Published: Jul 31, 2013, 01:57 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 25, 2014, 12:32 AM (IST)
Monty Panesar could make a comeback in the English scheme of things © Getty Images
By Sarang Bhalerao
England are leading the series 2-0 after thrashing Australia by 347 runs in the second Test at Lord’s. The action now shifts to Old Trafford which has been a happy hunting ground for the hosts in the recent past. In the last 10 Test matches England have won five and lost only one game.
Against Australia, England have played 28 times at Old Trafford having won seven and losing as many times.
Overall England have played 73 games and have won 25 and lost 14. Their win-loss (W/L) ratio is 1.78.
Australia have a W/L ratio of 1.14 but against England they have a W/L ratio of 1.00. Australia won against South Africa in 1912.
Since 1948, Australia have won five and lost four games at Old Trafford.
England and Australia at Old Trafford
| Tests | W/L | Drawn | W/L ratio | |
| England-overall | 73 | 25/14 | 34 | 1.78 |
| Australia-overall* | 29 | 8/7 | 14 | 1.14 |
| England in the 10 Tests | 10 | 5/1 | 4 | 5.00 |
| Australia since 1948 | 13 | 5/4 | 4 | 1.25 |
*Australia played against South Africa at the Old Trafford in 1912.
Among the current lot, Ian Bell tops the list in terms of runs scored. He has two centuries and has 486 runs. England skipper Alastair Cook who has had tough Ashes 2013 so far would be looking to add onto his tally of two centuries at the Old Trafford. Kevin Pietersen has had moderate success at Old Trafford averaging only 33.5 at the venue.
England’s current batsmen at the Old Trafford
| Batsman | Tests | Runs | Avge | 100s | 50s |
| Ian Bell | 5 | 486 | 81 | 2 | 3 |
| Alastair Cook | 4 | 369 | 61.5 | 2 | 1 |
| Matt Prior | 2 | 133 | 44.33 | 0 | 1 |
| Kevin Pietersen | 5 | 268 | 33.5 | 0 | 2 |
| Stuart Broad | 1 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| Greame Swann | 1 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Trott | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Monty Panesar could make a comeback in the English scheme of things. His record at the Old Trafford is phenomenal. Panersar has recorded 25 wickets in three matches at an impressive average of 16.72 and strike rate of 34.1. Panesar has three five wicket hauls and one ten wicket haul at his happy hunting ground.
England’s best bowler of the series James Anderson has picked up ten wickets in three games.
England’s frontline spinner Graeme Swann has picked six wickets on this ground against Bangladesh in 2010.
England’s bowlers at the Old Trafford Test
| Bowler | Tests | Wkts | Avge | SR | 5WI | 10 WI |
| Monty Panesar | 3 | 25 | 16.72 | 34.1 | 3 | 1 |
| James Anderson | 3 | 10 | 27.10 | 41.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Graeme Swann | 1 | 6 | 18.33 | 29.3 | 1 | 0 |
| Stuart Broad | 1 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 |
Looking at the vulnerability of Australia against spin and Panesar’s record on the ground, England might field in an extra spinner.
Will the spin duo wreak havoc in the battered souls of the Australians? England management have a few selection headaches ahead of the third Test.
(Sarang Bhalerao hails from a family of doctors, but did his engineering. He then dumped a career in IT with Infosys to follow his heart and passion and became a writer with CricketCountry. A voracious reader, Sarang aspires to beat Google with his knowledge of the game! You can follow him on Twitter here)
