Former Aussie skipper Allan Border feels strike bowler Mitchell Johnson's form has become so poor that he needs to step away from test cricket for at least a week to rebuild his game
Former Aussie skipper Allan Border feels strike bowler Mitchell Johnson's form has become so poor that he needs to step away from test cricket for at least a week to rebuild his game
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After being clobbered by 115 runs at Lord's, Australia must at least draw the ongoing series to retain the Ashes.
In order to do so, a lot will depend on the broad shoulders of strike bowler Mitchell Johnson (he may not even be included in the playing squad in today's Test at Edgbaston) and whether he can regain the form that seems to have deserted him on this tour after his awesome exploits against South Africa.
Former Australian skipper Allan Border feels the Queenslander's form has become so poor he needs to "take a step away from Test cricket for at least a week to rebuild his game."
Clark for Johnson
Border, who played a major role in rebuilding the Australian team in the 1970s and '80s, told The Australian newspaper in Birmingham yesterday he wants to see experienced seam bowler Stuart Clark replace Johnson as the only change in the team for the third Test today.
"It's not going to hurt Mitch to stand down for a week, go out the back in the nets and thunder in for the equivalent of up to 15 overs a day until he gets it right," Border said. "Then he'll have nothing else to worry about apart from his bowling.
"He won't have to worry about going at six an over like he did in the last Test.
"There won't be any of the pressure and scrutiny that comes with being in the middle of a Test match."
Border said he was concerned Johnson had "totally lost his radar".
"You want him to be in your side if he's bowling well because he's a genuine wicket-taker, but Australia simply can't let England get away; like they did at Lord's.
"To be almost 200 in three hours before losing their first wicket, it's really tough to come back from there.
"It can be tough sometimes on a tough track to take wickets but at least make them work for their runs. They got them so quickly it gave them the high ground too easily. That can't be allowed to happen again."
Given Johnson's poor form Australia find themselves on the horns of a dilemma over whether to play spinner Nathan Hauritz on what is expected to be a soggy wicket.
"We've checked the county stats for this season and spinners are averaging about 60 or 70 per wicket," Ponting said yesterday.
"The numbers aren't compelling and with all this weather around, the curator says it will be a typical English seamer".
Epic Test
Obviously remembering the enthralling 2005 Test at Edgbaston where his team narrowly lost an epic Test largely because he misread the wicket and put England in to bat after winning the toss, Ponting said: "There aren't too many pitches you don't want to bat first on and if that's the case, you're bowling last and you want a spinner.
"We just have to make sure we get our thinking right.
Meanwhile it is learnt England's iconic all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is sleeping with a radical ice machine on his injured knee in a desperate attempt by the team management for today's Test.
His bid to be fit for the match is being helped by a compression machine that he puts on his right knee before going to bed.
"After every gym session I've been icing it and now I have this machine that I put on the knee every night," Flintoff, who admits he has been struggling in pain, said.
"It wraps around the knee and compresses it, half an hour on, half an hour off."
Sixteen of the last 20 first-class matches at Edgbaston have been drawn.
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