- The ongoing five-match Test series between the world cricket’s oldest arch-rivals Australia and England has been anything but enthralling usually expected from the two top cricket-playing nations. Every cricket-loving enthusiast, especially those inclined towards the classic form of the game, would be eagerly anticipating watching a high-quality contest between the two marquee teams who would be loath to concede even an inch. Such has been the fierce competition over the decades that anything less than a mouthwatering contest will render millions of supporters from both sides hugely disappointed.
PC:
- The latest Test series too was expected to go to the wire dishing out amazing skills from some of the supremely gifted and talented players representing their respective sides. Alas, the three-Test match series played so far over the last few weeks have been disheartening, to say the least. The true connoisseurs of the game would always expect an even contest between both the bat and the ball interspersed with the individual brilliance of players in one of the three departments of the game. Test match cricket inherently possesses unique intricacies that cannot be explored in any of the shorter formats of the game.
- Knowing the playing conditions prevalent in Australia which always aids the talented cricketer from excelling amid a raucous but appreciative crowd, the band of cricket displayed so far by the England team has been nothing short of being aptly labelled as abject surrender. The meek capitulation of the English players in the three-Test matches has allowed the rampaging Aussies to go 3-0 in the series wrapping up the same in 12 days flat with two more Tests yet to be played. With the Ashes comfortably under their grips, the Aussies will be aiming for a whitewash which appears likely going by the way England players have shaped up in the series so far.
PC: Scott Bailey
- The moot point to ponder over here is what are the reasons for failing to put up a semblance of fight that the Englishmen are quite known for. As the cricketing logic goes, the bowlers always win the matches, and for that to happen, the batsmen should put up no less than a credible performance with the bat in the first place allowing the bowlers to take 20 wickets. Unfortunately, the English batsmen have been horrendous with the bat so far consistently failing to score big or make handsome contributions. Save for Captain Joe Root, all the other batsmen have failed spectacularly to come out with reasonable scores.
- Misfiring star players like allrounder Ben Stokes, wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Butler, Johny Bairstow, and the miserable form of openers have compounded the troubles manifolds. Of course, Aussie players like David Warner, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, and especially bowlers led by Captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, and the debutant Scott Boland have been exceptional. Hopefully, Team England will play out of their skin to salvage pride and put up a reasonable show in the remainder of the series. Failing which, a whitewash is imminent.
