Resilience. In 2009, it was the main reason England regained the Ashes.
It’s true that England won at Melbourne in 2010 after losing in Perth, but the Perth loss felt like an aberration. England’s machine had shown an error message, and the techs fixed it at the first opportunity.
It was different in 2009. Australia played some anti-cricket, but were always in the contest. Andrew Flintoff’s absence for the fourth Test at Headingley prompted a bold move from the English selectors; five front-line bowlers. Five. When England were one-nil up in the series.
By the third day at Headingley, England was gone. The first two days were about as one-sided as the recent third Test.
England’s undermanned top six had shown a new-found (and alas temporary) weakness to bowling, and Ravi Bopara need to be replaced. Calls varied, from a desperate plea for the injured Kevin Pietersen, to Mark Ramprakash and Robert Key. All this was on top of the Freddie Hail Mary.
Oh, and some bloke called Jonathan Trott.
In the second innings, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann were back in their normal positions, James Anderson having been night watchman. The whisper of, “Batsman, batsman,” had been stilled. If they swung with only marginally better footwork than the Statue of Liberty, it didn’t matter.
So they swung. And they hit. Their partnership lasted 12.3 overs. The mid-off and cover boundaries all but bent over and requested an 18th century school headmaster.
Five overs of their partnership went in the following sequence: 16, 16, 16, 10 and 9.
The next over was a five-ball over. Wikipedia says that Test cricket in England between 1889-1899 used five-ball overs. Tailenders also didn’t last very long in that period. During the unintentional five-ball over, Broad’s tailender ancestors told him enough was enough. Understandably not wishing to offend the ghost of Dick Lilley, he honourably holed out off Peter Siddle.
Swann and Steve Harmison provided a bit more entertainment, but didn’t detract from the main story. Australia had levelled the series and looked the goods to retain the Ashes.
Broad was England’s best player in that match. He had taken his first five-wicket haul. At the Oval, he and Swann would rout Australia in the first innings.
Can Mitchell Starc use the Edgbaston match as a springboard in the same way Broad used that Headingley match? Starc bowls left-arm fast, has 72 Test wickets, a bowling average of 32.11, is a bowler of great spells, and bowls balls that would have troubled Sir Donald Bradman in his pomp.
Starc, on the back of his fifth half-century, may have had his confidence lifted by this match. He and Josh Hazlewood have been central to Adam Lyth’s lack of productivity.
However Starc has been too inconsistent thus far in the series. He took five wickets in Cardiff, but it felt as though he had done so by pinching Mitchell Johnson’s luck. Hazlewood has been better, though not by much. The temptation to pick Peter Siddle for Trent Bridge, where he took a five wicket haul in 2013, is large for the Australian selectors.
The problem with Starc and Hazlewood’s inconsistency is that it reduces the advantage Australia has with Johnson and Nathan Lyon in the team. While Starc and Hazlewood leak runs, Johnson and Lyon have to be used more defensively.
Of course, picking on the bowlers after Edgbaston is unfair. It’s like being the teacher who chastises the good student for an error while ignoring the troublemaker’s comparatively much larger error. Michael Clarke was brutal in his self-appraisal after the match. The law of averages suggest he will make at least one significant score in the series. At least now he can look in the mirror and tell his demons that he can’t bat any worse, so shut up.
James Anderson’s enforced absence rids England of their Nottingham specialist, but Mark Wood’s (he of the law of diminishing returns) most recent act as a Test bowler was removing Clarke in the first innings at Lord’s. The old firm of Anderson and Broad have dismissed Clarke only once between them.
It’ll be impossible not to feel for Adam Voges if he doesn’t play at Nottingham. He came in through weight of first-class runs, and he’s a good fielder. However Australia isn’t in the position England is in with Adam Lyth. Shaun Marsh will probably come in. After all, while he might not be the answer to Australia’s problems and it would be unfair to expect the impact Trott had in 2009, he has performed in the tour matches.
Like England in 2009, Australia have shown they are capable of fighting back from a heavy defeat. With sensible changes and a better performance, the series can be leveled in Nottingham. Losing two Tests in a five-match series isn’t a problem if you win the other three. England’s attack won’t turn into bubblebath salesmen without James Anderson. However, England looked unbalanced without Flintoff in 2009. The same is true for England’s attack sans-Anderson. Here’s hoping he’ll be fit enough to take his place at The Oval – it’s never nice seeing a player denied matches through injury.
Australia are teetering right on the edge of the precipice. England are smirking at them. On the lookout, Fleet Street scribbles away. However, Australia can still drag England to the edge by The Oval. In my last article, I said that it was “folly to doubt England’s ability to fight back”.
That applies equally to Australia.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Shaun Marsh is a player with a history of being picked for every reason under the Sun other than scoring runs. However, for the first time in his career he's actually scored the runs to back up this call-up, and is in top form and does deserve to be picked for this next test. The fact that so many previous times he has been picked he didn't deserve to be shouldn't stop him from being picked when he actually does. Voges was selected as the old pro in career best form who could come in and be really solid and consistent in the middle order. He hasn't been able to do that, and that type of selection doesn't and shouldn't get the same number of chances others might get. If he can't do that job he needs to give way for someone else. And Marsh is in great form, he was unlucky to get overlooked for Voges in the first place and has to come in now.
Andy
Guest
Remember when shield cricket actually mattered and was a good indication on how a guy would play at international level? Now its almost a joke.
Brendon
Guest
Nah. If Australia lose at Trent Bridge and the Ashes and Watto got selected for the dead rubber at The Oval he'd score big like he did last time.
World in Cricket
Guest
I bet if Watto was included (although he won't be) he'd do well in this next test - just a gut feeling. I'm a fan of Mitch Marsh but he really under performed at Edgbaston. Watson for Clarke and Steve Smith captain? It won't happen but I don't mind that, along with Shaun Marsh for Voges.
World in Union
Guest
Actually we only need to win one test and draw the other to retain the Ashes
Nudge
Guest
You've proven my point bear fax. We are picking a team to win a test in 4 days times. Marsh is clearly in way better recent form to score runs.
colinp
Guest
v v good off the top of my head
colinp
Guest
trent bridge always swings, but despite that they prepared a horrible dead pitch last year and were subsequently fined in a high profile manner. i dont expect that will happen again. Edgbaston was a product of the weather, v heavy rain in the run in, nothing to do with the groundsman...typical english weather, typical english pitch...notts is further north, hopefully more wet weather to come
Bearfax
Guest
Thing is Shaun Marsh has a great PR team not only here but amongst some former players who want him to succeed. But wanting is not achieving. You will in fact find Marsh is high in the list but no where near the best. Marsh had a fine 2014-5 season scoring 695 runs from 15 innings at an average of 63.18. However in the 2013-4 season he scored 401 runs from 12 innings at 33.4. Combined over the past 2 seasons he is averaging 47.65. However Voges for example scored 1219 runs in the 2014-5 Shield season over 19 innings at 93.77. In the 2013-4 Shield season Voges scored 809 runs from 16 innings at 57.79. Combined over the two shield seasons he averaged 75.11. Voges is going through a tough trot but who is the better batsman, the man who has dominated the past 2 seasons and is averaging 40 at test cricket and 46.1 at first class cricket or Marsh who is averaging 35.8 at tests and 39.2 in first class cricket. We forget too quickly Nudge...we forget too quickly
Grand Armee
Guest
What is Broad's average at Trent Bridge? Isn't that his home ground?
robw
Guest
We are from England, but we are called English...
robw
Guest
What'sy your obsessionw with Pork??
Nudge
Guest
Bearfax I think if you rattle off Shaun marsh's first class scores in the past 12-18 months you might find that he is the most prolific first class batsman in Australia behind Smith. It's about winning the ashes mate and Voges sadly can't hit them off the square and Shaun Marsh in his last 6 or so innings is hitting 100's for fun.
Wallaby thrasher
Guest
How are the inept batters against swing & the spaying bowlers going to get a draw?
Wallaby thrasher
Guest
Yes! If the one eyed McGrath thinks that then you are doomed!
Wallaby thrasher
Guest
No. They will go for similar pitch to Edgebaston . Even workmanlike English swing bowler will exploit Australia's flat track bully batsmen back to hutch in double quick time
Wallaby thrasher
Guest
'Australia should win'! How many times about how many sports have we heard that followed by crushing Australian defeat? Look, Even a workman like English swing bowler at Trent Bridge will have Australia's batsmen, who can only bat in Australian conditions going back to the sheds double quick
Wallaby thrasher
Guest
But Australia won't get either of those champ.
Wallaby thrasher
Guest
Very true
Bearfax
Guest
Rob I've got no doubt Shaun Marsh is a talented batsman. He may even have addressed his flaws. But he is far from the best option available for our test team with a test average under 36 after 25 innings. Identifying 50+ innings every four innings is fine if he was scoring reasonable scores when under 50. But scoring 50s at that rate is not that great especially when you consider the scores under 50 At present Marsh is scoring 50s at a little over once every four innings (4.2). Watson scores them at 4.5 not much worse. Rogers is scoring them at 2.5, Smith at 2.7, Warner at 2.6 and Clarke at 3.5. But then you have to look at those under 50 scores. They read as follows 18, 44, 0, 0, 3, 0, 11, 3, 0, 44, 0, 0, 32, 17, 32, 1. One of those was a not out score but overall he is averaging 13.67 if he doesnt reach 50. Little wonder his test average is only 35.76. Watson's average (and remember he is an all rounder) is only slightly worse at 35.19. Its those figures that make Shaun Marsh a risk at best. He may come good, but his figures to date suggest otherwise. Voges on the other hand has only had 7 innings and one was a century. Sure he has been unreliable since then but he's still averaging over 18 for under 50 scores and has a test average of 40. Add to that a much better first class average and I would suggest he deserves a further chance, which is still less than the number of chances Marsh has received. Voges, based on past performances at first class level is more likely to win you a match than Marsh.