How did England bounce back from the only previous home defeat under Ben Stokes before the Edgbaston thriller with Australia?
By not necessarily listening to their coach. Brendon McCullum vowed his team would “go harder” in the second Test against South Africa at Old Trafford after losing the first at Lord’s in six sessions.
We have heard similar sentiments since Edgbaston. Stuart Broad, in his Mail on Sunday newspaper column, summed up what he believes England need to do better this week: “Attack even more”.
It stirs the fans and helps hype even further a series that has captured the public mood but do they really need to go harder than batting at 5 an over like they did in the first innings in Birmingham?
When McCullum said his team would go harder at Old Trafford it was met with a lot of bafflement outside the team but it was just a message aimed at his players to not change their ways or go into their shells because they had lost one game.
McCullum realised his team were still fragile and learning how to adapt to his tactics and that one heavy defeat could unnerve young cricketers.
He had to put on a face and publicly double down on his methods so as not to confuse the message. It is a clarity that has characterised his tenure.
In fact what his team did at Old Trafford was to not go out blazing but move through the gears after knocking over South Africa for just 151.
England declared on 415 for nine, scoring at 3.8 an over which is their slowest first innings performance when they have batted more than 45 overs (in otherwise not blown away for fewer than 150).
Ben Stokes scored the only century of his captaincy at Old Trafford batting with “control” as he put it, weathering an early storm and building an innings. It took him 44 balls to reach 25, 101 to get to fifty but breezed to his century off another 57. Afterwards he said:
“I think what we did incredibly well with the bat was assess that we didn’t feel this was a wicket where we could go out and play in the way that we spoke about. I think that is real progress for the side.”
The encouraging aspect for England is that Stokes started judiciously in the second innings at Edgbaston before getting out, and will be better for the time spent at the crease having not hit a ball for weeks in a match situation.
England just need to sit down and review the Old Trafford performance for pointers on how to bounce back this week. They were under pressure at Old Trafford at 147 for five but soaked it up and Stokes and Ben Foakes fought back by weathering the storm.
The essence of Bazball is to put pressure back on opponents by doing the unexpected. The declarations, field settings and even bringing on Harry Brook for an over to Steve Smith should not change. It is the gifting of wickets in the second innings when on top and Australia on the defensive that needs looking at.
The pitch at Lord’s could be similar to that surface at Old Trafford in the sense that runs may have to be worked for. MCC have tried to inject some pace, but it is likely to be slow and hard for players to hit through the line. No doubt there will be more seam movement than Edgbaston too given how the pitch looked on Sunday.
There is rain, cloud and a bit of muggy weather forecast for the first three days of the Test as well and it is always overhead conditions at Lord’s that dictate movement than what is prepared by the groundstaff.
England should be better for the match at Edgbaston. Ollie Robinson, James Anderson and Stokes struggled for rhythm on a tough pitch and running in on a soft outfield, in other words getting used to the physical strain of Test cricket again. They have overs behind them now and a decent week’s rest as well.
England opted not to train at Lord’s on Sunday, most playing golf instead, as McCullum refused to change his approach just because of one narrow defeat.
Australia ready to turn up heat
Australia have been netting for two days. There was a voluntary net on Saturday attended by those two batting obsessives Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne but it was a full session on Sunday.
Pat Cummins, the Australia captain, studied the pitch on Sunday which had a very green tinge, appearing completely different to how the biscuit brown Edgbaston surface looked three days before the game. It will be shaved again before Wednesday.
Labuschagne was watched at nets by Ricky Ponting, the Australia great who has worked as a consultant with the team in the past although not formally on this tour.
Labuschagne is concerned a technical fault has crept into his game while playing county cricket. He batted further over to the off side and chased Broad’s outswinger in the second innings because he had lost the location of his off stump.
He was struck on the arm at the optional session on Saturday but Australia insist he will be fine for the Lord’s Test, where he made his debut as a concussion substitute for Smith four years ago. ““He [Marnus] kept on batting so he must’ve been OK. Otherwise, he would have walked out.
He’s got a finger that has copped a couple of knocks. I think he just got another one. He said it felt better because the blood started to flow through or something,” said Michael Di Venuto, the Australia assistant coach.
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