England’s scars deepen after monumental thrashing by Australia at Lord’s in Ashes 2015

England’s scars deepen after monumental thrashing by Australia at Lord’s in Ashes 2015

Thirty seven overs is all it took for Australia to reopen the wounds that had not healed completely for England, as they suffered a monumental defeat at Lord’s in the second Ashes 2015 Test. Devarchit Varma explains how scary this defeat looks for England.

When any team batting first puts up a score close to 600, it requires some serious batting efforts from the opposition to level the terms. But if this team fails to get its act together after their opposition has ran riot with the bat, it gets murky. And it gets murkier if there is a collapse, a mental disintegration on the flattest of pitches, which eventually results in the situation turning grave. This is the status of England at the moment, coming off an impressive win at Cardiff in the first Ashes 2015 Test; they suffered a loss so severe, that it will haunt them for days to come. Read: Australia thrash England by 405 runs in 2nd Ashes 2015 Test; level series 1-1

During the coverage of the fourth day’s play at Lord’s, Sir Ian Botham said few words which carried a profound meaning. Botham opined that Mitchell Johnson just needs to turn up and some of these English batsmen give up. It is a fact that Johnson still is a scare in the English ranks, and it is a fact that they have not been able to find the right answer to the Australian tearaway pacer. If England does not find their way across Johnson, their road to Ashes 2015 win could be among the toughest ones. 

England will go back to the drawing board and see where they went wrong, but the questions are very tough to be answered from the outset. James Anderson had poor outing at Lord’s, a venue which is considered his favourite hunting ground. Anderson has always taken wickets here. But in this Test, he remained wicketless. He bowled 33 overs, gave away 137 runs and did not get a single wicket. England’s bowling unit was so hapless that it failed to take wickets on a track where Australians turned menacing. And England batsmen could not find their feet on not one but two occasions, and at the same time, Australians scored at will. Read: Ashes 2015, 2nd Test at Lord’s: Australia leave England behind in their own game

The manner in which Johnson bowled in the second Test has a lot to tell. He did struggled to make an impact at Cardiff, but Johnson had his game plan sorted out for Lord’s. Johnson knew he will have to bend his back to get the desired bounce resulting in wickets, and he spiced up his bowling by bringing in more aggression. Johnson attacked a lot more and got the swing as well. A few short balls that he bowled — especially the one off which Moeen Ali fell in the second innings — will tell England that however flat wickets they prepare, Johnson has it in him to create the effects that he normally does at the Gabba and at the WACA. And that sight is generally a nightmare for England. Read: Ashes 2015: England’s top order a major issue

The Ashes 2015 stands at a very interesting junction. Neither of the team can be termed favourites or a weak one. Both teams have their strengths and weaknesses, but the fact that England have not been able to get rid of the scars from the last time, it will be tough for them to figure out their way going ahead. There is a long gap between the third Test and the second, and England will be away taking rest longer than their opponents, who will be busy in a tour game. Let us see what England can pull off.

(Devarchit Varma is a reporter with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)