Teams Status
England
After their heavy defeat in the opening Test, it is difficult to find positives for England but one small glimmer of hope is that the second Test is in Adelaide, where they tend to fare a little better.
Another positive was Ollie Robinson, who looked menacing all through the first Test and has all the makings of being successful on Australian pitches. Allrounder Ben Stokes also bowled sharply in the nets recently and is reportedly back to his best.
But the negatives are plenty too. How about the fact that England have not won a single Test in Australia since the 2010-11 season? Or how about the fact that they absolutely got hammered in the series opener.
Historically speaking, Adelaide’s pitch has supported spin, which is why captain Joe Root now faces the dilemma of whether or not to retain Jack Leach, who was completely ineffective in the opening Test.
Australia
Australia have been completely dominant in day-night Tests, winning each of their eight such matches, which only spells more trouble for their guests.
So confident the Aussies are that their captain has already named the line-up for the Test. Josh Hazlewood is out injured so Jhye Richardson has been named as his replacement. He beat out Michael Neser, whose long-awaited Test debut has to wait some more.
David Warner is likely to shake off a rib bruise that he copped in the first Test, which means there won’t be a place in the side for Usman Khawaja.
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