Australia captain Michael Clarke believes his side can draw the Ashes series and take the momentum back Down Under with them when England visit later this year.
The hosts retained the urn thanks to the drawn third Test at Old Trafford, as England already held a 2-0 series lead following wins at Trent Bridge and Lord’s.
However, Australia showed a marked improvement in the third Test and may well have wrapped up a win had it not been for the rain, which brought a premature end to proceedings on the final day.
The fourth Test begins later this week in Durham and Clarke is desperate to reduce the series deficit to 2-1, with the Australia skipper targeting a series draw now victory is out of reach.
England head Down Under for another Ashes series in October and Clarke feels the momentum will swing in Australia’s favour if they can battle back and draw the current series in England.
“If we can level the series we will take a lot of confidence back to Australia,” he said.
“I’m confident if we play the type of cricket that we have through the four days here [Old Trafford] that we will give it a real good shake.
“We’ve got some work to do over the next few days to make sure we are as well prepared as we were leading into this Test match. We need to play with the same attitude, intent and I’m confident we can have success.”
The fourth Test begins on Friday and the fifth meeting will take place at the Oval, with the final Test set to begin on August 21.
Link Dafabet