Australia’s Edgbaston win has changed narrative of Ashes series

Within the space of a single Test match the narrative of the entire Ashes has dramatically changed course.

Australia captain Tim Paine has defied the expectations of the English press. Picture: Getty Images

Within the space of a single Test match the narrative of the entire Ashes has dramatically changed.

Perceived pressure on Tim Paine has vanished and concerns about Steve Smith’s head space have been replaced by English concerns about how to actually get him out. If you believe the hype, he has attained superhuman abilities. Which he well may have. Time will tell.

Australia, who came to the first match dragging two decades of failure in away series — and 18 months of disorientation following the disruption of Cape Town — are now seen to be charging down the wing with the unstoppable momentum of Samu Kerevi.

England, who were basking in the sunshine of a World Cup victory, look as flat as road kill. There is a degree of madness in this belief. Things went Australia’s way from the start of the Edgbaston Test. The Australian captain had a rare win at the toss and England a loss of key personnel in the first session.

Paine’s side had a brilliant victory, no doubt, and Smith an extraordinary return to the game.

Matthew Wade did what he was picked to do. Supporting roles with the bat were provided by enough cast members to suggest this was not just the one-man show it resembled on the first day.

The visiting seamers were smart, their numbers healthy and the reserves more than capable of providing cover should circumstances or conditions change.

Nathan Lyon now ranks among the giants and his opposite number among those whose time has past. One win does not, however, a series make. Things can change in a moment. In 2005 Australia were in a similar position to now. They won the first match of that series by 239 runs. Tim Paine’s men won this by 251.

Australia then lost Glenn McGrath and the second Test by two runs and the momentum of the series was irreversibly changed.

McGrath had taken his 500th wicket in the first match and his absence left a hole that could not be filled.

England lost James Anderson after the toss at Edgbaston, and the veteran, who has 575 wickets to his name, has been replaced by Jofra Archer. The exciting seamer brings to his Test debut an enormous amount of expectation.

England have chosen to abandon the out of form Moeen Ali and opt for Jack Leach. A veteran of just five Tests, the left-arm orthodox slow bowler made 92 as a nightwatchman against Ireland and took 18 wickets from three Tests in Sri Lanka last year, but he will not find the Australian attack as gentle as Ireland’s, or the conditions as conducive to his bowling as those in Galle, Pallekele and Colombo.

Barring a second strike of lightning England’s bowling attack will be more complete come Wednesday’s game at Lord’s than it was at Edgbaston, where Anderson managed only four overs on the first morning. Still, the pressure has shifted and is squarely on the home side.

Coming in to the first Test the English press was convinced that Paine was a man in trouble. The most common question asked at lunch buffets and the back of the press box was how long would he last before being dropped. Few locals could believe he would last the series, his batting, they said, was not good enough and the options to replace him — Alex Carey or Wade — too compelling.

It was a misreading of the situation. Paine was brought into the side for the 2017-18 Ashes because he was the best wicketkeeper in the country and brought with him the flinty character expected of Tasmanian cricketers.

His batting was always a bonus but his leadership was essential, given the circumstances with Smith. More concern should have been given to Jonny Bairstow’s situation, the Englishman is way out of form with the bat and has only two scores over 30 from his last 17 innings.

His shadow, Ben Foakes, is considered by some to be one of the finest wicketkeepers in the world and is more than handy with the bat.

Paine was widely mocked by the local press for dismissing Edgbaston’s intimidation factor and for having the temerity to say he wasn’t feeling any pressure over his spot, because this moment is one he never thought would come and if it ended in a moment he would not care.

Wade is of a similar mind. Both have had it and had it taken away from them but are of an age now where they are sanguine about the future because the present is an unexpected bonus.

Australia’s unexpected momentum is undeniable but sport is an unusual business and it can be lost as quickly as it was gained.

A twist in fate could swing on something as small as the toss of a coin or the twist of an ankle.

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