England Defeated Australia on the Second Day of Ashes 2015

The English team lead by captain Cook took the victory against Australia in a match in which the strategy was a decisive factor.

The second day of the exciting Ashes 2015 is behind. England defeated the Australian national team 430-264, but the way they achieved the yesterday’s victory is something that needs to be noticed. The fantastic strategy that the team of Alastair Cook applied yesterday was by many considered to be the key aspect that brought England into a more advantageous position before the continuation of the tournament. The frightening Australian attack was successfully stopped which paved the road to the victory for the English team.

According to online sportsbooks in UK, the English team had the role of a favorite before the start of the tournament. Bet365 gave them a coefficient of 2.10 (11/10) for winning the match while the Australians get 3.50 (5/2). However no cricket fan keen on internet online gambling doubt that the Australians have a team capable of surprising England, and that they will use every chance to defeat their great rivals.

Suffocation as an attacking option?

Before the match the task of the Australians seemed to be less complicated than that of the English team. Having Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc means that your most dangerous weapon is the attack. And they are both strong enough guarantee that the attack on the stumps and the person will function perfectly during the whole match. England on the other side do not possess bowlers of 92mph pace although from time to time Mark Wood for instance can be seen there. Their main seamers are mainly active in the 81-88mph zone. However this should not be considered as a disadvantage for the English team.

• England won Australia on the second day of Ashes 2015
• The amazing strategy key for the win
• Cook’s performance decisive for the victory

For years the fast bowlers in the English team have been appropriating a view that the attack should be perfectly organized exclusively on short lengths. This strategy proved to be effective on yesterday’s match since it also allowed in turn the suffocation of the Australian attack. They showed an aggressive start at the beginning of the match and an amazing strategy of suffocation after as a result of which Australia’s blocks were scored of 50 runs. Many that bet on sports in UK would say that suffocation and discipline are not really a characteristic of modern cricket, and that they cannot increase the winning chances of a team. However this strategy functioned perfectly well for the English team yesterday. Cardiff’s track once again showed that sometimes suffocation is the option that the attack benefits most of.

The English side took the risk to let the Australians take the odd boundary, but maintain the slow drip of singles that knew how to release the pressure. This was very important for the bowling strategy that England applied since it allowed them to score 27 per cent of the deliveries they faced, while the Australians had just 24 per cent.

Cook’s play decisive for the win

It was a courageous decision by the captain Cook to keep five catcher for a batsman and to continue playing with Moeen Ali after he took a collaring from Steve Smith. All this tactic decision were awarded in the end. Moeen Ali even succeeded to score an incredible 77 and set England in an advantageous position before the next matches. What was also key for the implementation of the strategy was the use that Cook made of the silly mid-on which is quite irritating for a batsman. Their role was simply to present an additional obstacle in the batman’s field. Sometimes Ian Bell was the executor of this function, while at other times the captain himself.

Beside Smith who was trapped in the English strategy, the plan perfectly dismissed Michael Clarke too. Gambling news reports that Cook was on the right position for the bat-pad catches that Clark very frequently delivers on the off side. Many other situations similar to this also were effectuated by the English team. 

The pressure of the English team payed off for them in the end as Voges played the ball straight to Anderson at the short extra cover. What this match showed in general is how a reactive strategy can be transform into proactive. Most of the credits for this goes for Cook’s play that brought many advantages for his team performance. Positing the close catchers always on the right place at the right time, was a key strategic move in making the Australian attack less dangerous, which is reflected in the final result 430 – 264.