England meets Australia on Thursday in the third Test of the 2013 Ashes. The match starts at 6 a.m. ET (11:00 BST). Watch the live stream HERE.
The 2013 Ashes series could be clinched on Thursday with a third win by England. The English squad took the first two matches, winning the first Test by 14 runs and the second Test by 347 runs.
Australia is on a streak of six straight Test losses, IBN Live reports. Not many are giving the visiting team a chance at coming back, but Australia captain Michael Clarke hasn't given up hope.
"I honestly believe we can win this series - and I know there are a lot of people out there that will laugh at me saying that," Clarke told IBN Live on Wednesday. "But I wouldn't be here today if I thought this team wasn't good enough to have success. The reality is, our backs are against the wall. But if we play our best cricket, I think we will give it a real shake for the rest of the series."
For Australia to have a shot at coming back in the series, its batsmen will need to perform better. No batter has scored more than 81 in an inning this series. The team recalled David Warner, who it hopes can light a spark on the batting front.
"He's got 190-odd runs under his belt, which is obviously a positive considering our batters haven't made many runs so far on this tour," Clarke said. "I think Davey at the time made it pretty clear that he was extremely apologetic for what occurred [with Joe Root]."
As for England, captain Alastair Cook is conscious about not letting his team get overly confident with its 2-0 series lead.
"It's very dangerous to start thinking like that," Cook told reporters. "We are a very good side when we take games one step at a time and the only thing we can concentrate on is this Old Trafford Test match, not what's gone before and not what's going to come."
Projected Squads:
England: Alastair Cook (c), Joe Root, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Johnny Bairstow, Matt Prior (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson.
Australia: Shane Watson, Chris Rogers, Usman Khawaja, Phillip Hughes, Michael Clarke (c), Steve Smith/David Warner, Brad Haddin (wk), Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Ryan Harris, Nathan Lyon.
