Top order and the new ball - what England must do to win

Leave the ball
Ahead of this series, there was much talk about England's aggressive new approach. There was talk of taking Australia's bowlers on and talk of playing the style of cricket seen in the ODI series against England. All that is fine. England's middle-order remains attractive and fluent. Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali still have a licence to play the attacking cricket that seems to bring out the best in them.

But what the top order needs is some old-fashioned graft. It needs to protect that middle-order from the ball at its hardest and the bowlers at their freshest and provide a sure, firm platform on which the middle-order can build.

A crucial part of that is leaving the new ball more often. Adam Lyth, for example, was dismissed in both innings at Lord's playing at deliveries he could have left - admittedly by a fine delivery in the second innings - while Alastair Cook has been out all four times in the series to date - including when he was bowled via an inside edge - playing at deliveries that did not require a stroke. As coach Trevor Bayliss put it after Lord's: "the one shot we didn't employ against Mitchell Johnson was the leave".

Batsmen earn the right to be aggressive. They earn it through establishing themselves at the crease and playing themselves in. Knowing which balls to leave and which to play is a huge part of that and a skill that England's batsmen have not always demonstrated in recent times.

Provide more from the top-order
A recurring theme of England's Test batting this year has been the failure of the top order. Eight times in their most recent 13 innings, they have lost their third-wicket with the score on 52 or fewer. While they have recovered on several occasions, it is asking a great deal of the middle-order - and Joe Root in particular - to continually bail them out. If they are to beat the better sides, they require more people in the team to contribute.

With Lyth averaging 25 in his four Tests so far, England appear to have taken a risk by promoting Ian Bell to bat at No. 3. While nobody doubts Bell's talent, his struggles at No. 4 - is he averaging 14.50 in the four Tests this summer - do not suggest he is in the form or frame of mind to adapt to the tougher task of batting a place higher up the order. But England need him to deliver if they are to improve their results on a more consistent basis.

"You don't mean to be 30 for three," Cook said at Edgbaston on Tuesday. "The idea of the top order is to lay a platform and put miles in the bowlers' legs. Hopefully we can do it better than we have done." The fact that Cook was in the nets at Edgbaston at 8.15am on Tuesday morning suggests he knows how much his side require of him.

Take their chances
It is no coincidence that, when England won at Cardiff, they took almost every chance that came their way in the field. Yet when they lost at Lord's, they squandered a couple of rare opportunities. Most notably, Steve Smith was missed by Ian Bell at second slip off Ben Stokes when he had scored 50. England cannot afford to give batsmen as good as Smith a life. Their slip cordon, and Jos Buttler, simply have to take any opportunities that come their way if England are to win back the Ashes.

Use the new ball
Ahead of this series, James Anderson told ESPNcricinfo that his aim, like most Test bowlers, was to hit the top of off stump with more regularity. "Test cricket is about the top of off stump," he said. "Bowlers who hit that more often than others will be more successful."

But, all too often, Anderson is failing to make the batsmen play enough in his first spell. His first five overs at Lord's, for example, contained just one delivery that would have hit the stumps. All of which means that, with the ball at its hardest and conditions still offering some assistance, batsmen are having the opportunity to settle in more than England can afford. As was shown as Lord's, it is essential to get Steve Smith in - and out - as quickly as possible. The new ball probably represents the best opportunity to do that.

It is not just the bowled or lbw dismissal that is taken out of play by the delivery that is not hitting the stumps. Unless a batsman is forced to play - and, to be fair to Anderson, several deliveries were just outside off stump in an area that remains dangerous to batsmen - the likelihood of edges to the slip cordon is also greatly reduced.

While Stuart Broad has bowled a probing, fuller length which has regularly challenged the stumps, it is vital that, on some of the placid pitches on which this series has been played to date, the new ball is utilised to make inroads.

Use home advantage
Arguably no ground in England - with the possible exception of the Kia Oval - offers England as much home advantage as Edgbaston. While there have been no Tests here since the rain-ruined draw against West Indies in 2012, the pitch is expected to provide more assistance to English-style seamers, while the crowd - a fraction under 25,000 a day - will be relatively hostile by England standards.

Producing a pitch to England specifications - not too quick, but providing some seam movement - is not an exact science. But word from the England dressing room suggests some confidence that Gary Barwell, the Edgbaston groundsman, has managed it. And, by the look of the number of Australian players pouring over the surface - and their insistence that they had no concerns - they may have come to the same conclusion.

And, while Lord's and Trent Bridge do not welcome the Barmy Army or their trumpeter, Edgbaston makes a point of celebrating their presence. With the stands close to the pitch and spectators encouraged to express their support in vocal fashion, Edgbaston is probably as close an equivalent to the "Gabattoir" as Australia will experience on this tour.

"When you do get on top at Edgbaston, it feels like an extra man playing for you just because of the noise," Cook said. "It's a different atmosphere to anywhere else we play. I have seen Spiderman climbing up the stand, I have seen Bananaman being chased. It is fantastic entertainment. But you can only cheer a side which is playing good cricket."

Realistically, England have to take advantage. With Australia needing only to square the series to retain the Ashes, victory here would leave England requiring wins from both the final two Tests to deny them.

Bowl as a unit
It will hardly be remembered now, but Stuart Broad bowled beautifully in the first innings at Lord's. England's problem - one of England's problems - was that they did not provide enough support to sustain the pressure that Broad built. While Broad went for a fraction over three an over - and claimed four wickets - in the first innings, Moeen Ali and James Anderson went for much closer to four an over, while Ben Stokes went for more than that. Those three bowlers claimed only one wicket between them, too.

If England are to defeat Australia, they need to find lateral movement with the ball - Australia gained more swing at Lord's - and ensure that at least three of their bowlers produce a disciplined performance that ensures the batsmen are not given any "release" stokes.

With some fitness concerns over Mark Wood, it could well be that Steven Finn comes into the side. Finn's issue in his previous Tests - and he played his last in the first Test of the Ashes at Trent Bridge in 2013 - was his inability to bowl with the consistency that England required to sustain pressure. They will surely need improvement if he is to play his part in a revival at Edgbaston.