London: Australian captain Michael Clarke has said that he is confident that his side can still win the Ashes series despite being 2-0 down to England.
The Australians have recovered only once from 2-0 down, in 1936-37, to win the urn, when their inspiration was Sir Donald Bradman, the greatest batsman of all time.
However, in this tour, Australia`s top score has been made by a No.11 Ashton Agar , who was making his Test and Ashes debut, in the two opening Tests against England this summer, while injured pace bowler James Pattinson, who has flown home, tops their batting averages.
Despite being stuffed by 347 runs at Lord`s in the second Test last month, the under-fire Clarke is still optimistic, saying that he honestly believes that his side can win the series, even though Australia has lost six Tests in a row after the 4-0 defeat by India in the beginning of the year under his leadership.
Stating that he is aware that even though he will be laughed at for being optimistic about his team`s chances now, Clarke however, said that he would not have been in England today if he had thought that the team was not good enough to have success.
According to Clarke, the reality is their backs against the wall for which he hoped that the batsman can lead the way in Old Trafford, adding that his team needs to make sure that they are scoring more runs then they have done so far.
However, the report said that England have not won an Ashes Test at Old Trafford since 1981, when Ian Botham`s second swashbuckling hundred of the series clinched the series.
Lancashire`s new-look home, which includes a massive 8,000-seater temporary stand, is sold out over the five days and is expected to generate 6.5 million-pound gate receipts - a record for a home Test outside London, a report added.
ANI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.