Ashes blitz: Pitches play into Aussie hands
England have been warned they are playing into Australia’s hands if they continue to offer up doctored wickets with the intention of blunting Mitchell Johnson’s effectiveness.
The pitches for the opening two Test matches have been widely criticised as slow, low, flat and generally lifeless – a tactic believed to have been devised to stop Johnson from repeating his incredible efforts in the Ashes whitewash 18 months ago, when the left-arm quick snared 37 wickets.
The problem with that, according to former England captain Nasser Hussain, is that it has hurt England’s pace trio of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Mark Wood.
England spearhead Anderson went wicketless at Lord’s for the first time in his career and has series figures of three wickets at 71, while Wood has five at 50 runs apiece and Broad, comfortably the pick of the local bowlers, has taken nine at 24.88.
More to the point, it hasn’t hurt Johnson, who returned to terrify England’s batsmen at Lord’s, taking 3-53 and 3-27 across the two innings after a slow start in Cardiff in the series opener.
“It’s an error to play Australia on these surfaces because if Mitchell Johnson is not getting much out of it, then Broad and Anderson won’t,” Hussain said on Sky Sports.
“But he’ll always get more out of it than most (as he) bowls 92 miles (148km) an hour.
“He was incredibly hostile (on Thursday).”
If anyone has the power to deliver that message to the groundsmen of the remaining three Tests at Edgbaston, Trent Bridge and the Oval, it is England captain Alastair Cook.
Having watched Johnson terrorise his team in a annihilating 405-run loss at Lord’s on Sunday, Cook made it clear what sort of decks he would prefer to play on for the rest of the series.
You might like
“We want to play on English wickets, and (the Lord’s wicket) probably wasn’t too English”, he said.
“To get bowled out on that kind of wicket for a hundred is not good enough, not acceptable, not up to the standard that the guys can play.”
Australian captain Michael Clarke is of the opinion that no matter what wickets are served up, the best bowlers will be able to extract life out of them.
“That’s what Johnson was able to do at Lord’s, which is why Clarke is happy to back his attack on whatever is on offer for the rest of the series.
“I don’t really care about the wickets to be honest. Whatever we have to play on, we have to play on,” he said.
“Generally we’ll be playing against teams and with teams that have got good attacks.
“It doesn’t really matter too much about the surface they’ll find a way to take wickets, that’s what good bowlers do.”
Match report: Australia embarrasses England
Australia delivered a “kick in the teeth” to England at Lord’s, squaring the Ashes series in a fashion that had Alastair Cook scrambling for answers.
Michael Clarke’s men made it four consecutive days of domination to post a 405-run victory in the second Test, skittling England for 103 in just 37 overs on Sunday.
The embarrassment came after Clarke and his colleagues added 146 runs in 23 overs during the morning session.
Man of the match Steve Smith scored 58 off 48 balls with a combination of trick shots and power strokes, further demoralising England’s quicks on a supposedly docile pitch.
Worse was to come after Clarke’s pre-lunch declaration at 2-254.
Mitchell Johnson claimed the vital scalp of Cook amid a top order collapse of 5-40 in the middle session.
Stay informed, daily
Johnson sent down a double-wicket maiden after tea, both dismissals earned through express pace.
The meek manner in which England capitulated, coupled with Smith’s maiden double-century, will further boost Australia’s confidence as they seek to go 2-1 up at Edgbaston on July 29.
The turnaround from Australia’s 169-run loss at Cardiff could hardly be more emphatic.
Now it is England’s batting, bowling, fielding and selectors under immense scrutiny.
“Today was the icing on the cake for them and for us a real kick in the teeth,” Cook conceded.
“To get bowled out on that kind of wicket for 103 is not good enough.
“Not acceptable. Not up to the standard that the guys can play.
“From the first morning they got on top of us and never let us back in the game.”
Clarke believed Australia’s excellence had more to do with the result than England’s ineptitude.
“The boys were switched on. I sensed that hunger, from the senior players in particular,” Clarke said.
“We were outplayed in Cardiff. Credit to the boys to be able to turn that around.
“Before we left the changeroom in Cardiff … it was discussed where we didn’t perform well and the positives were also spoken about.”
Smith’s epic 284-run partnership with Chris Rogers, an Australian record at Lord’s, put the game on the visitors’ terms and Johnson hammered home the advantage on days two and four.
Shane Warne suggested on Sky Sports that England “still fear” Johnson, who claimed 37 wickets in the 2013-14 series.
Clarke wouldn’t go that far, but was impressed with how his strike weapon snared six wickets in the match.
“He’s fit and strong so he can bowl long spells if required or he can come on and bowl in short bursts,” he said.
“The whole attack deserves credit because the way they bowled allows me to use Mitchell the way I did in this Test.”
Australia’s next assignment is a three-day tour game against Derbyshire that starts on Thursday.
The majority of the Test XI are likely to be rested, but Clarke is keen to take part.
“I’ll have to speak to the selectors and see if they’ll pick me, but I’d like to,” he said.
“I’d like to spend some more time in the middle.”
