TIME TO GO FOR THE KNOCKOUT

England must kick vulnerable Aussies while they’re down

This is their chance, this is their moment. England will never have a better chance to take advantage of an unusually vulnerable Australia and attack them while they are down. They must grab it.

There can be no repeat of England’s last two Test series, when they squandered leads against West indies and New Zealand by losing the next match after winning one.

They cannot afford such inconsistency in the Ashes, not when Australia are in complete turmoil and attempting to avoid a second successive defeat that would almost certainly extend their 14-year run without winning a series in England.

This is the pivotal moment of the series, the Test where England can confirm that Cardiff was no fluke and that their recovery is complete after the spectacular unravelling of their own Ashes side in Australia 18 months ago.

Or it will be the Test where Australia display their pedigree, when their experienced side is revitalised by the new blood of Mitch Marsh and Peter Nevill, and nip England’s feelgood revival in the bud.

The question is, can England seize the moment, can they maintain the superiority over Australia that came as such a thrilling surprise in Cardiff where Australia were simply outclassed in every department?

There have been no shortage of English implosions over the years, not least in their two 5-0 Ashes thrashings, but it is rare for any Australia side to collapse, particularly when the urn is still up for grabs.

Australia will surely come back fiercely at Lord’s in the second investec Test today because if they do not then the bulk of their team will be consigned to history having never known what it is like to win a series here.

England’s challenge will be to stop them, to make sure that the momentum which has swung so emphatically their way is maintained for five more days, long enough to inflict a second, potentially fatal blow on the old enemy.

Both captains were almost subdued at Lord’s yesterday — as if they are fully aware of f the importance of a Test that t could define each of their r captaincy careers — and justt wanted to get on with it.

There is no doubt thatt Alastair Cook is the happier leader right now. he appeared a captain transformed in n Cardiff and was at the forefrontnt of a thoroughly modern, fearrless England triumph thatat caught Australia cold.

‘i do feel we have made a big ig stride forward,’ said Cook.k. ‘There has certainly been a realal feelgood factor about Englishsh cricket this summer.

‘Whether we’ve won or lost, it’st’s been a crest of a wave and that hat positivity has rubbed off on the players. But there are a big five days ahead now. Can we replicate it?

‘Australia will come back hardard at us and it’s how we respond and d whether we can put the pressure back on them. We can’t get carried away, we have to be conscious of that, but we want to get on the front foot again.’

England are confident that spinner Moeen Ali will be fit to play but an interesting sub-plot emerged last night when it became clear that Adil Rashid, who was seen in long conversation with coach Trevor Bayliss yesterday in the nets, is also nursing an injury.

it was suggested that England were forcing Moeen to play despite his side strain because of Rashid’s finger problem but an England source t toldld Sportsmail:t il ‘W ‘We alwaysl hoped and expected Moeen to be fit and he’s fine. Adil has a sore knuckle, but i don’t think it would have been serious enough to keep him out anyway.’

Clarke has far more problems to ponder, with wicketkeeper Brad haddin missing for personal reasons and the hapless shane Watson dropped.

The Australia skipper is now fighting to avoid the blight of a fifth Ashes defeat in seven series on his record.

‘We need to turn things round right now,’ admitted Clarke, who at least expects paceman Mitchell starc to be fit. ‘But my experience tells me that if you have the right attitude, you can do that. You have to be a able to cop a few sm smacks in the mouth, get up and go again. Cardiff was round one and we got beaten. i look forward to round two.’

Clarke will find himself in the biggest fight of his life if things go against him at Lord’s and the momentum remains behind not only England but steve smith’s claims to replace him as captain sooner rather than later.

The stakes are high. Whichever captain is knocked to the canvas will have a hard job getting up and recovering from the blow.

if Cook is still standing on Monday night, then the Ashes really will be on their way home.