The Ashes 2013: 1st Test, Day 4 - Five players to watch out for

The Stuart Broad controversy threatens to flavour the rest of the first Ashes Test match, and while that might not be so bad for the viewers, who will draw delight in a bit of heat and hostility between the arch-rivals, it may adversely affect Australia’s chances in this game.

They looked distracted by the entire affair in the last session and they must now strive to move beyond it so that they can make a fist of it come Day 4. England lead by a margin of 261 runs, which means, save a miraculous meltdown, Australia will be chasing a record total in the 4th innings.

Ian Bell and Stuart Broad have tested the patience of this Australian side with a frustrating 108-run partnership, and they will do their best to extent that given the fact that there is no shortage of time in this Test match.

Australia, on the other hand, need to get their act together to get the early dismissal and hope that that triggers a collapse. The bulk of the responsibility now will be on the Australian top-order that will need to wither out a fiery opening hour of new ball swing bowling from the likes of James Anderson and Steven Finn.

The surface has deteriorated over the course of three days and Graeme Swann would have been on the edge of his seat watching Ashton Agar drop the ball into the rough. The opening two days of the game saw the fall of a total of 22 wickets whereas England battled hard to lose only four on the third day. If Australia put up a fight, we might be in for a brief but mouth watering last day’s play.

Here is a list of five players who can influence the state of the match on Day 4:

5. Ian Bell

The right-handed middle order batsman has tempted the cricketing world for a long while now with his elegant shot making but has failed to be consistent. This might be his chance as he remains undefeated at the crease on the verge of what would be the first ton of this Test match.

Bell’s ton would be richly deserved as it came at a critical time for England and is potentially a match winning one. He will be hoping to wither out the first half-an-hour of play of Day 4 before he can show a little aggressive intent while playing alongside the tail.

Any lead in excess of 300 will be a daunting task for Australia and if Bell produces a rush of runs, it can put the game beyond their reach.

4. Chris Rogers

The 35-year-old Australian was one of the few players who applied themselves to the task in the first innings. He was unable to anchor the innings for a long period of time as he would have liked to do ideally, but he showed that he had the ability to do so.

He must play the kind of role that Alastair Cook played in the English innings by plugging an end entirely even if that means going at a snail’s pace. He will be complemented by the presence of Shane Watson at the other end who is a natural stroke-maker and hence the runs will come.

Australia cannot afford to have the kind of meltdown that they had in the first innings. The effectiveness of the middle order including Michael Clarke will increase manifold if they are protected from the early burst of fast bowling.

3. Graeme Swann

Swann did a wonderful job in the first innings even though the pitch was a lot less supportive that it will be on Day 4. He took a little heat from the 19-year-old Ashton Agar, but that can be discounted given the fact that the middle order looked extremely gingerly to his off-spin bowling.

We saw Agar deriving that little bit extra from the pitch on Day 3, pitching one ball in the rough to get the dismissal of captain Alastair Cook, and that should excite Swann into activity. He will have a small role to play with the bat earlier in the day and he has exhibited a penchant for stroke-making in the past. A few runs will be valuable.

2. Shane Watson

Shane Watson was promoted back to open the innings by Darren Lehmann but he had a disastrous first outing. He looked like a bundle of nerves facing upto the likes of James Anderson and Steven Finn. He casually ventured a few shots outside the off stump, and was nowhere near as compact as a Test match opener should be against quality swing bowling.

He must have seen replays of himself after going back into the dressing room, and must have felt embarrassed by a few shots he played. He will have to play a crucial role in the Australian run-chase, especially if England pile up more than 75 runs on the morning of Day 4. He will have to give himself some time before he can start dispatching the loose deliveries.

1. James Anderson

James Anderson was tipped to be England’s biggest weapon in this series and he has lived upto that expectation with a five-for in the first innings. He tried to bowl some short stuff early on in the first innings but quickly corrected that mistake and was back to backing his own strengths by bowling full and getting the ball to swing.

The England team worked hard on the ball and the reverse swing was generated rather early in the innings. He will be all the more effective in the 4th innings as the Australian batsman try to chase a target in excess of 300. If Australia can tackle him and Graeme Swann, they will have some chance of making that record chase.