The Australian fast bowling cartel of Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are in their element going into the third Test, chests puffed out and giving it large every time they step in front of the cameras and microphones. There is lots of talk about reopening scars and getting England’s batsmen jumping about at the crease and as a former member of this special group, it is great to hear.
This trio of quicks, who were supported superbly by Mitchell Marsh and Nathan Lyon at Lord’s, all possess pace through the air and deliver the ball from a good height and it is no coincidence that England’s equivalent in terms of these attributes, Stuart Broad, is the man thriving on the other side so far in the series.
This Test at Edgbaston is pivotal to the series and of the two attacks, there is no question Australia’s is in the ascendancy right now. They are ramping up the mind games like the great Shane Warne used to do – he wouldn’t have been out of place on Broadway he was such a performer – and now the big question is how England’s batsmen respond to this. Can they park all this talk on one side and focus solely on the cricket?
Hazlewood is hitting consistent lines and has found his groove on this tour, while the pace of Johnson and Starc is creating opportunities at the other end. So England need to keep a clear mind and play the ball and not the man, because down that latter path you only get problems.
It is only in this match that we will truly find out if that defeat in the second Test had a lasting effect psychologically. In the famous 2005 series we had a similar scenario with the home side rolled over at Lord’s and needing to front up in Birmingham and what a match unfolded from there.
That first day 10 years ago sticks in the mind for many reasons, not least because of the injury suffered by Glenn McGrath when he trod on a ball on the morning of the game and our captain, Ricky Ponting, electing to field to the surprise of players on both sides. Glenn’s accident went down well in the England camp – they couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces – and from there they were flying, hitting us hard for 400 runs in three sessions and setting up the Test beautifully.
Back in the present, it’s hard not to think a similar retort is needed from Alastair Cook’s side if that collapse at Lord’s is going to be wiped from the memory banks. Johnson, in particular, is at the peak of his powers and his low-slung action, sending the ball down at high velocity from that awkward angle, is causing them problems. For me he is Australia’s creator of havoc and his captain, Michael Clarke, is using him beautifully.
The unpredictability of his deliveries is making him very tough to face – some swing in, some don’t – and that bouncer is world class. Johnson sits one wicket short of 300 in Test cricket – and one run short of 2,000 with the bat – and these two milestones will represent deserved achievements for a player who has blossomed as his career has progressed.
Injuries hampered his early career at Queensland and he needed to fill out and get stronger to turn his abundant talent into consistency. Pat Cummins, who is sitting in reserve in Australia’s touring party, is in a similar position and I am certain in my belief that in 10 years’ time we will be talking about a similar fast-bowling superstar.
But Johnson, Hazlewood and Starc are going to be tough to displace right now because they are asking big questions of England’s batsmen and the top order in particular. Cook’s batsmen need to adopt what I call the look-to-score mentality. Pressure can only be absorbed for so long and if you are going to thrive in Test cricket you have to put it back on the bowlers, irrespective of how good they are.
In 2005, Michael Vaughan told his players to go harder than ever before at Edgbaston and I hope Cook is preaching a similar mindset going into this match. This doesn’t mean reckless stroke play – it’s about taking the attacking option when it’s on and being positive in defence. Joe Root’s century in the opener at Cardiff was a prime example of what can be achieved and now the others must follow this lead.
England’s bowlers will be hoping that the pitch proves more to their liking than the one at Lord’s. I know Warwickshire have made a concerted effort to get more bounce and carry into the surface and that has to be applauded. A bowler such as Jimmy Anderson, who went wicketless at Lord’s, is a master when the ball is swinging but if the nicks don’t carry to the slips or wicketkeeper then this is irrelevant.
Here’s hoping we get a surface that gives an incentive to both sets of attacks and allows the batsmen to show off their full array of shots. If we do, we could get another Edgbaston thriller.
