England will bid to complete the second half of their Ashes mission when they face arch-rivals Australia in the fourth Test at Chester-le-Street starting from Friday.
|Last Updated: Aug 08, 2013, 09:25 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Chester-le-Street: England will bid to complete the second half of their Ashes mission when they face arch-rivals Australia in the fourth Test at Chester-le-Street starting from Friday.
The drawn third Test at Old Trafford left England an unassailable 2-0 up in the series with two to play and meant they`d retained the Ashes.
But it left open the possibility of a shared series, something that hasn`t happened in an Ashes campaign since 1972.
It took England just 14 days to hold on to the urn this time around -- the quickest they`ve settled an Ashes series in their favour since the end of the Second World War.
However, England coach Andy Flower was far from satisfied. "I suppose it is (a great achievement). But for me it`s all about winning this series, so it is still alive with two Tests to go," he said.
In Manchester, Australia produced a much-improved performance with England collapsing to 27 for three on Monday`s final day before rain ensured a draw.
The result meant Australia had ended a run of six successive Test defeats -- their worst for 29 years -- and avoided equalling their all-time record losing streak of seven straight Tests set by the 19th century teams of 1885-88.
Former Australia captain Allan Border said it looked like the tourists had "drawn their own line in the sand", in much the same way his side did during the 1986/87 series, where, having lost the Ashes, they won the final Test in Sydney before starting 16 years of unbroken series dominance against England in 1989.
"England are worried," Border said. "The way this side is going over the next few months, look out. Australia has the momentum."
Then again, Australia had even more "momentum" during the 2010/11 Ashes after winning the third Test by 267 runs in Perth to level at 1-1.
Yet England won the fourth Test in Melbourne by the huge margin of an innings and 157 runs to retain the Ashes.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann put the Old Trafford draw in context by saying: "We`re not going to lose five nil, so that`s a start. I think it (the momentum) has shifted but only time will tell that won`t it?"
At Old Trafford, Australia captain Michael Clarke`s 187 was the cornerstone of a commanding first innings total of 527 for seven declared.
But throughout his side`s lean spell Clarke has been making hundreds -- one of the challenges for Australia will be to see if any of their other specialist batsmen can follow suit.
Both sides, with just a three-day turnaround between the end of the third Test and the inaugural Ashes match to be staged at the headquarters of north-east county Durham, have bolstered their pace bowling stocks.
England have added Surrey fast bowler Chris Tremlett and Durham`s in-form Graham Onions to their Old Trafford XI.
"We are quite willing to be flexible on that front," said Flower. "It`s not a change of plan."
Australia named a 12 on Wednesday where Jackson Bird was added to their Manchester XI amid concerns over the ability of injury-prone seamer Ryan Harris to play back-to-back Tests.
As for England regularly losing top order wickets with few runs on the board this Ashes, Flower said: "There are good new-ball bowlers on both sides.
"Of course, we`d like to be none down in that early period of play. But we`ve recovered well, and I think good sides do that."
Meanwhile the Decision Review System generated more controversy this series after Australia`s Channel Nine television alleged on Wednesday that England`s Kevin Pietersen was among players on both sides suspected of using silicone tape on their bats to avoid nicks being detected by "Hot Spot" technology.
It was a story refuted vehemently by Pietersen himself, while Clarke denied any Australians were involved in sharp practice.
And the International Cricket Council insisted its general manager of cricket, Geoff Allardice, was travelling to Durham solely to speak to the teams regarding their DRS concerns and wasn`t investigating any alleged attempts to "cheat" Hot Spot.
AFP
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.