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Inside Australia's Headingley post-mortem

Tim Paine says Nathan Lyon will respond to Headingley heartache as England claim the momentum heading into Old Trafford

Tim Paine admits the detailed post-mortem Australia's men's team conducted in the aftermath of the Headingley loss was confronting for some and uncomfortable for all, but believes it will yield gains this week at Old Trafford.

While Australia's mantra since England stole a one-wicket win against the odds to level the Ashes series 1-1 has been 'it's done, it's dealt with, we've moved on', that was palpably not the case the morning after.

The entire squad, including coaching and support staff, convened in the team room at their Leeds hotel and studied footage of the final hour or so during which Ben Stokes ran amok, and mistakes were made under the relentless pressure he exerted.

Just how quickly and completely those who were on the field that historic afternoon have 'moved on' won't be able to be publicly judged until the fourth Test begins on Wednesday (Manchester's soggy weather permitting).

But Paine believes the brutally honest de-construction of England's last-wicket partnership that created a new Ashes benchmark and left Australia numbed and stunned was a worthwhile and far-from-unique exercise.

"(We) are always going through the game and where we can get better," Paine said in Manchester today.

"It’s not a new thing that we brought in especially because of what happened (at Headingley).

"It’s what we do.

"I think it’s crucial you do that as a team, that you sit down and look at periods of play like that and you talk openly and honestly about where we can get better.

"We were really honest with each other, and guys who had to look at some pretty ordinary stuff copped it on the chin and realised that it’s coming from a good place, and a place where we want everyone to really improve.

"We have learned some valuable lessons from the last Test match.

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"One of our values is that we are always learning, and that was a great opportunity to look at things we haven’t done well and learn from them rather than always looking at things you do well.”

As if those final overs in Leeds - where difficult catches were turfed, a run-out chance fumbled and an lbw decision snatched away because of an earlier squandered review – aren't burned into the Australia players' memory, they will be reminded of them at every turn in Manchester.

Most volubly, that service will be provided by the fans at Old Trafford where the full-house sign will reportedly be hung out for at least the first four days, and where capacity has been pushed beyond 25,000 by the erection of the largest temporary grandstand in Europe.

But it will be the England players on the inside of the famous playing arena's perimeter fence who will provide a more pointed commentary.

Fast bowler Stuart Broad, who has endured his share of taunts from crowds in Australia, set the tone on Monday when asked if he sensed a drastic shift in momentum in the wake of the Headingley result.

"Yeah, I do, of course," Broad said, without missing a beat or an opportunity.

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"Australia will have ninety-nine per cent felt they were regaining the Ashes with 70 runs needed at Headingley.

"Stokesy and Leachy’s (Jack Leach's last-wicket) partnership was one of the greatest partnerships English cricket has seen.

"Australia had a really poor hour and they’ll probably reflect on that and think they got quite a few things wrong.

"Obviously the momentum of that Test shifted, and with that the series.

"We’re going to get the same level of support (at Old Trafford) that we had at Headingley, and we know the atmosphere will be brilliant here.

"I heard that day-five tickets flew out on Monday, so that’s the influence the team can have on the country as well.

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"We know we’ll turn up on Wednesday with a crowd fully behind us and that sort of momentum can definitely drag us through."

Australia's brains trust had been dismissive of the unquantifiable value of 'momentum' in sporting contests, even before the miracle at Headingley.

As former Test captain Ricky Ponting told The Unplayable Podcast last week, England's strong but ultimately unsuccessful push for victory on the final day of the second Test at Lord's had supposedly granted them 'momentum' heading into the next match at Leeds.

Yet, under sunny skies at Headingley on day two of that Test, they were skittled for 67 in little more than a session.

“I know from outside a lot’s been made of it," Paine said of the myriad theories as to who will be damaged or deified by the third Test outcome.

"We’ve heard Jofra (Archer, England fast bowler) talk about 'momentum' and 'the ball’s in their court', and all this sort of stuff.

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“You can believe in that story if you want to, but we’re going to keep concentrating on what’s been working for us and keep delivering the skill that we’ve been talking about.

“To play on skill, not emotion, and we feel if we can come out and start well then Headingley’s forgotten.”

What seems unlikely to be overlooked, by England's players or fans, is Nathan Lyon's unfortunate role in the missed run-out during the penultimate over at Leeds.

While a number of Australia players who sat through the post-game video review were stunned to see close-up how well Lyon had bowled in that nerve-jangling final stanza, the image of him prostrate and distraught on the turf at match's end remained even more poignant.

With the Old Trafford pitch reportedly very dry despite the recent rain that has persisted in England's wettest city and which is forecast to continue throughout the Test, Lyon is tipped to play a key role in the game's outcome.

And Paine warned that if there was anyone on or off-field who thought they might rattle Lyon's confidence by hurling barbs, they knew little of the 31-year-old who overtook Dennis Lillee to become Australia's third-highest Test wicket-taker during that hectic final day at Headingley.

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“Good luck if they do," Paine said when asked if he feared Lyon would be verbally targeted.

"Nathan is a big boy, he has been around the block a few times and his record speaks for itself.

"I don’t think we are going to judge Nathan on a missed run out, when he wins Test matches for us regularly.

"If we can score enough runs this Test, he will potentially win us another."

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes (vc), Chris Woakes.

First Test: Australia won by 251 runs at Edgbaston

Second Test: Match drawn at Lord's

Third Test: England won by one wicket at Headingley

Fourth Test: September 4-8, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: September 12-16, The Oval