Bayliss begs curators for faster pitches

England head coach Trevor Bayliss has implored groundstaff for the next three Ashes Tests to put a bit more life in the decks, saying the flat tracks are helping, not hurting, the Australians.

Bayliss, and Aussie himself, feels that slow and flat decks are hurting his bowlers more than the Aussies', as was evident at Lord's when England were bowled out for 103 in their second innings. It was hardly a rip-snorter of a track.

He said of the idea that the Aussies would not like flat wickets: "We've got no control over what the wickets are like, but certainly a flat wicket plays into the Australians' hands.

"I think if the wicket has got a bit of seam in it… We want to win this series and for anyone to win a series you have to take 20 wickets per match.

"And I think a flat wicket suits not only their batters but also the bowling attack they've got, more so than it does ours. So I'd like to see a wicket with more in it.

"That might make it more difficult for us to bat on it but if we're able to take 20 wickets, even if they take 20 wickets, then we're still a chance of winning."

Bayliss was also frustrated by how his batsmen played into paceman Mitchell Johnson's hands by not leaving deliveries they should have, and said England needed to focus on their own games rather than worrying about others.

He added: "He's a good bowler there's no denying that. And he bowled pretty well in this match. Probably the one shot we didn't employ against him today was the leave.

"The players have got to work out an individual plan how they are going to bat and bowl against this opposition and then concentrate on that and worry about what they're doing, not anybody else.

"We knew they would come at us hard, the Australians don't take losing lying down that's for sure. They played extremely well and we've got to play extremely well going into the next match."

The series is level at one all, with the third Test starting on 29 July.

Latest