Australia exposed weaknesses in England's batting, says Darren Lehmann

Darren Lehmann claimed Australia have exposed enough weaknesses in England’s batting to wrest back the Ashes this winter.

The rain thwarted the tourists’ bid for victory in the Third Investec Test at Old Trafford, meaning England retained the urn as they are 2-0 up in the series with only two matches remaining.

England have yet to post a total of more than 400 in the series, which has left coach Lehmann optimistic as his players prepare for the Fourth Test at Durham, which starts on Friday.

“We’ve shown some cracks in their batting which is exciting for us as a bowling unit,” Lehmann said. “A few of their players wanted us to lose 5-0 – is that right? We’re not going to lose 5-0.

“Has the momentum shifted? I think it has but only time will tell. It’s about how we play in the next Test, where we have to repeat our performance at Old Trafford.”

England captain Alastair Cook scored 766 runs during the last Ashes series in Australia, but he has struggled a little in these matches, passing fifty only twice. Jonathan Trott has also been below his best while Jonny Bairstow has still to prove he can build a successful Test career.

Asked if Australia could gain a psychological hold over those players, Lehmann added: “It would be nice. It would mean we were closer to winning a Test match.

“It’s not just those three. I have some great ideas about the other eight batters. I’ve learned a lot about England and I’m confident we’re on the right path.”