Australia are growing in strength while England are starting to question itself and this is a recipe for a hometown disaster. Having suffered an ignominious four-nil hammering in Australia, England’s ugly scars are re-emerging and they’ll have trouble halting the slide. 

There is no doubt Ben Stokes is employing the right strategy in trying to win Test matches from the first ball; that is how the game is best played. What is in doubt is England’s ability—as they’re currently constructed—to successfully employ that strategy.  

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A camp full of doubt

England’s bowling and fielding has been disappointing and now their batting has suffered a dramatic collapse against the short-pitched delivery. Major doubt is now evident in the English camp. 

It’s going to take a monumental display of strong leadership from Stokes to reboot England’s confidence to a point where they can turn the tables on Australia. 

Forget the first innings declaration in the Edgbaston Test; that was a positive move. The reason England lost the Test is their unbalanced, struggling attack backed by inept fielding and their confusing and downright poor selection. 

They had an ageing attack which lacked variety and whose control over line and length was in question when confronted by an onslaught. They also don’t have the pace required to mount a meaningful bouncer barrage. 

When their batting—a source of comfort in the past—collapsed in a flurry of panicked shot-making at Lord’s, the doubts quickly re-surfaced. The fact that this madness occurred following a major injury to Australia’s prized off-spinner Nathan Lyon just re-enforced England’s plight. 

The England batsmen had no sensible answer when Australia resorted to a bouncer attack and this gave Cummins men a huge boost. It’s true that Australia have the bowlers with height and pace to employ a bouncer barrage, but it helps when the opposition commits batting suicide. While it’s also true that a bouncer barrage extracts a physical toll on the bowlers, if it helps secure an early series victory then the remaining Tests become a matter of coasting home.   

Time to answer big questions

It’s all well and good for England to say; “That’s the way we play,” but when wild and woolly shot-making like the Lord’s debacle becomes an excuse for a dismissal, then it’s time for the batsmen to answer some serious questions.  

In the field, England are struggling to combat Steve Smith’s monumental thirst for runs, Usman Khawaja’s stubbornness and the aggression of Travis Head. In addition, David Warner has shown tremendous resolve to overcome Stuart Broad’s domination. In the face of Australia’s determination, England needed to field superbly, but failed in this endeavour.  

England’s error-ridden selection was summed up by Moeen Ali’s recall. Moeen was not a successful spinner against Australia even at his peak and yet England chose to make another serious miscalculation. 

Now that England’s batting has stumbled and fallen, the selection blunders become more apparent. In the past, England hasn’t been quick to change tack and resolve thorny issues. I’ll be surprised if the modus operandi changes under this selection group, while Australia are likely to go from strength to strength. 

Trying to win from the first ball is an admirable trait and Stokes is correct in employing that strategy. However, gifting your wicket to the opposition with reckless 
shot making is not a tactic designed to beat good sides. Australia under Cummins is a good side.