Ashes 2015: 4th Test preview- The Battle for the Urn
Ashes 2015: 4th Test preview- The Battle for the Urn: When the fiercest rivalry of Australia and England commences, the 22 yards transpires into some intensified rounds of bouts with both the teams unraveling one punch after another on the face of their opponent with the single aim of captivating the so-called Urn. “You hit me once I hit you back”, the theme song of Ashes 2015, is much more than a song as it recapitulates the whole story of the Ashes series, this year. The battle of Ashes which has prevailed for 133 years since its inception, has once again ignited fire on the field as this series has been a roller coaster ride where both the teams have unfolded high voltage of volatility with each passing Test match.
After Australia got smacked in the first Test match, the visitors reciprocated the same in the Second match at Lord’s as they triumphantly outclassed the home side by 405 runs. In the Third Test at Edgbaston, the carnival of erratic events persisted as England whipped out the Aussie side in only 3 days. Now, the Fourth match of the Ashes 2015 will be played at Trent Bridge with England leading the series 2-1. It is a dire situation of do-or-die for the Kangaroos. In last 8 years, Trent Bridge has been a fortress for the English side as they haven’t lost a single Test match here in that period. In last 6 Tests at Trent Bridge, England have tasted glory in 5 of them while one match didn’t yield any result.
Head-to-Head Matches:
If we talk about head to head matches at Trent Bridge between England and Australia, then the Aussies have an upper hand as they have won 7 matches here in comparison to 5 matches won by the home side while 9 matches have ended in a draw.
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England:
The English team displayed hefty amount of grit, en route to their ruthless performance at Edgbaston. But, the biggest setback for the home side will be the absence of their premiere bowler, James Anderson who emerged as the hero at Trent Bridge, to win the home side a thriller in Ashes series 2013. The protagonist of Birmingham Steve Finn is likely to lead the attack with Stuart Broad while Liam Plunkett is likely to replace Anderson as England would hesitate to field Mark Footitt who is yet to play an International match as the ghosts of Simon Kerrigan’s dismal performance at the Oval in Ashes 2013 is still fresh in everyone’s mind.
On batting front, English team looks settled. The master stroke of English management to promote Ian Bell to no.3 position paid rich dividends for them in the 3rd Test match, now they have their veteran back in form plus the aggressive style of Bell counterattacks the blistering Aussies upfront, which shifts the momentum of the game in favor of the home side. Cook and Root are the two burly pillars of the side while Stokes, Butler and Moeen Ali inject flamboyance in the batting line-up.
Australia:
If the trend of the series prevails then it indicates that the Australian’s would win. Australia would be more than happy not to face Jimmy Anderson this time around here at Trent Bridge. But, considering the recent form of the side, they need to resurrect many things. The middle-order of the side has struggled throughout the series with Captain Clarke suffering from slump in form. The batting maestro of the visitors, Steve Smith has his own share of problems against the moving deliveries. While David Warner has been hot and cold in the series, Voges and Marsh are yet to contribute something noteworthy. The Australian wicket-keeper batsman Peter Nevill showcased his resilience and determination in the last test while Chris Rogers has been the go to man for Aussies in the series.
There have been many voices from the cricket experts asking for the axing of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in favor of Pat Cummins and the experienced campaigner Peter Siddle. But, Hazlewood and Starc who have so far under-performed in the series are likely to retain their places in the make or break game for the visitors. Mitchell Johnson put up a wonderful show at Lord’s while his two ripping bouncers at Edgbaston somewhat revoked the memories of 2014/15 Ashes series, but Johnson is yet to reopen the scars of the previous series, this time around as such and much. The 33-year old has to use all his ruffling tricks and expertise with the red cherry at Trent Bridge to help Australian’s salvage pride in the face of glory as they take on England in the 4th Test match which will begin from Thursday.
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