England's Brydon Carse ready to invoke 'spirit of the Ashes' ahead of crucial third ODI against Australia

Heading into the third ODI against Australia in Durham, Brydon Carse and England are ready to fight back and invoke the ‘spirit of the Ashes’ as they aim for a win that would keep the five-match series alive.

England suffered a heavy seven-wicket defeat at Trent Bridge, followed by a 68-run loss at Headingley, with Australia’s experience overcoming an inexperienced England side who are finding their feet when it comes to their style of play in ODI cricket.

Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc all made an effort when Australia needed them most, battling to claim victory despite only protecting a modest 270 on the board in Leeds.

With the series on the line in Durham and an Australia win would give them an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match contest, England must adapt quickly and get a crucial win on the board.

While Carse admits England may not have adapted as well to the situation as they could have, stand-in captain Harry Brook and the squad have spoken of summoning the spirit of the Ashes to turn things around.

“For sure (we’ve spoken about it). I think we’ve got a few days off now between the next game, where we go to Durham, and there’s still a lot of cricket left in the series, and there’s a group of players who are desperate to turn it around and put in a good performance in Durham,” Carse said.

“Look, I think there’s no secret that a lot of players in this group don’t play a lot of 50-over cricket, and that’s just the structure of English cricket now, at the moment with The Hundred, but I think there are players in this group who have had very good T20 careers so far.

“There are young players who need to adapt more quickly to certain situations. I think that’s probably what we didn’t do, maybe in these first two games, which is adapt to the situations.

“But now there are three games left to really try to turn this situation around quickly.”

For Carse, his return to the England squad has been nothing but positive, with open and honest communication about how his international career can develop in both the white-ball and red-ball games.

“Yeah, it was great. The last three weeks have been really nice for me to be able to play again,” Carse said.

“A few weeks ago I was back in Durham and I’ve now joined up with the England team and all I’ve had from everyone is total support and backing and I’m just looking forward to playing as much cricket as I can in an England jersey in the future.

“England have been incredibly supportive of late and the communication has been really good, so I’ve been very clear about what to expect.

“Everybody, the coaches involved, a lot of them have worked in franchise situations. Rob Key has been very communicative with me. Everybody has been really supportive.

“I was selected in the T20 team, as well as that white-ball team, and then I was really excited to go to Pakistan.

“This is a group of players that I have wanted to be involved with for a number of years now, with a few setbacks here and there. So to be involved in this setup going forward is really exciting for me.”

England vs Australia Fixtures – All Matches Live on Sky Sports

1st ODI (September 19) – Trent Bridge, Nottingham – Australia won by seven wickets
2nd ODI (September 21) – Headingley, Leeds – Australia won by 68 runs
3rd ODI (September 24) – Riverside Single Seat, Durham (start 12:30pm)
4th ODI (September 27) – Lord’s, London (start at 12:30 p.m.)
5th ODI (September 29) – The Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (start at 11am)

Watch England vs Australia in the third ODI liWatch Sky Sports Cricket from 12pm on Tuesday 24 September (first ball, 12.30pm) and stream contract-free with NOW.