3rd Ashes Test Betting Preview Part 1
- By A.J. Ryder on July 23, 2013 16:09 GMT
There was no slowing down for Alastair Cook’s England side as they put the Australians to the sword in the second Ashes test and went 2-0 up in a series that is rapidly shaping up to be a potential whitewash. The English side certainly didn’t leave it as late as they did in the opener at Trent Bridge, when the Australians came within less than 20 runs of securing a come-from-behind victory that would have established an entirely different tone for the series.
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Instead, England put together an accomplished bowling performance at Lord’s and backed it up with tons from several key players.
The emergence of Joe Root in the second test - swatting a quality 178 in the first innings and then taking two wickets has solidified his status for the rest of the tournament and, quite possibly, well beyond that. It was a knock that will live long in the memory of those who witnessed it and with Ian Bell deputizing with a quality score himself; you can bank on England to expect some quality from them both going forward in the wake of Kevin Pietersen’s injury.
It remains to be see which changes the Australians will make as they attempt to stem the tide of England’s onslaught. There is a lot to like about this England team and it simply cannot be denied that the Aussies did not show up with the bat. At a few points during England’s time at the crease, the Aussie bowlers were able to get them on the defensive with a few rapid strikes in quick succession.
Not only were the England batsmen able to steady the ship at crucial times and dig in for long periods, frustrating the Aussie bowlers and depriving them of much-needed momentum, the visitors batsmen simply didn’t show up at all when called upon.
An extremely poor second innings score exposed the Australians for what many forgot about in the opening test after two massive 10th wicket stands. They were rescued by the tail twice to help retain some dignity but those heroics were not replicated in the second effort and the result at Lord’s told absolutely no lies to all of the cricket observers worldwide.
