Consistently inconsistent England aim for first back-to-back test wins in 2015 to seal Ashes
But James Anderson absence could be big blow for hosts
England head into the fourth test against Australia at Trent Bridge starting on Thursday knowing they are just one win away from recapturing the Ashes yet equally aware they’ve yet to string back-to-back victories together in tests in 2015.
Since drawing their series opener against the West Indies at Antigua in April, England’s next seven tests have seen them alternate between winning and losing.
Their eight-wicket win in the third test at Edgbaston, which put England 2-1 up in the five-match Ashes series, followed a defeat by the huge margin of 405 runs in the second test at Lord’s.
England will also be without all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson, who took an Ashes-best six for 47 at Edgbaston but was subsequently ruled out of the fourth test with a side strain.
It is the first time Anderson has missed a test in three years and means he won’t be able to add to his exceptional record at Nottinghamshire’s headquarters which has seen him take 53 wickets in eight tests, including 10 during England’s thrilling 14-run win in the corresponding Ashes clash in Nottingham in 2013.
England would like to recall Durham quick Mark Wood, whose absence through injury paved the way for Middlesex fast bowler Steven Finn to take a test-best six for 79 on his return to the side at Edgbaston.
