Ashes Verdict - Penkridge Cricket Club

England are on course to go 2-1 up in the 2015 Ashes series after dominating a blistering two days of action in Birmingham.

Going into Day 3 the tourists are deep in trouble after being restricted to 168-7 in their second innings with just a slender lead of 23 runs.

Weather permitting, England are red hot favourites to take a 2-1 lead in the series tomorrow (Friday) going into the final two Tests - just one more win away from regaining the Ashes.

And James, who is a batsman for Staffordshire club Penkridge, said Australia's batting in the match has left a lot to be desired.

"I've been very disappointed the way Australia have batted, especially given the way they played at Lord's in the Second Test.

"Don't get me wrong the pitch is doing something for the bowlers but there is also something there for the batsman as well - there's no demons in it. Some of the shot selection from the Australian batsman has been poor in my opinion. They've been a bit gung-ho.

"It's been a crazy Test match but an enjoyable one."

James said he wasn't surprised that England have come back despite their 400 runs plus defeat at Lord's earlier this month.

"It's not much of a surprise because England have got something to work with on this pitch," he added.

"The likes of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn have shown that in the two days so far.

"Historically England do bounce back after a heavy defeat but the Australian's will want to do the same in the next Test.

"I would be very surprised if England lost from here. It would take an awful lot to go wrong for them to lose from this position."