Australia and Lord's

Statistics may be hard to believe but never difficult to verify. The Aussies broke their own record. In a place where they were invincible for the last seven and half decades, there was an indication how they went to display the unappealing happening but this time on the wrong side. In a venue, where they lost to England by a mammoth 347 runs is the index of how badly the Australian cricketing standards have fallen in the last couple of years. The kind of loss that the Poms inflicted on the Kangaroos was a measure of sharp contrast of their style of play and how England have come so far. This was Australia"s sixth test defeat in a row and on the other  side, England's 4th consecutive win.

If Australia believed that just by changing the head coach would work wonders for them, then that strategy was the final nail in the coffin. Ridiculous team selections did not  justify the coaching pedagogy of Mickey Arthur. To add to the woes, David Warner was surprisingly sent to South Africa to get some match practice. Batting order was not that decent either. To keep the likes of Watson waiting till number 6 is like inviting your opposition to rip through your batting line-up apart almost effortlessly.

Shane Watson needs to fire big time with his willow.

This was one of the highest moments in English history though.At a time when England stepped into the field with the slightest of slightest ambition to settle for a draw against the mighty Aussies, they now seek to conquer them. This change did not happen all of a sudden. Years of efforts put in by investing in A tours followed by a domestic structure revamp,tough decisions and most importantly the realization after suffering big losses in the hands of the opponents that things had to change. Luck hardly played a role in their transformation. Sticking to the then interim coach in Andy Flower,who 1st saw his team being bowled out for a modest 51, and anointing Graham Gooch as the batting coach helped in taking the Poms to the number 1 in Test Cricket."Its not just about technique but its all about the mental toughness,attitude coupled with technique and more importantly, the ability to bat for long periods by applying yourself in is what requires to excel in Test cricket"said Gooch. At a time when Aussies believed to have a upper edge,reeling England at 28/3, Joe Root played the innings of his life. England, unlike other teams now, don’t look to survive only in the 1^st hour of the play-whether batting or bowling."That’s not the way Andy Flower works and that’s not the way this English side works" said an ambitious,yet down to earth, Alastair Cook.

With his career best 180, Joe Root played the innings of his life

What remains now to be seen is how Australia bounce back at Old Trafford. "Number 9,10 and the jack are certainly better than the top 3," said Border. Clarke and Co. need to pull up their socks to achieve a win from here. Its high time that they rectify the batting order and look for logical selections. A loss at the Manchester will make life more difficult and increase their critic's list. England, on the other hand, should not take their foot off the gas now. Nothing more than a miracle will be needed to topple them.A win at Old Trafford will allow them to test their bench strength in the later half of the series.