Well, this Ashes series is warming up very nicely. Edgbaston was a good match, Lord’s, despite the rain, a better one. In both there has been a nice balance between bat and ball. As Geoffrey Boycott said, Test cricket is more gripping when you have innings of around 250-300 rather than one side piling up 600 – not that Sir Geoffrey in his playing days would have been happy without a big century or two.
With these Tests coming thick and fast, there’s scarcely time to draw breath before the next one. If this is emotionally exhausting for fans, think of the pressure on the players. Australia do have the comfort of being able to rotate their pace bowlers; it would be a surprise if Mitchell Starc doesn’t play at Headingley, with either Siddle or Hazlewood told to put his feet up for a few days. England in the absence of James Anderson don’t have that luxury. On the other hand, the news that the magnificent Steve Smith won’t play at Leeds will give England a lift, and will correspondingly put more pressure on the Australian top order.
