TREVOR BAYLISS: England have lost one game. It's not over yet

TREVOR BAYLISS: England still have hope. They’ve lost one game. The Ashes are not over yet… as India showed, it is possible to come from 1-0 down to win in Australia

  • There were positives for England in Brisbane despite the nine-wicket defeat
  • Chris Silverwood and the coaching staff will seek to get rid of any negativity
  • The absence of injured bowler Josh Hazlewood is a huge blow for Australia 
  • India recovered from 1-0 down to the win the four-match Test series 2-1 

Australia always try to hit the opposition hard in the first Test of a series and they were certainly able to send out a message to England in Brisbane.

It was the message they hope will set the tone for the rest of the series — it will be difficult for England to win the Ashes from here.  

But, as India showed at the start of this year, it is possible to come back from one down to win in Australia.

England could have done with the Jimmy Anderson or Stuart Broad (above) in the first Test 

Recommended:

For England to do that they cannot afford anything to go wrong in the second Test because if Australia win in Adelaide it will be an uphill struggle to get back in the series, as we were only too well aware – and I still tend to say ‘we’ when I think back to my time with England – when we found ourselves in this position four years ago. 

Chris Silverwood and the coaching staff will be doing all they can to get rid of any negativity in the England camp and look at the things they did right at the Gabba.

You have to get the players up for the next match as a coaching staff, but it can be hard with all the chat in the press and on TV after an Ashes defeat. England have to be honest, too, because if they’re not they will keep making the same mistakes.

Joe Root is the captain and the No 1 batter, so it’s a lot to ask him to bowl a lot of overs too

There were positives for England in Brisbane. Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood bowled very well while both Joe Root and Dawid Malan showed how England will have to bat for the rest of this Ashes in that big stand on the third day. ‘Spoons’ and his staff will be looking at what the other batters can put into their own games from the approach of Root and Malan, and it comes down to discipline and concentration.

The Australians let a lot of balls go on length in Brisbane because they trusted the bounce and their bowlers were relentless. Root and Malan had to defend ball after ball on a fullish, good length around off stump even when they were batting well and that does wear you down mentally. England, in contrast, were a fraction shorter and wider. 

It’s hard to make judgment when you do not know what was spoken about in selection and without seeing the pitch first hand but I must admit I was surprised neither Jimmy Anderson nor Stuart Broad played. 

Chris Silverwood and the coaching staff will be doing all they can to get rid of any negativity

I can understand England perhaps being concerned about a repeat of 2019 when Jimmy broke down during the first Test at Edgbaston, but England could have done with the experience of one of the pair and Broad bowls particularly well against left-handers. Australia had four in the top seven. Let’s hope they are both ready to go this time.

Australia are themselves a bowler of real quality down in Adelaide in the absence of Josh Hazlewood and he will be hard to replace. But they have good options in reserve in Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser. Richardson has extra pace and can move the ball while Neser has the attributes to do well in English conditions. Either could do a job now.

What both sides must be conscious of is that the ball will not necessarily swing around throughout the day-night second Test. Adelaide has a drop-in wicket now, and they tend to leave a little bit of grass on it at the start to make sure it’s not too flat.

But there have been matches there when the pink ball hasn’t moved around as much as expected.

The batting of Joe Root and Dawid Malan (above) were positives for England in Brisbane

I’ve said before I am always in favour of including a spinner in any Test line-up, especially when you have a pace bowling all-rounder in your ranks as England do with Ben Stokes. Where it is tricky for England is Australia launched a calculated attack on Jack Leach at the Gabba, and Silverwood and Root must decide if he is good to go again.

What I would say is that it was very tough on Jack having to bowl on the second day on a green Brisbane pitch with only 147 to defend, and I do think it would be difficult for Root to be the No 1 spinner should England leave Leach out and go in that direction.

He’s the captain and the No 1 batter. Do you want Joe to be bowling a lot of overs too? Does Dom Bess come into the equation after taking wickets for the Lions with those left-handers in the Australian line-up? I don’t envy England with their decision on that one.

Ollie Robinson (right) and Mark Wood bowled very well in the first Test at the Gabba

But England still have hope. They have lost one game — it’s not over yet. I do think the English press can be harder on their team than the Aussie media at times like this. There can be a lot of noise around the England team whereas I think Australia get more media support when they are down. Now England have to learn from what happened at the Gabba. They will be looking at the areas where they were good during the first Test and asking how they can have more of that. 

If England think too negatively after the opening Test it will make for a long and mentally draining series. I am sure that won’t be the case. If I know these England boys they will believe they can win this next Test and that’s exactly the way they should be thinking. 

The absence of injured Josh Hazlewood is a huge blow for Australia in the second Test

India recovered from 1-0 down to the win the four-match Test series 2-1 earlier this year




Share this article

Source: Read Full Article