We’re just one Ashes Evaluation deep this summer, and England are already staring down the barrelAustralia look more powerful in most departments, and should Joe Root’s men succumb to the older foe at Lord’s–a ground where they have constantly struggled–they could kiss the urn goodbye.
The Edgbaston Test was a stressing wake-up call; England were outperformed with the ball (particularly from the rotation section ) and outperformed by Australia’s supposedly shaky top-order.
England have only beaten Australia double in Lord’s in Test matches because 1934, and while I’d like to dive into why England can defy history, conquer Australia and claw themselves back to the series, it’s looking like the weather will have the last laugh.
Wednesday (the launching day) resembles a complete washout, as does Saturday, while Friday’s forecast is hit-and-miss at best. Obviously, I don’t have any doubt England are capable of losing to Australia in 2 weeks (just look at the way they achieved against Ireland for big parts of the match), but considering the quantity of rain prediction, it’s difficult to pass up 16/11 to a draw.
Just two of Root’s matches as England skipper have ended in draws–emphasizing the cut-and-thrust character of the present side–but I’d expect to find a different come Sunday.
My initial player-based tip will be for Mitchell Starc to be high Australian bowler in their first innings.
Starc was not chosen for the very first Test–a fantastic move considering the outcome –although the Aussies are still trying to embrace a horses-for-courses approach this collection, meaning Starc’s selection for this game is a no-brainer.
In little over 54 overs bowled at the Home of Cricket in all formats, even the Aussie left-armer has claimed 12 scalps; Starc is a master exponent of their Lord’s incline, bringing the ball into right-handed batsmen looking to trap them LBW, and considering five of England’s best seven right-handers, this suggestion has lots of promise.
The 29-year-old ran riot against England at Lord’s at the World Cup, and that I can envisage a similar situation this time around.
Priced in a gigantic 3/1, I’ve Chris Woakes as high England bowler.
There’s one simple reason behind this: Woakes has taken 24 Test wickets at Lord’s at an average of 9.75. Those characters are absolutely sensational.
Conditions will probably favour the seamers, therefore of course Stuart Broad is a large player in this market (90 wickets @27.22 in Lord’s) while Jofra Archer may be the ultimate wildcard, but 3/1 is much too large a price for Woakes inside this second Test.
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