Troubling times for Australia as misfortunes pile up in the valley of Ashes (Part 3)
The Barmy army was unrelenting in their onslaught. Team members realized that this was the perfect opportunity for them to go from good to being great. Players like Pietersen had to step up to the occasion, had to support their team.
They managed that quite well. Exceptionally well, rattling the Australians, allowing their fear to engulf them as the Punters found themselves cornered.
England have now secured their first ever win by an innings in Australia in 24 years. Which means, that these are now uncharted waters for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 who find themselves confronted with the dilemma of a role reversal. England are now clearly the team on top.
They have come across as a team of 11 believers who have played with passion, emotion and commitment. They are a team who believe that they have what it takes to beat the Kangaroos at home soil.
Therefore going in to the third Test 1-0 down, these are clearly crunch times for Australia. If they want to threaten the Englishmen, or plan to have an impact they must take some hard decisions. They need to crack the tricky question of finding the right
formula to defeat the Barmy army.
The Punters need to find a way to get 20 wickets with their bowling attack. They need a leader to lead the attack. Who is that one man? No one springs to mind, however there is a dire need to make inroads into the top order. That is absolutely crucial and
unfortunately has been the one thing missing from the Australian side.
The other dilemma that the home side face is the spin bowling option. Xavier Doherty has been less than ideal to make a significant dent in the English batting line up. Doherty as insisted upon by Warne has been a Ricky Ponting selection. There is a need
to have someone experienced playing in the side, someone like Nathan Hauritz, or maybe even Steve Smith.
Going into Perth they need to answer some troubling questions. Do they play with two spinners or prepare a grassy pitch and go with none at all? Against the present English side that would be a bit of a gamble. The pitch in Perth is not bouncy or fast for
that matter; therefore there remains an option of selecting the left arm spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Michael-Beer-c1949 who has been supported by Shane Warne himself. Since Beer is aware of the conditions in Perth and how to work them best to the team's advantage.
Just like horses for particular course’s work, this might just as well work for Australia. Having said this, they need to evaluate and weigh all their options before they go in to the Third match at Perth. Going in to the third Test 1-0 down with the burden
of an imminent defeat on his shoulders, it must be tough times for the Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.
With this loss of the Ashes, he could be en-route to becoming the first captain in history to have lost the Ashes three times. For a player of his calibre that has to be particularly hard to come to terms with. Therefore Ponting has to re-evaluate his captaincy,
his approach. He needs to listen to the players in his side, discuss options with the selectors and approach with his coach. He needs to lead from the front and lift the spirits of everyone around him.
Having said this, Ponting need not at this juncture blood youngsters or panic under the stress. If the Australians go on to lose the Ashes then it will mean that the team has to go back to the drawing board to assess whatever went wrong. They must aim to
rectify things. With the retirement of senior players it is never an easy transition as juniors attempt to fill in the void.
To be continued in Part 4...
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