firmly in favour of the Australian side, England have shown a certain degree of grit and determination in the previous two tests that suggests victory and a turn around, whilst unlikely, is not impossible. Both sides will need to up their games in the final three tests of the series and more players will need to step up to the mark in order to give their side the best chance of winning. With the third test looming ever closer, it is anyone’s call as to who will come out on top, but if the first two tests have shown us anything, the one thing that is certain iis that the next five days will be an explosive and highly competitive affair.