06 August,2009 08:52 AM IST | | Khalid A-H Ansari
Long accustomed to ruling the roost in Test cricket, Australia face the prospect of slipping to what, for them, will be an abysmal fourth position for the first time in the history of ICC rankings.
They have never been lower than second since the ICC ratings system was introduced in 2003.
With rain threatening to force a draw in the Headingley Test at Leeds starting tomorrow, Australia will, in that event, fall behind South Africa in the rankings.
Fouth position
If Australia fail to win on the placid Oval wicket in the fifth and final Test, they will freefall to fourth position behind India and Sri Lanka.
With tomorrow's fourth Ashes Test at Headingley assuming must-win proportions for both teams in the Ashes, Andrew Strauss and Ricky Ponting have been talking the talk and claiming moral victory in the drawn Edgbaston Test Trailing 0-1 at this juncture, Australia must win the crucial Test to level the series and go on to win the final one at the Oval to retain the Ashes they won comprehensively at home two years ago.
England, on the other hand, also need to win at Headingley to wrap up the series or draw both remaining Tests to regain the coveted Ashes they won in 2005, which triggered off dancing in the streets and decorations for members of Michael Vaughan's team.
Strauss told the media yesterday Australia are vulnerable, especially when the ball is swinging. His bowlers, Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Onions, in particular, have the ability to swing the English Duke ball menacingly under cloudy skies, which are the norm rather than exception at Headingley at this time of year.
u00a0
"What's most encouraging for us is so far in this series when conditions have been in our favour and the ball's done a bit, a few of their batsmen have looked vulnerable," Strauss said.
"When it's flatter they've played better. At Headingley often with cloud cover it does (swing) a bit, and hopefully if that's the case, they will be vulnerable again.
"I think most bowlers aren't quite the same (when it's not swinging), to be honest. We've had periods where we have looked most comfortable against the Australian bowlers as well. Maybe we haven't been quite as clinical in hitting that home as a batting unit."
Strauss's views seemed optimistic considering the fact that, despite their batting collapses in the first innings at Lord's and, then, at Edgbaston, Australian batsmen have scored six centuries to England's one. Moreover, five of the six run scorers after three Tests are from the touring side.
Ponting expressed the point of view that his side had turned the corner in the last Test, with Mitchell Johnson showing a refreshing return to form, despite the fact that he, along with Peter Siddle, are the only two bowlers from either side to have conceded more than 400 runs in the series.
The Australian captain said he, nevertheless, had shown great faith in them and they had vindicated the faith by bowling "particularly well" at different times.
Siddle's lack of consistency is a matter of concern for Ponting, whose options have been limited by Brett Lee's side strain in the tour match before the first Test, which has kept him out of the fray. (Lee pronounced himself fully fit, although team-mate Shane Watson doubted he could reproduce his match-winning form given that he has not played in a single match for over a month now).
There is a school of thought which maintains that Australia, trailing 0-1 and with the last Test to be played at the placid Oval, which is the most lifeless in the country, should go for broke and play four pace bowlers in hopes of taking 20 wickets, as they did in South Africa, leaving out spinner Nathan Hauritz.
u00a0With Stuart Clark having impressed in the recent tour game at Northampton, the tall speedster, with his unerring line and length and ability to get lift on even the most docile surfaces, will be in contention for a place in the side for tomorrow's game, with the tour selectors not risking the doubtfully fit Lee as yet.
"I'm really happy with what Mitchell has come out of the game with. Siddle has a little bit of work left to do, but he was the one who had the initial breakthrough the other day. He's better to left-handers than to right-handers, and they have two at the top (Strauss and Alistair Cook), so there's lots of pluses for this group of bowlers at the moment, but we'll keep an eye on Brett, and we know what Clark is capable of."
Clarke hopeful
Vice-captain Michael Clarke, who tore an abdominal muscle in his match-saving effort at Edgbaston where he scored an unbeaten century, is hopeful he will be 100 per cent fit, as is wicket-keeper Brad Haddin, whose fractured left finger was still bandaged yesterday after his pre-match injury at Birmingham.
Exuding confidence, especially in view of doubts over Andrew Flintoff's total fitness and the absence of Kevin Pietersen, Ponting said: "We did a bit better job than hang on grimly, we played really well." Alluding to the match-saving 185-run stand between Michael Clarke and Marcus North.
"Talking about momentum," Ponting said, "it has a lot to do with the individual players that you feel might have gained something over the last couple of days of the last game.
"Mitchell was a different bowler altogether than he was the last couple of Tests. It's great to see Mike Hussey get some real, good quality time in the middle. And Marcus (North) and Michael (Clarke) led the way with a terrific partnership. All in all we've had more individuals this last part of the game contribute more."
