Taylor confident, Atherton optimistic

MANCHESTER, July 8: The series may be tied 1-1 but the Australians believe they are effectively ahead. Team captain Mark Taylor says that A...

MANCHESTER, July 8: The series may be tied 1-1 but the Australians believe they are effectively ahead. Team captain Mark Taylor says that Australia8217;s 268-run humiliation of England at the half way stage of the six-match Ashes series has dramatically shifted the psychological advantage in their favour.8220;We hold the Ashes, so we are really in front,8221; Taylor said.

Australia, who lost to England in the opening Test at Edgbaston and then drew at Lord8217;s, has not come from behind to beat England for 60 years, since Don Bradman8217;s side lost the first two Tests and won the next three and the series in 1936-37.

8220;We played very well here and lot more like what I8217;ve come to expect from the Australian cricket team,8221; Taylor said after the triumph at Old Trafford. 8220;We8217;ve obviously got the momentum going our way but it has taken us until July to do that. We8217;ve got a good feeling going in the side at the moment which we didn8217;t have at the start of the series.8221;

Taylor feels his team hasn8217;t reach its full potential yet. 8220;We can still brush up a bit and a few of us could do a bit more with the bat. I8217;d say we were at about 90 per cent in this match,8221; the left-hander said before leaving to attend an International Cricket Council ICC meeting of the nine Test-playing captains.

For Michael Atherton8217;s team, the moment of truth has arrived. Its first defeat in eight Tests has come after back-to-back disappointing performances with the bat.

At Lord8217;s, England was shot out for 77 in the first innings and, in perfect conditions for batting, for 162 at Old Trafford. It was the turning point of the match.

8220;I am confident that we can bounce back and be ready to scrap it out at Headingley,8221; Atherton said, looking forward to the fourth Test.

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8220;I feel the series is one-all and evenly placed, like half time at a football match,8221; he added.

8220;You8217;re never going to dominate a side like Australia for a whole series. They8217;re a good side, obviously going to come good at some stage and that happened this game.

8220;But I feel very confident we can bowl Australia out twice and very confident we can win at least one of the last three games.8221;