Ashes 2019: Ben Stokes vs Nathan Lyon and other key battles that could decide the Manchester Test

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  • Ben Stokes vs Nathan Lyon.

    A new lease of life has been infused into the Ashes with England’s stirring win at Headingley and the five-match series is now perfectly poised ahead of the fourth Test at Manchester which gets underway on Wednesday.

    Tim Paine’s hopes of becoming the first Australian skipper since Steve Waugh in 2001 to retain the Ashes urn on English soil were thwarted by a Ben Stokes special but the visitors still remain just one win away from performing that feat.

    England, on the other hand, need to win both the remaining Tests to reclaim the historic urn but the hosts do have their tail up after snatching victory from the jaws of defeat at Headingley.

    Ahead of the pivotal penultimate Test at Old Trafford, we look at three key battles that could prove to be decisive for both sides.

    Archer vs Smith

    The script has been perfectly set up for the battle between Jofra Archer and Steve Smith to take centerstage at Old Trafford following their engrossing tussle in the second innings of the Lord’s Test.

    The nasty blow inflicted by Archer on Smith in that Test saw the Aussie batsman subsequently miss out on the Headingley clash and he will be itching to extend his prolific form when he makes his return at Old Trafford.

    Smith’s scores in the series so far are 144, 142 and 92 with the right-hander proving to be the difference between two otherwise evenly stacked sides.

    Archer did give him a few uncomfortable moments at Lord’s with his raw pace and steep bounce and England will hope that the pacer can crank it up again against a batsman who has already hurt them several times in the past.

    “There’s been a bit of talk that he’s got the wood over me, but he hasn’t actually got me out. He hit me on the head on a wicket that was a bit up and down at Lord’s,” Smith had said ahead of the fourth Test.

    “Well, I can’t get him out if he wasn’t there. But there’ll be more than ample time to get him out (at Manchester),” was Archer’s response.

    The mind games have already begun between the two and it now remains to be seen who backs it up on the pitch.

    Archer vs Smith version 2.0.

    Archer vs Smith version 2.0.

    Stokes vs Lyon

    While Stokes managed to become a national hero for England for the second time in six weeks with his Headingley heroics, it was a bitter pill to swallow for Nathan Lyon who was at the heart of Australia’s calamitous final hour in the stunning defeat.

    The Australian off-spinner fluffed a straightforward chance to run out England’s No11 Jack Leach before his lbw appeal against Stokes was incorrectly turned down by umpire Joel Wilson.

    But while Stokes has now managed to register two unbeaten tons in as many Tests, the England star all-rounder has had his fair share of luck against Lyon.

    “We’ve looked at, I think Nathan Lyon in the last two Tests alone had got him (Stokes) out five or six times had we held our catches or referred our lbws. Lyono’s still a huge weapon against him,” Tim Paine said after the Headingley defeat.

    Stokes’ individual brilliance has kept England afloat in the Ashes but Australia will hope that Lyon can reinstate his dominance over the left-hander in the remaining two Tests.

    Can Lyon get on top of Stokes once again?

    Can Lyon get on top of Stokes once again?

    Root vs Cummins

    With Smith set to make his return for Australia, the onus is on England skipper Joe Root to step up and lead from the front with the bat. The right-hander has not been at his very best in the series so far but his half-century along with Denly’s were crucial to England’s second-innings fightback at Headingley.

    However, Ben Stokes won’t be able to bail the hosts out every single time and England’s main man with the bat will need to assume more responsibility at Manchester. Root’s Test returns has been dwindling since the turn of 2018 and the England skipper is averaging less than 28 with the bat in his last seven appearances.

    England’s batting card still remains suspect despite Stokes’ individual brilliance and they need Root to start converting his fifties into centuries if they are to cope with the impending return of Smith for Australia.

    Pat Cummins, however, will have other ideas and the leading wicket-taker in the series will be desperate to ensure that Root’s impact with the bat is restricted. The Australia pacer has featured in all three Test so far and claimed 17 wickets at an average of under 19.

    The 26-year-old has used the short-ball to good effect in England and has been a tireless performer on the tour before he copped some punishment from Stokes at Headingely.

    Having had more than 10 days to recharge his batter ever since, Cummins should once again prove be a difficult customer for both England and Root to navigate.

    Cummins has been the standout bowler of the series.

    Cummins has been the standout bowler of the series.

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