Australia v England: 3rd Test Preview
With odds as short of 7/2 on a ‘whitewash’, Andy Flower will make wholesale changes to the muppets for the third Ashes Test in Perth in an attempt to turn the series around.
Australia have cruised to big victories in each of the first two Tests and are available at 8/11 to win again in Perth, where they have an excellent record. The odds on the Baggy Greens winning the series 5-0 are 7/2 while a 2-2 tied series can be backed at 11/1.
Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Matt Prior and Kevin Pietersen have all been below-par in the series so far, while Jonathan Trott left the tour with a stress-related condition after the first Test, but sweeping changes to the side may not be made.
We’ve taken some serious hits but we do have a squad full of people who are determined to turn the ship around.
Andy Flower
Tim Bresnan is expected to come into the team while Jonny Bairstow, Steven Finn, Boyd Rankin and Gary Ballance are other options.
Flower said: “We’ve taken some serious hits but we do have a squad full of people who are determined to turn the ship around, and that’s what we must do.
“I’m absolutely ready to make tough decisions. There will obviously be changes in Perth.
“We haven’t been skilful enough for long enough to get into better positions in the matches. That’s the crux there. Our batting failed three times in a row. We have a history of playing competitive cricket.
“I know we have a mixture of experienced and young players, but a lot of these players have done some amazing things for England in the recent past, and we are going to have to fight for that to happen again.”
England have lost their last six Tests at the Waca and have won only one of the 12 Ashes matches played there since 1970.
Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Prior said the Adelaide defeat in the second Test was “as embarrassing a performance as I have been involved in with England.
“You are representing your country and that is not a performance anybody expects from this team. We were horrendous and there have been honest chats and words spoken.”
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