It hardly seemed likely that on the eve of the third Ashes Test of the summer I would be writing that Ricky Ponting’s Aussies are well and truly on the back foot after failing to win at Cardiff and being comprehensively beaten at Lord’s by an English side determined to play exhilarating cricket.

The tourists have come under increasing pressure since their first loss at the London ground in 75 years, the bowlers in particular shouldering criticism in the press. Mitchell Johnson, believed to be the one of the best bowlers in the world coming into the series, has been disappointing to say the least. The one problem he provides for the selectors is that he is dangerous with both bat and ball, and as a result is an unlikely candidate to be dropped at Edgbaston. Other pace-man Brett Lee is still unfit, but punters are calling for consistent performer Stuart Clark to be recalled for the side, either for Peter Siddle or Nathan Hauritz. Both have performed well, but one is likely to be dropped on an underprepared Warwickshire wicket.

As for the batting, the only man in the firing line is young opener Phil Hughes -Technically weak against the short ball, has failed to reach 50 in four Ashes innings, despite being rumoured to be the next big thing out of the seemingly unstopable Australian batsman factory. However there are a number of issues surrounding him, mainly the fact that there is very little in the way of replacement openers to come into the side. In addition, he is a very destructive and unorthodox batsman on his day and provides a welcome contrast to other top order players such as Katich, Ponting and Hussey.

The England side however looks to remain unchanged, with the exception of Kevin Pietersen who is forced out of the series with ankle surgery. This temporarily provided a headache for the selectors, with the Vaughan – Bell – Shah battle opening up again in the last week. It is Bell who gets the nod for Edgbaston, but it might be under threat again if he fails to improve on his mediocre Ashes performances.

The only other issue for the hosts is the trouble the Australian batsman caused in the fourth innings run chase at Lords’. When Clarke and Haddin got going, Englishmen and women up and down the country were thinking the impossible was now very much possible with the requisite 522 down to just 209 on Day Five. Who knows what might have happened if Super-Fred and Swanny hadn’t come to the party to get the last five wickets before lunch. As usual, the question over Steve Harmison’s form has been raised, with the Durham paceman amongst the wickets in county cricket. The one thing the English back-room staff will fear is the tall seamer’s recall to the side looking like a backward step and a temporary fix to a long-term problem. And unfair to an extent – Jimmy Anderson has arguably been the best swing bowler in the series, albeit with tough competition from Ben Hilfenhaus – a man who wasn’t in the starting line-up two days before the first Test. Graham Onions bowled well in the first innings at Lords’, but looked unthreatening in the second. Stuart Broad too didn’t pose a tough enough test to the Australian top order in his first couple of spells, but is prone to picking up vital wickets as well as providing a more than useful number eight with the bat.

Having said this, England have gone an unlikely 1 – 0 up in the five match series after playing four and a half days of entertaining, aggressive cricket, lead by skipper Strauss and superstar Freddie Flintoff. A win at Edgbaston will mean they cannot lose the series; a feat that they know is an achievement in itself. Wholesale changes are not what a side with momentum needs, and with any luck the forced replacement of KP will be the only modification to the line-up which hopes to re-kindle the jubilant scenes of that famous 2005 Summer of Cricket.