The Ashes 2013: 5 reasons why Australia can win the 2nd Test at Lord's

Australia can take lessons from Trent Bridge and bounce back at Lord’s

The second Test is quickly upon us and for good as the enthralling contest at Trent Bridge left us wanting more.

England managed to close out a narrow victory by 14 runs at Nottingham, but they were given a wake up call considering most critics had ruled out Australia even before the first ball was bowled.

It is being termed a moral victory for the Australians and captain Michael Clarke too preferred to look at it in a similar way. “I hope we’ve earned a bit of respect by the way we’ve played,” he said at a post-match press interview. Even the most ardent supporter of English cricket would tell you that they had their heart in mouth when Brad Haddin and James Pattinson walked out to bat in the post-lunch session with only 20 runs to get.

It is not as if Australia do not have any concerns ahead of the 2nd Test. They relied heavily on their lower-middle order for runs, and that has to be changed. Ed Cowan’s place is already under the scanner after he failed in both innings, whereas captain Michael Clarke has not lit the competition on fire as yet.

Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson have not made the kind of impact that they had hoped for, and better performance will be expected from the bowling department. If that was not enough substance to worry about, Mickey Arthur’s comments about a radical split in the Australian camp would do the necessary. It has got the tongues wagging once again and as much as the team management tries, it is difficult to insulate the team completely.

The atmosphere of the Ashes, the grandeur and expectations that come with the occasion, can bring the team together as they try to iron out the flaws to forge a winning team. Here is a list of five reasons why they can level the series with a triumph at Lord’s:

5. Holes in English batting-order

Joe Root is inexperienced at the top of the order

The Australian players were quick to admit to their underdog status ahead of the Ashes, but that would have considerably changed now that they have exposed a few chinks in the armour of their arch-rivals. England have a few vulnerable areas in their batting line-up which Australia can exploit.

Joe Root is not a tried-and-tested commodity batting at the top of the order against the swinging ball and his lack of runs in the first Test would have had an impact on his confidence. The early-loss of wicket can expose the middle order.

Moreover, Jonny Bairstow does not have many runs under his belt, and the Ashes is not a good place to try and find your form. Matthew Prior disappointed with the bat in both the innings and his last outing at Lord’s against New Zealand saw him getting a pair.

4. Middle-order shuffle

Ed Cowan could be replaced and a new middle order spells a fresh start for Aussies

Australia’s failure in the first Test can largely be put down to the failure of the middle order. Ed Cowan and Michael Clarke failed to find their feet in both the innings and that hurt Australia massively as the responsibility of scoring runs fell upon the lower order.

Cowan is likely to face the axe as Usman Khawaja looks set to play at Lord’s, but Michael Clarke will need to get his act right. He has the added responsibility of being the captain of the side. He remains the best batsman is this squad and needs to match his opposite number in making the largest contribution with the bat.

Australia cannot win this series without Michael Clarke getting around 500 runs in the five match series. His consistent batting record augurs well for Australia, and after two consecutive failures, he might on the verge of a big innings.

3. Shane Watson and Chris Rogers

A solid 84-run stand by Watson and Rogers in the 2nd innings would boos their morale

The opening pairing of Chris Rogers and Shane Watson was a brainchild of Darren Lehmann. Chasing a challenging total of 311 runs in the 4th innings, the pair got Australia to a wonderful start, putting 81 runs together and providing a platform for the middle order to capitalise upon.

Watson looked tentative and under pressure in the first innings as he went about fishing for balls that were wide outside his off-stump, but he overcame his nerves in the second innings to put up an impressive show with Rogers. The 35-year-old Rogers on the other hand, playing his second Test, applied himself in both innings.

Their batting styles complement each other as Rogers is a resilient customer who puts a price to his wicket, whereas Shane Watson has the ability to put the opposition under the hammer from the very first ball. If they can negotiate with the threat posed by the new ball, Australia will have a much better chance of reaching a big total.

2. Negating James Anderson

James Anderson – Australia’s biggest nemesis at Trent Bridge

Australia lost ten of their twenty wickets to James Anderson at Trent Bridge as he bowled tirelessly on the last day, including a 13 over spell, to take all four remaining wickets. While that spells out the danger that he poses as an individual, it also indicates that Australia were not given much to be worried about by the likes of Stuart Broad, Steven Finn and Graeme Swann.

Finn was rather expensive in the first innings with an economy rate of over 5 runs per over, whereas he was only given 10 overs in the last innings indicating that Cook does not invest a lot of faith in him. Graeme Swann had an excellent opportunity to bowl on a fifth-day wicket that was deteriorating, but he failed to trouble the Australian batsmen for the most part. He does not look like a bowler who can take 10 wickets in a match.

If Australia can negate James Anderson, which is will be a hard task considering the swing bowler is a master of many arts, they will have the odds in their favour.

1. Bowling performance

Peter Siddle’s performance was one of the positives for the Aussies in 1st Test

The first and foremost thing that is required to win a Test match is the competence to take twenty wickets and Australia proved that they have it, at least in the first innings.

They have discovered a good spin option in Ashton Agar, something they lacked prior to this Test match, whereas Peter Siddle has led the attack from the front with a memorable five-for in the first innings, which could have so easily been a match-winning performance.

James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc clearly suffered from nervousness in the first few overs of the Test match, bowling all over the place but they will be more comfortable in their shoes at Lord’s. Though sporadic, they gave us some glimpses of the brilliance that they are capable of at Trent Bridge.