As the third Ashes Test prepares to get underway at Adelaide Oval, the Australian cricket team holds a commanding 2-0 series lead. With forecasts predicting scorching temperatures up to 39C, the stage is set for a pivotal clash that could see the hosts retain the urn and ignite a fervent desire for a series whitewash among the sporting public.
The Historic Hunger for a Clean Sweep
The craving for a 5-0 Ashes victory is a relatively modern phenomenon in Australian cricket. For much of the 20th century, such a comprehensive result was considered improbable, with draws a common feature. The mindset shifted dramatically with the era of sustained dominance under Steve Waugh, whose team whitewashed the West Indies in 2001 and came close against England in 2003.
The ambition became reality under Ricky Ponting in the 2006-07 series, a campaign fuelled by revenge for the 2005 defeat in England. Repeating the feat in 2013-14, powered by Mitchell Johnson's ferocious bowling, cemented a new expectation: that Australian teams at home should not just win, but win every single Test against the old enemy.
Bazball: An Extra Layer of Relish for Australia
The rise of England's aggressive 'Bazball' philosophy, under coach Brendan McCullum, has added a distinct flavour to the current contest. From an Australian perspective, this approach has been viewed as accompanied by significant talk and self-reference, despite a patchy record of results.
Consequently, while beating England remains the perennial goal, dismantling the Bazball method offers an extra dollop of satisfaction. There is a palpable hunger to see a team playing what is seen as 'normal', disciplined cricket systematically take apart England's bright and brave new experiment. A 3-0 lead in Adelaide would likely end any realistic hope of an English series comeback and could spell the end for the current leadership phase of their project.
Adelaide Awaits Under a Burning Sun
The move of the Adelaide Test to a day game, coupled with the extreme heat forecast, harks back to the city's reputation for brutal, furnace-like conditions in peak summer. This environment seems fitting for what could be a decisive confrontation.
Australia's bowling attack, hailed by legend Brett Lee as potentially the country's 'best ever', will be looking to capitalise. Key figures like Mitchell Starc, seen honing his craft in the Adelaide nets, will be central to exploiting any English weakness that has been detected in the first two Tests.
The momentum, should Australia win, would be described as downcliff rather than downhill. For Australian fans, a series victory secured before Christmas would not sate the appetite; it would only whet it for a complete, 5-0 annihilation. The desire to see England taken apart piece by piece, a sentiment pinned deep in the national sporting psyche, is now the dominant narrative as the teams walk out in Adelaide.
