The Ashes Cricket 2013: Players Under Threat of Being Dropped for Fifth Test

Slack performances in the Ashes are invariably punished with tweaks to the England and Australia line-ups.

There’s often no time for redemption—just ask Steven Finn or Ed Cowan. The former’s failings in the first Test sent him quickly back into county action, while the latter’s measly return with the bat was enough to cast him into the cricketing wilderness.

Here we take a look at three players whose places are not yet certain ahead of The Oval Test, although they may yet survive the chop given England have already retained the famous urn.

 

Usman Khawaja (Australia)

Khawaja was drafted into the Aussie side after Cowan was dumped after just one Test. It looked like he was ready to play his part by making a half-century in his second innings on tour, but since then it’s been a rocky road.

He’s been dismissed for a solitary single and a duck in two of his last three innings, and Michael Clarke and the selectors might deem it time to give a youngster the opportunity to get Ashes experience.

Khawaja’s fourth Test contribution of catching Jonathan Trott and loitering at the crease for eight minutes without scoring is not good enough. He needs a big second-innings score.

Jonny Bairstow (England)

Bairstow has drifted through the Ashes without doing anything spectacular.

The Yorkshire batsman and wicketkeeper has struggled to get outside the 20s in the majority of his innings and needs to contribute in the fourth Test to be absolutely assured of his place at the Oval.

His highlight came in the second Test when he posted 67, although he owes much of his success to the superb calming influence of Ian Bell with the bat.

England shouldn’t drop Bairstow as he remains one of his country’s hottest prospects, but with Matt Prior currently in the side it’s unclear how much he can offer as a specialist batsman at this stage. If he wants to guarantee himself a spot on the plane to Australia for the next Ashes, now is the right time to score big.

David Warner (Australia)

Warner came back to the Australia side with a point to prove. But in three innings he’s not looked as sharp as the tourists would like and has fallen for two single-digit scores.

Whether the Aussie selectors will risk the uproar of dropping Warner following his highly publicised return is doubtful, but, should he find himself dismissed early in the second innings of the fourth Test, his place could come under scrutiny.

He’s grabbed enough headlines after punching Joe Root in Birmingham, and if the troubled soul’s not contributing it would be best for Australia if they dispose of him quickly.