England On Their Toes
England¡¯s ashes campaign has taken another toll with star batsman Kevin Pieterson now out for the remainder of the season with an Achilles injury. Pieterson, a veteran of 54 consecutive Test matches will now be watching from the sideliens as a brave England will take to crease and try to parlay confidence into runs on the board and wickets. Given the euphoria of winning the second Test at Lords, England now falls behind with the bookies without their batting stalwart.
Ian Bell is the most likely replacement in the batting line up. Bell has been playing well for his team Warwickshire and faces the task of rapidly stepping up his mental state to international test cricket and an assignment against the Australians.
England must use the confidence they received in defeating the Australians in the second test to produce an excellent performance for the third test. From the very first ball of the second test, England looked far more ready for action than the Australians did and this mental attitude carried throughout the test and onto victory.
All eyes are on Andrew Flintoff who produced a stunning performance of five wickets on the final day to win the series. His extra pace and excellent line dismissed the likes of Hauritz and Haddin. Graeme Swann bagged the wicket of Michael Clarke who was on a surge of 135.
For Australia, it is their bowling that is suspect. Long gone are the days of Glen McGrath and Shane Warne. The new generation of Hauritz, Hilfenhaus, Johnson and Siddle seem to require more over¡¯s to improve the technical aspects of their attack. Inconsistency is still their biggest monkey and will have to be there if they are to pose a threat in the third test.
With all that in mind, the weather is not playing fair either with endless rain looking to wipe out and type of strong bowling attack, look for an interesting third test to help decide the series.
