5 talking points from the 3rd Ashes Test

This Ashes series has been swinging from one end to the other like a pendulum. England won one, when no one gave them a chance and won it well. Australia then pulled one back and thumped England when the momentum was going the other way.England then came back from looking down and out and losing by more than 400 runs to beat Australia again. Such have been the times that if you are an English fan, you will dread the fourth Test, because the last three times prior to this when England won a Test, they lost the next one. But, they have incentive too, because if they can break the pattern, and win the next, the Urn and the bragging rights are theirs.They certainly have the team to do it. England has problems and so does Australia. But the pitch in Edgbaston was one hell of a leveller, aiding the good batsman, like Ian Bell proved with value for shots and class. It aided the good bowlers, like Steven Finn and Mitchell Johnson with the ball moving right through and troubling the batsman.In many ways, it was an excellent Test match pitch and it was a shame the match ended within three days, more so because of the lack of application from the batsmen than any unplayable demons in the pitch. This is also a good time to look at the five talking points from this game.

#5 Adam Lyth\'s place in the side

Will he get the axe?

Lyth has had three games but he hasn’t showed anything that could make England feel they can stick to him for some more time. He looks tentative and nervous and has been primarily responsible for putting the England middle order under pressure each time.

In this Test too, Lyth has had scores of 10 and 12 and that doesn’t augur well. England don’t have too many options either. Ballance has reportedly found some form playing for Yorkshire and has more experience than Lyth facing the Australian fast bowlers but one wonders if England would take the drastic decision of replacing the latter with the former.

England cannot afford to lose a wicket early each time they walk in. Jonny Bairstow got a brute of a bouncer in the only innings he got and will hold on to his place at No.5. Yet, the exact position that he will walk in next time isn’t a surety. Lyth averages 22.2 in 10 innings which for an opener is just not impressive enough. England have much to think about there, given their middle order finally seems to have a good feel about it!

#4 James Anderson is England\'s best ever by a distance

Anderson is well and truly back

There is a reason why no one tires ofcomparing James Anderson with Dale Steyn. While Steyn is ahead of Anderson on most counts, Anderson showed his class against Australia with some key skills raking up match figures of 7-62 before walking off the park in the second innings.

With the wobbly ball, Anderson took the crucial decision of sacrificing swing to exploit the seam movement off the pitch. It worked in his favour as he managed a six-wicket haul in the first innings and the big wicket of David Warner in the second innings before walking out with a side strain.

His side strain itself is a cause of worry as it rules him out for the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, a massive blow that will encourage Australia to level the series. Without Andersons ability to swing the ball both ways up front and then reverse it later with the old ball, while moving it off the pitch if there is something in it, England will be a little nervous. Stuart Broad obviously will be the leader with Finn in form and Mark Wood, the probable replacement, not so badly out of touch either.

#3 Michael Clarke\'s continuing horror run and middle order problems

What does the future hold for Michael Clarke?

Clarke’s dismal run in the series continued as he was dismissed twice by Steven Finn on 10 and 3. More interestingly, he doesn’t even look like a cricketer he once was or a cricketer who is capable of turning a corner. His feet are not moving as nimbly as they used to.

He is searching for the ball and he is constantly living in the fear of the next short ball making him extremely susceptible to the fuller delivery that is moving even a hint. He edged one to the slip and missed a fuller one to be bowled out in this Test match.

For a man who won the World Cup, bad times are upon him pretty quickly and his form from a critical No.4 position could be the difference between Australia retaining the Urn or losing it. It doesn’t help that he is now Australia’s most unsuccessful skipper in England.

The horror run has affected his catching too, considering how the man who rarely ever drops anything dropped Bell early in the second innings in a key moment of the game. With Clarke’s bad form and Voges and Mitchell Marsh not contributing big with the bat, Australia have a serious problem with their middle order. They may want to take a look at Shaun Marsh although moving Clarke down the order will be seen as a sign of weakness and nervousness.

#2 Steven Finn\'s wonderful comeback

Finn turned up the heat in the second innings

Finn has seen quite a bit of the pendulum swings of life, for a 26-year-old. The tall fast bowler was dropped at his peak and then languished for more than a year. Now, he received a surprise comeback and showed why he should always be bowling.

Finn made his presence felt in both innings, a big tick mark for the selectors. In the first innings, it was his double blow that wrecked Australia when he got their best batsman Steven Smith and then their captain Michael Clarke in quick succession. Australia descending to 34 for three could never recover as James Anderson went on a rampage.

But, he didn’t stop there after celebrating his wickets like he never did before, self-admittedly. In the second innings, England lost Anderson to a side strain but Finn took up the responsibility, getting a six-wicket haul, cleaning up Australia’s middle order from No.3 to No.8.

At one point, he was on a hat-trick, getting Clarke and Adam Voges in successive deliveries after having taken Steve Smith’s wicket twice in two innings. England will be happy they tried him out especially with Anderson ruled out of the fourth Test in Trent Bridge.

#1 The Ian Bell masterstroke

Moving him to number 3 was a good move

England were facing trouble with their top order losing their first few wickets very early consistently. Gary Ballance looked totally out of sorts in the first two games almost encouraging the bowlers with his struggles. Kudos to the English selectors for being proactive and pushing Bell to the coveted No.3 position. That helped in two ways:

Bell turned around a lacklustre run so far with two sublime half-centuries. In the first innings he walked in at 19 for one, the ball moving tremendously and scored a quick-fire 53 in just 56 balls with 10 fours. He threw it away surely, but he ensured England have the foundation for a lead, something that really helped them in the second innings.

He has also solved a big problem as his attacking tempo and wide range of shots don’t let the Australian bowlers settle on their rhythm. He showed that with an unbeaten and a much more responsible 65* seeing England through the second innings chase after walking in early yet again at 11 for one and cracking an array of fours, cashing in on a dropped catch. Bell is versatile and is technically England’s best batsman which makes him a great bet for No.3. At No.5, his wicket was more of a waste and England have got it perfectly right.