Michael Vaughan has injured his elbow (remeber hearing of a famous batsman with a broken elbow in the news elsewhere in the past year ?) - interestingly, his right elbow (the significance of that side amusing some here) and hence must have surely caused the English setup some deal of anxiety - I would say panic but the English are staunchly refraining from using that word. This, coming when the top and middle order was so ruthlessly exposed in the last game would have really set the cat among the pigeons.
Now if Vaughan (fingers crossed) makes it to the lineup Thursday, a major crisis could still be averted; but in case that does not happen England face the daunting prospect of playing with a #3,#4,#5 with a combined experience of 7 Test matches (Bell 4, Pietersen 1, Collingwood 2) against an attack that has close to 1400 Test wickets between them. Add to that the fact that Strauss is just a year-old in the game, a "veteran" of 15 Tests and in what can be generously described as "indifferent" form; Flintoff averages 12 against India, 20 against Sri Lanka and 1.5 against Australia (the 3 sides in the World to possess quality spinners) and Trescothick's eternal susceptibility against the new ball and you have a classic recipe for disaster.
Jagadish says he can already picture the selectors pleading before Thorpe and I fully endorse that view. I think this Ashes campaign has gone horribly wrong. After all the hype, the talk and the bravado, a combination of poor scheduling, absurd and populist selection decisions, indifferent form and mental diffidence has shaken this English batting lineup to the core and it is very difficult to bet against a 2-0 lead for the Aussies by the time they leave Edgbaston.
I could go on about strategies and batting orders but I'm afraid it is too late to recover now. It is up to these 6 players to lift their game to their highest ability; perhaps even beyond to salvage anything worthwhile from the situation.
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