'Optimistic' Clarke confident of winning Ashes series from 0-2 down

Australian captain Michael Clarke has said that he is confident that his side can still win the Ashes series despite being 2-0 down to England.

According to the Mirror, the Australians have recovered only once from 2-0 down, in 1936-37, to win the urn, when their inspiration was Sir Donald Bradman, the greatest batsman of all time.

However, in this tour, Australia's top score has been made by a No.11 Ashton Agar, who was making his Test and Ashes debut, in the two opening Tests against England this summer, while injured pace bowler James Pattinson, who has flown home, tops their batting averages.

Despite being stuffed by 347 runs at Lord's in the second Test last month, the under-fire Clarke is still optimistic, saying that he honestly believes that his side can win the series, even though Australia has lost six Tests in a row after the 4-0 defeat by India in the beginning of the year under his leadership.

Stating that he is aware that even though he will be laughed at for being optimistic about his team's chances now, Clarke however, said that he would not have been in England today if he had thought that the team was not good enough to have success.

According to Clarke, the reality is their backs against the wall for which he hoped that the batsman can lead the way in Old Trafford, adding that his team needs to make sure that they are scoring more runs then they have done so far.

However, the report said that England have not won an Ashes Test at Old Trafford since 1981, when Ian Botham's second swashbuckling hundred of the series clinched the series.

Lancashire's new-look home, which includes a massive 8,000-seater temporary stand, is sold out over the five days and is expected to generate 6.5 million-pound gate receipts - a record for a home Test outside London, the report added.