England captain Ben Stokes and Australian counterpart Pat Cummins (Picture: Getty Images)
If we thought the brilliant first Test at Edgbaston was a sign of things to come, no one could have predicted how the series exploded into life at Lord’s.
What had, up to that point, been a fascinating clash of styles, but played with a quiet respect among both sides, turned into a hostile war of words and cricketing philosophies with the now infamous Jonny Bairstow (pictured) stumping incident on Sunday.
Much has been said about the dismissal itself and whether it upheld the ‘spirit of the game’, but England know that the time for talking is now over. If there was a win-at-all-costs mentality before, then it is absolutely the case now, with Ben Stokes’ team knowing only three wins from the remaining three Test matches will be enough to recapture the urn.
What is guaranteed is both the England players and fans will be galvanised by that final day at Lord’s. The Barmy Army, conspicuous by their absence last week, will return and Australia can expect to walk into a white-hot atmosphere.
Despite the defeat, England will be invigorated by how they took Australia all the way in the match, led by Stokes’ brutal and mesmerising 155.
That innings brought back memories of his incredible match-winning contribution in Leeds four years ago, so it seems fitting Headingley provides the next instalment of this already intriguing series.
Much has been made of how England approached the short ball in their first innings at Lord’s, so it will be interesting to see what attack Australia go with this time around.
They will no doubt be fatigued from bowling so much short stuff, so it’ll be difficult to back that up again. The surface at Headingley is also traditionally a bit truer, so that may play into England’s hands.
James Anderson and Ben Stokes prepare for battle at Headingley (Picture: PA)
The loss of Ollie Pope for the rest of the series with a shoulder injury is a big blow for the hosts. Personally, I’d like to have seen Stokes coming up the order at No.3 – he was at his destructive best last time out and his reading of the game situation and knowing when to shift through the gears could be exactly what England need to bring some structure to the middle order in Pope’s absence.
Given the workload the pace bowlers got through at Lord’s, it’s no surprise to see England shuffling their attack and it’s exciting to see Mark Wood back in the line-up. His addition gives the hosts genuine pace, which at times has been lacking in the previous two Tests, so I’m looking forward to seeing how Australia deal with that.
While Jimmy Anderson has spoken openly about how he’s not been at his best this series, I would have been tempted to stick with him, although Chris Woakes provides some extra batting. Never write off one of the greats of the game and I’m sure he’ll be eager to come back into the side and prove any doubters wrong on his home turf at Old Trafford.
Ultimately, the bowling attack know they need to be on song – last time the two sides faced each other at Headingley in 2019, England didn’t bowl as well as they should have done in the first innings, and they’ll need to put that right this time.
Nathan Lyon’s unfortunate injury has also given Australia a selection headache but in Todd Murphy they have a ready-made replacement who looked hugely impressive against India earlier this year, when he took seven wickets on debut.
I don’t think there’s any question he can step up, but an Ashes Test is a completely different proposition, so England will need to impose themselves on his bowling early.
Steve Smith also showed glimpses of his imperious best with that century at Lord’s. On what will be his 100th Test cap, he will be feeling confident knowing Australia can win the Ashes with a victory. Given how the drama unfolded here four years ago, I’m sure Smith and the rest of the Australia side will be determined to make amends and secure their first series win on English soil since 2001.
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