Ashes 3rd Test Preview : Aussies Favourites at vicious Perth

The two teams will go into the third test with a completely contrast state of mind. While the rejuvenated Australian team will go into the match high with confidence, the battered English team will look to overcome their "fears" and stage a fightback. But considering their past history at the ground and the "Mitchell Johnson" factor, a comeback seems unlikely. Nevertheless, cricket is a strange game and anything can happen. Lets take a look at both the teams.

Australia: The Aussies have finally got their combination right, after much experimentation with the batting and bowling order.

Rogers and Warner have been good at the top of the order. While Warner has brushed aside all the contoversies to excel in the current ashes, Rogers has looked solid at the top. Watson too gained some much needed form in the first innings of the Adelide test, after he scored a fluent 50 odd runs. With Lehmann saying that he is 100% fit, we might see much more of Watson the bowler in the third test.

But the real heroes of the Australian batting order are Clarke and Haddin. While bowlers have been in the limelight, Clarke and Haddin have silently re-enforced the Australian middle order. Clarke scored a century in both the tests, whereas Haddin scored 94 and a century.

Steven Smith and George Bailey are having a mediocre Ashes. While Bailey found some form after he scored a fifty at Adelide, Smith has been a weak link in the Australian middle order.

The bowling department, without doubt has been outstanding. Headed by the ferocious Mitchell Johnson, other bowlers have supported him well by persisting with a consistent line and length. Peter Siddle looked good in the second innings of Adelide test, whereas Ryan Harris was quite unlucky to get only a single wicket in the previous test, where he was bowling beautifully. Even Lyon has been good surprisingly, who contributed with consistent break-throughs.

Finally, their fielding has been absolutely stunning. They did not miss a single catch in the Adelaide test. Warner has been excellent in the field, whereas Haddin’s batting form has improved his wicketkeeping skills too.

England : The English teams seems to have hit a new low. After a horrible batting performance in the first match, England suffered a major blow in the form of Johnattan Trott. He returned home citing personal and mental reasons.

Now the English batting order has been inconsistent and have been hapless against the pace of Mitchell Johnson. All have struggled against his short-pitched delivaries.

At the top of the order, Captain Cook is having a torrid time at the middle. He was clue-less on how to handle Johnson. Cranberry, though performed better than Cook, was also suspectable against short delivary.

The middle order looked absolutely brittle in both the test matches. Ian Bell and Pieterson have looked woefully out of form, though the later played well in the 2nd innings of Adelaide test.

Ben Stokes had a forgettable debut, but some time at the middle would have given him much needed confidence. Joe Root was the only silver lining in the previous test match, who’s fighting 87 showed his temperament.

The English bowling was not bad, but it was their fielding that was disappointing. 3 dropped catches, including that of Haddin, proved costly as Australian batsmen made merry in a batting track. Anderson is having a moderate time, but lack of swing has made him ineffective. Stuart Broad was the only successful English pacer, bagging 11 wickets in the two tests. The spinners were mediocre in the second test, as both of them ended providing more than 150 runs off their bowling.

Pitch : As expected, the pitch at the WACA will be an absolute green-top and will definitely assist the pacers. But the bounce will keep the spinners interested. The weather forecast for the next 5 days is expected to be hot and dry, so the prospect of reverse swing is possible.

Possible team changes:

Australia would probably stick to the same team, considering Watson to be the 4th pacer. But Faulkner could be included in the team in the place of Smith/Bailey, keeping in mind of his All-round capabilities.

England would definitely bring in a 3rd pacer instead of Monty, but it is to be seen as who will be included, Finn or Bresnan. Stokes’ medium pace would be an asset, as he could be utilized as a 4th pacer.

Final Call:
In a perfect bowling friendly pitch, all eyes will be on how the English batsmen will fare against the Aussie pacers. While Clarke and Warner would like to continue their good form, Cook would like to turn around the tables of his team’s fortunes. If England fails to win this test, not only they will lose the ashes, they will lose their morale too. Whereas Australia would like to wrap things up at perfect conditions and go for the kill.