England will start a confident side but Australia have shown they have the line-up to take on anyone when the two sides meet at Lord’s for the second Ashes Test. The Ashes 2nd Test betting tips & predictions below.
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Overview:
Whatever happened at Cardiff was described as a minor hiccup by Australian coach Darren Lehmann but they will know in their hearts that they are in for a battle. Quite a few factors were responsible for that opening defeat but none bigger than Australia’s inability to adjust to a slow track.
Lehmann has challenged while captain Michael Clarke has hoped the curators give them a quicker pitch for the second Test but with England having tasted success on one that did not offer the bowling much by way of bounce, they might not ant to change things.
And then there are other problems for Australia.
Brad Haddin has opted out of this Test because of personal, family reasons. His form had dipped to a level where his position in the XI looked untenable but this isn’t the best way for a player to get replaced. Peter Nevill will make his debut and it comes at such a crucial time that it will be interesting to see how he goes, especially on the Lord’s slope.
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Then there’s a matter of Shane Watson. He has been dropped and replaced by Mitchell Marsh after not only failing with the bat but falling twice to a mode of dismissal that has been his bugbear for years – lbw. Clearly things haven’t turned around for him.
David Warner’s lack of runs and Mitchell Johnson’s lack of penetration were the other two telling reasons for England’s success.
What also helped England in the opener was Joe Root’s century after he was dropped on zero and the aggressive assault towards the end of the innings by Moeen Ali. Ali went on to pick up five wickets in the game as well to hammer the last few nails in their coffin.
Captain Alastair Cook didn’t have a great game with the bat but boy, was he on the button as a captain. The one mistake he did make was to bat in a way different from his natural game and he could look to get back to his usual self.
Stuart Broad was a standout bowler for England, while James Anderson looked much more threatening than any of the Aussies. Can the pair continue with this good stuff?
Ashes 2nd Test Probable XIs:
England will want to go into the Lord’s Test unchanged but Moeen Ali seems to have hurt his side and could have to sit out. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid might take his place.
Australia will need to make two changes – Nevill for Haddin and Mitchell Marsh for Watson. Other than that, Mitchell Starc’s fitness will be monitored closely but latest reports suggest he is fit to play.
Players to watch out for:
Ben Stokes (England):
He had a decent first Ashes Test, batting at six, scoring 77 in the first innings and picking up a wicket. His bowling wasn’t easy to get away and he played his part as a fifth bowler well. With that confidence under his belt and with the Aussies having goaded him on with some mischief during the opening game, expect him to build on the start.
David Warner (Australia):
His batting was almost painful to watch but it was difficult to tell whether it was of his volition or if he was actually scraped through his innings. One way or the other, what the Aussies need is for him to get them the starts he has all those previous months and this could just be a different side.
Ashes England v Australia head to head:
After losing the first Test at Cardiff, England have reduced the margin to 104-128 in Ashes Tests. What that also does is to improve their chances of not having lost an Ashes series at home since 2001. At Lord’s, Australia have played 37 Tests and are 16-7, with 35 of those Tests having come against England. England have won just five of those 35 Tests against the Aussies.
Ashes 2nd Test betting tips:
Australia to win: 11/8 (William Hill)
David Warner to be Australia’s top batsman: 7/2 (bet365)
Josh Hazlewood to be Australia’s top bowler: 5/1
Root to be England’s top batsman: 10/3
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Where to watch the Ashes 2nd Test?
Fans from England can tune in to Sky Sports to watch the Ashes series live on TV while Aussies will be able to watch it live on Channel Nine. Indian viewers can watch it live on Star Sports 1.
Match starts at 11 am local time (1000 hours GMT or 9 pm AEDT) on July 16.
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