It’s
payback time!! The preparation and execution of the Aussies against the English
bowlers have come together smooth as a jelly that the 2-0 lead and the margin
of victories after two matches have taken everyone by surprise. That for a team
that has lost six of their last eight test matches prior to The Ashes.
The
series is a long one, there are the three more matches that would determine the
winner and who gets to keep the Ashes. But the Australians have taken a giant
stride and it would require more than just the days on the field to prevent the
stride from marching further. The body language of the English are all ground-facing
at the moment, Andy Flower and Alistair Cook have had work to do in the days
leading up to the remainder of the series.
The
Australian performance on the other hand has been sublime. While Mitchell
Johnson has been the rattler-in-chief so far, the trio of selectors, coach and
captain which had been taking flak for some listless performances in the past
and off-the-field incidents have come together to deliver a fantastic punch
upfront setting up a seemingly insurmountable challenge to the visitors.
On the
squad front, a couple of batsmen in Phil Hughes and Ed Cowan occupying the top
order needed to be given a break from the team and Nathan Lyon’s performance in
the recent past, begged for some backing. The selectors delivered them. Not to
mention, the decision to bring back an inspired Mitchell Johnson earlier in the year and not hurrying it before he looked ready to take the role of the lead bowler again.
The
move towards Darren Lehmann as the head coach seems to have worked wonders in
the minds of the players. Players have talked openly about the healthy change in the mood of the dressing room and the coach’s attitude has among
others, resulted in the revival of aggression that is so easily identified with
the Aussies. That they have over-stepped it on a couple of occasions is a topic
that warrants a separate discussion.
On the field, there was a plan evident for
every English batsman though the common nemesis has worked in the form of an
accurate short pitched ball aimed between the ribs and the throat. While the
batsmen got themselves into good positions at times to play the pull shot, they
played straight into the hands of Michael Clarke and the bowlers who had their
men prowling between Square and Fine Leg to grab the catches.
The
Australian skipper’s innovative field placements have been spot on ranging from the dual short
mid-wicket for Kevin Pietersen to the combination of short cover and short extra-cover for Ian
Bell which forced a mishit of a full toss from Steven Smith’s leg-spin in the 2nd
innings of the second test.
The
Englishmen currently have the Australian team walking all over them. Alistair
cook’s face said it all about the morale of the team when he came out to
congratulate the Australian team at the end of the second test. The collected
eyebrows in the centre indicated some serious work and strength of character
required ahead to avoid an annihilation. The hill just seems a bit too high at
the moment.
