England need to take Ashes fight to Australia
Visitors must think of the scoreline being 3-3 after eight Ashes Tests, with two to play
This Ashes tour has just gone from bad to worse. If anyone had said before the start that Jonathan Trott and Graeme Swann would have gone home before the series was out and Ben Stokes would make England’s only century in the first three Tests on decent batting pitches, I’d have told them they were mad.
The wheels have come off, as they so often do in Australia, which makes the achievement of Andrew Strauss’s side in winning 3-1 here in 2010-11 all the greater. Normal service for England in Australia has been resumed.
The ease with which the England spine has been dismantled is a major concern. Trott’s departure came as a bolt from the blue and, while there had been rumours about Swann’s retirement, I didn’t expect it to come so suddenly.
Yet, if Swann’s time was up, then he made the right call to go now because England only want players who will be up for the fight in the fourth Test here at the MCG on Boxing Day.
The time to stand up and be counted has come, particularly for the senior players. If there are any question marks about the desire of other players to carry on beyond this tour, they need to be answered now and in Sydney.
The key to any England comeback will be the tempo of their batting. You only had to see how relieved Australia were when Ian Bell was dismissed in Perth to know that they were getting rattled.
Even though England were chasing in excess of 500, Stokes and Bell had shown them the way and the home side were getting twitchy. That tempo has to be repeated now. Hit the bad balls for four, be positive, but don’t resort to the ‘six and out’ policy of Stuart Broad or the over-defensive style that we have seen at times from Kevin Pietersen and Michael Carberry.
I wouldn’t make too many changes, particularly now that Swann has gone. I used to look into my players’ eyes at times like this and see who was mentally scarred. Alastair Cook and Andy Flower must assess the mindsets of their players — like vice-captain Matt Prior. I’d be tempted to keep him but only if England are satisfied that his poor keeping in Perth was not an indication of his state of mind.
England must avoid trying to make up for mistakes made in Perth. A big fast bowler should have played there but that doesn’t mean Tim Bresnan should be dropped now. His reverse swing and runs down the order could be vital.
If Broad is unfit, then England must bring in Steven Finn. I wouldn’t go for Chris Tremlett, given the way he bowled in Brisbane, and I don’t know enough about Boyd Rankin to advocate him.
Finn need only look at how Mitchell Johnson has pulled things around to see how quickly cricket can change.
I’d definitely pick Monty Panesar in Swann’s place, not least because there will be a drop-in pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and he can provide control. This is a great opportunity for Panesar to make the spin-bowling place his own.
England have to play mind games. They must think of the scoreline being 3-3 after eight Ashes Tests, with two to play. If they think it’s over and they are going to lose 5-0, then they will. But if they are up for the fight and display the attitude and hunger expected, they can provide encouragement for thousands of their fans heading this way.
