Edgbaston Test to be a washout

The third Ashes Test of the summer, due to get underway tomorrow, looks destined to be a complete washout. With the forecast predicting rain for the rest of the week, and all weekend, it seems hard to believe any significant play will happen.

Steve Rouse, the Warwickshire groundsman, is staying optimistic however, and he believes that with a bit of luck, play might be possible on Friday and Saturday, but that clearly isn't enough time to force a result, something the Australians must do in order to get back in the Series. "The boys (groundstaff) will be working all night in an attempt to get the ground ready, but it seems very unlikely that any play will be possible tomorrow", Rouse states. "The forecast is for rain tomorrow, but it should clear up by Friday, so hopefully we can get underway at some stage".

Even for the most extreme optimists, any prospect of play seems a long way off, and for Australia it is exactly what they didn't want. 1-0 down in the Series, and with only 2 matches to play after the third Test, a lot will have to be done to turn around the deficit. Australian Vice-Captain Michael Clarke is remaining positive, however. "We showed how we can play at Cardiff. We dominated that Test Match and were very close to a win, so the boys believe we can turn the Series around. We're excited about Edgbaston, and we want to show how we can play and hopefully we can get a result".

On the day that Andrew Strauss claims Australia have lost their aura, the tourists are still in a quandary about whether to drop the out-of-form Mitchell Johnson for Stuart Clark, and whether to stick with Phillip Hughes, or replace him with fiery all-rounder Shane Watson. With the conditions as they are at Edgbaston, it may be a good idea to include the extra batsman, but perhaps not at the expense of Hughes. Marcus North's performance at Lord's leaves something to be desired, and although he scored a century at Cardiff, albeit on a road of a wicket, his place in the side is all but assured.

England seem settled on their lineup despite Ian Bell falling awkwardly on an ankle during a friendly game of football between teammates. Bell is due to slot in at number 4 in the order, meaning Ravi Bopara keeps his place at 3. England will be confident of defending their 1-0 lead especially if current conditions stay the same throughout the summer.