Australia will look to continue with their dominant form at home when they face an under-pressure England cricket team in the second Test of the Ashes 2021-22 series, to be played at the Adelaide Oval from Thursday. Australia are 1-0 ahead in the five-match series having recorded a huge victory in the opening Test of the series by 9 wickets, in a little over four days.
While Australia are set to take the field without their lead fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who has been sidelined by a side strain, England are expected to make at least a couple of changes in their bowling line-up. The visiting side had played the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane without their most experienced fast bowling pair of Stuart Broad and James Anderson, who both are set to return for the day-night Test.
This will be the first day-night Test of this Ashes 2021-22 series, since the fifth and final Test to be played at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart is also slated to be a day-night affair. Australia have an impeccable record in day-night Test cricket and given that they are playing in home conditions and have also taken a lead in the series, they can be considered favourites for this match.
The return of Broad into the England line-up makes things a little more interesting given the fact that he had dominated Australia opener David Warner and other left-handed batsmen in the last Ashes series in England. Warner rode his luck in the first innings of the Brisbane Test to score a brilliant 94, announcing his form and red-ball cricket after a compelling display with the bat in the ICC T-20 World Cup 2021.
While the home team will be concerned with the form of the other opener Marcus Harris, the positive performances by the likes of Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head in the first Test would give them a lot of confidence. Australia run machine Steve Smith had a rare failure against England in Brisbane and he will be itching to get back among runs in Adelaide.
The left-handed batsman Head scored a brilliant 152 in the first Test to set up Australia’s victory, which was also bolstered by his first five-wicket haul in Ashes series, that too on his captaincy debut, by Pat Cummins. Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon continue to remain vital cogs in the Australian bowling lineup, whereas encouraging performances by all-rounder Cameron Green will give the home team a lot of confidence going into the Adelaide Test.
On the other hand, England will be concerned with the form of their opening batsmen Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed who both flopped at Brisbane. While Joe Root and Dawid Malan scored in excess of 80 each in the second innings for England, the visitors would know that they will have to put runs on the board irrespective of them batting in the first or the second innings, in order to put pressure on Australia.
England will also be concerned with the fact that the star all-rounder Ben Stokes was not 100 percent fit in Brisbane and there is a lot riding on the maverick cricketer.