Post the first 2 Test matches of the ongoing Ashes series, Australia have their noses ahead in this series. Led by their charismatic skipper Pat Cummins, Australia have had an advantage in both the first two Tests and they have evolved into a dominant juggernaut.
Even though the first 2 Test matches went right down to the wire, things were pretty much in control for Australia in most parts of the game. The Ozzies dictated the flow of the game and put England under the pump in regular intervals in their very own turf.
England look in all sorts of trouble in the ongoing Ashes 2023 series and haven’t been able to conjure magic like they usually do. With 3 Test matches to go, England will have to punch above their weight in order to stage a comeback.
In this article, we take a look at 3 reasons why Australia can inflict a whitewash on England in the ongoing Ashes 2023 series:
1. Australia are not dependent on a single player
One of the notably features of this Australian cricket team has been the fact that there has been no dependency on a single cricketer. Even though their star batters in the form of David Warner and Marnus Labuschange are woefully out of form, they haven’t wilted under pressure.
This underlines the fact that Australia are relying on collective performances and this is working well in favour of them.
2. The form of their bowlers
Australian pacers have been key to the victories in the first 2 Test matches. The likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc have all breathed fire on the pitch and has made the batters quite uncomfortable on the crease.
With 11 wickets under his belt, skipper Pat Cummins is the 2nd highest wicket-taker and the leading wicket-taker of Australia in this series. Josh Hazlewood has bagged 8 wickets in the series so far and Mitchell Starc has notched up 6 wickets so far.
3. England have several injury concerns
Playing in front of their energetic crowd has never been easy. And on top of that, England have had several issues with their team in terms of injuries and fitness. Ollie Pope has a dislocated shoulder and has been ruled out of the Ashes 2023 series.
James Anderson wasn’t fully fit and was also dropped for the 3rd Test as he was out of form. Ollie Robinson hasn’t been at his usual best in terms of fitness. Moeen Ali too has been in and out of the team because of a finger injury.
England are at a vulnerable stage and are staring at a whitewash at the hands of the Australians!
