Shocked Aussies must stand up and be counted

IT'S as though someone has turned the clock back a couple of months.

Australia are shocked, hurt and searching for answers - just like they were after a couple of those early one-day international defeats.

There's a huge added complication this time, of course, with the injuries to Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee threatening to put even more pressure on Shane Warne.

But even before Lee went into hospital with a knee infection, Australia had problems in the bowling department. Jason Gillespie has still not got it right while a genuine fast bowler like Lee is always liable to produce up and down performances - as was the case at Edgbaston.

As for their batsmen, most have been getting starts but not going on to produce big innings. And that's very unusual for the Aussies.

The top seven have had a phenomenal conversion rate for a number of years, turning a high proportion of 40s and 50s into centuries. But they are still waiting for their first 100 in this series.

What I can guarantee, though, is that Australia will not be letting the grass grow beneath their feet.

They didn't shrug their shoulders and assume everything would come good after losing those one-dayers to Bangladesh and England. No, they talked even more about what was going wrong and worked still harder to put things right.

The good news from Australia's point of view is that, despite being right out of the match at Edgbaston at one stage and really not playing very well for much of the game, they still only lost by two runs.

By getting over the line in Birmingham and levelling the series, England have shown they have match-winners who are capable of taking the series, never mind one Test. But Australia know that. They also realise the size of the task ahead of them and, if I'm any judge, will be relishing the challenge that confronts them.

Whichever side of the fence you are on, the series has been fantastic and I've loved every minute of the two matches.

Okay, it's not been what you might call traditional Test cricket and, unless bad weather intervenes, it's hard to see any of the matches going into a fifth day, never mind ending as a draw.

It's thrilling stuff and, as someone who has left the dressing room behind and joined the media, I just want it to continue like this right to the end - with Australia getting across the line after a really close battle, of course.

We all know if they had won at Edgbaston and made it 2-0, the series would have been all over bar the shouting.

Instead, we've had the confirmation that England really have improved and are ready to challenge the world's No1 team.

Not that Michael Vaughan's team can afford to get carried away by what happened in Birmingham.

Australia lost McGrath before start of play, bowled first when they should have batted and then made many more mistakes. But getting so close, despite all that, underlined what character and determination the world champions possess.

I'm sure Ricky Ponting will have put the Edgbaston toss decision behind him.

He must know, though, that it will come back to hurt and haunt him if the Ashes are lost.

Being captain is a tough business and there's no hiding place.

I could see where he was coming from at Edgbaston, what with the statistics supporting bowling first and given an overcast morning.

But Ponting had just lost his No1 fast bowler and his other trump card, Warne, would have been better used, surely, in the second and fourth innings of the match. So there were other issues to consider.

Of course, all of that is history now and Australia will be more than happy to keep it that way by putting a really commanding total on the board at Old Trafford.

THE big question is whether England will let them.

Vaughan has some great weapons in his armoury and must be confident of keeping the Aussies under serious pressure with the ball.

Steve Harmison did not bowl at his best at Edgbaston, but we all know what he can do. As for Andrew Flintoff, he rarely bowls a bad over, never mind a bad spell, these days.

Then, if the ball is swinging, Vaughan has got Matthew Hoggard up his sleeve and if there is reverse swing around, then Simon Jones comes on. And all that's before England think about using Ashley Giles.

But it is one thing bowling well and something else altogether to bowl well to the plans you have worked out for each batsman.

England are doing the latter. They are building up pressure on the batsmen, then maintaining it - and Australia are just not used to that sustained attack.

The Aussies, on the other hand, were having to think about changing their bowling even before Lee went into hospital. And that's a triumph for the home side in itself.

This really is a huge chance for England and they will be desperate to take it. The Ashes really are up for grabs.

Despite everything, though, I'm still backing only one team to come through and win the series.

I said 3-1 before a ball was bowled and I'm sticking with it. And that's 3-1 to Australia, in case you need to ask!

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