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The Ashes set to go down to the wire as vultures circle Clarke

The fifth test at The Oval will be the last hurrah for Australian captain Michael Clarke. (AFP PHOTO / GEOFF CADDICK)
Expert
31st July, 2015
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3988 Reads

Michael Clarke is fortunate that the Australian side he leads has shed so much experience in the past month – and is set to lose more when Chris Rogers retires at the end of this Ashes series.

The Australian selectors are unlikely to jettison Clarke in the wake of the retirement of Ryan Harris, the dropping of former vice captains Brad Haddin and Shane Watson, and the impending departure of veteran Rogers.

They surely will be concerned that losing a fifth player with vast experience in Clarke would run the risk of leaving the side too raw.

Australia have been keenly avoiding generational change for 18 months now. The decisions to move on Watson and Haddin should have been made at least a year ago to allow for the staged rejuvenation of the side.

Instead, the change is happening so suddenly that they now cannot afford to drop Clarke, despite his form the past 18 months suggesting he may well be finished as a Test batsman.

They have a perfect replacement for him as skipper in Steve Smith. Who would take his batting position is less clear, assuming that Shaun Marsh will come into the side for the next Test at the expense of Adam Voges.

Clarke is having a nightmare series which only got uglier on Friday, as he dropped an edge from the bat of Ian Bell. The catch, if taken, would have set nerves jangling in the England changing room.

His typically astute and proactive captaincy has also been poor at times this series, in particular some curious misuse of his bowlers.

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The golden touches he once possessed tactically and with the blade made him the most valuable member of the Australian side as recently as two years ago. Heading into the last Ashes it seemed the entire hopes of the side rested on his faulty back.

Now he’s become one of the least effective members of the side, even considering his leadership.

At 2-1 down in this series, Australia desperately need more from their skipper – from their entire middle order in fact – if they are to avoiding giving back the urn.

England finally produced a typical UK pitch in this third Test after blunting their bowlers with dry decks in the opening two matches. Their pacemen relished the chance to operate in familiar conditions and scythed through Australia’s batting.

The loss to injury of spearhead James Anderson for the fourth Test will hurt England. Anderson has a phenomenal record at Trent Bridge and would have been a daunting opponent for Australia’s flighty top six.

But his absence shouldn’t make Australia favourites to level the series. After witnessing how Australia floundered on a seaming surface here, England surely will demand a Trent Bridge pitch with a similar amount of spice.

In such conditions Australia are always vulnerable. Making their task even more difficult is the astounding rhythm and newfound accuracy displayed by beanpole pacemen Steven Finn.

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Long possessed of the ability to take wickets, Finn’s weakness was that he offered up too many boundary balls in between those pearlers.

In this Test he confirmed what county cricket observers had been reporting – that he had significantly improved his control. Along with fellow giant Stuart Broad, he shapes as a lofty obstacle if Australia are to avoid defeat in this series.

This Ashes was never going to be a walkover for Australia, as much as the team’s diverging form lines leading up to series suggested it may be.

Australia have, however, proven once already this month that they can rebound ferociously from a humiliating loss. The difference is that this time they won’t have their rebounding efforts facilitated by a benign Lord’s deck which favoured them more than the home side.

To hold on to the Ashes, the tourists will have to prove that they can thrive in truly foreign conditions.

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