England, August 17: With the Ashes to play for, England arrive at The Oval this week in a wonderful position.
It may not have seemed so in recent days when it has been possible to believe that the Ashes disappeared down the Murray-Darling at least a month ago, never to return.
England were as staggeringly bad in Leeds as Australia were predictably efficient. With a 1-0 lead and the prize nominally five days away, they froze, utterly confusing their role in the leporidae family, acting like rabbits in headlights instead of pulling them out of the hat.
The upshot is that it is now 1-1. Opprobrium has been heaped on the team, and the selectors have been offered advice from all quarters about what they should do. The raging debate has been conducted in an air of pessimism, the humour of the gallows because that is where English cricket has spent most of its time heading and this is no different.
–Agencies