Ashes 2015: Changes Australia Should Consider Making to Their Middle Order

Two and a half days is a long time in Test cricket and Australia, so upbeat and positive after winning comprehensively at Lord's, are now under huge pressure thanks to their crushing defeat at Edgbaston.

While the Baggy Green's top three batsmen seem safe, the men currently in possession of the No. 4, 5 and 6 berths will be nervously glancing over their shoulders as the clamour for changes grows.

What's more, one of them is Michael Clarke, the captain and a man who averages nearly 50 every time he bats in Test cricket! Surely the Aussies Baggy Greens won't axe their skipper, will they?

With the fourth Test at Trent Bridge approaching rapidly, let's take a closer look at what the problem is and the five main options Darren Lehmann and his selectors have, ranked in ascending order of them actually happening.

Quite simply, Australia's top three have scored a disproportionate weight of their team's total runs compared to the rest of their top six.

And England know that if they do some early damage with the new ball, Michael Clarke's men appear to have a soft underbelly that can be exploited, as we saw at Cardiff and Edgbaston.

The obvious option is to make changes in this area, but at this late stage, will bringing in new personnel prove worthwhile? Or do the men currently in the side deserve another chance?

On a side note, it is worth comparing these numbers to England's top order, which appears to be much more balanced if less prolific.

Clearly the main reason for this is Adam Lyth's paltry contribution and the opening is under heavy pressure to make a score at Trent Bridge.

Anyway, back to Australia's issues. What are the options for Nottingham?

In this modern era of short attention spans and diminishing patience, the pressure on players and coaches to deliver is more intense than ever, and Australia could throw the whole deck of cards in the air.

With Michael Clarke, Adam Voges and Mitchell Marsh all underperforming so far with the bat, why not change them all?

Of course, this won't happen and would most likely destabilise the whole side. For now, we can park this idea and assume that Lehmann and co. will only make one or two changes, if they make any at all.

You have to go back to 1981 and Ian Botham to find the last time a captain relinquished the role mid-Ashes, and it would be an incredible move by Lehmann and the Aussie selectors to drop Michael Clarke this week.

However, the numbers don’t lie. The 33-year-old is enduring a terrible series with the bat, managing just 90 runs in six innings, and he seems bereft of confidence.

If he wasn't the skipper, he most likely would be on a one-way train to Dropsville right now.

But seriously, despite Steve Smith seemingly waiting in the wings, this shock move is just too cataclysmic and reactionary to happen now. At the end of the series is a different matter, however.

Mitchell Marsh has impressed since replacing Shane Watson after Cardiff and has been a definite upgrade in the all-rounder role, particularly with the ball in his hand.

From just 19.1 overs, the fast-medium pacer has taken three wickets at an average of 21 while delivering his overs at an economy rate of just 3.28, the lowest of all the Aussie bowlers.

However, a man batting at six needs to deliver runs and so far, the 23-year-old's batting has been innocuous, yielding only 45 runs from four innings with a top score of 27 and an average of 15.

While it would be a harsh move, it isn't totally out of the question that Marsh could get the chop and, if selected, he will be desperate to score runs at Trent Bridge in order to cement his position.

Given that this side inflicted a monumental 405 run victory over England at Lord’s, is there any point in even making significant changes?

While Michael Clarke and Adam Voges are struggling, it isn't hard to make a case that both should be retained and that their replacements would effectively be a downgrade.

Clarke averages nearly 50 from a 113-Test career that has also seen him score 28 centuries and 8605 runs. Would you bet against him making a ton at Trent Bridge?

Voges topped the Sheffield Shield averages in the recent Australian domestic season averaging over a 100 and has plenty of experience in English conditions having played for multiple counties.

Throw in their more-than-useful presence in the slip cordon (OK, we’ll ignore Clarke putting down Bell at Edgbaston), and it could be worth giving the same XI a chance to fight back.

The most likely and easiest move for the Australian selectors would be to drop Adam Voges and bring in Shaun Marsh who has been in great form with two centuries in recent tour games.

Voges has yet to make a significant score and averages just 14.60 from five completed innings, less than all of his teammates accept Brad Haddin and Nathan Lyon.

However, rewind a few weeks, Voges seemed an inspired selection scoring a century on his Test debut in the Caribbean and still averages 40 in the format.

Also, as per the previous side, the 35-year-old has played plenty of county cricket, in particular, for Nottinghamshire whose home ground is Trent Bridge, the location of the Fourth Test.

So is it really worthwhile jettisoning him now for a man who averages just 35 from 14 Tests? We will find out on Thursday morning!