*THE ASHES- ENGLAND VS AUSTRALIA- 2nd TEST PREVIEW: ICC WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP*
*THE BUILD UP:*
*HUNGRY AUSSIES HEAD TOWARDS LORDS AGAINST AN EXTRA AGGRESIVE ENGLISH SIDE WAITING FOR THEM IN THE WINGS:*
We still cannot get enough of what we saw on Day 5 of the Final Ashes test. It was a miracle of sorts, that tried captivating every emotion that runs inside the mind of a cricket fan. The greatest rivalry of this sport lived upto its reputation and England’s much hyped Aggresive approach was on the line. They entertained bigtime but lost the opening in what could be a crucial few weeks for both sides.
Both Baz and Stokes were keen on emphasising how they expect England to play their cricket and they are likely to come harder at the Aussies at the iconic Lords, which has been home to so many memorable encounters over the years. Is another one in the line? Only time will give us an answer to that.
What worked for Australia bigtime was how they never quite panicked looking at England going about their business. The men from downunder were calm, composed and collective. Critics claimed them to be extra defensive but it all worked out extremely well for them at the end. Starting from the heroics of an all time great Nathan Lyon, to the grit of Khawaja, the courage of the keeper batter in Carey and the allround package of Cummins, who finished the game with 2 wickets remaining- everything was magical and come Lords, the Cummins led side which were recently crowned the WTC champions would not like to be complacent in their approach. Their ruthless style of play is something that people are a fan of, around the world and sticking to that can take them 2-0 up in the Ashes series.
*ENGLAND PROBABLE XI:*
England have already announced their XI with Josh Tongue replacing Moeen Ali, to be the only change from last week’s historical test match.
Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jonny Bairstow(wk), Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, Joshua Tongue, James Anderson
Jimmy had a game to forget last time and this is a statement which ideally we don’t get to hear. He’d be eager to make a return and go hard at the Aussies on what looks like a green pitch from what the photos have to offer. Anderson boasts of a stellar record here at Lords averaging in the early 20s and we could be in for a comeback from worlds greatest swing bowler here.
Stokes is leading England’s greatest batting revolution, changing their approach and making them a side to remember. From what we witnessed last week, England were treated well with the pitch being on the flatter side but a change is expected this time around. If the grass is not cut till tomorrow, the likes of Crawley, Duckett and Brook will be up for a stern challenge on a green seamer against possibly the best troika of pacers that Australia have. The greatest batter of this English lineup could drop anchor and play his natural game in order to arrest an collapse which can be a likely outcome if England bat first. Joe Root is going to be in the limelight once again.
Excited to watch Ollie Robinson after all the verbal and press drama that he has been engaged with. A show with the red cherry in hand will prove to be enough to keep the opponents quiet for a while. What would be seen as a challenge to him would be his drop in pace. He was busy bowling bouncers at 124kmph and did not look threatening. Though he did get the better of a few set batters, england would hope that he gets back to his supreme best on this green top, where he can really make the ball talk with ease. Looking forward to his battle vs Marnus, as the latter looked clueless against the medium pacer prior to the Ashes in the County games.
*AUSTRALIA PROBABLE XI:*
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(wk), Pat Cummins(c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland
Hard to look past Boland as Starc might have to sit out at Lords too. Undoubtedly Boland did not have the greatest of games at Edgbaston but so was the scene with Hazlewood and given the nature of the surface that was laid out for the first test, it would be harsh to judge the skiddy Aussie’s performance. We have seen what he can cook on green tops as he was instrumental in Australia’s Ashes win at the G as well, which was again a bowling friendly surface. England looked at attacking him from the onset GO and it could be due to them seeing him as a threat after everything that he has been producing in Tests lately. I feel he should continue being a part of the setup because he offers something different than the rest and is dead accurate. Lots of people are going to change their minds after they see him crushing the English batters here in London.
The two batting geniuses of our generation with a rich history here in England failed to make it count previously and recorded twin failures. It was seen as a miracle because when Smith fails, Marnus strikes and the other way round but things did not go according to plan the last time. The two superstars Smudge and Marn, with the kind of dedication they have towards their game, would have already started to plot how they are going to tackle the English quicks this time around. Marnus was bullied by Broad who is coming off an excellent run at Birmingham and what happens in their battle could once again prove to be fatal for either of the sides. The last time Labuschagne played at Lords, he had to walk out as the concussion substitute to Steve Smith and he will be having happy memories after what was an incredible draw. Eyeing a return from these two batting giants as England’s main priority would be to shut them off for one more time.
Nathan Lyon, all set to play his 100th consecutive test match will be eyeing big 5 days starting from tomorrow. He bowled like a dream last game, getting 8 English batters in his pocket and playing the role of the controller nicely. Most of them tried to go hard at him, attacking and playing Aggresive cricket and the number of runs he leaked shows this approach of England but Lyon was smart enough to lure them into wicket taking shots and trap them with his experience. Don’t see England backing away from this soon so Lyon will be in contention of getting the most wickets again.
*MY PREDICTIONS FOR THE GAME:*
*FOR ENGLAND:*
Highest run getter- Joe Root/Johnny Bairstow
Highest wicket taker- Jimmy Anderson/Stuard Broad
*FOR AUS:*
Highest run getter- Usman Khawaja/Marnus Labuschagne
Highest wicket taker- Scott Boland/Nathan Lyon
*FOR THIS GAME:*
Aus to win and go 2-0 up in this series.