In-form England batsman Dawid Malan has said his teammates “need to improve” and be more aggressive as they fight to avoid a 5-0 whitewash in the remaining two Ashes Tests.
Malan, whose 302 runs at an average of 50.33 has been a rare high point for the tourists during the series, said despite having lost the Ashes urn, pride was still at stake. “I believe we need to be as aggressive with these guys as they are with us,” he said ahead of the fourth Test in Melbourne, starting on Tuesday.
“If you ever take your foot off the gas with these blokes, they seem to really dominate. I think batting, bowling or fielding we have to be aggressive. One little mistake out here, and these guys seem to pounce on it.
“It is disappointing we’ve got nothing to play for in terms of the Ashes but the pride of our players will want to make this 3-2 and we want to show we can perform out here.”
He added that England remained united on what has been a miserable tour with echoes of the 5-0 drubbings handed out by the Baggy Greens in 2006/2007 and 2013/2014. “No one is feeling sorry for themselves, blaming people or anything like that. We hold our hands up and we need to improve. None of us are the finished article. It’s not through lack of trying,” he said.
But Australia captain Steve Smith was in an unsympathetic mood as he warned there will be no let-up for England’s beleaguered lower order, urging his bowlers to continue their bouncer barrage in Melbourne and Sydney.
His uncompromising stance comes amid claims England’s batsmen deserve more protection from the umpires. Writing in The Times, former England captain Mike Atherton called on umpires to better enforce the game’s laws around bouncers, which are designed to protect batsmen down the order.
England’s number eleven James Anderson was struck on the helmet by a brutal bouncer from Pat Cummins in the Perth Test which drew criticism, with Atherton expressing his dismay at the continued attacks on the England tail, which included six bouncers to Anderson in the final stages of the game.
Yet Smith said there will be no respite for the embattled English batsmen in Melbourne on Boxing Day, adding that it was a strategy the tourists would employ themselves if they could.
“We obviously had a plan from the start of the series that we were going to bowl a lot of short stuff to those guys, much like we did back in 2013,” he told reporters late Thursday. “And no doubt if they have the kind of pace our bowlers could generate they would probably do the same thing,” he added.
Smith’s unrelenting approach comes after his Australia side thrashed England by an innings and 41 runs in Perth to go 3-0 ahead in the series and regain the Ashes urn. In the three Tests so far, Australia’s pace attack has targeted England’s tailenders with short-pitched deliveries.
England can expect no sympathy Down Under, with Australia’s former pacer Mitchell Johnson stating that the tourists should be less concerned about the rules of the game and just “learn to bat.”
“Isn’t it two short balls in an over? That’s the rules. If it’s not over their heads or the shoulder restriction, how is it dangerous?,” Johnson told Fox Sports. “I don’t see the issue with it. Some guys struggle to hold the bat. But whose fault is that? That’s not the fault of the Australian quicks. (England) should be working on their batting.”
Meanwhile, Australia’s cause to notch a third whitewash against their oldest rivals in a little over a decade became more difficult as it emerged wicketkeeper Tim Paine has joined pacer Mitchell Starc as a doubt for Australia in the MCG Test, the latter being spotted hobbling through Melbourne airport on crutches.
It is believed the series’ leading wicket-taker is suffering from a bruised heel while Paine, who is averaging 43.33 with the bat and has taken 15 catches and a stumping in the series, did not make the trip to Melbourne with the rest of the home side because of personal reasons.
The UK’s Daily Telegraph said Paine had remained at home in Tasmania after his father-in-law suffered a stroke. If he is unavailable Peter Handscomb could potentially play as a wicketkeeper, while Cameron Bancroft donned the gloves for Western Australia during the early stages of the Sheffield Shield season.