‘Ooft': England growing in confidence that they can take home Ashes from Australia's backyard

News.com.au

6 days ago

On the back of Australia's embarrassing five-wicket World Test Championship final defeat, the Aussie Test side now finds themselves on the brink of yet another loss, this time to the West Indies.
And with another underwhelming display, England smell blood in the water ahead of the Ashes Down Under later this year.
At stumps on Day 2, in Australia's first Test against the West Indies in Barbados, the visitors are 4/92, with Travis Head (13) and Beau Webster (19) unbeaten at the close of play.
Australia leads by just 82 runs and will need their middle-order and tailenders to help them get out of jail if they are to avoid back-to-back losses to the Windies.
Sam Konstas – who was rushed in to replace the out-of-form Marnus Labushcagne – has managed scores of just 3 and 5.
While Cam Green, who is viewed as Australia's long-term No. 3, didn't fare much better.
After escaping a potentially fortunate LBW review on Thursday (AEST), the West Australian inexplicably flashed at a wide delivery off Justin Greaves, which he edged and was caught with ease in slips for 15.
Safe to say slotting him in at No. 3, has not been the instant success Australian selectors would have hoped for. Since coming back into the team he has scores of 4, 0, 3 and today's 15.
While Usman Khawaja, Josh Inglis and Steve Smith – who is out of the opening Test with injury – have all been struggling for runs.
And with the top-order crisis, the Poms are growing in confidence, with England great Michael Vaughan suggesting they may now even be favourites to win back the Ashes on enemy territory.
'I've had a few messages overnight from Australia and they know that this England side, and I'm not saying that they're going to arrive as favourites, but the Australian public and supporters over there are watching this England side and going 'this could be the team who can challenge Australia in their own backyard',' Vaughan said on Betfair's Stick to Cricket show.
England pull off incredible run chase against India
While Australia's batters whimper, the Poms' top-order are all making runs.
In the first Test against India, England reeled in a massive target of 371 to beat India by five wickets.
The seismic chase was the second-highest in England's history after knocking off 378 against India at Edgbaston three years ago.
And with the England top 7 all showing they have big scores in them, Vaughan believes they can put on a cricket clinic when the Ashes start in November.
'That top seven now should be the seven who walk out in November in Perth. That looks to me like a top seven, and I look at the last time England won in Australia in 2010/11, that top seven when England arrived was rock-solid,' Vaughan continued.
'It was full of experience, Strauss, Cook, Pietersen, Collingwood, Bell, Prior and it's got a similar kind of feel, where they're going to arrive in Australia, I hope, with a lot of experience.
' … This was the first week where I've watched England and thought 'ooft'. They've now added some smartness and brains to the batting, the field always spreads for them because the opposition are scared.
'Zak Crawley's innings was the perfect example of this, his alignment was perfect and then he was scoring ones because Ben Duckett was playing great. Getting him back on strike.
'Every time Bumrah came into the attack, you could see that England had a real mindset of 'just play'.
'The six overs that they had to face on the fourth evening, you go back over the last two or three years, they think 'woah, wheyy, we'll get to 50' but they've definitely added a little bit of nous.'