Third Ashes Test: Five players who need to stand up and be counted

The first two Tests have been played, the dust has settled and its time to look forward. Yes, England has dominated and the Australians have wilted under the pressure, but the battle will continue and we will see a fight to the finish.

The Australians have been warriors on the field of cricket, warriors known to never take a step backward in the face of any hostility. The English, on the other hand, they say, would rather lose a battleship than lose a Test match.

Let’s take a look at some of the men on either side, who matter the most and who will have to stand up and deliver for their respective sides.

5. Matt Prior

Ever since the battle hardened Alec Stewart hung up his wicket keeping gloves, England were looking for someone to take over. Geraint Jones, Chris Read and others were tried, and then arrived on the scene “Watermelons”, or so he was called by Shane Warne for the way he walks out to the middle.

Prior scored a century on debut against the West Indies, and fighting through some low troughs in between, he has become one of the best in the business today. Not having a score above 31 in the first two Tests should hurt him, and every English fan will be hoping for him to come back to form. His aggressive brand of batting is just what England need to grind the Aussies to the ground.

4. Alastair Cook

766 runs in seven innings in the Ashes of 2010-11, England’s leading Test century maker with 23 hundreds and also the youngest batsmen to pass 7000 runs in Test history. The credentials are on the sheet and its visible in his performances on the field – the England captain has been sensational over the past five years. But scores of 13, 50, 12 and 8 just don’t do justice to this man.

If there is an area England could look to improve in, it’s the opening batting situation, where the opening stands have just failed to materialize. The English will not want to provide the Aussies with even a sniff of a chance, and it will be important for Cook to stand up and shut the door once and for all.

3. Steve Smith

Talented, robust and free flowing, Steve Smith has been projected as a prodigy of sorts, and as the future of Australian cricket. But promises and projections are best left off the field. Steve needs to perform on it and he has all the skills necessary to do it.

Sandwiched between captain Clarke and Brad Haddin the wicket keeper, Steve can form a bastion in the middle order. This wall is going to be necessary in the middle order, considering that the duo of Anderson and Broad have been in great form and have been able to pick up the fragile and unsettled top order easily. Late and middle order resistances have always proved to be greatly disliked and a source of great irritation to oppositions.

Steve has had a fifty in the first Test and the time has come for him to step up and get under the skin of the Englishmen.

2. Shane Watson

Never before has the spot light been placed on a player as it has been on Watson. Being labelled as selfish, difficult to deal with and even allegedly called “cancer” over the past few weeks can be difficult to handle. Vilified beyond any reasonable consideration, there is only one thing for the man to do – stand up.

Gifted with both bat and ball, the all rounder has ability given only to a very select few. Being the heart of the Aussie top order, when he starts going, it will fuel a renaissance in the team’s batting fortunes. Scoring at a brisk pace, he has destroyed many a bowler’s confidence.

He has got to stand up and nullify Anderson, who has been a thorn in the flesh for Australia this Ashes. Nullifying Anderson with the new ball will impact the English plans and allow the middle order to then control the game in the middle of the innings.

1. Michael Clarke

The Ashes are on the line. Its as simple as that.

There comes an occasion in every cricketer’s life, when there is greatness ahead. Clarke will be immortalized in Australian history if he can bring back his beleaguered side, which at the moment looks to be on the brink of defeat. The honeymoon patch of 2011-12, when he could do no wrong, is over.

Batting at number five, he will have to be the bridge between the top order and the middle. Being the number one batsmen in the side after the retirement of Ponting, he has proved in the past that once he is in, he can be extremely hard to dislodge. There can be no better place to bat in the batting order to control the innings.

If its going to happen, the greatest fightback of our times is going to be led by Michael Clarke.

Let the action begin.