Rain prevented any play on day one of the second Test, but despite the persistent downpours the Lord’s wicket appears to be fairly dry. And that may just be music to the ears of Tim Paine and Justin Langer.
After a famous win at Edgbaston, the increased prospect of a second Test draw would mean Australia would simply need just one win at either Headingley, Old Trafford or The Oval to reclaim the Ashes.
Chasing the series, England know their best chance of success lies in exploiting Australia’s weakness against lateral movement (aside from a certain number four batsman).
To do this, they need surfaces that are likely to seam beyond the first morning. But will they be forthcoming? A recent heatwave across the UK has dried out many grounds, irrespective of the downpour last night.
At both Edgbaston and now Lord’s, players reported a certain dryness underneath the grass which, as we saw late in the first Test, brings spin into the game in the third and fourth innings.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. This year’s Ashes series is unusually late in the calendar, owing to the World Cup. In fact, on this date (August 15) in the 2015 series, the players had already played four Tests and were shaping up for The Oval finale.
Stuart Broad bowled well in the first Test. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
So do England’s hopes rest on green surfaces? Former captain Michael Vaughan thinks so: “For England to get back in the series they need Lord’s to zip around a bit, and they need the snicks to carry through,” he told Cricbuzz.
“They may have to gamble with a bit of green grass on the surface. I don’t see how they get back into the series without lateral movement. If the wickets are flat, (Australia) has quicker bowlers, and if it relies on spin, Australia has the best spinner, so England need lateral movement.”
Vaughan’s points are straightforward, yet pertinent. If the pitches are flatter and dryer than normally seen in an Ashes series, Australia’s extra pace in the form of Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc are likely to extract more from the wicket than the home side.
Jofra Archer is the only England bowler to consistently exceed 145km/h. When the pitches inevitably offer spin later on, Australia is again in the box seat via the over-spin and variations of Nathan Lyon, a prospect far more dangerous than that of Jack Leach.
The Somerset tweaker has a strong record in recent years in the County Championship, and has earned success through accuracy and consistency. But to expect he could bowl England to victory in the same way Lyon did at Edgbaston is unrealistic.
Of course, Australia is only 1-0 up in a series that’s only just begun. I wrote before the series that the biggest question mark over the side was how they would overcome lateral movement, something that’s undone touring Australian teams for over a decade.
But if pitches similar to Trent Bridge and Edgbaston of 2015 (where the Aussies were respectively skittled) don’t appear forthcoming, their superior pace and spin weapons solidify the favourite tag the visitors acquired after the first Test win.
There’s another argument that, should England be granted the green strips they so desire, Australia mightn’t be so poorly placed anyhow. While a top order collapse from the tourists is possible – or even probable – under such conditions, it is equally likely to undo England’s inexperienced top three.
It was, after all, a matter of weeks ago that Tim Murtagh’s 125km/h seam-upright spell completely undid Joe Root’s side, bowled out for just 85 by the visiting Ireland side.
Again, such conditions would likely exploit the Aussies, too. But in Jason Roy (two Tests), Joe Denly (four Tests) and Rory Burns (eight Tests), the home side hardly boast the experienced top order of yesteryear.
If the predicted rain at Lord’s for days three and four eventuates, Australia will head to Leeds maintaining their 1-0 lead. England may just be asking the Headingley groundsman to produce something spicy, because without it, they might just see their chance at regaining the urn start slipping away.
Paul
Roar Rookie
I think the measure of any team’s success is being able to win away under any conditions. I think the pitches should be safe for batsmen but regional variation is part of the game.
Censored Often
Roar Rookie
To be fair Jimmy Anderson admitted in an interview that this was exactly what the ECB had been doing previously. No sure Jimmy is allowed to speak to the press anymore....
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Smith and Labuchagne. I'd back them to snare or buy a wicket, but not run through a side like Lyon.
Paul
Roar Rookie
Do we have a part time spinner in the squad? Often it's the part time spinner who gets the job done, such as Border or Clarke can break up a spell and jag a wicket or two. They both had the benefit of being left arm orthodox mind you, but sometimes we just need something different after lunch on Day 5.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
"It can certainly be really frustrating when you have a beautiful fine morning that would have been great for cricket, but don’t start play until eleven, only for much of the afternoon to be washed out and you think there was all that nice cricket weather that got missed out on" Which is exactly the way it's looking for Day 3 (Friday). Rain hitting around 2pm. And that forecast has been fairly consistent for several days. The ICC Test Playing Conditions specifically make provision for extension of play though Chris, with extra time in the morning, unless it's not practical in which case it's added at the end. So really, all this series needs to do is align with the ICC playing conditions. Given Lord's would have sold out months ago, I expect patrons would have already set aside the day for the game and would be across an early start if announced the day before, so I can't see it being much of an inconvenience.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Yes. I wonder whether the Lord's groundsmen watered the pitch last night/are watering it early this morning, given the toss hasn't been held yet.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Yes that has been a real problem. For what ever reason, Shield tracks were being either under-prepared or maybe there were too many games too early in the season at the start, but it has had a real dampening effect on Australia producing batsmen posting decent scores consistently at domestic level. As you say, Tests have gone the other way because of the "need" to maximise the availability of the match days. Has simply produced relatively boring contests. Hence why we get so excited by D/N Tests with the orange ball because suddenly the bowlers are on top.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I think that's right Nudge. Who ever bats first (when conditions are best) and bowls last, probably has the only real chance to win. In fact I think the bowling last advantage likely only applies to Australia in any serious sense because we have Lyon who, if conditions suit, can bowl the team to victory. I doubt the same could be said for England with Leach. Since I posted earlier today, the forecast is now showing more cloud cover than previously, but Day 2 still looks better to bat than Days 3 and 4. Even though the Test looks likely to be a 3 and a half day game, IF Australia can score quickly tonight and roll England cheaply thereafter, I think a result is still achievable. It'll be tight, but plenty of Tests are decided on the fourth day.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
The wicket is hard, but conditions on Days 3 and 4 should suit swing. I still expect the Australians to extract some seam movement. The wicket may well suit Lyon on day 5. Conditions will be better to bat on Day 2 than Days 3 and 4, so in my view I can't see Australia being able to win if we bat second; I just can't see us getting the runs on the board in the 1st innings, with a sizeable lead, to avoid batting second.
HR
Roar Rookie
Not sure if you've seen it, but there's an interesting drainage system at the Chinnaswamy stadium in India (Sub Air) based on a system used for golfing greens, that runs subsurface drainage to dry the outfield really quickly. While it's raining they open up the subsurface pipes under vacuum to actively draw water down through the surface as it lands, and as soon as the rain stops and they've vacuumed out the water in the surface, they actually pump air up through the surface to dry off the grass. It's a lot quicker than the super-sopper or the rope. Possibly a bit expensive for most grounds though, especially some of the smaller ones over in the UK.
Nudge
Roar Rookie
Yep correct Brian. But it’s probably easier to draw the game if you bat first. You bowl first and the opposition make 300 and then you make 200, you’re in some trouble. For me a draw would be great for the Aussies, and I’d think we would retain the ashes. England need to win, so I’m tipping they’ll bowl even if it does look flat.
Peter Warrington
Guest
Good. We need to work out how to win on green tops. Going right back to SCG 76-7 we are vulnerable when it nips around
Brian
Guest
Its not incongruos you just get the hose out to get the outcome your after. that's what England will do
Brian
Guest
I agree in Australia we have had way too mnay roads based on a desire for the game to go 5 days. We have Shield games where sides struggle to make 250 and then Tests where both teams easily make 400
Jeffrey Dun
Roar Rookie
"....there had been improved drainage systems in a lot of the grounds." Chris, this explanation has been around for several years now. In the 2013 Ashes series the pitches were dry and spin friendly. The England commentators claimed that it was as a consequence of the improved drainage systems. The Australians were not buying this. They believed it was to assist Swann, who was the leading wicket taker for the series. In the following year against the Indians the first test at Trent Bridge was played on a dry lifeless pitch and the test was drawn. Again, claims were made that it was caused by the drainage, which was officially denied by the ECB. (The Australians noted that no official comment was provided about the dry turning decks prepared for the 2014 Ashes.) The next 4 tests against India were played on green seamers which England won 3 - 1. The dry lifeless Trent Bridge pitch of 2014 became a seamer's paradise in 2015. I suspect that pitch preparation is not an exact science and that things don't always go according to the curator's plan.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
To be fair, it was Broad who ripped through Australia 4 years ago at the Trent Bridge greentop with 8/15 to bowl Australia out for 60. So in the right conditions, Broad can certainly be the man. But over the last 4-5 years it's generally been Jimmy that's been bailing out England's otherwise faltering test side as he's got a bowling average of around 15 in England over that period of time.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
On the other side of things, f they decided to start early because there was forecast rain in the afternoon, then many of those "punters" might miss out on play because they rock up at eleven only to find play has already been going for a while. But yes, I agree, adding the extra half-hour on in the morning makes more sense. If further time is lost you can always keep tacking on more at the end of the day, but once the day is started you can't then tack on more at the start. It can certainly be really frustrating when you have a beautiful fine morning that would have been great for cricket, but don't start play until eleven, only for much of the afternoon to be washed out and you think there was all that nice cricket weather that got missed out on. But at the same time, you can't just move the playing hours around all over the place just to try and find the good weather. Can we all just agree that it's rather strange for England to invent a sport that can't be played when it's raining?
Brian
Guest
Except I thought the wicket was suppossed to be flat. If the wicket is flat and more rain is forecast isn't the only way to win the game for either side to bowl first. You need 20 wickets.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Definitely. When you are considering Ben Stokes, who averages 33.8 with the bat in test cricket, as the second-best batsman in your side, you have problems in the batting department.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Drainage is an interesting issue. It would be cool if there was a way to build drainage so that there are underlying pipes for the drainage which have valves that can be turned on or off, so that you can fully open it up for drainage when you get rain during a match and need to drain as quickly as possible, but the rest of the time, leave it all closed up so it doesn't drain away so quickly.