Marcus North has demonstrated the bullish mood in the Australian camp by saying the team is “very confident” of winning the Ashes series.

The tourists are trailing 1-0 with two matches to play but the No.6 batsman thought his side had snatched back the momentum following this week’s draw at Birmingham.

North (96) played a major role in Australia resuscitating their fortunes in the series by putting on a telling 185-run stand with Michael Clarke (103no) at Edgbaston to thwart England’s tilt at victory.

Asked about Australia’s chances of winning at Headingley and The Oval, North was unequivocal before the clash at Leeds starting Friday.

“Very confident,” he said.

“We know if we play our best cricket we walk away winning Test matches against any team.

“We can take a lot of momentum and character and fight out of this Test match and hopefully that can set us up for the remaining two Tests.”

There had been question marks about North’s spot before the Edgbaston clash despite having scored two hundreds in his first four Tests.

Speculation surrounded Shane Watson possibly taking his spot at No.6 because of the allrounder’s impressive form in a practice match at Northampton.

Selectors opted to parachute Watson in at the top of the order at Phillip Hughes’ expense and North’s nerveless knock on the final day in Birmingham must surely have bought him some breathing space.

“The most important thing for me was to perform as consistently as possible and make sure there is no room for any talk of leaving me out of the team,” he said.

“So it was pleasing to follow up in the first Test with a few runs this Test.”

North, who has scored 399 runs at 49.87 in his opening five Tests, said his knock in Birmingham was up there with his centuries in Johannesburg and Cardiff.

That was because of the pressure he was under coming in with Australia four down and a lead of only 59 runs with the possibility of two and a half sessions to play on the final day.

“I think regardless of what the end score is, personally whenever you can make runs under pressure when the team needs them or in certain conditions I think that’s the most rewarding,” he said.

“If it ended up I only got 50 or 60 yesterday but did the job in those conditions in that pressure it’s pretty satisfying.

“It would have been nice to get that extra four runs but more importantly doing the job for the team is the most important thing.”

Considering the wet weather of late, the forecast for the Leeds Test is not too bad with the fourth day appearing to the only day that is expected to be severely disrupted by the elements.

Snapshot of day five of the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston:
SCORE – Australia 263 and 5-375; England 376
MAN OF THE MOMENT – Michael Clarke (103no). He combined with Marcus North (96) to put on 185 for the fifth wicket on the final day in three and a half hours to kill off England’s chances of victory. The captain-in-waiting is the leading runscorer in the series with 352 at 88.
KEY MOMENT – With Australia at 4-219, a lead of 106 runs and still 53 overs to play, skipper Andrew Strauss dropped a full-blooded pull shot off Clarke on 38. That let-off all but ended England’s slim chances on a deck not offering much for the seamers.
STAT OF THE DAY – 1. Number of Tests Ricky Ponting has won in England as captain from eight attempts.
QUOTE OF THE DAY – “When it is your day, it is your day.” Clarke explains his good fortune. He was dropped on 38, had the ball glance off his off-stump on 92 and was then caught off a no-ball on 96.
SUMMARY – Australia comfortably hold on in the final day with England unable to reproduce the sort of swing that devastated the tourists in the first innings at Lord’s and Edgbaston. Shane Watson (53) and Mike Hussey (64) set a solid foundation in the second innings before North and Clarke finished the job. The home side carry a 1-0 lead to the fourth Test in Headingley starting Friday.

© AAP 2012

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