BIRMINGHAM: Australia captain Michael Clarke called for an improved performance by his attack and was even harder on himself after an eight-wicket defeat by England in the third Test here at Edgbaston on Friday left his side 2-1 down in the Ashes.

A remarkable match ended inside three days as England pacemen James Anderson and Steven Finn took six wickets each in below par Australia scores of 136 and 265 respectively on a seaming but far from unplayable pitch in Birmingham.

“We had perfect bowling conditions. Overcast, a little bit of rain around and we just couldn’t hit the areas consistently,” Clarke said.

“The ball swung and seamed for the whole game. We had to be better than what we were,” he added ahead of next week’s fourth Test across the Midlands at Trent Bridge.

Australia’s difficulties against the swinging and seaming ball have led to accusations their batsmen are “flat-track bullies”.

And while it would be harsh in the extreme to blame Australia’s bowlers for their defeat at Edgbaston -- all attacks like having plenty of runs on the board -- Clarke challenged them to maintain the standard they had set at Lord’s.

“I don’t think we executed as well as we did at Lord’s, certainly in the first innings,” he said. “It is a tough one because you see both sides, you see the way we bowled here and Cardiff [where England won the first Test by 169 runs] wasn’t good enough.

“You see the way we bowled at Lord’s and that was as good as any attack you will see in world cricket.”

Meanwhile, the 34-year-old Clarke, one of the leading batsmen of his generation, didn’t spare himself from critical analysis after scores of 10 and three at Edgbaston left him with a meagre series aggregate of 94 runs in six innings at an average of under 19.

“I think it’s always going to be hard to beat any opposition when they’ve got 11 and we’ve only 10,” Clarke said. “It is time for the captain to get off the plane and turn up.

“With my performances so far, I certainly haven’t led from the front as I’d like to do as captain.”

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2015

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