England face a daunting task as the Ashes series resumes in the shadow of tragedy

ADelaide may be 1,300km west of Bondi, but the sense of ache in the city has not diminished for the distance. People here are in shock, trying to make sense of the horrors that unfolded on Sunday night – a day that should have been a day of celebration for Sydney’s Jewish community.

As the first national public event to be staged in Australia since then, the third Ashes Test starting here on Wednesday will play out against a somber backdrop. Flags at Adelaide Oval will be at half-mast, a minute’s silence will be observed before the toss, while players are likely to wear black armbands throughout. Inevitably, security has been increased for the match.

It will undoubtedly be an emotional week for the Australian players, not least given the number of New South Wales links within their squad. Nathan Lyon summed up the helplessness many felt on Monday, offering thoughts and prayers to those affected before admitting: “Nothing I’m about to say will make anyone feel better.”

Needless to say, the cricket itself feels pretty trivial at this point. But at least it can play a role in bringing people together at a time of such overwhelming grief: a reminder of shared values ​​and kinship. The Ashes rivalry has been heated throughout the series, but ultimately this does not reflect the real world, where the two countries stand shoulder to shoulder.

For England, the situation in the series itself is acute, trailing 2-0 after two self-inflicted defeats. Ben Stokes has followed his head coach, Brendon McCullum, here and insists this is not the time to think about jobs on the line. “We both give everything we can for the team,” he said. “It will always remain that way as long as we both fill these roles.”

According to the Association of Cricket Statisticians & Historians, only three teams in the last 100 years of Ashes cricket have won the third Test after a 2-0 defeat. In any case, the good news for England is that this current side – changed in places, admittedly – ​​is one of them: the backlash at Headingley in 2023, when he was outraged by Jonny Bairstow’s criticism of Lord’s.

However, Stokes has taken advantage of a more recent Test match to cheer up his players, reminding them of the summer just gone and the blowout with India at Lord’s that lifted them to victory. The question here is why it took them so long to discover this sense of urgency; why players have failed to take advantage of the notable absences from the Australian attack.

Two of those absentees now return this week, bringing with them a combined 871 Test wickets of experience. Pat Cummins will lead his team for the first time in the series after allowing the possible onset of a lower back stress fracture to sink in. And after just two overs in Perth and the bench in Brisbane, Lyon is back on the ground that launched his career. This week he was inducted into the Avenue of Honor for his 12 wickets against India here in 2014.

England, by comparison, have swapped Gus Atkinson, 66 Test wickets, for Josh Tongue, 31, but have otherwise backed the incumbents. It means no place for Shoaib Bashir – Will Jacks still preferred – and perhaps the first recognition that a youngster spent two years in the ground with this tour in mind simply did not work out. Add it to an ever-growing list.

In any case, and for all the talk of poor preparation before the series, England have no excuse for not being hardened by now for the task of playing in Australia. Nor can they claim to feel anything but completely refreshed after the break in Noosa. On Monday, Harry Brook cheerfully described it as “a time when apparently almost no cricket was discussed.

And England should be optimistic: the pitch at Adelaide Oval should feel more familiar than the bounce at the previous two venues, while the square boundaries on either side are 13 meters tighter compared to that monstrous outfield in Perth. The bigger question is how they take 20 wickets, not least given the heatwave expected to last the first two days. In that respect, playing a spin-bowling all-rounder at number eight feels instinctively defensive.

The tricky angle of the tongue and his ability to move the ball late should raise new questions for Australian batters, even if he can be wild and expensive at times. While the same can be said for Brydon Carse so far, there are still nine wickets at five per over. His retention, ahead of the less demonstrative Atkinson, could well reflect the inner ‘dog’ that Stokes now regards as a non-negotiable.