Tour match may reveal Test batting changes

The possible changes to Australia's Test batting line-up that were foreshadowed by Justin Langer in the wake of last weekend's loss at Headingley could be revealed as early as the three-day tour game against Derbyshire beginning on Thursday.

Langer said there were some "real questions" to be asked about his side’s batting after England's one-wicket win that levelled the Ashes series 1-1, and it's conceivable some of the answers might be provided at the coin toss in Derby.

With the pace bowlers who shouldered a heavy workload at Leeds (Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson) to be rested, and skipper Tim Paine also taking a breather ahead of the final two Tests, Australia's 17-man squad will be stretched to its limit for the tour fixture.

Opener David Warner who, like Cummins, has played every Test of this series as well as the entire World Cup campaign, also mounts a persuasive case to sit out the Derby game.

But if Australia is looking to trial its third opening combination of the series, he might be required to open alongside Usman Khawaja with the squad's other specialist openers – incumbent Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft – occupying places in the middle-order.

If Khawaja opens against Derbyshire, it would suggest the direction selectors are looking to take into the fourth Test at Old Trafford starting September 4.

However, should Khawaja remain at number three against the third-bottom team in Division Two of the County Championship, then change for the Test is likely further down the order to accommodate the return of Steve Smith (from concussion) and retention of his replacement, Marnus Labuschagne.

That would potentially place Matthew Wade – who will take the keeping gloves against Derbyshire while Paine takes a spell – in peril for his place, even though the left-hander scored a century in the first Test at Edgbaston earlier this month.

Australia are expected to name their team for the tour game at Wednesday's training session in Derby, as well as confirm who will captain in Paine's absence.

The squad travelled to Derby from Leeds on Tuesday afternoon, having spent some of the previous day reviewing the final hour at Headingley where England (led by Ben Stokes) snatched the game to level the Ashes series.

In a practice more often seen in the football codes, the entire squad watched the painful match vision from the previous day to pinpoint the areas they will look to improve in the final two Tests.

As former skipper Steve Smith noted, Stokes's innings and the all-rounder's keenness to be the player in the middle of the action when the match-changing moments arose was as instructive as it was inspirational.

"When you're in those pressure moments, you've got to want to be the one to deliver and do what you can for your team," Smith said of Stokes's remarkable all-round efforts at Headingley.

"He did that exceptionally well, and hopefully some of our boys can learn from that and when we're faced with similar situations, dig as deep as we can and do whatever we can to get our team over the line.

"We had our chance to retain the Ashes (at Headingley) but now we're going to have to work even harder, and it just makes the series all that more exciting.

"We don't want to look behind, we want to keep looking forward and focus on what we can control now, and that's Manchester.

"It's been a long summer for guys that have been here for the World Cup or (Australia A tour) and this series.

"So everyone's got to do what they need to do to be ready for that next Test match in Manchester."

One of the immediate priorities for many within and outside the men's team was to rally around off-spinner Nathan Lyon who - during a dramatic penultimate over at Headingley - fumbled a run-out opportunity, and was denied the match-winning wicket due to Australia's squandering of their allocated reviews.

Former Test skipper Ricky Ponting revealed that Lyon was the player who dominated his thoughts upon completing his television commentary duties at Headingley, and he sent the spinner a consolatory text message upon returning to his Leeds hotel that night.

Smith, who returned to Test cricket at the start of the Ashes series after serving a 12-month suspension, also sent a message to Lyon who was clearly devastated when Stokes struck the winning runs.

"I sent Nathan Lyon a message the other night," Smith said on Tuesday.

"He was a bit down after the game I just said my year out has given me a lot of perspective and that's all it is, it's just a game.

"Whilst it's important on many levels to win and to play the right way and to do all those kind of things, ultimately it's just a game.

"I think that helped him a little bit."

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes (vc), Chris Woakes.

First Test: Australia beat England by 251 runs at Edgbaston

Second Test: Match drawn at Lord's

Third Test: England defeat Australia by one wicket at Headingley

Tour match: Australians v Derbyshire, August 29-31

Fourth Test: September 4-8, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: September 12-16, The Oval