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Three Tests into this Ashes series, I have cast my eye over the performances of all players involved, ranking them in order from 1 to 27 as well as giving a rating out of 10 for each.
1. Ian Bell
2. Peter Siddle
3. Graeme Swann
4. James Anderson
5. Ryan Harris
6. Michael Clarke
7. Joe Root
8. Steve Smith
9. Kevin Pietersen
10. Stuart Broad
11. Mitchell Starc
12. Tim Bresnan
13. Chris Rogers
14. Jonny Bairstow
15. Brad Haddin
16. Ashton Agar
17. Shane Watson
18. Usman Khawaja
19. Alastair Cook
20. Jonathan Trott
21. Matt Prior
22. David Warner
23. Phil Hughes
24. James Pattinson
25. Steven Finn
26. Nathan Lyon
27. Ed Cowan
Australia:
Siddle (9) – The tenacious Victorian has made a mockery of pre-Ashes slander from both sides of the hemisphere which painted him as a wholehearted but limited paceman.
Despite continually being denied the luxury of taking the new ball Siddle has tormented England’s faltering top order with 16 wickets at an average of 22.
Harris (8.5) – England’s batsmen will be praying the physically fragile Harris suffers one of his patented breakdowns to spare them further misery at the hands of the 33-year-old quick.
Utilising an in-between length which has often seen the English batsmen caught on the crease, Harris’ 11 wickets at 18 in the past two matches have cemented his stature as one of the elite bowlers in Test cricket.
Clarke (7.5) – Despite his epic innings of 187 at Old Trafford, inclement weather robbed the Aussie skipper of the chance to lead his side to a series-awakening triump.
As sublime as Clarke’s knock was, it did not erase his failures in the opening two Tests when Australia’s batting line-up floundered in the absence of his masterful input.
Starc (6) – Perhaps the most difficult player to judge on either side, the rangy left-arm paceman has been fickle in performance yet has posted respectable figures.
His return of eight wickets at 27 flatters to deceive, considering his inability to maintain anything resembling a consistent line and length. But, when you factor in his batting average of 26, his overall contribution has been solid.
Smith (6) – The greatest indication of Smith’s improvement as a Test player has come in the form of begrudging respect from English pundits who had written him off as a comically-inept batsman with a technique more flawed than Hot Spot.
The 24-year-old is still far from the finished article, but he has contributed two crucial half-centuries among his 181 runs at 30 to go with four bonus wickets.
Rogers (5) – The veteran opener did not match expectations that he would take to Ashes cricket calmly, struggling in the first two Tests and subsequently conceding he had placed excessive pressure on himself.
His assertive knock of 84 in the first dig at Manchester set the mood for a wounded Aussie side in desperate need of momentum and suggested he may yet become a damaging Test performer.
Haddin (5) – The keeper’s confidence with the gloves was so low in the opening two Tests he repeatedly allowed regulation edges to lob between he and first slip.
One of those missed chances allowed Joe Root to score an extra 172 runs. But the 35-year-old saved his Test career with a revitalised showing at Old Trafford where he kept neatly and cracked a freewheeling 65 not out in the first innings.
Khawaja (5) – How do you factor Khawaja’s egregious caught behind dismissal at Manchester into an analysis of his performance?
I have chosen simply to omit it. In that case his 92 runs at an average of 31, including a mature and circumspect half century in difficult circumstances at Lord’s, barely earn him a pass mark.
Watson (4) – No player has endured greater scrutiny of their efforts in this series. The powerful all-rounder has continued a maddening pattern of wasting starts with the bat, although it should be noted he is still averaging more than Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior.
His bowling return of 1-114 from 61 overs does not appropriately illustrate the value of his frugal efforts with the ball.
Agar (4) – Prematurely thrust into the searing pressure of an away Ashes series, Agar promptly blinded his opponents and cricket followers with an innings of bewildering brilliance.
However the precocious teenager failed to discharge his primary duties as the side’s frontline spinner, snaring just two wickets in as many Tests as he struggled to deceive the Poms.
Pattinson (3) – The fiery quick operated with a noticeable reduction in pace and venom prior to suffering a series-ending back injury at Lord’s.
His haul of seven wickets at 44 was underwhelming for a paceman who was predicted by many, including myself, to terrorise England’s batsmen. Pattinson chipped in with a handy 72 runs at 36, further underlining his prodigious all-round talent.
Warner (2) – The bombastic batsman looked a far more threatening prospect in the second innings at Old Trafford when reinstated to the top of the order.
It is not clear, however, whether that improved effort was related to his position in the batting order or the distinct absence of pressure due to Australia’s ascendant position in the match.
Hughes (2) – His impressive knock of 81 not out in the series opener proved to be yet another false dawn as the left hander scored just a single run in his following three innings before being dumped from the side once more.
His flawed approaches to combating swing and spin left him perpetually vulnerable at the crease.
Lyon (1) – Sporting an overhauled action, the off-spinner looked to have remedied his problem with flat trajectory as he confounded Cook and Root in a terrific 10-over stint on the second day at Manchester.
All it took was a brief yet brutal onslaught from Pietersen the following day to force Lyon to retreat to a less adventurous and less threatening strategy.
Cowan (1) – The combative Tasmanian belied his typically circumspect approach to first-class batting in the series opener, twice gifting his wicket to the Poms with cavalier strokes.
His series appears to be over but, as a favourite of Clarke and the selectors, early-season runs in the Sheffield Shield may yet see him earn a reprieve in the return Ashes contest down under.
England:
Bell (9) – It is easy to forget the classical strokemaker entered the series with his position in the England side in jeopardy.
Bell has been the sole stabilising force in an English batting line-up that has been largely tamed by Australia’s quicks, piling up 381 runs at 76.
Swann (8.5) – The flamboyant tweaker rebounded from a lacklustre effort in the first Test to reap 15 wickets in the past two matches.
On a docile Old Trafford pitch, Swann was the only English bowler who troubled the Australian batsmen as they racked up a massive first innings total.
Anderson (8) – The best exponent of reverse swing in world cricket, Anderson proved a constant threat with the new or old ball in the first two Tests.
He was, however, a much less destructive force at Manchester where the ball rarely moved once its age exceeded 25 overs.
Root (7) – The young opener is flattered by his series return of 242 runs at 48. If not for two of the worst missed catches by Australia in recent years, at Lord’s and Old Trafford, Root would be averaging just 10 from his six innings.
His talent is undoubted but England appears to have missed a trick by not allowing him to develop in the middle order.
Pietersen (6) – In a foreboding sign for the touring side, the aggressive South African has finally struck form.
Pietersen has a phenomenal Ashes record, and in the wake of innuendo he has been using silicone tape to cheat Hot Spot he will be determined to capitalise on his regained touch in the final two Tests.
Broad (6) – The smug paceman has been pacified by the brittle Australian batting line-up, taking just six wickets at the inflated average of 52.
Broad has made up for these shortcomings with a string of handy innings in the lower order where he has scored 154 runs at 38.
Bresnan (6) – After being overlooked for the first Test in favour of Finn, the Yorkshire quick has solidified his place in the side with competent, if unspectacular, displays at Lord’s and Old Trafford.
A canny operator, Bresnan has made several timely breakthroughs.
Bairstow (5.5) – Possessing a faulty technique, Bairstow has rarely looked set at the crease due to the manner in which his heavy bottom hand so often sees him play across the line of the ball.
Despite an average of 32 this series, he faces a stiff challenge to hold his number six spot for the return Ashes battle in Australia.
Trott (2) – England’s obdurate first drop is enduring the most disastrous series of his impressive career.
Australia’s potent pace pair Harris and Siddle have dislodged him five times out of six innings. Uncharacteristically, Trott has several times donated his wicket to the Aussies with lazy, half-hearted strokes.
Cook (2) – It is hard to judge which has been worse – Cook’s inept batting or his meek, reactive captaincy.
Harris, Siddle, Watson and Starc have all troubled the English skipper, who has a highest score of 62 among his 145 runs at 24.
In the field, Cook has often made batting a simpler task for the Aussies with defensive fields which allowed fresh batsmen to nudge easy singles as they felt their way into an innings.
Prior (2) – Prior’s ordinary keeping has largely escaped notice because it has compared favourably with the shoddy glovework of his opposite number Haddin.
But something is clearly amiss with the man who only months ago was being billed as arguably the best keeper-batsman in Test cricket. He has also been ineffectual with the bat, averaging just 17 as he has repeatedly fallen into traps set by the Aussies.
Finn (1) – The beanpole quick was thrashed at 4.7 runs per over by the weak Aussie batting line-up in the series opener and was rightfully dumped. Finn’s profligacy makes him unsuitable for Test cricket.
Glenn Mitchell’s Fourth Test preview