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The Ashes - England v Australia 2009
Australia name strong 16-man Ashes squad to play England
May 20, 2009 Australia's selectors have named a 16-man squad to contest the five-Test Ashes series against England, with Shane Watson keeping Andrew Symonds out of the party. "We think we have chosen an exciting blend of youth and experience," chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said in announcing the squad. "At its core, the squad is made up of the side that beat South Africa in that memorable series, and includes Phillip Hughes and Marcus North who both scored hundreds on debut." Watson was named subject to fitness after sustaining a minor groin injury in the recent limited-over series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, but Hilditch expected him to take his place in the tour party. "(The injury) is not expected to be a serious issue as he is recovering from a very mild groin strain at present and is expected to be fully fit for the ICC World Twenty20 in the UK and the commencement of the Ashes," Hilditch said. "Shane in our view has the ability to bat anywhere in the order, and enables us to have a batsman in the top six who can provide quality pace support for the fast bowling group." Watson said he expected to be bowling in the nets next week, after recovering from his latest setback, and to be fit and ready by the time the team arrives in England. Watson is one of three all-rounders in the squad, alongside North and Andrew McDonald. "Andrew McDonald played a very important role in both Australia's victory in the last Test match in Australia and on the recent series in South Africa, and has been rewarded with his first Ashes squad selection," Hilditch said. Australia captain Ricky Ponting, meanwhile, spoke about the omission from the squad of Symonds, who played the last of his 26 Tests in the 2008 Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Melbourne following a season of injury, poor form and off-field personal problems. "Selectors have a tough job picking any team and it's obviously hard picking an Ashes squad, and unfortunately for Andrew this time there hasn't been room in the 16-man squad for him," Ponting said. "He made a reasonable comeback in the one-day team (against Pakistan) in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the last few weeks, and unfortunately he missed out on this selection. "But I know he'll keep working hard and he'll give himself every opportunity to make his way back into the team in the future." Ponting will lead the touring party with Michael Clarke as his deputy, and they will have a strong six-strong pace attack headed by Mitchell Johnson and recalled New South Wales stalwarts Brett Lee and Stuart Clark. "The young fast bowling group which performed so well in South Africa of Peter Siddle, Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus will all be taking part in their first Ashes tour to England, and, as shown in South Africa, they have the skills to perform at the international level and will be well suited to English conditions," Hilditch said of the pace battery. Opening batsman Hughes is the youngster of the touring party, at 20, selected after scoring four centuries during a six-week guest stint in England with county side Middlesex. "Phil Hughes has been setting the world on fire over there, which is great for him and the team when we all arrive and get under way," Ponting said of Hughes. "We have a great balance of youth and experience so hopefully, when the big moments come around, it will be all of us who stick our hands up and get the job done." South Australia's Graham Manou was named as back-up wicketkeeper to Brad Haddin. "Graham Manou has also been rewarded with his first squad selection for an Australian team following very strong interstate performances in all forms of the game over the last few seasons," Hilditch said. The five-Test series starts at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, from July 8, and finishes at The Oval in late August. Australia hold the Ashes after Ponting's side's completed a 5-0 series whitewash at home in 2006-2007 to regain the urn after a 2-1 defeat in England in 2005. "We don't underestimate the task of beating England on English soil," Hilditch said. "We expect the Ashes to be an exciting and riveting encounter, consistent with the great tradition of rivalry between England and Australia. "Attempting to beat England on home soil is a great challenge for this young Australian squad, and both Ricky and the squad are looking forward to it immensely. "It promises to be a very exciting series." Australia's Ashes Squad Ricky Ponting (captain) Michael Clarke (vice-captain) Stuart Clark Brad Haddin Nathan Hauritz Ben Hilfenhaus Phillip Hughes Michael Hussey Mitchell Johnson Simon Katich Brett Lee Graham Manou Andrew McDonald Marcus North Peter Siddle Shane Watson, subject to fitness |
England v Australia, 1st npower Test, Cardiff
Test of character for both teams
July 7, 2009 Wednesday, July 8, 2009 Start time 11.00am (10.00 GMT) The Big Picture England's turn to host the Ashes always results in an extended build-up and after 31 months the talk stops on Wednesday and a pair of teams with many fresh faces continue a 122-year rivalry. Both sides have changed line-ups considerably since the past two series and the chest injury to Brett Lee, who is out of the Cardiff and Lord's games, takes further experience away from Australia while increasing the comfort of the local batsmen. The home side has a new Ashes captain in Andrew Strauss and two match-winners in Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff. All three have beaten Australia and lost heavily to them. In the baggy green corner sits Ricky Ponting, a leader on his fourth tour of England, and he is in charge of an outfit that can no longer rely on Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist et al. After losing to India and South Africa, they crossed the Indian Ocean and beat the Proteas to retain the game's top spot earlier this year, but doubt remains over their status. On the rankings page this is a battle between No. 1 and No. 5, but for Australia and England it is much more than that. The history of the competition is so detailed that the players will be told to break it down to a simple, clutter-free contest. It will be impossible for the Ashes debutants and how they cope with the initial stages could determine the result of the first Test. Instead of Lord's or Edgbaston or Old Trafford staging the opening game, the players have stepped into Wales for the series welcome in Cardiff. It is the city's first Test match and there are still rumblings that it has been given a chapter of Ashes history. Australian supporters have tried to move on from the gripping 2005 defeat and England fans seem to have slept through the 2006-07 whitewash. Both sides want this version to be unforgettable. Form guide (last five matches, most recent first) England - WWDDD Australia - LWWWL Watch out for ... Kevin Pietersen is the player Australia feared most when they had Warne and McGrath, a world-beating pair which could not stop him from taking 963 runs at 53.50 in the two previous series. An Achilles injury threatens to be Pietersen's Achilles and he has only started running in the past week. A hobbling Pietersen could derail England's hopes, but his swagger is the most pronounced during the biggest contests and he will do anything to make it through to The Oval. In South Africa Mitchell Johnson turned from a sometimes meek and wayward operator into the most frightening bowler in the game. He forced Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis to retire hurt while taking two wickets in the same opening spell in Durban, his potent short deliveries backed up by a new-found ability to swing the ball in as well as moving it away. Throw in his silky yet powerful batting and his performances could determine the series. Team news All of England's players are fit so they have to trim two men from their squad. Ian Bell has returned to play for Warwickshire so the final choice will be between Monty Panesar and Graham Onions. Panesar had a much longer workout in the nets than Onions on Tuesday. England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Graham Onions. Lee's stomach injury has seriously disrupted Australia's plans and leaves a delicate choice for the tourists. Picking Nathan Hauritz alongside Johnson, Siddle and Clark is the most orthodox option, even though the offspinner has found county batsmen a challenge in the two warm-ups. Ben Hilfenhaus and Andrew McDonald will also have their cases pushed and all the combinations carry an element of risk. Australia (possible) 1 Simon Katich, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Stuart Clark, 11 Peter Siddle. Pitch and conditions Ponting expects the pitch to have some moisture at the start, providing "slow-ish seam and trampoline" bounce, but he believes it will turn. The pitch spent most of Monday morning under the covers and when it was revealed in the afternoon there was not much green on the strip. Less colour was on show on Tuesday. Andrew Strauss said it looked like a good pitch, but one that would not offer much pace or bounce. "There will be a little bit in it for everyone," he said, "and that's the sort of wicket we were hoping to see." The weather has been unpredictable, with rain and sun fighting for attention, and more wet conditions are predicted for the end of the week. Stats and trivia In 300 Ashes Tests England have won 95; Australia have been successful in 121 It is 1410 days since England won their last Ashes Test, at Trent Bridge in 2005 None of Australia's fast bowlers have played a Test in England Allan Border was the last Australian captain to lose two Ashes series when his sides were beaten in 1985 and 1986-87 Australia must win the contest to keep the No. 1 Test rating Quotes "We know the type of cricket we need to play to win this series and we've got good ideas as to the type Australia are going to play too. We have to keep nice and calm and controlled." Andrew Strauss "Their side reads pretty good and I think if you matched both sides up on paper it would be pretty hard to pick the winner." Ricky Ponting |
England v Australia, 1st npower Test, Cardiff, 1st day
Honours even in see-saw battle
July 8, 2009 England 336 for 7 (Pietersen 69, Collingwood 64, Prior 56) v Australia There was little to choose between these two teams in the lead-up to this eagerly anticipated Ashes series and hardly anything to split them at the end of an engrossing opening day at Cardiff. England were twice pulling away from Australia, but a hard-working attack grabbed wickets at crucial times. Kevin Pietersen gave his innings away for 69 and Peter Siddle took a vital brace with the second new ball, after Matt Prior and Andrew Flintoff had launched a stirring sixth-wicket partnership, as the hosts ended on 336 for 7. That final scoreline gives a fair reflection of the entertainment on offer. The early exchanges had the sense of two slightly uncertain sides sizing each other up, but soon the blows were being traded. It was the Australian quicks who settled first with Mitchell Johnson striking twice before lunch, however as Pietersen - who passed 1000 runs against Australia - and Paul Collingwood added 138 in 41 overs there was a window in Ricky Ponting's new world minus the great bowlers of the past. However, the final session showed that this current Australian team will fight for everything when firstly Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Hauritz made their mark before Siddle's late intervention after Prior and Flintoff added 86. In 31 overs 144 runs flowed and four wickets fell during a spell of Test cricket near its best. Most frustrating from the England batting perspective was that the top order had done the hard work. Three thirties, a fifty and two in the sixties smacked of a wasted opportunity to make a strong statement. Especially galling was Pietersen's x-rated sweep against Hauritz which looped to short leg, five runs after Michael Clarke dropped a stinging catch at short cover, and it continued the trait of him falling to spinners who are not perceived a major threat. His departure left England on 241 for 5, yet 16 overs later the momentum was back with the home side as Flintoff revived memories of his 2005 alliance with Geraint Jones alongside England's latest wicketkeeper. It was a thrilling stand, but Siddle had kept pounding in all day and was rewarded with Flintoff's inside edge and a fine inswinger to castle Prior. Still, the sight of Hauritz turning a couple off straight during the second session won't have gone unnoticed in the England dressing room and if the lower order can edge the total towards 400 the spinners will have something to work with. The management clearly rate the batting skills of Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann because they sent in James Anderson as a nightwatchman at No. 8. Australia sprang something of a surprise when they named Hilfenhaus and Hauritz in their eleven ahead of Stuart Clark. Hilfenhaus justified his inclusion with the first wicket of the series when he drew Alastair Cook into a loose prod outside off and Mike Hussey held a blinding catch at gully. Andrew Strauss played compactly for 30 but got into a tangle against a sharp bouncer from Johnson and gloved in the slips, unsure whether to attack to leave the short ball. Ravi Bopara was given a working over at No. 3 - reminding him this is a significant step up from helping himself against West Indies earlier in the summer - and was twice hit, firstly in the throat by Siddle, and later on the shoulder by Johnson. He also kept the slips interested with a few flashy drives and, although he also pulled out a few elegant shots, there was no sense of permanency. He fell to a clever piece of deception by Johnson who used the slower ball to good effect and Bopara spooned a catch to cover. Johnson, as against England Lions, didn't find much swing but showed he had more tricks up his sleeve England lunched on an uneasy 97 for 3 but a steady afternoon of accumulation ensured Ponting had plenty to ponder as he tried to juggle his bowling options. Pietersen made a nervy start, and moved with a limp that was blamed on his calf rather than achilles, but after the interval he twice drove full out-swingers from Hilfenhaus through the covers. When Haurtiz was introduced early in the session the temptation will have been huge to dominate the under-pressure offspinner, but instead Pietersen opted for dabbed sweeps and gentle nudges during a 20-over period where there wasn't a boundary off the bat. The shackles were cast off when Collingwood twice cut Hauritz to the cover boundary before Pietersen danced down the pitch and drove Clarke sweetly wide of mid-off. Australia came hard at the start of the final session and Collingwood edged behind where Brad Haddin took a fine catch to his right, an important moment for the keeper who had dropped two similar chances against England Lions. Then, with Pietersen set for something substantial, he went to sweep a delivery from Hauritz wide outside off to leave the innings in the balance. England have picked Prior on the strength of his batting and he showed his class through the off side, while Flintoff looked as comfortable in the middle than at any time in recent memory. Both were helped by some overs from Hauritz and Simon Katich which meant their eye was in before the second new ball. Runs came quickly - some off the middle and some the edge - as Prior went to a 54-ball half-century, but back came Australia again. If the rest of the series can match the opening this will be a fascinating contest. |
England v Australia, 1st npower Test, Cardiff, 2nd day
Katich and Ponting take control with tons
July 9, 2009 Australia 249 for 1 (Katich 104*, Ponting 100*) trail England 435 (Pietersen 69, Collingwood 64, Prior 56, Johnson 3-87, Hauritz 3-95) by 186 runs Australia's bowling has lost its aura in recent times, but the batting order remains a powerful line-up led by one of the greatest to play the game. Ricky Ponting continued his prolific Ashes record with his 38th Test century, passing 11,000 runs in the process, while Simon Katich continued his rebirth as an opener with his first ton against England to lead Australia to an impressive 249 for 1 in reply to the home side's 435 on the second day in Cardiff. If it was honours even at the end of the opening exchanges, it is now Australia who hold the advantage and will have designs on batting well past England's total to remove the danger of batting last. It was quite a turnaround for the tourists, who were given the run-around during the first session with England adding 99 in 16.5 overs of sparkling batting from the lower order, in particular Graeme Swann. However, Australia's progress from the moment Ponting and Katich joined forces was methodical, attritional and thoroughly professional as they added 189. It was a lesson to England's batsmen who, despite collectively managing a very respectable total, individually wasted numerous starts. The pitch held few demons for batsmen who were set, which highlighted the value of Australia's two top-order players building on their foundations. Katich could have departed for 10 when Andrew Flintoff, in the middle of a hostile spell that accounted for Phillip Hughes, couldn't hold a low return chance but Ponting didn't offer a chance in his 155-ball hundred that arrived off the penultimate ball of the day. Katich had brought up his own century moments earlier from 214 balls when he pulled Flintoff to fine leg. He is far removed from the batsman who was bemused by reverse swing in 2005 and it's one of cricket's great comeback stories. Ponting already has a record that stands up with the legends and became the fourth batsman to pass 11,000 Test runs when he moved to 41, joining Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Allan Border with enough time in his career to finish top of the pile. He has also scored hundreds in four Ashes series, a record matched by only Don Bradman and Steve Waugh. And he'll have his mind set on doubling this innings before he's finished on a surface that may yet make the fourth innings a testing proposition. There was turn for Swann and Monty Panesar, especially from the footmarks, but it was slow and the batsmen had time to adjust. Katich often waited on the back foot to clip Panesar with the spin through the leg side, while Ponting cashed in whenever Swann over pitched. Swann sent down six maidens in his first 11 overs, ripped a couple past Katich's outside edge and could have had him leg before on 56, but when he started to force the issue there were more loose deliveries to be picked off. Andrew Strauss tried various combinations, but found it difficult to build pressure as the batsmen found release through well-run singles and deft placement. James Anderson wasn't at his best while Stuart Broad was forced to leave the field for some treatment on his calf during the final session. As Ravi Bopara found yesterday success against a poor West Indies team needs to be put into context. It was no surprise that the most hostile pace force was Flintoff, playing his first Test since Antigua in February, and as with his brief innings his first spell rekindled memories of Ashes contests past. He'd been held back from the attack during the half hour Australia batted before lunch and Hughes raced into his innings with a series of crisp off-side boundaries. There was a plan to target Hughes with the short ball, but both Anderson and Broad offered too much width and allowed Hughes to free his arms. After the interval, though, the challenge went up a few levels as Flintoff was immediately thrown the ball. He began with three rapid bouncers to Hughes from around the wicket, probing the middle-and-leg line that Steve Harmison utilised for England Lions, throwing in a few verbals for good measure, then beat the left-hander with one that cut away off the seam. It was a marvellous duel between a seasoned campaigner and a young, cocky batsman with Flintoff coming out on top. Switching to over the wicket he cramped Hughes for room as he tried another cut and Matt Prior held a sharp, low chance to his right as Flintoff stood in the middle of the pitch, arms aloft in celebration but it proved England's only moment of joy. Australia began the day hoping to restrict England to well below 400 and that looked on the cards when Mitchell Johnson removed Broad with the aid of some thigh pad. However, Swann was immediately at his busy, cheeky best and the fifty stand with Anderson came up off 38 balls. The introduction of Nathan Hauritz brought even greater acceleration as Swann immediately made a statement against his fellow offspinner. He lofted him over wide mid-on then slammed him straight down the ground for another boundary as Peter Siddle lost sight of the ball on the rope. The best of the lot, however, was his impish reverse sweep to complete an over that left the crowd in raptures. By the close, though, the English fans were more subdued and it was the Australians waving their flags. |
England v Australia, 1st npower Test, Cardiff, 3rd day
Clarke and North push Australia ahead
July 10, 2009 Australia 479 for 5 (North 54*, Haddin 4*) lead England 435 by 44 runs Michael Clarke is destined to follow Ricky Ponting as captain of Australia and he took the lead of the current skipper on the third day in Cardiff to guide the visitors ahead by 44 runs. Clarke and Marcus North added 143 for the fifth wicket after England had threatened a fightback during the morning session, but any hope the home side had of remaining on level terms was remorselessly pounded into the Welsh dust. Clarke appeared set to become the third century-maker of the innings before gloving a pull off Stuart Broad, during the first period of Test cricket in England and Wales played under floodlights, after the players returned following a two-hour rain break. More wet weather is forecast for Saturday and could yet have a major say in the route and outcome of this match. However, the more time that is lost means makes Australia the only side that can take a positive result from this opening encounter. Ponting and Katich carried their second-wicket partnership to 239 before Katich fell for 122 and when Ponting dragged Monty Panesar into his stumps for 150 Australia were still more than 100 behind. England harboured hopes of first-innings parity, but they couldn't break through during the afternoon session as the attack laboured on a surface that made the five-man unit appear unthreatening. Clarke is Ponting's heir apparent in so many ways and his innings bore many similarities with that of his captain. There was a swiftness of footwork against the spinners and conviction of strokeplay especially with his driving. He lofted Panesar straight over long-off for six and brought up his half century from 100 balls when he drove the Graeme Swann past mid-off before repeating the dose from the next delivery. North settled into his first Ashes innings and the talk of his uncertain early-tour form now seems a long time ago. Buoyed by the 191 he made against England Lions last week he watchfully negotiated the early part of his stay before expanding his range. He slog-swept the spinners through and over the leg side and when they tried to go wider outside off he cut through the covers. Clarke took Australia into the lead with a meaty pull off Flintoff and North reached his half-century from 107 balls. Apart from when the ball was new England's attack posed little threat with Broad leaking runs at more than four-an-over and the spinners unable to build sustained pressure. At least Broad's mood brighten in the evening gloom when he enticed Clarke into a pull that brushed the glove, two overs before the players were off again, but it was another concerning day of hard toil for the home attack. There were nine overs until the second new ball when play began and if Andrew Strauss was in any doubt whether to take it his mind was soon made up as Panesar and Swann leaked boundaries. Ponting's swift footwork created scoring opportunities against Panesar who had a tendency to bowl too short, while Swann continued to pitch too full with two full tosses racing to the boundary. The harder ball immediately provided more of a threat although it also raced off the bat as Ponting drove supremely through cover. Finally, after 70 overs, England found a way through as Anderson speared in a yorker at Katich and most importantly for the bowler the ball swung late to end a superb display of concentration and application. The intensity lifted as Flintoff steamed in and struck Michael Hussey on the helmet, while Anderson was now moving the ball in both directions. Anderson's second scalp came with another full delivery which lured Hussey into a flat-footed drive and Matt Prior took a low catch. England now had the advantage of bowling at two right-handers and Anderson gave Clarke's technique an early probing, but until the 2005 version he withstood the test impressively. Ponting was continuing along his classy path, only occasionally being discomforted by Anderson's late swing and a beauty from Flintoff that beat the outside edge, although he did top-edge a six over Panesar at long-leg as went to 150 from 221 deliveries. With the ball still hard Panesar was recalled for another spell and the move paid off handsomely when Ponting got a bottom edge into the stumps. He had played so solidly that it was almost a shock to see him walking back, but it was far from the end of England's problems. |
England v Australia, 1st npower Test, Cardiff, 4th day
England stumble after Australia onslaught
July 11, 2009 England 435 and 20 for 2 (Strauss 6*, Pietersen 3*) trail Australia 674 for 6 (Ponting 150, North 125*, Katich 122, Haddin 121) by 219 runs Australia are scenting victory in the opening Ashes Test as England stumbled to 20 for 2 in the face of a daunting total on the fourth day at Cardiff. Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus both struck early after Marcus North and Brad Haddin, who added 200 for the sixth wicket, completed a crushing batting performance with Australia registering four hundreds in an Ashes innings for the first time as they finally closed on a massive 674 for 6. After England's bowlers toiled through 181 overs for six wickets the Australians made two breakthroughs inside seven overs when Ricky Ponting declared with 45 minutes of the afternoon session remaining and a 239-run lead in the bag. Alastair Cook played round a straight ball from Johnson and Ravi Bopara was given out leg-before to Hilfenhaus, although he could probably feel slightly aggrieved as the ball looked high. There would also have been a huge shout against Andrew Strauss had it not been for a no-ball from Hilfenhaus and both Strauss and Kevin Pietersen couldn't get to the dressing room quick enough. The weather closed in as tea arrived, but such were the strides made by Australia during the shortened day that they still have plenty of time to force a series lead. Although the fast bowlers have done early damage this match could still bring a glorious twist with Nathan Hauritz, so derided before the game, having a potentially crucial role to play. England's spinners returned the combined figures of 1 for 246 from 73 overs and Hauritz has been the pick of the slow bowlers on show. After the dire forecasts, the rain held off for two sessions and instead the deluge of runs continued. North reached his hundred before lunch off 206 balls - the second of an young three-match career - while Haddin needed 138 deliveries, and 48 to go from 50 to 100, as he produced a fine impression of Adam Gilchrist by tearing into the bowling. In 15 overs after lunch Australia smashed 97 runs with Haddin responsible for 71 of them. The daunting total of 674 for 6 was Australia's fourth highest against England and sixth best overall, while five England bowlers conceded centuries for just the second time following the 1973 Test against West Indies at Lord's. From the start this was a disporting day for England and the early-series optimism has rapidly vanished. Australia's lead was 44 at the start of play and could have been limited to manageable levels, but the home side were well off the pace throughout. The early fielding was sloppy as Paul Collingwood let one through his legs at cover, Pietersen almost hurled four overthrows past the wicketkeeper and James Anderson didn't position himself behind the stumps for a run out opportunity. The pace attack again looked impotent although the spinners found more turn, but with England now in match-saving mode that won't necessarily have pleased the home dressing room. Neither North or Haddin were in a particular hurry and they were content to wait for the loose deliveries to put away. Haddin glanced Broad's first ball of the day to fine leg and later drove Andrew Flintoff imperiously through the covers although could have been caught short on 19 if England's fielding had been sharper. Strauss eventually turned to his spinners and Graeme Swann caused more problems than at any previous stage in the game. Bowling a more attacking line outside off, he troubled Haddin and almost had him caught at short leg but the edge went safely out of reach. Hauritz and Australia's part-time spinners will have watched with interest. Shortly before lunch the third new-ball was taken, but that only served to increase Australia's tempo when Haddin gave himself room to carve Flintoff over backward point. The aggression continued after the break as Haddin took three consecutive boundaries off Anderson, pulled Swann for six over square leg and effortlessly drove Panesar for six more over long-on. England's bowlers were powerless to stop the onslaught. When Haddin finally picked out deep midwicket Ponting decided it was time let his bowlers loose and the early exchanges showed they mean business. With a full day, Australia will fancy their chances. |
England v Australia, 1st npower Test, Cardiff, 5th day
England pull off great escape
July 12, 2009 England 435 (Pietersen 69, Collingwood 64, Prior 56) and 252 for 9 (Collingwood 74, Hilfenhaus 3-37) drew with Australia 674 for 6 dec (Ponting 150, Katich 122, North 125*, Haddin 121, Clarke 81) James Anderson and Monty Panesar produced the most important innings of their lives as England's final pair survived 11.3 overs to pull off a thrilling escape at Cardiff. When Paul Collingwood fell for a monumental 245-ball 74 England still trailed by six, but once Australia had to bat again, valuable time was taken out of the game leaving Andrew Strauss and a packed Cardiff nervously clock-watching. The Australians threw everything into the final hour in an electric atmosphere with the crowd cheering the two unlikely batting heroes as though the Ashes had been won. A vital moment came when Anderson collected consecutive boundaries off Peter Siddle to finally erase the deficit. It meant that two further overs would be lost from the remaining allocation, but there was yet another twist. Australia had bowled their overs quickly during the final hour, which meant it came down to a clock-watch situation for the batsmen. The crucial mark was 6.40pm: at that point it meant there was no time for Australia to start a run chase. The closing overs were in the hands of Nathan Hauritz - who rose above all the pre-match concern over his quality to claim three final-day wickets and six in the match - and Marcus North. Anderson, outwardly calm while inside he must have been churning, blocked confidently but also picked up vital runs to just edge the lead ahead further. Meanwhile, Panesar, the most unlikely of batting saviours, watched the ball like a hawk. Having left expertly against the quicks he played with soft hands against the spinners, and one of the biggest cheers of the day came when he square cut North for a boundary. However, while Anderson and Panesar were there at the end to soak up the acclaim the escape wouldn't have been possible without one of Collingwood's most determined innings for his country. He came in early after Kevin Pietersen lost his off stump, shouldering arms to Ben Hilfenhaus, and soon faced an England card that read 70 for 5. He found vital support from Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad and particularly Graeme Swann, who overcame a peppering from Siddle, to share a 20-over stand. Collingwood fought with very ounce of the grit that makes him such a valuable player. He survived some early scares against Hauritz when an inside edge fell just short of Simon Katich at short leg and another delivery almost rolled back onto the stumps until Collingwood stepped on it. He went 31 deliveries after lunch without scoring, but unlike some of England's other batsman he isn't someone who gets overly twitchy when his own score his moving along. Collingwood's fifty came off 167 balls, the slowest by an England batsman since Nasser Hussain against West Indies in Port of Spain during the 2004 tour, but the pace of his innings mattered not a jot. His only mistake proved his downfall as he chased some width from Siddle and Mike Hussey took a juggling catch in the gully. He could hardly believe what he had done and couldn't even bring himself to remove his pads as he watched the two tailenders defy Australia. Collingwood isn't a superstar; he doesn't fit into the hero mould, but here he was both. Ponting admitted it was a tough result to take and Australia were ahead of the game virtually throughout the final day. Pietersen, who had an early-morning confrontation with Mitchell Johnson during the warm-ups, never settled against the swinging ball as the quicks probed away on the full length that causes him problems. His troubles ended when he completely misjudged the line from Hilfenhaus and didn't offer a shot. It was excellent bowling from Hilfenhaus, who had been shaping the ball away and made one hold its line, but Pietersen's back lift and footwork are currently not in sync. In the eighth over of the session it was time for Hauritz and he was in the wonderful position of being able to bowl with men around the bat. He immediately found more turn, and posed a greater threat than England's spinner managed over two days, and made one bounce a touch more against Andrew Strauss as he tried to cut. While the England captain can perhaps be partly excused his shot as the cut is a legitimate option against the offspinner, the same can't be said for Matt Prior. He had already flirted with danger by dabbing Hauritz through short third man and had also been beaten twice outside off stump by clever changes of pace and flight. Trying to go through the off side again he was undone by extra bounce and gloved a chance to slip. Flintoff fought against his natural inclination to attack, playing watchfully against Hauritz as he accompanied Collingwood for 23 overs. The out-of-sorts Johnson, who was later horribly wayward with the second new ball, broke through when Flintoff pushed at one going across him and before tea Broad had also gone, trapped leg before playing back at Hauritz. For Hauritz it appeared he would provide the ultimate response to his critics by securing a Test victory until he tired slightly in the tension-filled closing stages. Collingwood and Swann took a large chunk out of the evening session, with Swann completing an impressive match with the bat. Shortly before tea he was given a peppering from Siddle who sent down a violent over that struck three painful blows - two on the glove and one on the elbow - which required the physio to come out twice in three deliveries. His runs were also crucial as England ate away into Australia's lead before he went for a pull against the impressive Hilfenhaus and was palpably leg before. Collingwood now had just two bowlers for company and when he departed an Australian victory looked assured. England, though, dug deep, deeper perhaps than many thought Anderson and Panesar could. However, despite the scoreline still reading nil-nil the reality is that England were a distance second-best for much of the match. Australia have shown that, despite the loss of many greats, they are a unit of huge desire who will take some beating. At least this time, though, it won't be a whitewash. |
Flintoff to retire from Test cricket
July 15, 2009
Andrew Flintoff has announced that he will retire from Test cricket at the end of this Ashes summer, although he still intends to make himself available for Twenty20 and ODI cricket, and is expected to be fit for tomorrow's second Test against Australia. Flintoff, who has missed 25 of England's last 48 Tests through a variety of injuries, suffered another fitness scare on the eve of the Lord's Test, when he reported soreness and swelling in the same right knee that required surgery back in April, after he tore his meniscus while playing in the IPL. "It's not something I have just thought of overnight, it's something that's been on my mind for a while regarding this series," said Flintoff. "With the knee flaring up again and getting the injections on Monday, now is a time I felt comfortable with doing it. There's been a lot of speculation over my future for the past few weeks, so I wanted to get it out there, and concentrate on playing cricket. "I've had four ankle operations and knee surgery, so my body is telling me things, and I'm actually starting to listen. I can't just play games here and there while waiting to be fit. For my own sanity, and for my family's, I've got to draw a line under it. I've been going through two years of rehab in the past four, which is not ideal." Prior to England's practice session on Wednesday morning, Flintoff gave the team talk in a sombre atmosphere, and afterwards Paul Collingwood immediately came up and shook him by the hand. "Freddie simply said that these four Tests would be his last in Test cricket," a team insider told Cricinfo. Andrew Strauss, the England captain, said the team were saddened, though not surprised, about Flintoff's decision to stand down from Test cricket. "As players we've had a feeling this would come sooner rather than later," Strauss said. "We feel sad he's had to make this decision at his age, but we're sure it will motivate him even more for this series." The knee injury that has threatened his participation at Lord's followed a spirited performance in the first Test at Cardiff, in which Flintoff bowled 35 overs but was once again under-rewarded with figures of 1 for 128. Strauss was optimistic on Wednesday that Flintoff will come through a fitness test and make himself available for selection, and he was seen skipping during England's warm-up in the indoor nets, before padding up for batting practice, then sending down a few pacey overs on the outdoor nets. "The indications are that he's going to be fine," Strauss said. "He had a good bowl today, we just need to see how he reacts to what he did today before we can be 100% sure. At this stage we are hopeful but we can't be sure. "When you go in with three seamers, you've got to expect all three to bowl a lot of overs. Fred understands that, but this week in all likelihood there will be four seamers and maybe [they] won't have quite as big a workload. We'd never play any bowler in a Test match who we didn't think could contribute as fully as anyone else." Though he acknowledged that Flintoff's overall statistics do not bear greatness, Strauss lauded Flintoff's effect on the modern game. "He's had a dramatic impact in English cricket over the past few years, in the style with which he's batted, and for a long period he's been one of the bowlers in world cricket that batters least like facing, although the figures maybe don't show that," Strauss said. "And also as a personality, he's done a huge amount for cricket in the way he's played with a smile on his face. Test cricket will miss him, there's no doubt about that. I'm sure he'll go out in a style that befits his quality, with a bang, with big performances, and with some stories to tell at the end." Regardless of his immense stature in the England dressing-room, the statistics of Flintoff's recent form and impact on the Test side are not flattering. Since the 2005 Ashes, he has averaged 28.25 with the bat and 34.68 with the ball in 23 Tests (both figures down on his overall Test record of 31.69 and 32.51), and he has not managed a century or five wickets in an innings in any series since then. Moreover, he has been unable to impose himself on matches in the same way that he did in his 2005 pomp. Although some leeway has to be made for the quality of the opponents he has faced - Flintoff has often been recuperating during low-key series in preparation for the marquee events - the statistics paint a sorry tale. In the 25 matches that Flintoff has missed since 2005, England have won 12, drawn 10 and lost on only three occasions. In the 23 matches in which he has been present, those numbers are almost exactly reversed - won 3, drawn 7, lost 13. "Being part of an Ashes-winning team was very special, and so was beating everyone in the world for a period of time, and playing a major part in that," said Flintoff. "I'd have liked my career to kick on after that, but being a professional rehabber for two years makes it pretty difficult to do that. It would have been nice if it had carried on a bit longer, but I've no regrets. I'm happy." Flintoff received a cortisone injection on Monday, and is sure to play through the pain if he has to. "For the next four Test matches I'll do everything I need to do to get on a cricket field and I'm desperate to make my mark," he said. "I want to finish playing for England on a high and if you look at the fixtures going forward, the way my body is suggests I won't be able to get through that." A decade of frustration 1999 Returns early from South Africa with broken foot. 2000 Back injury ends Pakistan tour. 2002 Delays a hernia operation to try and complete India Test series but still misses final Test. Later returns from Ashes tour with groin problem. 2003 Plays in the World up, but misses Zimbabwe Tests back in England with shoulder injury after being hit in the nets by Sajid Mahmood. 2003 Ruled out of the two-Test series in Bangladesh, but returns for the one-dayers. 2005 Returns from South Africa in January and misses one-day series to have ankle surgery. Is fit in time for the home season including the Ashes. 2006 After captaining England against Sri Lanka in Test series he is out for 12 weeks after ankle surgery and misses rest of the summer. Returns in Champions Trophy as a batsman and leads England in the Ashes. 2007 More surgery to his left ankle after the World Cup and misses most of the home season before returning for the one-day series against India. However, he can't play all seven games due to a recurrence of the problem. 2007 Takes part in the ICC World Twenty20 but barely limps through it. Following the tournament he goes under the knife again and misses rest of the winter. 2008 Was set to return against New Zealand in the home series but strains his side playing for Lancashire. Comeback delayed until second Test against South Africa at Headingley. 2009 Returns from West Indies after the third Test with a hip injury but rejoins the tour for the one-day series. 2009 Returns from South Africa after his IPL stint with Chennai Superkings was cut short by a torn meniscus in his right knee. Subsequently misses the World Twenty20. 2009 Injury scare following the first Ashes Test in Cardiff after Flintoff has soreness and swelling in the knee. |
England v Australia, 2nd npower Test, Lord's
Focus required amid distractions
July 15, 2009 Thursday, July 16 - Monday, July 20 2009 Start time 11.00 (10.00 GMT) The Big Picture The series resumes after a nail-biting final hour in Cardiff in which England clung to the mightiest of draws after being dominated for most of the match. Since then time wasting and Andrew Flintoff's retirement have become the big issues, but the teams will not be focussing on the pre-match hype when the first ball is delivered. They will be more intent on a brisk start and continuing their on-field battles in a contest that has already provided more heat than the St John's Wood tube station in summer. Australia enter the match disappointed they are not leading 1-0, while England are buoyant to be level. The visiting batsmen fired at Sophia Gardens, roaring to 674 for 6 before declaring, and their bowlers fell one wicket short of victory. The bowlers on both sides will be more excited by the conditions on offer in this game. Nothing gets an Australian's neck prickling like the sight of Lord's and the players' baggy greens gain extra power whenever they bob through the Long Room. England's leaders can't understand why their team hasn't beaten their Ashes rivals in 75 years here. Another chapter will be added to the dusty pages of history this week. Form guide (last five matches, most recent first) England - DWWDD Australia - DLWWW Watch out for ... Lord's is a place for the captains to star. Andrew Strauss missed out twice in the first Test, scoring 30 and 17, and needs to inspire his batting team-mates after they all gave away reasonable starts last week. The home of cricket is also Strauss's county ground for Middlesex, so he knows everything about the revered address. He has not scored a century here since 2006, but has reached triple figures three times on the way to averaging 58.17 in 11 matches. Ricky Ponting, who has made 27 runs in three Test innings at Lord's, must stand up if his side is to maintain its intimidating batting intensity. In Cardiff Ponting breezed to 150, becoming one of four Australian century-makers, but the second Test will be played in different conditions and against a team that now remembers the last hour of batting, not the 181 overs of bowling. Team news Strauss wants to go with five bowlers - Ian Bell has been released from the squad - but his biggest worry is Flintoff's injured knee. Flintoff is bowing out of Tests at the end of the series and will be desperate to play while Steve Harmison is acting as his cover. Graham Onions was in the squad in Cardiff but didn't get a game, increasing his chances of appearing at Lord's, where two spinners are not a viable option. England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Graham Onions. Stuart Clark will be talked about but don't expect any changes to Australia's XI. Ponting should confirm the side later on Wednesday and it would be a shock if any of the players who pushed England last week are omitted. Brett Lee remains out with a stomach problem. Australia (probable) 1 Simon Katich, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus. Pitch and conditions Draws have been common recently at Lord's, but all the bowlers will feel this pitch is a raging seamer compared to the block of cement offered in Cardiff. There was an attractive green tinge on the surface on Tuesday and even though the grass was cut shorter on Wednesday, there is sure to be some life in it for the fast men. The same strip was used in 2005, although nobody is expecting a repeat of the 17 wickets that dropped on the opening day. The forecast is for sunny intervals on Thursday, rain on Friday and some showers over the weekend. Stats and trivia Australia have lost only one Test at Lord's, in 1934, since the 1896 tour In 33 matches at headquarters Australia have won 14, drawn 14, and lost five England have been successful in 43 of 116 Tests at the ground, but have drawn six of their past seven encounters Don Bradman's 254 in 1930 is the highest score at Lord's in an Ashes contest, ahead of Wally Hammond's 240 eight years later Hedley Verity's 15 wickets in 1934 are the best here by an Englishman in an Ashes game. Bob Massie's 16 for 137 in 1972 leads the overall list Ponting needs 65 runs to overtake Allan Border's Australian record of 11,174 Test runs Quotes "If you have gone for 670 runs and taken only six wickets then it is probably not a great option to reduce your bowling attack. We are pretty happy with the five bowlers." Andrew Strauss "I've got to start from scratch again, like we all have to do, after we didn't quite get the result we were after last week. It's up to me to lead the way with the bat." Ricky Ponting |
England v Australia, 2nd npower Test, Lord's, 1st day
Strauss ton holds England together
July 16, 2009 Andrew Strauss launched a stirring riposte to Ricky Ponting's 150 in Cardiff, carrying his bat through the first day to hand England the early ascendancy in the second Test. Strong off his pads, and stronger through the point region, Strauss (161 not out) moved within 16 runs of his highest ever Test score and beyond the 5,000-run career barrier. But the significance of this innings lay not in personal milestones but in its impact on an England team which, after the tea break, looked decided shaky against the enigmatic Mitchell Johnson and the consistent Ben Hilfenhaus. Profligate in the first session, potent in the last, Johnson personified a day of fluctuating fortunes at Lord's. The foundations built by Strauss and Alastair Cook during an historic 196-run opening stand were eroded by a middle order stumble that drew Australia back into the contest. And, in both cases, Johnson was the pivotal figure. Through his first 11 overs Johnson conceded 77 runs, including 15 boundaries, to allow England the opportunity to build on the bonhomie of their Cardiff escape. Whether overawed by the occasion of his first Lord's Test, upset by the ground's pronounced slope or just shy of form and confidence, Australia's spearhead appeared decidedly blunt in his exchanges with Strauss and Cook, guilty of straying both sides of the wicket and failing to find a consistent length in the period before tea. But with a change of session came a change of fortune. The ball, which stubbornly refused to swing while still coated in lacquer, suddenly found its arc, with Johnson its pilot. His reverse swing slowed a scoring rate that had threatened to spiral out of control, and eventually accounted for the wicket of Matt Prior, bowled to a beautiful, tailing delivery. Were it not for the stoic batting of Strauss, who ground his way to his highest Test score on home soil, Johnson, Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle may well have seized back all the initiative surrendered in the earlier sessions. As it was, England headed to stumps in a position of strength, though perhaps not quite as strong as they might have hoped, after a final session in which four wickets fell for the addition of 109 runs. Together with Cook, Strauss forged the highest first wicket partnership by an England combination at Lord's (196) in an Ashes Test, bettering by 14 runs the 83-year-old record held by Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe. Though Cook fell just five runs short of his century, becoming Johnson's 100th Test scalp in the process, Strauss thrust forth into the evening, denying the probing offerings of Johnson and Hilfenhaus with both old and new balls Prior to the final session, England's cause had been helped no end by an Australian attack that lurched from the lamentable to the horrendous, and one temporarily without the services of Nathan Hauritz. Hauritz, in dropping a powerfully struck return catch by Strauss, dislocated the middle finger on his bowling hand and was immediately taken from the field for treatment. So savage was the force of Strauss's drive that Hauritz, upon viewing his contorted finger, immediately signalled to the dressing room in distress and almost vomited on the pristine playing surface. Scans cleared Hauritz of a fracture, and the off-spinner resumed his place in the field in the final session. But the Australians will nonetheless harbour significant concerns over Hauritz's effectiveness over the final four days - both for variation, and also the workload of their fast bowlers, who are playing the second of back-to-back Test matches. Extras, misfields and overthrows all blighted Australia's morning effort, but by far the biggest disappointment was Johnson, who arrived on these shores trumpeted as the best paceman in international cricket. In a portent of what was to come, Johnson began the day with a full, leg-side delivery that Cook duly clipped to the square-leg boundary. His errant ways continued in the first half-hour, at one stage conceding four boundaries in six deliveries to Strauss, prompting Ponting to replace him with Siddle after four expensive (26 runs) overs. Siddle, too, was awry, failing to contend with the slope of the Lord's pitch and making life difficult for Brad Haddin. Australia's only saving grace was Hilfenhaus, who began the match with three consecutive maidens and was rewarded after lunch with the wicket of Ravi Bopara. He might also have had Strauss earlier in the second session, if not for the small detail of his no-ball and Haddin's turfed catch. Strauss went onto raise his 18th Test century moments before tea. It was that kind of day for the Australians. The confidence of England's openers visibly lifted over the course of the first session. Cook, the chief aggressor, enthralled the capacity Lord's crowd in the lead-up to lunch by pulling Johnson at every opportunity - not all of them from bad deliveries - en route to a half-century raised from just 73 deliveries. Strauss, save for a bright flurry against Johnson, was happy to steadily accumulate as part of a partnership that rocketed along to 125 by the lunch break. Eight minutes prior to lunch, Cook and Strauss bettered their highest ever opening partnership against Australia, eclipsing their stand of 116 from the Perth Test two years ago. They advanced that total to 196 - England's highest opening stand in an Ashes Test since 1956 - before Cook fell in the 48th over to a fuller, straighter Johnson delivery that rapped him on the back pad. England's day tapered thereafter. Bopara's cheap dismissal was compounded by that of Kevin Pietersen, whose aura is dimming with each innings at present. The prodigiously talented batsmen tried mightily to surrender his wicket before the tea break, and succeeded just after by playing inside a shorter Siddle delivery. Paul Collingwood, the rock of Cardiff, then fell to the loosest of strokes off the bowling of Michael Clarke, and was soon followed by Andrew Flintoff, the departing hero, who edged a Hilfenhaus offering to Ponting at second slip. The onus fell to Strauss to save the day for England, and the captain duly obliged. He saw off both the reverse-swinging old ball, and the harder new one to ensure advantage remained with the hosts heading into the second day. |
England v Australia, 2nd npower Test, Lord's, 2nd day
Anderson leads England charge
July 17, 2009 Australia 156 for 8 (Hauritz 3*, Siddle 3*, Anderson 4-36) trail England 425 (Strauss 161, Cook 95, Anderson 29, Hilfenhaus 4-103) by 269 runs Australia's 75-year unbeaten record at Lord's is facing its greatest threat, after England's seamers scythed through the tourists' top-order on a rain-interrupted second day at Lord's. James Anderson and Andrew Flintoff bowled with a measure of pace, movement and accuracy that eluded Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle in the preceding innings, and placed England in a position of dominance with Australia still requiring 70 runs to avoid the follow-on. Anderson turned in a performance befitting his recently-acquired mantle of England spearhead, maintaining a threatening line and swinging the ball just enough to create angst among the opposing batsmen. With Flintoff conceding runs at barely two-per-over at the other end, and Stuart Broad and Graham Onions constantly probing the outside edge, England created a pressurised atmosphere in which the Australians spectacularly cracked. The tourists lost six wickets for the addition of just 49 runs after tea, and must now hope for more of the rain periods that interrupted the second day's play if they are to emerge from this match unscathed. No less than six Australian batsmen fell to misjudged pull-strokes, indicating that the situation, rather than unplayable deliveries, brought about their demise. The early loss of Ricky Ponting to an incorrect decision by Rudi Koertzen, officiating in his 100th Test, did not help their cause, but too many of his team-mates sought to bash their way out of trouble; a tactic that, against a ruthless England attack in heavy overhead conditions, appeared flawed from the start. Only now, with Flintoff entering the home straight of his Test career, have he and Anderson become the combination England had long hoped for. Both dazzled under the floodlights, switched on for the first time in a Lord's Test match, against an Australian batting line-up forced to carry the cross of their profligate bowlers from the previous day, and under pressure from the moment they marked centre. Fortune played a role in Anderson's first two dismissals, with Phillip Hughes strangling a delivery to Matt Prior down the leg-side and Ponting adjudged caught to a ball he missed by some margin. Playing across a sharp, slanting delivery, Ponting struck the instep of his shoe as the ball threaded the gap between bat and pad and lobbed to Andrew Strauss at first slip. Koertzen asked the third umpire, Nigel Llong, whether the ball had carried to Strauss, and subsequently ruled him out for two, continuing Ponting's unhappy association with Lord's when he has 71 runs at 14.20. England made their own luck thereafter. An obstinate, attritional 93-run stand between Simon Katich and Michael Hussey temporarily drew Australia back into the contest, but with England's bowlers maintaining disciplined lines and the rain clouds closing in, the odds of a momentum-shifting stand was always stacked against them. So it was that Katich, the most measured of Australia's batsmen to that point, swiped at an Onions delivery and was caught by a running, diving Broad at fine leg. The dismissal was a carbon copy of that which led to Katich's demise in Worcester, and represents a triumph for England's planning. Hussey, having compiled a confidence-boosting 51, followed three overs later in the most frustrating of circumstances. Shouldering arms to a straightening Flintoff delivery, Hussey watched forlornly as the ball dislodged the off-bail in a dismissal that sent Australia's prospects plummeting. England sensed the kill with two new batsmen at the crease, and it wasn't long before Anderson had accounted for Michael Clarke and Marcus North - both dismissed attempting to force the pace of the innings. Broad continued the rout with the wickets of Johnson and Brad Haddin to loose pull-shots, reducing Australia to 156 for eight before bad light stopped play at 6.23pm. In keeping with the theme of the match, Australia will resume on Saturday with a pair of batsmen afflicted by injury and illness. Nathan Hauritz dislocated a finger on Friday while Siddle vomited on the field before seeking medical treatment in the first session on Saturday. A bleak picture for the tourists. Earlier, Ben Hilfenhaus temporarily lifted Australian spirits with two quick wickets that went far to rounding out England's first innings for 425. Hilfenhaus claimed the vital scalp of Andrew Strauss with his second ball of the morning, then followed with that of Broad, as the hosts lost their final four wickets for 61 before the first drinks break. As was the case in Cardiff, England's 10th wicket partnership proved problematic for the Australians, as Anderson and Onions added 47 valuable runs. With Siddle taken from the field with illness - effectively reducing Ponting to just two frontline bowling options - England's tailenders took the attack to the out-of-sorts Johnson. He eventually claimed the wicket of Anderson for 29, but not before his figures had swollen to 3-132 from 21.4 overs. |
England v Australia, 2nd npower Test, Lord's, 3rd day
England dominant with 521-run lead
July 18, 2009 England 425 and 311 for 6 (Prior 61, Collingwood 54) lead Australia 215 (Hussey 51, Anderson 4-55) by 521runs A methodical second-innings batting performance has England poised to end Australia's era of dominance at Lord's. Only inclement weather or a historic Australian fourth-innings effort can deny Andrew Strauss' men, who have amassed an authoritative 521-run lead after three days of the second Test. No team has successfully chased more than 418 runs to win a Test match - the record at Lord's is 344 - although the South Africans demonstrated recently that survival at this ground is possible in desperate, late innings situations. Graeme Smith's side batted for almost 12 hours to reach 393 for 3 to save the first Test almost a year ago to the day, but whether Australia's batsmen are capable of holding out a driven and in-form England pace attack for six sessions remains to be seen. Rain prompted a premature end to play on Saturday, and Australia will be hoping for more of the same over days four and five. Intermittent showers are predicted for Sunday and Monday, but they will presumably bring with them heavy overhead conditions which the likes of James Anderson and Graham Onions can exploit, as was the case on a rain-interrupted day two. England, having declined to enforce the follow-on, advanced to 311 for 6 in their second innings, scoring their runs at a merry 4.35 an over and again taking a fancy to the out-of-sorts Mitchell Johnson. Kevin Pietersen (44 from 101 balls) and Paul Collingwood (54 from 80) denied the Australians any hope of a prompt end to the innings, and Matt Prior (61 from 42) compounded the tourists' misery with an innings that could scarcely have been more dashing had it taken place in the Twenty20 arena. The day was not without its share of controversy, and again Rudi Koertzen was at its epicentre. A magnet for controversy in this Test, Koertzen referred Nathan Hauritz's claimed catch off Ravi Bopara in the final over before tea to the third umpire, Nigel Llong, who found replays to be inconclusive. The South African official subsequently ruled Bopara not out, prompting Ricky Ponting to confront both the umpire, and then Pietersen, the non-striker - all on the MCC's designated "spirit of cricket day". Ponting, who had been incorrectly ruled out by Koertzen the previous day, was decidedly unamused at the decision to allow Bopara to continue batting. Hauritz had earlier removed England's openers shortly after the lunch break, but Australia squandered several other opportunities to claw their way back into the second Test during the second session. Within the space of five deliveries, Ponting missed a chance to run out Pietersen and dropped a dolly off Bopara at second slip as England advanced their overall lead to an intimidating 340 runs. Hauritz had provided the Australians with their first glimmer of hope in days when, in the second over after lunch, he dismissed Cook lbw for 32. The mode of dismissal was a familiar one for Cook - playing around his front pad - and came after a morning session in which the hosts had ruthlessly dominated their antipodean foes. Hauritz followed that effort by removing Cook's partner, Strauss, in his next over with a beautifully flighted delivery that gripped, kissed the outside edge and floated to Michael Clarke at first slip. England, suddenly, were 74 for 2, and Australia sensed an opportunity. But once again they would fluff their lines at the critical juncture. Following a raucous lbw shout by Peter Siddle, Pietersen strayed from his crease momentarily but was spared an embarrassing dismissal when Ponting's shy at the stumps missed the mark. Worse was to come for the Australian captain in that over when, in attempting to take a low catch with fingers up, he spilled an easy chance off Bopara at second slip. Curiously, Ponting did not bowl Hauritz again after he claimed his second wicket, preferring instead to use Hilfenhaus unchanged for 90 minutes from the Nursery End and experiment with Johnson from both over- and around-the-wicket in front of the pavilion. Johnson turned in a far more disciplined performance in his second spell, conceding just 11 runs from seven overs, and will count himself unfortunate not have had the wicket of Bopara just prior to tea. Pietersen and Bopara made the most of their reprieves, advancing England's second innings total to 147 before Hauritz finally had Bopara dismissed at bat-pad. Pietersen turned in one of his most attritional innings in recent memory, only to inside-edge a Siddle delivery to a diving Brad Haddin. Siddle's persistence was further rewarded with the wicket of Collingwood, who walked from the field with nary an appeal from the bowler, and Prior's innings was terminated by a brilliant direct hit from Marcus North, but by then the damage was done. When rain arrived in the 72nd over, England were already equipped with a total that should prove more than a handful for the Australians. Earlier, Strauss sought to turn the screws on the Australians by again sending them back into the field, despite them falling 10 runs shy of the follow-on target. Onions snuffed out the final wickets of Hauritz and Siddle on a morning in which Australia's tail gave a better account of itself than the top-order. Hauritz and Siddle combined for a 44-run ninth wicket stand - the second-highest partnership of the Australian innings - before the former flashed at Onions' third delivery of the day and was caught by Collingwood at third slip for 24. Hauritz had displayed immense courage to that point, batting with a dislocated finger on his right hand which was clearly causing him discomfort. On many occasions, Hauritz withdrew his hand from the bat shortly after making contact, but held firm for 47 balls and 67 minutes. Siddle and Hilfenhaus took Australia within 10 runs of the follow-on target, before Siddle was dislodged by Onions for 35. Onions finished the innings with figures of 3 for 41 from 11 overs - including 2 for 9 on Saturday - and was far more effective than Stuart Broad, whose short-pitched strategy seldom threatened. In total, Australia added 59 runs for the loss of two wickets from 14 overs on the third morning. |
England v Australia, 2nd npower Test, Lord's, 4th day
Clarke and Haddin keep England at bay
July 19, 2009 Australia 215 and 313 for 5 (Clarke 125*, Haddin 80*) need another 209 runs to beat England 425 and 311 for 6 dec (Prior 61, Collingwood 54) Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin kept alive Australian hopes of a world-record run chase with an unbeaten partnership of 185 that both stunned and enthralled the capacity Lord's crowd. No sooner had England appeared set on an inexorable march towards their first Ashes victory at Lord's in 75 years than the Australian middle-order duo produced a stoic, chanceless sixth-wicket stand to drag the tourists back into the contest. The evening session may have belonged to Australia, but advantage still rests with England. Australia require another 209 runs for victory, having been set an unprecedented target of 522 by Andrew Strauss, and will resume on Monday acutely aware that they are one wicket away from delving into their bowling stocks. But after a stirring fourth day, during which Australia made the impossible merely improbable, few would dare discount their chances entirely. Australia's effort is already the fourth highest fourth-innings total in Lord's 125 year history and 105 runs shy of Test cricket's highest ever successful run chase. And this with five wickets still in hand. After being offered the light in the 86th over, Clarke placed his arm around Haddin as he strode from the playing surface, satisfied that their efforts had saved a day that, hours earlier, had lurched heavily England's way. Five Australian wickets, three of which were contentious in the extreme, had fallen for just 128 runs before tea, and an expectant Lord's crowd awaited an Andrew Flintoff-inspired England to complete a quick kill. But the script changed dramatically thereafter. Clarke, perhaps Australia's most consistent batsman of the past 18 months, successfully navigated his way through a testing early period and appeared impressively immune from the suffocating atmosphere created by Flintoff and Graeme Swann. The Australian vice-captain notched his half-century in near even-time, highlighted by several sublime drives and crisp stroke play off his pads. Haddin, meanwhile, entered the match brimming with confidence following his 121 in Cardiff, and looked the part early. His half-century was more attritional than Clarke's - surprising, given their usual modus operandi - and was raised with a single to third man off Swann. Clarke reached his 11th Test century from the very next delivery with a push through midwicket, and celebrated with his customary wave of the bat and kiss of the coat-of-arms. This may well be remembered as his finest Test innings to date, and will presumably enshrine itself into Australian sporting folklore should it lead to a famous victory. Clarke and Haddin survived several anxious moments after the second new ball was taken, edging over the slips cordon on several occasions, but otherwise batted with tremendous maturity and determination on a day otherwise notable for a series of contentious dismissals that threatened to overshadow the broader contest. Controversy, not history, dominated discussion during the first two sessions and, again, much of the focus centred on Rudi Koertzen, whose 100th Test might well be his most disappointing. The South African official began the fourth day by ruling Simon Katich out to a Flintoff no-ball, but the bigger controversy surrounded his involvement in the dismissal of Phillip Hughes to a claimed catch by Strauss. Hughes was ordered to stand his ground by Ricky Ponting, the non-striker, after edging Flintoff low to first slip and, as has been the case twice previously this Test, Koertzen sought the counsel of Billy Doctrove. But unlike Nathan Hauritz's claimed catch on Saturday, the on-field officials did not refer the matter to Nigel Llong, the third umpire, and Koertzen ordered Hughes back to the Pavilion for 17. Replays were inconclusive as to whether Strauss' fingers were completely between ball and turf, and a third umpire referral might have resulted in a benefit-of-the-doubt ruling, such as that granted to Ravi Bopara the previous day. Hughes, though, was not so fortunate, and now finds himself under immense pressure to perform at Edgbaston after false starts at Sophia Gardens and Lord's. Michael Hussey also had reason to feel aggrieved at his dismissal, ruled caught at first slip to a Swann delivery he appeared to miss, but the Australian batsman could have counted himself most fortunate to have survived an earlier lbw shout from James Anderson. Hussey's wicket in the 33rd over appeared to signal the end of Australia's survival prospects, until Clarke and Haddin combined for an unbroken partnership that has lasted 286 deliveries and 188 minutes entering the final day. Their efforts could not entirely detract from a virtuoso performance from Flintoff, playing his last ever Test at Lord's. Storming in from the Pavilion End, England's enigmatic allrounder bowled seven overs of pure menace for figures of 2 for 9 before lunch, accounting for both Australian openers in the process, and followed with seven more in the second session. Presumably, Flintoff will not be offering conciliatory handshakes and embraces to the Australians in the event of a second Test victory, as was the case at Edgbaston four years, given the ferocity of his encounters with Hughes and Ponting in the first session on Sunday. In the second over of the morning, Flintoff unleashed a ferocious bouncer that barely cleared Hughes' helmet, and followed with an exaggerated verbal barrage delivered while walking backwards to his mark. The chirping also extended to Ponting, somewhat more practiced at the art than Hughes, as tempers frayed in this most pressurised of atmospheres. Ponting's blood pressure rose further when Anderson struck him a painful blow to the right index finger, and again when a loose cut-shot resulted in him edging a Stuart Broad delivery onto his stumps. Marcus North also chopped on in the lead up to tea - his from a faster, flatter Swann delivery - as Australia stumbled to 128 for 5. Clarke and Haddin ensured England did not have it all their own way, but they still have quite the mountain to climb. An early wicket on Monday will tilt the balance firmly the way of England. Still, better an improbable chase than an impossible one. |
England v Australia, 2nd npower Test, Lord's, 5th day
Flintoff ends England's 75-year wait
July 20, 2009 England 425 and 311 for 6 dec (Prior 61, Collingwood 54) beat Australia 215 and 406 (Clarke 136, Haddin 80, Johnson 63, Flintoff 5-92, Swann 4-87) by 115 runs In his final act at the home of cricket, Andrew Flintoff broke England's 75-year Lord's curse with his first five-wicket haul since the Ashes-clinching Oval Test of 2005. It was, unquestionably, a performance that will enhance his already mythical status within English cricket, but more pertinently for now, delivered England to a 1-0 series lead heading into Edgbaston. Victory was sealed 17 minutes before lunch when Graeme Swann, another major contributor on Monday, pegged back Mitchell Johnson's middle stump with the Australian total at 406. The wicket prompted scenes of jubilation not witnessed at Lord's in decades, and a collective furrowing of brows in the Australian dressing rooms as the series momentum shifted sharply in the hosts' favour. Flintoff, who bowled unchanged for ten overs from the Pavilion End to claim three of the five Australian wickets to fall on Monday, broke first from England's celebratory huddle to shake the hands of the vanquished Johnson and his batting partner, Ben Hilfenhaus. It was a scene that mirrored the final act of the corresponding Test four years ago, and envoked a spirit of cricket that had been bruised over the previous four days. Having spent the better part of Sunday evening chasing leather to all corners of Thomas Lord's playing field, England could scarcely have began the final day's play more positively. James Anderson's first delivery of the morning cannoned into Michael Clarke's thigh and prompted a raucous lbw appeal from both bowler and slips cordon, which was turned down by Billy Doctrove. Two more unsuccessful appeals reverberated around the grandstands before the first over was out, as Anderson probed the off stump at pace, precision and just a hint of movement away from the right-handers. Flintoff displayed similar menace steaming in from his favoured Pavilion End, as 25,000 screaming voices drowned out the pain of a knee that, after four years of numbing injections, now resembles a pin cushion. Only a famous exit from Lord's would do for "Super Fred", and England's allrounder duly obliged with the wicket of Brad Haddin from his fourth ball of the day. Haddin was seldom ruffled on Sunday, mixing punchy strokes forward of the wicket with deft glides behind, but a new ball and an inspired Flintoff would prove an irresistible combination. Fast and full, Flintoff coaxed Haddin into an edge that flew to Paul Collingwood at second slip, terminating his innings for an impressive 80 but placing Australia in precisely the position they had hoped to avoid. Flintoff, the victor, did not so much celebrate the dismissal as assume Nelson's Trafalgar Square pose. A candidate, if ever there was one, for the fourth plinth. Johnson's early exchanges inspired little confidence that he would be the man to steer Australia to an improbable victory. Johnson half-ducked, half-stabbed at his first delivery from Flintoff and, as with his bowling, looked a shadow of the figure who compiled unbeaten innings of 96 and 123 against the South Africans four months prior. Edges off the bowling of Flintoff and Stuart Broad fell inches in front of the slips, and Johnson may well have found pavilion-bound had Flintoff not overstepped before wrapping him on the pads with a straight full-toss that struck in line. Clarke, save for the odd Flintoff bouncer, was a picture of poise in the first half-hour of play, leaving judiciously outside his off stump and driving with sublime placement and timing. The fluency of his batting contrasted greatly with the nervous Johnson, although the latter eventually found something resembling a groove as the hour progressed. As the first drinks break loomed, Clarke might have entertained notions of bettering his previous highest Test score, famously struck on his Test debut five years ago, however a change of bowling prompted a change in his fortunes. Swann had spent much of the previous evening bowling a faster, flatter line, but found success with a slower, looping delivery that dropped under the bat of the advancing Clarke and spun just enough into the off stump. Devastated, Clarke did not lift his head, nor raise his bat, despite a generous reception on his journey back to the Pavilion. The loss of their sole centurion while still 165 runs in arrears of England was the death knell for Australia's aspirations of a world-record run chase. And when Nathan Hauritz was bowled shouldering arms to Flintoff the next over, an England victory was all but assured. Johnson, by now, had found his batting form and blazed his way to a quick-fire half-century. But it would be in vain. Flintoff claimed his third career five-wicket haul by bowling Peter Siddle, and Swann rounded off the innings, and the match, by scything through Johnson's defences. |
England v Australia, 3rd Test, Edgbaston
Australia bat after calling up Watson
July 30, 2009 Ricky Ponting resisted the temptation to bowl in friendly conditions caused by a six-hour rain delay as Australia attempt to fight back from a 1-0 Ashes deficit in the third Test. Ponting won his first toss of the series and batted - a reverse of his costly decision here four years ago - and it gave Shane Watson, the stand-in opener, an early chance to prove he was a suitable replacement for Phillip Hughes. Play was due to start at 5pm local time (1600GMT) after heavy rain fell in Birmingham over the past day and a half. Australia dropped Hughes following his problems with the short ball in the opening two Tests and brought in Watson in an unfamiliar position. Watson batted at three or four for Queensland, his former state, last season and failed during a short stint at the top two years ago. Mitchell Johnson, the out-of-sorts fast bowler, was given another opportunity following his failures in Cardiff and London while Stuart Clark was again kept out of the side. England's only change from the outfit that won at Lord's last week was Ian Bell coming in at No. 4 for the injured Kevin Pietersen. The threatening clouds cleared in the afternoon but the umpires were particularly concerned by the soggy run-ups and the damp outfield. Ricky Ponting and Andrew Strauss joined an inspection in full sunshine at 3.30pm and became involved in a lengthy discussion with Rudi Koertzen and Aleem Dar. They returned 45 minutes later for another animated chat and eventually agreed the conditions were suitable, which was a relief to the sell-out crowd of 21,000. The pitch remained in good shape and was showing a light green tinge that should offer the fast men plenty of support until it dries out. Both sides will need to make an immediate impact as further weather disruptions are expected throughout the match. England 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Graham Onions. Australia 1 Simon Katich, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus. |
Haddin out with broken finger
July 30, 2009
Australia were dealt a major blow just moments before the scheduled start of play with Brad Haddin forced out of the side with a suspected broken finger and Graham Manou called in for his Test debut. Haddin sustained the injury while warming-up around the time of the coin toss, and his withdrawal will leave the Australians without the services of their first-choice wicketkeeper and leading run-scorer in this Ashes series. The injury invited comparisons to Glenn McGrath's infamous ankle sprain at this very ground four years ago, which many felt changed the course of the entire Ashes series. On that occasion, Haddin rolled the ball that McGrath stumbled over on the morning of the match, but this time it was the Australian wicketkeeper forced out with a potentially series-ending injury. Haddin sustained a suspected break of his left ring finger and was taken to hospital for scans. His captain, Ricky Ponting, had already submitted the Australian team sheet, which included Haddin's name, and team manager Steve Bernard sought permission from England team director Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss, which they acquiesced to. Manou, 30, has played 88 first class games for South Australia, scoring 3.319 runs at 24.76 with the bat and claiming 299 dismissals. Haddin, meanwhile, is the second highest run scorer in the current series with 229 at 76.33, trailing only Strauss. He has endured a difficult series with the gloves, however, spilling several chances and conceding 53 byes at Sophia Gardens and Lord's. Haddin is no stranger to broken fingers, fracturing a digit on his right hand in the first hour of his Test debut at Sabina Park last year. On that occasion, Haddin played through the pain in all three Tests against West Indies, before being rested for the limited overs portion of the Caribbean tour. He had played 17 consecutive Tests prior to his eleventh hour withdrawal on Thursday. Manou becomes Australia's 411st Test player, and the first debutant since Bryce McGain's ill-fated appearace in Cape Town four months ago. His inclusion represented the second change to the Australian XI from Lord's, with Shane Watson earlier called in to replace the out-of-sorts Phillip Hughes at the top of the order. |
England v Australia, 3rd Test, Edgbaston 1st day
Australia bat after calling up Watson and Manou
July 30, 2009 Australia 126 for 1 (Watson 62*) v England Australia's batsmen refused to suffer further from the team's Edgbaston curse, which robbed them of the wicketkeeper Brad Haddin after the toss, as they raced to 126 for 1 on a first day significantly curtailed by rain. Shane Watson, who had come in for the discarded opener Phillip Hughes, quickly eliminated any doubt over his unorthodox promotion to add his second Test half-century in his ninth match, an innings which helped justify Ricky Ponting's decision to bat despite the potential for swing and seam. England's bowlers were treated like Australia's on the first day at Lord's, giving up 85 in 19 overs before they picked up Simon Katich. By then they knew they would not be receiving any significant support from a placid pitch, although they had already benefited from the visitors' misfortune. Following a long delay when nothing happened quickly, Australia were suddenly thrust into frantic behind-the-scenes action while Ponting was at the toss. All the team discussions over how Australia would recover from a 1-0 deficit required an instant re-think when Haddin suffered a suspected broken finger in the warm-up. With the team sheet already handed in, they had to ask permission to replace Haddin with Graham Manou, the South Australia gloveman, who received an unthinkable debut. The tourists were floored in similar circumstances here four years ago when Glenn McGrath hurt his ankle on the morning of the game, an event which started Australia's fall to a 2-1 loss. None of this bothered Watson, who knew of his promotion on the eve of the match, and he took guard for the first ball and was soon sending it through cover, point, midwicket and square leg during the 30 available overs. Entering the game with a Test average of 19.76, Watson played like he had been part of the team for years as he drove and pulled with freedom and power. He had failed as an opener with Queensland a couple of seasons ago but gained confidence from his stints there in the limited-overs sides. By stumps there were no immediate regrets over his elevation after he pumped 10 boundaries, including a drive off Graham Onions that was so straight it bounced over the umpire, during an assured 62 off 105 deliveries. His only moment of serious discomfort came in the same over Graeme Swann removed Katich, with Watson missing a sweep and surviving a loud lbw appeal on 37. Moving on quickly, his 89-ball half-century arrived with a clipped two to the legside. It was just what Watson, an allrounder who has fought a series of untimely injuries, needed and his fast-bowling will also provide cover for Mitchell Johnson, the out-of-sorts attack leader. With 11 overs remaining Watson was joined by Ponting, who held firm to finish on 17, eight short of Allan Border's Australia record of 11,174 runs. Ponting was required when Katich grew too confident and aimed a hefty pull to his first offering from Swann, falling lbw when struck on the front leg. He was unhappy to exit in such ugly fashion for 46 from 48 balls after such a smooth start. James Anderson took the new ball with Andrew Flintoff but both bowled too short before Onions and Stuart Broad experienced some harsh treatment in front of a subdued sell-out crowd. Watson unfurled a crisp off-drive for four from Onions' second ball and then pulled another to midwicket in the same over. Broad also gave away two early boundaries when he aimed at Katich's legs and was twice caressed through square leg. Play eventually started at 5pm after rain fell in Birmingham on Wednesday and Thursday morning, but the skies cleared after lunch and the match began in beautiful summer sunshine. The umpires Rudi Koertzen and Aleem Dar were particularly concerned by the soggy run-ups and the damp outfield and called Ponting and Andrew Strauss on to the field during two inspections before they agreed the conditions were suitable. England's only change from the outfit that won at Lord's last week was Ian Bell coming in at No. 4 for the injured Kevin Pietersen, but the unaltered bowling attack must re-focus in the morning if they are to trouble their opponents. Both sides need to make an early impact if they are to pursue a positive result as further weather disruptions are expected on Saturday and Monday. |
Ponting passes Border as Australia's top run-scorer
July 31, 2009
Ricky Ponting has become Australia's leading Test run-scorer after passing Allan Border's mark of 11,174 during the third Test at Edgbaston. Ponting, playing his 134th match, started the innings needing 25 to step into third place on the all-time list and resumed on the second morning on 17. He achieved the milestone in the fourth over of the day after taking only five balls to reach the target during an eventful start. After two wickets fell to the first two deliveries, Ponting ran a single to mid-on, thick edged a four through gully and added a one to mid-off, all from Graham Onions. He then took three from Andrew Flintoff with a flick through midwicket and stopped to raise his bat and receive a pat from Michael Clarke before getting back to business. However, he didn't stay long and was caught behind trying to hook Onions on 38, standing his ground until Aleem Dar gave him out. He walked off with the mark at 11,188. Border's 16-year, 156-Test career ended in South Africa in 1994 and he retired as the game's most prolific batsman, a record he held until Brian Lara stepped up in Adelaide in 2005-06. Lara retired with 11,953 runs in 131 Tests and has since been relegated to second by Sachin Tendulkar, who has 12,773 in 159 matches. It appeared Ponting would be able to overtake Tendulkar when the Indian's career seemed to be winding down a couple of years ago, but he has continued to score heavily and will probably take the mark out of Ponting's reach. Ponting is 34 but when asked earlier in the series if he would be in England for the 2013 tour he joked he would need a wheelchair. Border, a former captain, national selector, and current CA director, praised Ponting as a worthy holder of the new Australian Test run-scoring record. "Clearly, I am a great admirer, having been involved in Ricky's selection in many great Australian sides, and having enjoyed watching him closely on more occasions than I can remember as a cricket media commentator as well," Border said. Ponting's batting is crucial to his side's Ashes chances and he knows he must fire over the remaining three Tests to avoid becoming the first Australian captain in more than 100 years to lose twice in England. He started well with 150 in Cardiff but fell for 2 and 38 as Australia were defeated in the second Test at Lord's. Australia's other post-war record holders were Don Bradman (6996) and Greg Chappell (7110). |
England v Australia, 3rd Test, Edgbaston, 2nd day
Strauss guides dominant England
July 31, 2009 England 116 for 2 (Strauss 64*, Bell 26*) trail Australia 263 (Watson 62, Onions 4-58, Anderson 5-80) by 147 runs Barring an act of God or Duke, England should enter the home stretch of the Ashes series in the ascendancy. When Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell accepted the umpires' offer of bad light at 5.45pm, the hosts packed their kitbags content in the knowledge that their dominant day two performance, coupled with the bleak forecast for days three and five of the Test, had made Australia's task of squaring the series at Edgbaston difficult in the extreme. Much of the credit for England's position of strength belonged to James Anderson (5 for 80) and Graham Onions (4 for 58), who claimed Australia's last nine wickets for 137 runs in 40.4 overs on Friday. Their mastery of Birmingham's conditions reopened old Australian wounds against quality swing bowling, and wrested back the momentum claimed by the tourists the previous evening. Strauss and Bell reinforced England's advantage in the final session with an unbroken 56-run stand that owed something to fortune. Bell was somehow deemed not out by umpire Rudi Koertzen to a Johnson delivery that replays suggested would have thundered into middle-and-off, and the Warwickshire batsman made the most of his reprieve to advance to stumps unbeaten on 26. His captain, Strauss, experienced no such heart palpitations to finish the day on 64 not out in an innings marked by stoic defence and fluent driving. Strauss was seldom flustered as Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara fell by the wayside to Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus respectively to further pad his lead atop the series run-scorers' list. Earlier, Anderson collected his seventh career five-wicket haul and his best return against Australia on a morning that left the raucous Edgbaston faithful in thrall. Ricky Ponting may have usurped Allan Border as Australia's leading Test run-scorer in the first session, but the morning well and truly belonged to Anderson and Onions, who more than made amends for a wasteful evening session on Thursday. Onions began in the most emphatic manner imaginable, removing Shane Watson and Michael Hussey with the first two deliveries of the second day, while Anderson bookended the first session in a similar fashion with the wickets of Marcus North and Johnson in consecutive deliveries on the stroke of lunch. Anderson's spells either side of lunch produced figures of 5 for 35, and Onions' 4 for 37 - an analysis which might well have been enhanced if not for several dropped catches off his bowling - as Australia's age-old problems against the swinging ball resurfaced. With heavy rain predicted for much of the next three days, England appear the only team capable of forcing a result, short of a major change in weather and Australian fortunes. Onions played a lead role in the only first-class result at Edgbaston this season - taking nine wickets to guide Durham past Warwickshire - and continued his love affair with the ground. Exploiting the heavy overhead conditions to full effect, he bowled unchanged for nine overs, during which he swung the ball extravagantly into both the right- and left-handers and threatened off the seam. He struck with the first ball of the day, beating a lunging Watson for pace to trap him lbw for 62. The dismissal served as an underwhelming exit for Watson, who the previous evening had gone some way to justifying the faith of Australia's selectors in his first outing as a Test opener with an assured half-century. The tremors intensified for the Australians the next ball when Onions angled a delivery into Hussey, who obliged by hoisting his bat high above his head and watching helplessly as the ball cannoned into the top of off-stump. Hussey has twice been bowled this series without offering a shot - the other to Andrew Flintoff at Lord's - and now possesses the modest record of 81 runs at 20.25 this series. Many more muddle-headed performances like this, and Australia might well ponder more changes to their XI moving ahead. Onions' would-be hat-trick ball might have been his most disappointing of the morning - a short, leg-side offering to Michael Clarke - but could not detract from an otherwise fine spell of bowling in which he probed the Australians' pads and proved a constant menace. The visitors steadied just long enough for Ponting to notch his 11,175th career run to overhaul Border's long-standing national record, but he could not capitalise on his historic moment, top-edging a hook off Onions to Matt Prior for 38. Clarke appeared the only man capable of sparing Australia's blushes, and fortune briefly smiled upon him. The vice-captain was blessed to have been ruled not out to an exceptionally close Onions lbw shout on 18, and again when dropped off the same bowler by Flintoff at second slip. Interspersed with these reprieves were some fine periods of batting in the cauldron-like atmosphere, however his hopes of leading a middle-order fightback were dashed when Rudi Koertzen adjudged him leg-before to an Anderson delivery that appeared to be slipping down the leg-side. Thus commenced a superb sequence of swing bowling from Anderson. Finding the aerial movement that eluded him at Cardiff and Lord's, the Lancastrian crashed through for the wickets of North to a superb, one-handed catch by Prior and Johnson to a dubiously high lbw decision in consecutive deliveries. He rounded out the session by comprehensively bowling Graham Manou, the Australian debutant who had been presented with his baggy green cap prior to play. Australia coaxed a valuable 60 runs from their final two wickets, padding the total to a reasonable 263, but they would not emerge from the second session. Anderson prompted Peter Siddle into a feathered edge to Prior shortly after the lunch break to complete his first five-wicket haul side against the Australians, while Onions returned for the scalp of Hilfenhaus for a career-best 20. |
England v Australia, 3rd Test, Edgbaston, 3rd day
Rain washes out third day's play
August 1, 2009 England 116 for 2 (Strauss 64*, Bell 26*) trail Australia 263 (Watson 62, Onions 4-58, Anderson 5-80) by 147 runs Despite the valiant efforts of the head groundsman Steve Rouse and his staff, rain forced the abandonment of the third day's play at Edgbaston. Umpires Rudi Koertzen and Aleem Dar conducted a series of field inspections throughout the day, but persistent afternoon rain prompted play to be officially cancelled at 2.40pm. Having lost five sessions of play across the first three days, and with more rain forecast for Monday, the chances of a result in the third Test are remote. Sunny periods are, however, predicted for Sunday. Should the heavens clear long enough to allow the outfield to dry, England will resume on 116 for two, still trailing Australia's first innings total by 147 runs. Andrew Strauss (64 not out) and Ian Bell (26 not out) denied the Australians access to the England middle-order on Saturday with a 56-run partnership. As the few hardy spectators left Edgbaston after braving the conditions for over three hours, the puddles widened and deepened under depressingly leaden skies. The groundsmen have barely stopped since Thursday, and have more hard work ahead of them if play is to resume on schedule tomorrow. |
England v Australia, 3rd Test, Edgbaston, 4th day
Aggressive England open up victory chance
August 2, 2009 Australia 263 and 88 for 2 (Watson 34*, Hussey 18*) trail England 376 (Strauss 69, Bell 53, Flintoff 74, Broad 55, Hilfenhaus 4-109) by 25 runs Most assumed England would take a series lead into Headingley, but only the true believers considered a 2-0 scoreline possible. In a match that has seen five-and-a-half sessions lost to rain, light and a water-logged outfield, England have somehow found enough time to exploit Australian frailties to the point where the most improbable of victories is now within view, albeit still some way off in the distance. A 113-run first innings lead, reduced to 25 by stumps, and a positive weather forecast for Monday have provided England with a realistic chance to land a potential knockout blow in the series. It is difficult to imagine a besieged, unbalanced and out-of-sorts Australian side scrambling from the canvas if faced with a two-game deficit with two matches to play, and England will arrive at Edgbaston for the final day acutely aware that early wickets could prove the defining moment in reclaiming the Ashes after a two-year absence. Standing in their path is an Australian batting line-up two-wickets down and short on confidence following first innings collapses at Lord's and Edgbaston. Exempt from that list is Shane Watson, the rookie opener, who followed an impressive first innings half-century with an unbeaten 34 on Sunday evening that grew in importance with each falling wicket. He will be joined by the less convincing Michael Hussey who, despite battling for form, clawed his way to 18 not out and steadied the Australian ship in a tense final session. Australia will draw inspiration from their stoic, though ultimately unsuccessful, fourth innings performance at Lord's as they seek to bat out the final day, while England will be buoyed by more recent performances. In both innings of this Test, the Duke has swung from around the 30-over mark, and with 28 on the ball already and cloudy conditions forecast, James Anderson and Graham Onions will be relied upon heavily. Victory at Edgbaston set England on course for a famous series victory four years ago, and while circumstances and various cast members differ this time around, the white-knuckled expectancy of the vociferous crowd was distinctly similar. Onions' dismissal of Simon Katich to a prod outside off-stump prompted roars that rattled the foundations of the Eric Hollies Stand, and Graeme Swann's removal of Ricky Ponting, fast assuming pantomime villain status on this tour, evoked a response that might have been detected by seismologists half a world away. Swann posed a threat to Ponting from the moment he marked centre, extracting significant turn from the footmarks and veering the ball sharply into the right-hander. The England spinner was aggrieved to have had a close lbw appeal turned down by Rudi Koertzen, but rediscovered his trademark grin two deliveries later as Ponting pushed with hard hands at a wider delivery that found the rough, angled through the gate and crashed into the stumps. Since his sparkling 150 in Cardiff, Ponting has managed scores of two, 38, 38 and, as of Sunday, five. Australia's batting fortunes have charted a similar course to date. Earlier, Stuart Broad struck a dashing half-century and engaged in several heated exchanges with Mitchell Johnson during a furious conclusion to England's first innings. The pressure and tension of this most eagerly contested Ashes series bubbled to the surface in the 88th over of England's innings, as Johnson attempted to break through the defences of Broad and Swann. Johnson engaged in verbal confrontations with both batsmen before claiming Swann's wicket with a deft slower ball; a result that might historically have ended the argument and prompted an England retreat. But in a telling insight into the growing confidence within the hosts' camp, Broad responded two balls later with a back-foot drive and a toe-to-toe confrontation that will no doubt have delighted red-top editors in both countries. The over cost Johnson 15 runs. England's lead extended. Broad's resistance ended when he spooned a return catch the way of Peter Siddle for a well-struck 55, but his was not the half-century most discussed around the pubs and loungerooms of Birmingham on Sunday. That innings belonged to Andrew Flintoff, who added one more Edgbaston memory to an already rich anthology with a half-century that featured a powerful six to draw England level with Australia's first-innings total, followed by a boundary to overtake it. At the very ground on which he notched his highest Test score in 2004, and earned Man-of-the-Match honours against the Australians four years ago, Flintoff displayed indomitable intent from the outset by engaging Johnson in verbal combat - a precedent his junior all-rounder would follow later in the day - before channelling his aggression towards his batting. Siddle and Watson bore the brunt of Flintoff's powerful stroke play, releasing much of the pressure created by Ben Hilfenhaus and Johnson in the first session. Siddle, as has become custom on this tour, interspersed testing inswingers and seamers with too many loose deliveries to concede 47 runs from an erratic seven-over spell. Watson, meanwhile, was set upon from the outset; his comeback spell in Test cricket yielding the unflattering figures of 0 for 23 from three overs. Flintoff was particularly strong on the drive and pull, and raised the roof at Edgbaston when he bashed Nathan Hauritz into the long-on boundary rope for his first six of the innings. Hauritz exacted a measure of revenge by having him caught at first slip for 74 (from 79 deliveries), but not before Flintoff had guided England past Australia's first-innings total and beyond the 300-run mark. Prior to Flintoff's 89-run sixth-wicket partnership with Matt Prior, Australia had enjoyed the better of proceedings on a fourth morning delayed by an hour due to a sodden outfield. Hilfenhaus' dismissals of Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood were Australia's primary highlight-reel moments in the first session, but Johnson's two-over burst prior to the lunch break was arguably the greater source of optimism. Australia's selectors have gone to extraordinary lengths to accommodate him this series, ranging from pep-talks to the inclusion of an insurance seamer in Watson for Edgbaston, and their faith appeared on the way to being repaid. His first delivery was full, fast and tailing into Bell, who, if not for the faintest of inside edges onto his pad, might well have been pavilion-bound. Johnson finally got his man when he trapped Bell leg-before as part of a five-over spell of 1 for 12. But much of the good work was undone when, in the confrontational atmosphere of Sunday afternoon, he resorted to his short-length of old and conceded 47 runs from his final seven overs, the majority to Broad and Swann. Australia's late innings problems were compounded when Hilfenhaus' swing-bowling powers were sapped with the taking of the second new ball. With no one to apply the pressure, England's tail wagged again and Australia, who earlier on Sunday had entertained notions of a first innings lead, were faced with a triple-digit deficit and a near impossible task to level the series heading to Leeds. |
England v Australia, 3rd Test, Edgbaston, 5th day
Clarke and North put Australia safe
August 3, 2009 Australia 263 (Watson 62, Anderson 5-80, Onions 4-58) and 375 for 5 (Watson 53, Hussey 64, Clarke 103*, North 96) drew with England 376 (Strauss 69, Bell 53, Flintoff 74, Broad 55, Hilfenhaus 4-109) After a rain-affected draw at Edgbaston, in which England's push for victory fell as flat as the fifth day pitch, the question now stands: who takes the momentum into Headingley? The temptation is to give the nod to England given their 1-0 series advantage and flashes of brilliance between the spells of drizzle in Birmingham. But, on closer inspection, the matter may not be so clear-cut. Australia will take tremendous confidence from their second-innings batting performance, in which three batsmen passed 50 and one, Michael Clarke, a stoic century in his 50th Test to limit England to just five wickets from 112 overs. Shane Watson's returns of 62 and 53 in his first Test as opener will prove particularly encouraging as will the final-day efforts of Michael Hussey (64) and Marcus North (96), both of whom were in need of a confidence boost. The Australians will also be buoyed at the possibility that Mitchell Johnson's nightmare might just have been confined to the month of July. Johnson is clearly not back to his wrecking-ball ways from South Africa, but he did manage to make the necessary adjustments to his wrist position to allow him to rediscover the at-the-body line and subtley swing that has made him so effective in past series. England clearly have grounds for optimism, too. Were it not for the five-and-a-half sessions lost to rain, bad light and the water-logged outfield, they might have better capitalised on their 113-run first-innings advantage. That lead was established after James Anderson and Graham Onions befuddled Australia's batsmen with prodigious aerial movement on Friday, and with Headingley considered among the better swinging grounds in the country, England will hope to probe Australia's barely-healed wounds from Friday. The hosts will also be satisfied by the manner in which they covered for Kevin Pietersen, but Andrew Flintoff is looming as a major concern. The England allrounder, who is understood to have had two further pain-killing injections to his troublesome right knee prior to this match, fell awkwardly on his left ankle when delivering the final ball of his 13th over. Flintoff required the better part of 30 seconds to climb back to his feet and appeared in significant discomfort, but managed to bowl two more overs in the session. His condition will be monitored with only three days between the third and fourth Tests. Australia signed off the match with Clarke notching his second century of the campaign and usurping Strauss as the highest run-scorer in the series. For the satistically inclined, it also took his Test average above 50 for the first time since 2005 - and this, in his 50th Test. The pragmatists, however, will note that his unbeaten 103 was not so much important for the runs scored, but rather the 192 balls it soaked up, denying England any chance of forcing a result. Unlike the draw in Cardiff, where every ball of the final session was an angst-ridden affair, the Edgbaston Test concluded in anti-climax with part-timers Paul Collingwood and Ravi Bopara in operation and Australia's batsmen scoring at will. Clarke was fortunate to have survived a Stuart Broad delivery that clipped the bail and a subsequent catch off a Bopara no-ball, but eventually raised his 12th career ton with a pull to the boundary and look to the dressing rooms, whereupon he was summoned in by Ricky Ponting. Clarke had earlier combined with North for a 185-run fifth-wicket stand that effectively ended England's hopes for victory. Despite the heavy overhead conditions, neither Anderson nor Onions could convince the suddenly stubborn Duke to swing, making life easier for the Australian batsmen. The brisk tempo of previous sessions was absent, as Australia's batsmen sought to grind the life out of the match. First Watson and Hussey, then Clarke and North, batted with patience and caution in their attempt to deny England an inflated series lead ahead of the Headingley Test. Watson and Hussey showed steely intent from the outset and weathered painful blows to the body from Flintoff, remaining unflustered in this most pressurised of situations. Flintoff attempted to engage both batsmen in verbal jousts but both quelled their aggressive instincts and refused to bite. Theirs was a mission of survival and both succeeded in navigating a path through a testing first hour of play. Flintoff, for all his intimidatory powers, strayed short too often while Swann failed to settle upon a consistent length - but given the respective situations in which Watson and Hussey found themselves at the crease, both could have been well pleased with their morning contributions. Having previously batted no higher than No. 6 in Test cricket, and with a sub-five average opening for Queensland, Watson was in the crosshairs of both a sceptical Australian public and England's bowlers from the moment he marked centre on Thursday. He did not disappoint. His fluent first innings total of 62 was complemented by a redoubtable 53 in the second; the latter innings terminated when Anderson, in his first over of the morning, found the outside edge with a delivery that subtly straightened. Hussey, desperate to atone for his first innings duck, played a more aggressive hand, striking six boundaries to advance to his second half-century of the series. But, like Watson, his stay at the crease would end soon after his arrival at the milestone. Stuart Broad's introduction to the attack in the 51st over might not have done much for his confidence, but the allrounder immediately took the attack to the Australians with an angling delivery that brushed the outside edge of Hussey on 64. The dismissal brought the Edgbaston crowd momentarily back to life, however all were promptly subdued as Clarke and North carried their bats deep into the final session. North was the only other batsman to fall on the final day, to a brilliant, diving catch by Anderson in the gully off the bowling of Broad. Anderson's spectacular effort denied North a third Test century from five matches, but could not revive England's hopes of victory. |
England v Australia, 4th npower Test, Headingley
Pressure grows as urn comes into view
August 6, 2009 Match facts Friday, August 7 - Tuesday, August 11, 2009 Start time 11.00 (10.00 GMT) Big Picture The 1-0 advantage established by England at Lord's looks all the more intimidating after the rain-effected draw at Edgbaston. Should the hosts go forth and reclaim the urn, Andrew Flintoff's heroic effort in north-west London - in which he claimed five Australian wickets on a painful right knee - will ascend to a pantheon of national sporting achievements currently occupied by Geoff Hurst's hat-trick and Jonny Wilkinson's drop-goal. Flintoff has dominated the headlines again this week, albeit for reasons he could have done without. The ailing all-rounder's knee injury continues to cause him discomfort, and has prompted England to name an expanded squad in the event he is deemed unfit to play the fourth Test. Australia have their own injury concerns, with Michael Clarke sitting out Wednesday's training session with a mild abdominal strain and Brad Haddin nursing a broken finger. On the positive side of the ledger, Brett Lee is available for selection for the first time this series, having recovered from a rib complaint. England will be looking to the heavens in the hope of spotting the kind of heavy clouds that so assisted James Anderson and Graham Onions in the first innings at Birmingham. Andrew Strauss' attack have appeared toothless when the ball hasn't swung this series, and with the five-day weather forecast improving, Australia's batsmen will be hoping for clear skies to complement a flat Headingley pitch. For the tourists, there is much at stake. Ricky Ponting will become the first Australian captain in 100 years to twice lose away Ashes series unless his side can conjure a victory at Headingley or Lord's. The Australians must win both those matches to remain atop the Test rankings. Form guide (last five matches, most recent first) England - DWDWW Australia - DLDLW Watch out for Andrew Flintoff The will he-won't he saga is likely to drag on until the coin toss on Friday, but even if Flintoff doesn't play, his presence will be felt throughout the match. The versatility of Flintoff has been highlighted by England's move to effectively name three replacements for him. Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Harmison could slot in should England require a fast bowling option, while Jonathan Trott could make his Test debut if an extra batsman is needed. Ben Hilfenhaus By far and away Australia's best bowler in the series, Hilfenhaus will again be heavily relied upon if the clouds roll in at Headingley. Mitchell Johnson's improving fortunes at Edgbaston have provided hope that Hilfenhaus will no longer bare all containment and pressure-building responsibilities, as has been the case thus far in the series. Team news It all comes down to Flintoff. Should the enigmatic all-rounder be deemed fit, England are favoured to ignore calls for Stuart Broad's axing and retain the same line-up from Edgbaston. If he is ruled out, selectors must decide between Sidebottom, Harmison and Trott, although none will provide Flintoff's all-round balance. Shortly after practice, Trott was spotted decked out in his full England kit, complete with embroidered initials and cap number, on his way for an official squad photo. England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Graham Onions. Injuries have also blighted Australia's build-up to the fourth Test. Michael Clarke missed Wednesday's training session with an abdominal strain, but is considered likely to play. The most complex scenario, as ever, concerns the fast bowling group. Ponting hinted after the Edgbaston Test that Siddle's profligacy could bode well for Stuart Clark or Brett Lee, and both senior pacemen looked solid during Wednesday's net session. Clark should have the front-running given his strong recent form in Australia's tour matches, while Lee has not played a game since the England Lions encounter prior to the first Test Australia (possible) 1 Simon Katich, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Stuart Clark. Pitch and conditions Weather forecasts for Leeds have improved markedly this week, and with them the prospects of a full five day's play. The Headingley pitch, once considered paradise for the pacemen, has tilted in favour of batsmen in recent seasons although, if the heavy clouds roll in, the likes of Anderson and Hilfenhaus could play havoc. Stats and trivia If history is to be any guide, this promises to be a keenly contested Test. Australia's record at Headingley stands at eight wins, seven losses and eight draws, while England have won 30, lost 21 and drawn 17. England recorded a six-wicket victory in the last Ashes Test played here in 2001. Yorkshire have played four first class matches at Headingley this year, three of which resulted in draws. Australia are winless in their past four Tests. Not since 1988 has an Australian side gone five consecutive matches without a victory. Ricky Ponting slipped to ninth in the Test batting rankings this week, but returns to a ground at which he has enjoyed tremendous success Ponting has scored 343 runs at 114.33 in two matches at Headingley, including two centuries. Quotes "It's the fourth Test of an Ashes series, we're close to the finish line and although we're all desperate for (Flintoff) to play, we need to be realistic enough to realise that if he's not fit then he shouldn't play." Andrew Strauss "If I actually play well I get booed more so hopefully I get booed more. It comes with the territory of being an Australian cricket captain in this part of the world. There's not much I can do about it. I'll just take it with a grain of salt. I've almost expected it after the first day at Lord's. It's no skin off my nose. If anything it just makes me more determined to play well." Ricky Ponting |
Flintoff ruled out of fourth Test
August 6, 2009
Andrew Flintoff has been ruled out of the fourth Test at Headingley, after his injured right knee was deemed too much of a concern to risk him in such a crucial encounter. Flintoff struggled visibly during a 40-minute nets session on the eve of the match, and having received two injections ahead of the Edgbaston Test last week, he was unable to undergo any more this week on medical advice. He bowled with a heavy knee brace, but was unable to hit the crease with any of his customary pace and power, and returned to the dressing room at 11.10am. That session had been the first time that Flintoff had bowled since his lacklustre display on the final day at Edgbaston, in which he bowled just 11 overs, and none at all in the final session. England insisted they would take the emotion out of the decision over whether Flintoff played in what could be the Ashes-deciding Test, but even at that stage it was clear that his knee was some way short of the requisite fitness to last for five days. When asked if Flintoff was in a better situation fitness-wise than he had been in the lead-up to Edgbaston, England's captain, Andrew Strauss, had been non-committal. "He did a fair amount of bowling, but with such things it's not about the pain he experienced while he's bowling, but the swelling there is afterwards, and how sore it is. He got the ball through but he didn't look like he was 100%." Flintoff is likely to be replaced by Steve Harmison, who figured in the squads for the second and third Tests as cover for England's allrounder, but has yet to make the starting XI this series. Flintoff made it clear after his bruising performance at Lord's that he was willing to play through the pain barrier in these, his final Tests, but during a training session at Headingley yesterday, he barely reached his top pace and bowled with a heavy knee brace. It is a further disruption for England after they were evacuated from their hotel at 5am this morning due to a fire alarm, before being allowed back in after 20 minutes of standing in heavy Leeds rain. |
England v Australia, 4th Test, Headingley, 1st day
Dominant Australia take control
August 7, 2009 Australia 196 for 4 (Ponting 78, Watson 51) lead England 102 (Prior 37*, Siddle 5-21) by 94 runs Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson compiled more in a single second-wicket stand of 119 than England's entire line-up managed in 33.5 overs of abject surrender, as Australia built on the efforts of their four-man seam attack to seize control of the crucial fourth Test at Headingley. Though England battled back in the final session by claiming three wickets in as many overs, including Ponting for 78, nothing could gloss over their humiliation in the opening exchanges of the day. A single pitiful session could well have cost them their chance to reclaim the Ashes. Shorn of the services of Andrew Flintoff, whose damaged right knee failed to respond to treatment, and already lacking the aggression and presence that Kevin Pietersen brings to their middle-order, England went into a Test without either of their kingpin players for the first time since the tour of Bangladesh in October 2003, and duly played in a manner befitting their opponents of six years ago. They had been handed a late fitness scare when Matt Prior suffered a pre-toss back spasm, which required the toss to be delayed by ten minutes as England finalised their starting XI, and the bewilderment in their ranks was as plain as it had been at 5 o'clock that morning, when a fire alarm at the team hotel had left them shivering in the Leeds drizzle during a mass evacuation. For most of the summer, Australia have been the team seemingly lacking in direction, but with a sniff of uncertainty in their opponents' ranks, they at last had a bowling attack to exploit the situation. The decision to recall Stuart Clark for his first Test of the summer, in place of the spinner Nathan Hauritz, was a gamble that paid rich dividends. He marked his comeback with a pre-lunch spell of 3 for 7 in 6.5 overs, while Peter Siddle followed up after the break with 4 for 3 in 14 balls, to finish with the stand-out figures of 5 for 21. Each of the four bowlers claimed at least one wicket, with Ben Hilfenhaus desperately unlucky not to have pinned Andrew Strauss lbw with the very first ball of the match. As it turned out, Strauss survived a mere 17 balls before squirting a fat edge off Siddle to Marcus North at third slip, whose stunning one-handed reflex catch was the catalyst for the performance that followed. Strauss had spent the final minutes before the start fretting over the fitness of Prior, who injured his back while playing football in the warm-ups, leaving Jonathan Trott on the verge of a debut and Paul Collingwood pencilled in for the wicketkeeping duties, and his mind was evidently some way from the action in the middle. The confirmation of Flintoff's lack of fitness ended up being the very least of his worries. In the event, the only England batsman to show any spine was none other than Prior, who was out in the middle at least two sessions sooner than he might have anticipated, but gritted his way to 37 not out from 43 balls before running out of partners. One other batsman managed double figures - Alastair Cook, who was the mainstay of a flimsy top order with 30 from 65 balls - while the middle-order triumvirate of Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell and Collingwood showed worrying shortcomings in temperament and technique respectively. Hilfenhaus accounted for Bopara, earning due reward for his line, length and consistent swing when Michael Hussey collected a loose back-foot punch in the gully, and at 16 for 2, the stage was hardly set for the fragile Bell to make his mark. Mitchell Johnson responded to his arrival with his best and most hostile spell of the series. Threatening to bend the ball back into the right-hander at will, and finding a superb line to complement his subtle changes of length, Johnson tormented Bell's outside edge before slipping in a wicked bouncer that was gloved through to Brad Haddin. Next in the procession was Collingwood, whose returns have faded alarmingly since his match-saving performance at Cardiff in the first Test. He couldn't negotiate Clark's sharp outswing, which he prodded limply to Ponting at second slip for a fifth-ball duck, and Clark claimed his second scalp in the space of 11 balls when Cook's resistance ended with a low edge to Michael Clarke at first slip. Prior did his best to rally the innings in his standard counter-punching style, but Stuart Broad found the going extremely tough in his over-promoted position of No. 7, and was extracted on the stroke of lunch when Katich at short leg scooped Clark's third of the innings. Then it was over to Siddle to make mincemeat of a tail that had wagged regularly in the series so far, but was unable to make any headway at all with the momentum all in the bowlers' favour. Graeme Swann laboured to a 15-ball duck which ended with a snick to first slip, while Harmison - back in the side at Flintoff's expense - edged to the keeper to notch the 20th duck of his career, an England record he now shares with Mike Atherton. James Anderson did at least manage to extend his duckless run to 53 innings, but the scampered single that preserved his world record culminated in a leg injury that visibly reduced his subsequent effectiveness with the ball. He and Graham Onions were bounced from the crease in consecutive Siddle deliveries, whereupon Shane Watson clattered Anderson's first two deliveries of the reply through point for a brace of fours in a style reminiscent of Michael Slater. Though Harmison responded by extracting Katich at leg gully with the fourth ball of his comeback, Ponting emerged to put his personal seal on the day with a smouldering and initiative-seizing cameo. Once again, Ponting came to the crease to a chorus of boos, but true to form, he turned the animosity to his advantage. Latching onto the slightest error in length, he pulled Onions' first ball through midwicket for six, in an over that eventually went for 17 runs, as Australia's fifty was brought up in just 39 deliveries. Ponting's only let-off en route to his 63-ball half-century came on 32, when Bell missed a shy from the covers that would have run him out by five yards. For as long as he and Watson were in tandem, Australia's dominance was absolute. Watson, revelling in his new opener's role, cracked his third half-century in as many innings, and battered Harmison for four fours in nine balls as England's bowlers completely forgot about the virtues of line and length. But then, almost without warning, they finally remembered to pitch the ball up, and with a hint of movement around that habitual 30-over mark, they succeeded in stemming the tide. First to strike was Onions, who pinned Watson lbw for 51 as he whipped across the line, whereupon Broad - for the first time this summer - opted to follow suit. Twice in four balls he angled the ball in from a full length, first to end Ponting's stay on 78, and then to remove Hussey before he could get going. England created opportunities as the shadows lengthened, not least when Harmison, in a furious final spell, cracked Michael Clarke on the helmet and the glove from consecutive deliveries. But by the close, Australia's hold on the Ashes was looking as sprightly as it has done since Cardiff. |
England v Australia, 4th Test, Headingley, 2nd day
Rampant Australia on course for huge win
August 8, 2009 England 102 and 82 for 5 (Anderson 0*, Prior 4*) trail Australia 445 (North 110, Clarke 93, Ponting 78 Broad 6-91) by 261 runs Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus claimed five England wickets for 20 runs in the space of 44 balls in a thrilling final hour of the second day at Headingley, as Australia built on the batting efforts of Marcus North to surge towards a stunningly comprehensive Ashes-squaring victory. North's 110 from 206 balls, coupled with 93 from Michael Clarke and some spirited thwacking from the tail, converted Australia's overnight lead of 94 into a formidable first-innings advantage of 343 which paved the way for the dramas that followed - and had North himself held onto a sharp chance at third slip from the final ball of the day, Ricky Ponting would have had a case to claim the extra half-hour and push for an incredible two-day win Instead, Australia will have to settle for a three-day finish, in a match that is proving as abjectly one-sided as any of England's Ashes humiliations of the past 20 years. The only remote challenge to Australia's dominance came while Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss were repelling the new ball in a first-wicket stand of 58 that spanned 22.4 overs. Hilfenhaus, however, zipped one back off the seam to slam into Strauss's back pad to expose England's flimsy middle-order, and sure enough, Australia surged through the opening. Ravi Bopara's torrid series continued when he was late coming forward to his very first delivery, and adjudged lbw by Asad Rauf despite a sizeable inside-edge, and though Ian Bell survived the hat-trick ball by a whisker, Johnson didn't allow him to savour the moment. For the second time in the match, he was cowed into submission by Johnson, pushed back by a fizzing bouncer, then drawn forward to poke a limp catch to Ponting at second slip for 3. Next to go was Paul Collingwood, his form now in freefall after his match-saving 74 at Cardiff. Following on from his first-innings duck, Collingwood played all round a full swinging delivery from Johnson, and was plumb lbw for 4. Still England's humiliation was not complete, however. For the second innings running, Cook had attempted to stand firm while all around him wavered, but having ground his way to 30 from 84 balls, he hung out his bat to a Johnson outswinger, and snicked a low edge through to Brad Haddin. And Johnson should have claimed his fourth in the space of 20 balls, when Matt Prior edged him straight through North's hands. With three days remaining and the weather set fair, it is inconceivable that Australia will not wrap up a hugely deserved victory with several sessions to spare, and stride on to The Oval in a fortnight's time with the Ashes once again in a vice-like grip. But for all the drama of England's batting capitulation, the man to whom the day's credit belonged was North, who followed on from his 96 at Edgbaston last week with yet another performance that put England's flappable temperaments to shame. His 110 from 206 balls was Australia's seventh century of the summer, compared to Strauss's solitary offering at Lord's last month, and their dominance of the series statistics will at last be rewarded on the field. Resuming on 196 for 4, Australia's middle- and lower-order had all the time in the world to accentuate England's humiliation after they had been rolled over for 102 in the first 33.5 overs of the match, but in the end they needed only two sessions to capture a formidable advantage. North added exactly 150 for the fifth wicket with Clarke, who fell seven runs short of his third century in consecutive matches, and then sat back in the final overs before tea while the tail ran amok around him, not least Stuart Clark, who smacked three of the biggest sixes imaginable in a 22-ball 32, including one tee-shot back over Graeme Swann's head that landed in the media toilets. Not for the first time in the match, England had absolutely no say in the flow of events. Stuart Broad kept the ball pitched up (more often than not) to finish with figures of 6 for 91, his best in Tests, but it was hardly an achievement he felt worthy of celebrating. The brief flicker of momentum that England had generated through Steve Harmison's hostile performance on the first evening had effectively vanished inside the first half-hour of the day. James Anderson, who entered the day amid concerns about the hamstring he tweaked while stretching for a quick single on the first afternoon, looked semi-fit at best as he started with a diet of half-volleys and finished with throwback figures of 18-3-89-0, while Harmison's first three-over spell was short, wide and clobbered for 23 agenda-setting runs, including a brutal first-ball pull for four from Clarke, who once again set the tempo for Australia's performance. Clarke's fourth half-century of the series was brought up from 78 balls with a tuck off the hips from Harmison, and thereafter he went into overdrive, particularly against the labouring Anderson, whom he belted on the up, through the covers, twice in four balls, before working him sublimely through the leg-side from consecutive deliveries. In between whiles, North greeted Broad by clipping a first-ball half-volley through midwicket for four, as the pair brought up their hundred partnership from 152 balls - their third in six innings this series. Clarke has now emerged as the outstanding batsman of the summer, and looked a dead-cert for his third century in as many Tests. But not for the first time, the nervous nineties undermined his previously serene progress. On 92, he attempted to work Onions through midwicket, but instead looped a leading edge into no-man's land in the covers, but he was unable to make his good luck count. He had not added to the single he had run from that let-off when Onions found a full and inswinging length, to pin him lbw on his bootlaces. Despite the loss of his domineering partner, North was perfectly content to sit in and bide his time. With three scores in excess of 96 and five below 12 in his five previous Tests, he is a player who knows how to make his starts count. Harmison struck with his second delivery with the new ball, as Brad Haddin spooned a miscued pull to short backward square, but North rode the extra bounce with typical insouciance, joined in a 70-run stand for the seventh wicket with Johnson, who continued his consistent form with the bat with 27 from 53 balls. Johnson's innings finally came to an end when he pulled a Broad long-hop to Bopara on the midwicket boundary, and in the same over, Peter Siddle was too slow on a full and straight delivery that took out his off stump first-ball. But Clark, who has enjoyed himself in this match so far, climbed into two further Broad short balls to deposit him over the leg-side ropes, before under-edging another attacking stroke into his stumps. With his partners starting to run out, North decided to chance his arm, and his century-securing six off Swann was just about the only liberty he permitted himself in a studious and vital match-seizing performance. He holed out to midwicket soon afterwards to bring the innings to a close on the stroke of tea, whereupon England's openers, for a misleadingly serene hour-and-a-half, set about chiselling away at the deficit. Hilfenhaus and Johnson, however, were lurking. And the momentum of the series has lurched violently out of England's grasp. |
England v Australia, 4th Test, Headingley, 3rd day
Australia level with crushing win
August 9, 2009 Australia 445 (North 110, Clarke 93, Ponting 78, Broad 6-91) beat England 102 and 263 (Swann 62, Broad 61, Johnson 5-69, Hilfenhaus 4-60) by an innings and 80 runs Australia required a session and six overs on the third day at Headingley to wrap up a thumping innings-and-80-run victory against England, and so draw level at 1-1 in the Ashes with just the fifth Test at The Oval to come in a fortnight's time. Mitchell Johnson had the honour of sewing up the contest with his fifth wicket of a resurgent performance, when he bowled Graham Onions for a duck to confirm his return to his best and most hostile form, and underline the fact that Australia have suddenly emerged as firm favourites to complete their 10th Ashes victory in their last 11 contests. It was not, however, a day that went entirely to plan for Australia, who were frustrated - not for the first time in the series - by England's tail, not least Stuart Broad, who added a boundary-laden 61 from 49 balls to his earlier six-wicket haul, as he became the first England cricketer to achieve such an Ashes double since Darren Gough at Sydney in 1994-95. On Saturday evening, Board had promised to provide late-innings resistance for England's beleaguered cricketers, and he was true to his word as he and Graeme Swann compiled a spirited and thrilling eighth-wicket stand of 108 in just 12.3 overs. The tempo of the stand, at more than eight-and-a-half runs per over, was the second fastest for any partnership over 100 in Test cricket, behind Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns at Christchurch in 2001-02, and then as now, it was glorious in its futility. It could not save England from a hefty defeat, but it might just preserve a modicum of their self-respect. Such a prospect didn't seem to be remotely on the cards when James Anderson fell meekly to the third ball of the morning, immediately after cutting Hilfenhaus to the boundary, thus extending his "duckless" streak to 54 Test innings. Anderson hung out his bat limply to a shorter delivery and edged to Ricky Ponting at second slip. Head down, shoulders slumped, and reeking of the bad body language for which Justin Langer has taken him to task in today's leaked dossier, Anderson took an eternity to trudge from the playing surface. It was an image that summed up England's match. Matt Prior did what he could to stem the tide, slashing Mitchell Johnson behind square three times in two overs to rattle along at the run-a-ball tempo that makes him most comfortable. But no sooner had Broad nudged a leg-bye to take England past their heaviest home defeat of all time (an innings and 226 runs against West Indies in 1973), Hilfenhaus lured Prior with a perfectly pitched outswinger, which Brad Haddin scooped one-handed in front of first slip, to leave his team just three wickets from victory. That, however, was the cue for England to raise their game, somewhat belatedly given the match situation. Initially Swann endured a torrid time at the crease, inside-edging Hilfenhaus millimetres past his leg stump, then wearing a Peter Siddle bouncer on the point of his elbow before pulling him inelegantly, and with eyes wide shut, through midwicket for another chancy boundary. But at the other end, Broad grew into his role of chief resistor, and four fours in a single over from Stuart Clark - three intended, one fortuitous - saved England from another unwanted notch in the record books, their heaviest home Ashes defeat, an innings and 180 runs at Trent Bridge in 1989. Siddle responded to Clark's indignity with a hot-headed over that went for 17, including back-to-back bouncers that soared away for five wides each, and was concluded with a larruped four straight back down the ground, as Broad - who by now had exceeded his father's highest score in a home Ashes Test (37 on this very ground in 1989) - motored towards his second half-century in consecutive matches. Now it was Swann's turn to get properly stuck into the action. For the second over running, Clark was clobbered for 16 in an over with three more fours, including a perfect pull shot that bisected the field at midwicket. A flat-batted smear off Siddle followed three balls later, whereupon Broad climbed into the biggest and most extravagant thwack of the day, a full-blooded swing that climbed high and handsomely towards Johnson on the long-off boundary, who could only parry a tough chance over the ropes for four. Six balls later, and Broad once again took the aerial route, straight through the fielder's hands, as he connected with a pull off Clark and left Simon Katich sprawling as he sprinted round to intercept at backward square leg. But the fun could not last forever, and Siddle was the man to make the breakthrough, as Broad failed to get on top of another energetic swipe, and Shane Watson clung on gratefully at deep midwicket. He departed to a standing ovation from a newly invigorated Barmy Army, who had been understandably subdued for much of the morning, but found their voice as the run-rate climbed. With the duck-happy Steve Harmison now joining him at the crease, Swann decided it was not the time to stand on ceremony, and an effortlessly timed pull through backward square sailed all the way for six to bring up a richly deserved half-century, from only 53 balls. Harmison chimed in with a slashed four over the slip cordon to get his innings up and running, as England went to the break still trailing by 98 runs, but with their morale lifted for the first time in the game. After the resumption, however, the end came swiftly. Swann's uncompromising performance came to an end when he swished outside off to Johnson and was adjudged caught-behind for 62 from 72 balls, whereupon Onions - on a king pair after his first-innings extraction - was struck on the gloves first-up by a ball that very nearly dribbled onto his stumps. In the event, he survived just seven deliveries as Johnson nipped one off the seam to peg back his off stump, and Australia march south to London with their morale sky-high. |
England v Australia, 5th Test, The Oval
The Ashes at stake in Oval battle
August 19, 2009 Match facts Thursday, August 20-24, 2009 Start time 11.00 (10.00 GMT) Big Picture For the second time in four years, the destination of the Ashes will be decided at the same venue where the legend was conceived way back in 1882. In 2005, The Oval in South London was the stage for one of the most wildly celebrated draws of all time, as a jittery England overcame their final-day nerves, thanks to an eye-poppingly aggressive 158 from Kevin Pietersen, a performance that carried his team clear of disaster and all the way to an open-top bus parade through Trafalgar Square the following morning. This time, Pietersen will not be around to mop his colleagues' brows - his dodgy right Achilles underwent surgery after the second Test, and he might not even be fit in time for the tour to South Africa this winter. Instead, all of England's hopes and prayers are invested in their other modern-day colossus, Andrew Flintoff, who missed the fourth-Test debacle at Headingley due to doubts about his right knee, but is certain to be thrust into the fray for what is scheduled to be his final Test appearance. Flintoff has said that success in this summer's Ashes would be an achievement to surpass even his magnificent performance four years ago, and those sentiments have been echoed by Australia's captain, Ricky Ponting, who has spent most of the year playing down the significance of that defeat, but has now gone on record as saying that this week is the perfect opportunity for vengeance. The quality of the cricket may not have touched the heights we saw when Australia were last on England's shores, but the level of competitiveness has scarcely diminished a notch. Form guide (last five matches, most recent first) England - LDWDW Australia - WDLDL Watch out for… Jonathan Trott: A Test debut is, by its very nature, an anxious occasion, but spare a thought for England's 645th and latest selection. At the age of 28, and with nearly a decade of first-class experience to fall back on, including a stellar 2009 in which he has averaged more than 80 to date, Trott is as well prepared as he could possibly hope to be for such an auspicious occasion. But there's no way that this was part of England's summer masterplan. The loss of Pietersen, and the abject failure of a supine middle-order at Headingley, has forced the selectors into a drastic selection. Still, South African-born batsmen have a handy record in Oval Ashes deciders, so that's something. Mitchell Johnson: Try as we might, it's been hard to tear our eyes away from Johnson's travails this summer. At Cardiff he was poor, at Lord's he was appalling. At Edgbaston he showed signs of a resurgence but was still clobbered at five runs an over. And then at Headingley, everything clicked. Suddenly he was fast and straight, with a vicious bouncer and devastating late swing from a full length, and he was too good for England's abject batsmen. A five-wicket haul was the reward for his - and the selectors' - perseverance, and at last the hype that had accompanied him back from South Africa seemed justified. More of the same at The Oval, and England may struggle to stay in the contest. Team news Trott's debut is the big news, Flintoff's return is the secondary story. Ian Bell's promotion to No. 3 has raised an array of eyebrows from those who've studied his average in that position (31.00) and ascertained that he is a glug of ketchup short of a full bottle, and the identity of the fifth bowler remains the mystery to keep us on our toes until the toss. Monty Panesar is in the frame as a potential second spinner, Ryan Sidebottom is lurking to provide some extra lateral movement. More likely, however, is Steve Harmison's retention on a ground that suits his style, with the unlucky Graham Onions returning to the bench through no fault of his own. England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Jonathan Trott, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steve Harmison. All week the talk from the Australian camp has left English observers incredulous. How could they possibly contemplate leaving out Stuart Clark, a player with 29 wickets in six Ashes Tests, and the man whose straight lines and subtle swing goaded his colleagues into abandoning their scattergun approach at Headingley, to dramatically successful effect. Two players, however, are competing for a recall. Brett Lee, the reverse-swing specialist, as Ricky Ponting described him this week, and Nathan Hauritz, the unassuming spinner who has been working on his strategies with Saqlain Mushtaq. Hauritz is probably the likeliest to return, but an all-seam attack deserves to remain the attack of choice. Australia (probable) 1 Simon Katich, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Stuart Clark, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus. Pitch and conditions Dry and bare, but invariably a true wicket, The Oval offers rewards to sides who risk two spinners, but there is plenty of bounce and carry for the seamers on either side as well. "Any bowler who is not on top of their game can expect to be punished, particularly once the batsmen are in," Chris Adams, Surrey's cricket manager, told Cricinfo. "Australia certainly have in-form batsmen at the moment, and it could be quite painful for the bowlers if they're allowed to get set." The big concern for both teams, but especially England who desperately need to win, is the weather forecast. It has been glorious in London all week, but the rain is set to return with a vengeance this week. Stats and trivia England have won 37 and lost 18 of the 91 matches they have played at The Oval, while Australia won 6 and lost 15 out of 34. With three wins, two draws and one defeat since 1985, it is England's most successful Ashes venue in recent times. In the four Tests in the series so far, Australia's fast bowlers - Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle, Johnson and Clark - have averaged 28.11 per wicket for their 53 scalps. England's fast men - James Anderson, Onions, Stuart Broad, Flintoff and Harmison - have conceded more than 37 runs per wicket. For a full stats preview click here. Quotes "There is nothing bigger than playing a deciding Test in an Ashes series, and you have to grab these moments when they present themselves because you may never experience such a match ever again." Ricky Ponting has been around the block a few times in his 14-year international career, but it doesn't get bigger than this "If we win this one it will be a far greater achievement than 2005. That was fantastic but the side had performed well over a period of time and we'd beaten everyone in the world." Andrew Flintoff believes his final Test could be his finest hour |
England v Australia, 5th npower Test, The Oval, 1st day
Siddle makes England rue missed opportunities
August 20, 2009 England 307 for 8 (Bell 72, Siddle 4-63) v Australia England's batsmen squandered a glorious opportunity to take control of the fifth and final Test at The Oval, as an Australian attack lacking the services of a specialist spinner overcame a dry, dusty and pace-free wicket to chisel out eight first-day wickets after losing an important toss. Ian Bell and Andrew Strauss contributed chalk-and-cheese half-centuries to a close-of-play total of 307 for 8, while Jonathan Trott marked his Test debut with a composed 41, but once again, no single batsman was able to make the day his own. And as a series century count of 7 to 1 in Australia's favour will testify, that has been the single biggest difference between the two sides. Nevertheless, it was far from doom and gloom for England. Though Graeme Swann fell to the final ball of the day to give Peter Siddle a richly deserved fourth wicket, his spirited eighth-wicket stand of 39 with Stuart Broad had carried England clear of an embarrassing late-evening collapse, and given them an insight into how this surface might play as the match wears on. Siddle was the statistical pick of Australia's attack with 4 for 63 in 18.3 overs, but the most significant bowler on show was arguably the part-time offspinner, Marcus North, who found rip and bounce from the sizeable first-day footholds, and left Ricky Ponting questioning his retention of the all-seam attack that had run riot in the fourth Test at Headingley. It remains to be seen what a par score will be on this wicket, but a total of 350 may yet prove competitive. For the first two sessions, the backbone of England's performance was Bell, whose 72 was his sixth half-century in his last eight Tests against Australia, and arguably his most significant yet, notwithstanding his dispiriting failure to push on to three figures. Five balls after tea, having begun to bat with as much composure as at any time in his 49-Test career, he propped forward to Siddle in a half-formed defensive push, and lost his off stump via a fat inside-edge. Up until that point, Bell had been the focal point of England's batting performance, first as a target for Australia's aggression, and then later, as his confidence grew, as the main source of forward momentum. He came to the crease as early as the sixth over, when Alastair Cook's poor series continued with a prod to second slip off Siddle, and immediately the ghosts of 2005 swirled into view, as Bell came within a whisker of picking up his third Ashes duck in a row at the venue, when Siddle crashed a fifth-ball bouncer into his wrist. But Bell survived, and even began to thrive with Siddle offering him room to work the ball off his toes into the leg-side. He was peppered three times in a searing first over from Mitchell Johnson, then snatched at a drive as Stuart Clark offered a rare hint of width and skewed a thick edge through third man for four, but to his credit, he did not buckle and raced through the 30s with a brace of fours off Ben Hilfenhaus, as the undisputed class of his strokeplay began to become the decisive factor in his performance. At the other end, virtually unnoticed as Bell took the heat of the bowling, was Strauss, seemingly aloof to the big-match nerves, just as he had been on this ground in 2005 when he rose above the occasion to set England's platform with a first-day century. He was given a range of welcome sighters when Hilfenhaus served up his most disappointing new-ball spell of the summer, then hurtled to his third half-century of the series with three fours in an over from Siddle, including a sublime clip off the toes to reach lunch on exactly 50 not out. But the second session had barely begun when Strauss gave his great start away, hanging a limp bat outside off to his seventh delivery after the break, and grazing a low nick through to Brad Haddin off Hilfenhaus. It later transpired that the wicket-taking delivery should have been called as a massive no-ball, but it was a rare case of batsman error in a previously blemish-free performance. Strauss departed, head bowed, for 55 from 101 balls, and England were teetering just a fraction on 114 for 2. Out to the middle came Paul Collingwood, promoted to No. 4, the position from which he made a double-century against Australia at Adelaide in 2006-07, and the move appeared to have focussed his mind after a limp run of innings since his match-saving 74 at Cardiff. With Bell now settled, having reached his fifty with a clip for four off Hilfenhaus, Collingwood played the sheet anchor, reaching 24 from 65 balls before his weakness outside off stump once again resurfaced, as he squirted a fat edge to Mike Hussey in the gully off Siddle. England went to tea on 180 for 3 and their platform still seemed solid enough, even though Trott came close to running himself out while searching for his maiden Test run, which he eventually managed with a clip for two through midwicket from his 12th delivery. But five balls into the final session, the casual scenario was shredded when Bell's loss of concentration gifted Australia their fourth wicket of the day, and left their hosts' fortunes in the hands of a rookie. Trott responded with the confidence and patience befitting a man with a season's first-class average of 80. Clark in particular tested his perceived penchant for working off-stump deliveries through midwicket, but his first boundary in Test cricket was a crashing drive through the covers that Kevin Pietersen could not have bettered, and with Matt Prior counterattacking in trademark fashion during a fifth-wicket stand of 48, England looked well placed to overcome their jitters. Johnson, however, suckered Prior on 18 with a devious slower ball that was poked airily to point, and though Andrew Flintoff received a predictably rapturous welcome in the first act of his final Test appearance, he never looked likely to continue England's momentum. A sixth-ball steer through backward point was the highlight of his innings, before Johnson's extra bounce induced a snicked cut through to the keeper. Broad got off the mark with looping cut that yorked Ponting at slip and bounced away to the boundary, but the big breakthrough came courtesy of a stunning snaffle and shy from Simon Katich at short leg, who kept his eye on another firm clip off the pads from Trott, steadied himself as the batsman pushed off instinctively for a single, and pinged down the stumps for the most clear-cut of run-outs. It was an ignominious way for Trott's maiden Test innings to come to an end, but his 41 from 81 balls had gone a long way towards establishing his credentials. |
England v Australia, 5th npower Test, The Oval, 2nd day
Broad and Swann give England control
August 21, 2009 England 332 (Bell 72, Siddle 4-75, Hilfenhaus 3-71) and 58 for 3 (Strauss 32*, Trott 8*) lead Australia 160 (Broad 5-37, Swann 4-38) by 230 runs Stuart Broad produced a bowling performance to rival that of Andrew Flintoff at Lord's, and Graeme Swann chimed in with four vital wickets on a dry and dusty track, as Australia felt their grip on the Ashes being prised away, finger by finger, on a sensational second day at The Oval. Responding to England's first-innings 332, the Aussies collapsed from a confident but never comfortable 61 for 0 at lunch to 160 all out shortly after tea, conceding a first-innings deficit of 172 in the process, as well as every ounce of the momentum they had established during their fourth-Test triumph at Headingley. Australia did recover from that nadir to claw back some lost initiative, claiming three key wickets in the closing overs of the day as the frailties of England's dodgy batting card were exposed once again. Nevertheless, with Andrew Strauss remaining unperturbed on 32, and England's lead extended to an already imposing 230, the majority of the demons remain with the side facing the prospect of batting last on a dustbowl that has more in common with Kanpur than Kennington. In particular, the manner of Alastair Cook's dismissal - caught at slip as Australia's part-timer, Marcus North, ripped an offspinner across his bows - was ample proof of the traumas that lie ahead. It was a stunning and memorable day's play dredged from the depths of Australia's worst nightmares, and their desperate afternoon session - in which they lost eight wickets for 72 in 24.4 incredible overs - is shaping up to be the decisive passage of play of the summer. Each of those eight breakthroughs was greeted with riotous acclaim by an absorbed and pumped-up crowd, as England's bowlers surfed a wave of emotion to exploit once again the peculiar frailties of an Aussie batting order that, for all its myriad successes this summer, has now failed calamitously in three of their five first innings in the series. The star of England's show was Broad, who was thrown the ball for the second full over after a 50-minute rain delay, and responded with a full and straight 12-over spell that perfectly exploited a pitch showing increasing signs of uneven bounce. He claimed the first four wickets to fall for eight runs in the space of 21 deliveries, and then - after Swann had extracted the obdurate pairing of North and Simon Katich - wrapped up his second five-wicket haul in consecutive innings by yorking Brad Haddin for 1. Fifteen wickets in all fell in the day, including (way back in the mists of time) that of James Anderson, whose first Test duck after six years and 54 innings might have been a portent of the chaos to come. Though Australia somehow reached lunch unscathed after 20.2 overs of hard graft, Shane Watson and Katich had been forced to scrap for every one of the 61 runs in their opening stand. Watson in particular tempted fate with three consecutive lbw appeals in the space of seven deliveries, but after the resumption, he fell to the very first delivery he received from Broad, nailed plumb lbw for 34 to prise open the floodgates. Ricky Ponting was the next man in, and though he emerged to loud acclaim - the boos of Edgbaston a distant memory - his personal jitters were transparently plain to see. Sensing that the wicket was already a minefield, he got off the mark with an under-edged cut for four off Broad, and then survived a frenzied lbw appeal in the next over as he shouldered arms to Flintoff. But before he could settle, Broad cramped him on the back foot, and he inside-edged a loose drive onto his middle stump for 8. Three Broad deliveries later, and Mike Hussey's traumatic series had taken another turn for the worse, as he thrust out his front pad and was sent on his way lbw for a duck - the decision looked tight on the replay, but stone-dead to the naked eye. And when Michael Clarke, Australia's star of the summer, drove fiercely into the covers in a bid to impose some authority, he picked out the debutant Jonathan Trott, who swooped superbly to cling onto a stinging low catch. From 73 for 0, Australia had drifted listlessly to 93 for 4, with only the obdurate Katich providing any sort of sheet-anchor. He opened the face of his bat to steer Broad through the gully to move to 49, but then at the other end, Swann got into the act - in a somewhat fortuitous fashion - as North thrust his bat and pad forward to a non-spinning delivery on middle stump, and was adjudged lbw for 8 despite evidence that the bat had won the race. North grinned wryly as he departed the crease, but there was little he or Australia could do to halt England's momentum, and in his next over, Swann claimed the vital wicket of Katich, who once again played for non-existent turn on a pitch creating demons in the mind, and popped a facile chance off his bat and pad-flap to Cook at short leg for exactly 50. Nine balls later, and Broad was back on centre stage. Haddin came down late on a stump-splattering yorker, and Australia's last recognised batsman had joined the procession. Mitchell Johnson did what he could to jump-start a flatlining innings, smacking Swann for two lusty fours in a single over, but with tea looming he became the eighth casualty of the session, stunningly snaffled by Matt Prior behind the stumps, who read the big turn off the pitch, and moved sharply to his left to cling onto an edged drive. Australia limped to tea on 133 for 8, and though Stuart Clark was hugely unfortunate to be adjudged caught at short leg for 6 when his bat was nowhere near the ball, Peter Siddle thrashed a skittish 26 not out as he and Ben Hilfenhaus hung around long enough to haul their side past the 150 mark. But Flintoff claimed his share of the limelight by yorking Hilfenhaus for 6, to complete an incredible and series-transforming two-and-a-half hours of cricket. Still the procession of wickets was not over, however. With a session and three days in which to cement their advantage, England felt no need to rush their reply, but with the score on 27, Cook's unconvincing series came to an end as North nailed him for 9, before Ian Bell was somewhat unluckily extracted for 4, as he got on top of a short ball from his nemesis Johnson, only for Katich at short leg to hold onto a remarkable reflex catch inches from the turf. One over later, and Katich was back in the action when Johnson found Paul Collingwood's splice with an effort ball, but Trott provided convincing and confident support for his captain, Strauss, to enable England to finish on a high. |
England v Australia, 5th npower Test, The Oval, 3rd day
Trott buries Australia with debut ton
August 22, 2009 Australia 160 and 80 for 0 (Watson 31*, Katich 42*) need 466 more runs to beat England 332 and 373 for 9 dec (Trott 119, Strauss 75, Swann 63, North 4-98) Jonathan Trott entered Ashes folklore with the innings of an instant veteran, as England's batsmen sauntered into a position of absolute dominance, only for Australia's openers to keep their nerves a-jangling with a coolly compiled 80-run stand, on another enthralling day at The Oval. Trott's 119 from 193 balls was the 18th century by a debutant in England's Test history and the first against Australia since Graham Thorpe in 1993, but given the magnitude of the occasion, it ranked among the finest of all time. His efforts left Australia facing a climb as forbidding as Mont Ventoux, as Andrew Strauss declared on 373 for 9, with a massive target of 546 in the bag. But Australia, to their credit, refused to yield to any presumptions of defeat and decided attack was the best route to the summit. Simon Katich and Shane Watson banished any lingering demons from the first innings, and backed themselves to play their shots against the new ball, and the policy paid off in an opening stand of 80, as they reached the close with their hopes renewed and England's anxieties sharpened in a manner reminiscent of the final day at Lord's. Nevertheless, as the ball lost its hardness and Stuart Broad's offcutters began to grip, it was clear that survival will become harder and harder the longer the innings wears on. Having collapsed from 73 for 0 to 160 in their first innings, Australia know just how tough the next six sessions are sure to be. The Oval pitch, the subject of much controversy overnight, carried on producing wild puffs of dust from almost every delivery, but as England's lower-order clubbed a supine attack to all corners of South London, adding 205 in the last 37 overs of the innings, the heat went out of the debate about its merits. In fact, England's progress seemed at times almost too comfortable for their series prospects, as Australia's bowlers abandoned any hope of salvaging their team's situation and instead settled for damage limitation with a view to batting out for the draw. Nevertheless, the steep bounce that the part-time spinner, Marcus North, had continued to extract was enough to confirm the suspicions that batting last, with men packed around the bat, would be a fraught experience. Sure enough, Swann entered England's attack as early as the ninth over, and though he didn't make a breakthrough with the still-hard new ball, he found sufficient purchase to suggest his time will come. For the time being, however, North, who came into the game with just two Test wickets to his name, emerged as the most potent spinner on show, with 4 for 98 from 30 testing overs. If the expectant buzz around The Oval had been dampened a fraction by the close, then it would never have become so electric in the first place, had it not been for Trott's magnificent scene-setter. For the second time in consecutive Ashes battles at the venue, England's visions of glory were filtered through a South African-born lens, and perhaps that same filter removed the fear of failure as well, because as with Kevin Pietersen's unforgettable 158 in 2005, Trott scarcely blinked for an instant. He had been a controversial selection for such a pressure-cooker contest, but to give the selectors credit where it is due, the skill, determination and confidence of his performance made the men around him in England's middle-order look like the international novices. His nerveless shot selection, at an even tempo of roughly a run every two balls, provided the scaffolding for a series of carefree cameos at the other end - including a farewell frolic from Andrew Flintoff, and a spanking 63 from 55 balls from Swann, who fine-tuned his confidence going into the defining fourth innings. Aside from a brush with a Peter Siddle bouncer, and a hairy moment on 97 when he deflected Ben Hilfenhaus inches past his leg stump, Trott barely played a false stroke until the very moment of England's declaration, when he chopped Stuart Clark to North in the gully. In fact, his most palpable moments of alarm came from his first two deliveries of the morning, first when Siddle believed he had made the breakthrough with an off-stump lifter (umpire Asad Rauf correctly ascertained that the ball had flicked only the thigh pad on the way through to Brad Haddin) and then when Trott followed up that escape with an awkward spoon into the covers off a leading edge. With impressive ease, however, he put those dramas out of his mind, perhaps sensing that he'd experienced the most capricious deliveries that could come his way. He added 118 for the fourth wicket with his overnight partner Andrew Strauss, to ensure there would be no continuation of the late-evening hiccup that had taken a layer of sheen off England's remarkable second day, and as early as the first hour of the day, Australia's hopes of an attainable run-chase had been quashed. Strauss's contribution was an unflappable and agenda-setting 75, which served as a moist flannel on his country's fevered brow. He left the ball with nerveless certainty outside off, demanding that Australia's bowlers bowled to his strengths rather than probe for non-existent weaknesses, and when he lashed Clark for three fours from nine balls faced as England upped the ante in the half-hour before lunch, he looked a dead-cert for his, and England's, second century of the series. With four balls remaining of the session, however, he was lured by a ball of fuller length from North, who extracted enough rip off the track to find the edge to slip. Matt Prior, for once, played only a minor role in England's momentum shift - although he did manage to send Ricky Ponting into the lunch break with a mouthful of blood after drilling the ball into his face at silly mid-off. Three overs after the break, he called for a crazy single after picking out the dead-eyed Katich in the covers, and was run out by a distance for 4. Nevertheless, his departure ensured that the crowd got one last glimpse of the man they really wanted to see, and when Flintoff clubbed his second delivery violently through midwicket for four, it was abundantly clear how he intended to pace his final Test innings. Three more boundaries followed, each greeted with rapture, but alas the magic could not last. With 22 from 17 balls to his name, Flintoff came down the track once more to launch North into the Harleyford Road, but Siddle steadied himself on the long-on ropes to pouch a simple catch. The Aussies stood in the middle to applaud Flintoff back to the pavilion as he saluted all corners of the ground, while down the steps - replacing him in every sense - came the man of the moment, Broad. He did not disappoint either. Feeding off Mitchell Johnson's regressive line and length, he dabbed the first of his five fours through backward point, then climbed into North in a violent over containing three further biffs down the ground, the first of which went arrow-straight back over the bowler's head to land just inside the boundary's rope. He eventually took one swipe too many, and picked out Ponting in the covers, but into the fray strode Swann, in a mood for violence - just as he had been in the final innings at Headingley two weeks ago, when England's predicament could hardly have been more different, but when the licence for thwacking had been every bit as liberating. With Trott trotting along beside him, Swann belted two-thirds of England's runs in an eighth wicket of 90 from 80 deliveries that left observers wondering if he'd win the race to three figures. Australia took the new ball in that period as well, but offered Swann far too many opportunities to unfurl his exuberant drive, which accounted for six of his nine fours before Hilfenhaus pulled his length back at last and skidded a bouncer off a miscued hook to Haddin. For the best part of the day, England had simply had it too easy, and by the close, Watson and Katich had shown them just how ready Australia are to hand over their urn. All the same, the series is coming to a crescendo, and as in that unforgettable summer of 2005, there is an air of anxious expectation in SE11. |
England v Australia, 5th npower Test, The Oval, 4th day
Flintoff's fling inspires England Ashes glory
August 23, 2009 England 332 and 373 for 9 dec beat Australia 160 and 348 (Hussey 121, Ponting 66, Swann 4-120) by 197 runs Amid scenes of delirium unwitnessed in South London since the unforgettable summer of 2005, England's cricketers reclaimed the Ashes on a tumultuous fourth afternoon at The Oval, as Australia's brave resistance - led by a century of incredible mental fortitude from Michael Hussey - was unpicked, wicket by wicket, minute by minute, until, at 5.47pm, and with an expectant crowd willing on the moment of glory, Hussey prodded Graeme Swann to Alastair Cook at short leg to spark the celebrations into life. At the moment of victory, all of England's players rushed into a huddle on the edge of the square - all except for one, that is. In his moment of Test retirement, Andrew Flintoff's first instinct was to seek out and console the crestfallen centurion Hussey, whose 121 from 263 balls had given his side a hope of salvation, but whose careless running between the wickets during a fraught afternoon session had been the single biggest factor in their demise. By calling for the single that led to the run-out of his captain and resistance-leader Ricky Ponting for 66, Hussey is unlikely to recall this particular innings with any fondness whatsoever. Inevitably, it was Flintoff who stole the show from the Australians. He could not be the tub-thumping batsman of old in this series, while his bowling - though thunderous at Lord's - faded cruelly as the concerns about his right knee began to mount. But as a presence, and as a man who can make things happen on a cricket field, his spell has scarcely diminished. In a moment that is sure to be replayed for years on end, he gathered a firm clip from Hussey, steadied himself as Ponting hesitated fatally, then unleashed a fast, flat, unerring swing of the arm that plucked out the off stump with Ponting a foot short. Though the decision went to a replay, Flintoff was in no doubt. He raised his arms in his now-habitual Kodak pose, and waited to be enveloped by his jubilant team-mates. It was a moment eerily reminiscent of Gary Pratt's series-turning shy at Trent Bridge in 2005, when Ponting once again was the fall guy, and it uncorked the tensions in the crowd as surely as the champagne was uncorked in England's dressing-room some three hours later. It brought to an end an unnerving stand of 127, and it shattered Australia's collective will. Five balls later, their batsman of the series, Michael Clarke ran himself out for a duck after a clip off the pads ricocheted to Andrew Strauss at leg slip, and Australia could not recover their poise. Though Hussey was badly dropped by Paul Collingwood at slip on 55 off Swann, in Swann's next over, Marcus North dragged his back foot out of the crease as he swung at a big ripper, and Matt Prior, having gathered well high to his left, flicked off the bails almost as an afterthought. Their target of 546 had become a distant figment of their imagination, and at 236 for 5, their only remaining hope was to bat out the final four sessions of the series. Brad Haddin chose pugnacity as the means to reboot Australia's innings, and he signalled his intent with two fours in his first nine balls, including a fizzing cover-drive as James Anderson overpitched. But Anderson might have dismissed him three times in a single over, including a regulation clip to short midwicket that was spilled by the substitute, Graham Onions. As he and Hussey took their seventh-wicket stand to 91, an ever-anxious crowd began to shuffle in their seats. On 34, however, his luck finally ran out, as he advanced down the track to Swann and picked out Strauss with a lofted flick to deep midwicket. It was to be the game-breaking moment. Strauss, usually the coolest of characters in the field, celebrated euphorically as The Oval erupted once more, and seven balls later, the end truly was nigh. Steve Harmison - hitherto muted on a pitch that did not suit his style - extracted enough life for Mitchell Johnson to fence to second slip, where Collingwood, to his relief and joy, finally held on. Then, when Peter Siddle played around his front pad to lob a simple chance to mid-off, Harmison had his second scalp in the space of 12 balls. That quickly became three in 13, as Stuart Clark fenced nervily to Cook at short leg, and though Hilfenhaus averted the hat-trick with a stabbed defence straight back down the track, there was no longer any way to stem England's tide of emotion. With Harmison stalking to the crease with a predatory menace unseen in Ashes cricket for four long years, the crowd finally dared to proclaim the Ashes were coming home. Fifteen balls later, they were. Some six hours earlier, England's day of destiny had dawned with more than just a frisson of anxiety in the air, thanks to the ease with which Australia's openers had pushed along at four runs an over on the third evening of the match. But Swann soothed the nation by claiming the initial breakthrough at the end of his second over, tweaking a succession of sharply spinning offbreaks past Simon Katich's edge, before nailing him plumb lbw with the arm-ball. Swann bounced for joy in the middle of the pitch as a massive roar of relief and ecstasy erupted from the stands, but almost immediately the fervour morphed into a respectful standing ovation for the incoming Ponting, in his 136th Test and almost certainly his last in England after four memorable Ashes tours. Before he had faced a delivery, however, England had struck again, as Broad this time hurried Shane Watson on off stump and beat the inside-edge of his defensive prod. Watson did not seem best amused at the decision, but replays suggested there was nothing wrong with the appeal at all. For all of Watson's impressive form in five innings at the top of Australia's order, it was nevertheless the fourth time this series he had fallen in such a manner. Food for thought as he works on his new career as an opener. At 90 for 2 and with a jittery Hussey at the crease, England swarmed onto the offensive, with Swann camping four men around the bat at all times and at one stage sending down 28 dot balls in a row as Hussey prodded and smothered with desperate determination. At the other end, Ponting's eagerness to play the pull was tempered by his wariness of the vagaries of the wicket, although whenever he was tempted, he executed the stroke with the mastery that has made it his calling-card for the past decade. In the first over after lunch, Ponting laced a first-ball full-toss from Broad through the covers for four, then tickled Swann around the corner to bring up a battling and brilliant half-century from 76 deliveries. Broad subsequently received a warning for running on the pitch to deepen the crowd's growing concerns, who had just seen Collingwood at slip parry a rare Ponting edge with his left boot. But then up popped Flintoff, and once he'd had his say, there was no holding back the inevitable. |
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