Both sides must be realistic about the events that unfolded at Edgbaston, where it took the best part of four days and a superhuman individual performance for Australia to stamp their authority over ten-man England, writes Lawrence Booth.
Lawrence Booth is editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack and a cricket writer for the Daily Mail
Ever since England started competing in the Ashes again, 14 years ago, nothing has caused national angst like a home defeat by Australia.
That’s partly because of the rarity: Edgbaston was their fifth Test win in England out of 21 since 2001, and one of those wins came after the urn had already been lost. But Australian victories here also upset what we have come to regard as the natural order: Australia win in Australia, where the ball does nothing; England win in England, where it does plenty.
Instead, England must start treating Smith like a mortal capable of edging a drive to second slip, not a magician who demands funky field settings. And they must remember that a better measure of Australia’s middle order was the first innings at Edgbaston, not the second, when England’s bowling grew exhausted on an unhelpful pitch, and Matthew Wade scored a hundred against Denly and Ali.
They must also pray. They must pray that Lord’s groundsman Karl McDermott did not take so much offence at Root’s criticism of the greentop against Ireland that he produces a flat one. If he does, England really will be in trouble – with or without Anderson.
