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"They have to bounce back": Michael Atherton fires warning to England ahead of second Ashes Test
Former England batter Michael Atherton has delivered a blunt message to England as they prepare for the second Test of the Ashes, scheduled at The Gabba in Brisbane. The former England captain said that if the tourists fail to launch themselves back from their humbling defeat in Perth and go down 2–0, the series could be all but over. He argued that historically, England have rarely succeeded in securing three consecutive Test wins on Australian soil, particularly after losing early in a series.
“The omens are not necessarily in their favour, but they have to bounce back. If you go 2-0 down here in Australia, that’s the Ashes as good as done because England don’t generally win that many Test down under, and they certainly don’t win three on the bounce. So, it’s a massive game, and England will have to bounce back and play rather better than they did in Perth. And if they do, there are still vulnerabilities in this Australian team to exploit,” Atherton said on Sky Cricket.
“They had their moments in the Perth game. By lunch-time in the second day, they were dominating the game. They had 75% chance of winning at that point, according to the numbers guys. And then it all went downhill and they lost in 2 sessions but they’ll try and draw on the bits of good news that came out of the Perth game. They’ll hope to play a bit better, certainly with the bat. They need to bat a whole lot better than they did there and try and exploit some vulnerabilities in this Australian team,” he added.
The second Test, which will be a day-night Test, will begin on December 4 at The Gabba. Australia, who are buoyed by their victory in the first Test, will miss the services of their regular captain, Pat Cummins.
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