What's Still at Stake for England in the Ashes?

With England having safely retained the Ashes following Monday’s rain-affected draw with Australia in the third Test match at Old Trafford, attention has now shifted north to Durham for the fourth Test with still plenty to play for for Alastair Cook’s side in the remaining two contests of the summer.

So as the two old foes do battle at Chester-le-Street—hosting its first-ever Ashes Test match—we at the Bleacher Report take a look at exactly what is still at stake for Cook and head coach Andy Flower in the last 10 scheduled days of action this summer ….

‘The Big Mo’

No, we are not talking about Monty Panesar’s recent trouble with the law here but instead what American political commentators fondly refer to during election time as "The Big Mo"—a reference to the vital role momentum can play in politics but also a role that relates to top-level sport, too.

England already have their hands on the urn for a third series in a row. However, Cook and co. will be desperate to maintain an unbeaten Test match run that now stretches back all the way to November and that crushing nine-wicket loss to India in the first Test in Ahmedabad.

And that means not just going out to draw the final two games of the series—an outcome England were only ever interested in achieving from the outset of the second day in Manchester—but winning both to give the home team some absolutely crucial momentum going into the return head-to-head in Australia later this year.

Conversely, lose both, or even just one, of the last two Tests and England will have handed the initiative they had fought so hard to gain after winning the opening two contests of the series straight back to the tourists.

So, no time to take the collective foot off the pedal then ….

Batting Bankers

Prior to the start of the series, England’s batting bankers were skipper and opener Cook, No. 3 Jonathan Trott and wicketkeeper Matt Prior. Yet so far that trio have amassed just 336 runs between them in 16 completed innings at a paltry average of 21.

Now, we are all more than familiar with the oft-repeated sporting phrase: “Form is temporary, class is permanent.” Flower and batting coach Graham Gooch will both be hoping that stands true during the final two Tests as all three players are in desperate need of some runs.

The captain has, at least, managed to post two half centuries so far in the series, while Trott also made a breezy 58 at Lord’s. And if we think back to the last Ashes in Australia, it also took Prior until the fourth match of that series to score his first 50 before concluding the tour by registering his first Ashes century in Sydney.

However, each player will be keen to spend as much time at the crease as possible between now and the end of the series, if only to take some much-needed confidence into the games Down Under later this year.

‘V’ Is for Victory

Sure, there is understandable euphoria in the north-east air with England having just retained the Ashes in the fastest time since the urn was secured on July 29, 1972.

However, let’s not forget there is still a series against Australia to be won here. A 2-2 draw come the finale would leave one hell of a sour taste in English mouths were the home team now to take their collective feet off the gas in Durham, then again in the fifth Test at the Oval later this month.

Luckily this is a fiercely-determined England team we are talking about here and the chances of Flower allowing that scenario to happen are about as likely as finding out Panesar had been caught urinating on a bouncer. Oh, hang on a minute…

But in all seriousness, Flower and his men were faced with this exact same situation in the previous series Down Under when, having secured the urn with a crushing win at the MCG, the tourists still needed to ensure they deservedly won the series outright by avoiding defeat in the final Test at the SCG.

They managed to achieve that by the small margin of an innings and 83 runs in Sydney in January 2011 and so expect the same kind of steely focus and determination from the hosts in these final two Test matches as England go in search of a third straight Ashes win on home soil for the first time since 1985.

Nailing Down the Third Seamer Role Once and for All

England began the series with Steven Finn as their first-change paceman before then switching to Tim Bresnan for the last two matches. The likes of Graham Onions and Chris Tremlett have also both been part of the squad at various times this summer.

On the positive side, it points to the home team’s great strength in depth when it comes to their fast-bowling resources. And that is certain to be tested more as the year goes on, with seven more Test matches still to be played against Australia between now and January 2014.

However, surely it makes sense in these final two games of the summer—with the urn now safely in England’s possession—to give both Onions and Tremlett a run-out on their respective home grounds as we start to prepare for the return Down Under?

Not only does each pitch greatly favour the particular attributes of each bowler down to a tee but it would also have the added bonus of allowing some of England’s overworked seamers—especially key man James Anderson—a rest with an arduous workload on the horizon in Australia.

Flower and bowling coach David Saker would also then get the opportunity to see how each individual paceman fares against the Australia batting line-up: you never know when an injury to a crucial bowler is around the corner, as the tourists found out when Stuart Broad went down lame at Adelaide in December 2010.

Record Breakers

England have never won four Test matches against Australia in a home series in the 132-year history of the Ashes. However, that record-breaking feat can now be achieved with victories in the final two games.

OK, the chance of an unprecedented 5-0 series whitewash to avenge Australia’s clean sweep Down Under in 2006/07 has now gone following the draw at Old Trafford, but how good would 4-1 look and feel come the climax to the fifth Test at the Oval later this month?

And what a spring it would put in the England team’s step when they then set off Down Under later this year to defend the urn.

So do not tell me that there is nothing to play for in these final two Test matches of the summer—this is England versus Australia we are talking about here.

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