The Ashes: Adam Gilchrist wants Australia to learn from past mistakes vs England

Down two games in the Ashes, Australia head into the third Test at Old Trafford fearing a third successive loss against hosts England. While several experts are predicting a whitewash, former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist remains hopeful and wants the visitors to learn from mistakes made previously.

Gilchrist's only loss in an Ashes series came in 2005, when England triumphed 2-1 at home. The recent defeats seem to have resurfaced his wounds from the past.

"Eight years ago, the Australia squad headed to Manchester for the third Ashes Test on the back of a defeat. We had struggled as a batting unit in the previous Test at Edgbaston and for me, personally, the Old Trafford Test loomed as a serious mental battle. My approach to batting had been forced away from its natural balance," Gilchrist wrote in a British national newspaper on Wednesday. "Just like in 2005, the challenge now for Australia as they look toward the third Test at Old Trafford is a mental one. In finding the best approach, Australia's batsmen could do worse than look to their opponents. The key in this series has been that the foundation of England's batting has been crease occupation."

The former Australia skipper feels Clarke and Co. have the wherewithal to bounce back and all they have to do is focus. "Australia's batting group certainly has the talent but now it's all about mental application, and that is such a difficult part of the game to apply when you feel under siege. That's how the Australians would feel now. Hopefully the batsmen, individually and with the expertise they have around them, will be able to work out their plans for Old Trafford and not lose focus. It is one thing to pounce on loose balls, but quite another to attack without regard for the bowling," he added.

He however conceded that England's attack is brutal but felt Usman Khawaja showed the right approach during the second innings at Lord's till he fell after scoring a fifty.

"Unfortunately for Australia, England's bowling unit has been ruthless. At Lord's, in particular, they really hunted as a pack and no one gave the batsmen any let-up. That makes it even more a mental battle for the Australian batsmen and it's a fine balance between occupying the crease with no real intent and flaying at everything."

"It comes down to the individual to make those choices out in the middle, about shot selection and the ways to approach a bowler. Usman Khawaja is a good example. In the first innings at Lord's he looked tentative in everything he did, and then he tried to be really positive and aggressive against Graeme Swann and it brought his downfall. Nobody would begrudge him attempting a shot like that, but it seemed a contradiction after the way he had started."

"In the second innings, everything Khawaja did looked really positive, from his first ball to his first forward defensive, to his first scoring shot. It looked as though he was backing himself. He got to 50 and forged a good partnership with Michael Clarke and it was an example that a positive mindset, even in defence, is of paramount importance."