The Ashes 2013: 3 Players Who Can Shine on Day 2 of Old Trafford Test

It took two Tests but finally the Australians have shown up to the Ashes.

England looked a touch lethargic as Aussie captain Michael Clarke got motoring with the bat to lead the tourists to 303-3 at stumps on day one of the third Test.

We’ve picked out three players who can shine on day two in the hope that the cricket, and not DRS, has the largest bearing on Friday’s outcome.

Michael Clarke (Australia)

The calming presence of Clarke protected fellow crease-bearer Steve Smith from imploding as technology belatedly favoured the Aussies as day one drew to a close.

Clarke kept the scoreboard ticking over whilst Smith was the subject of three big England appeals. First Smith appeared to nick the ball to slips, then he survived an lbw shout off Graeme Swann. A Stuart Broad delivery then looked destined for middle stump until it struck the batsman’s pad with the umpire unmoved.

Clarke’s contribution with the bat is important, but not as important as managing his teammate so the pair can rack up a serious total on day two.

The skipper knows an early wicket would completely shift the momentum and will look to keep strike whilst Smith settles into his Old Trafford surroundings.

David Warner (Australia)

This is where it gets interesting. Warner returns to the Aussie batting lineup for the first time since landing a fist on England’s second Test hero, Joe Root, during a night out in Birmingham.

Warner is exactly what the Australians need though: someone who’s not afraid to get stuck in.

If the England bowling attack are slightly off-colour again, he is capable of smashing them around the park and quickly posting a huge score. He possesses an armoury of big shots so expect plenty of boundaries, especially if Alastair Cook gives Root the nod to bowl at his adversary. 

Warner hit 193 on his return to the international setup, a knock for Australia A against South Africa, and would love nothing more than to grab the headlines for the right reasons now he’s back in the Test side.

James Anderson (England)

Old Trafford witnessed a mini-shock on day one as Anderson struggled to find his usual consistency with the ball.

Although he recovered from being pelted for three boundaries in four balls by Aussie opener Chris Rogers—and was unlucky to not dismiss Smith on appeal when the stump microphone suggested the batsman had edged behind—it proved a difficult day for the seamer.

All the pre-match talk about a series whitewash looks very premature with the Australian’s in pole position to halve the arrears with two Tests to play.

But if Anderson can rediscover his pace and length from the opening Test then England can quickly drag themselves back into this contest.