For Australia to entertain any thoughts of getting out of Sydney with even a whiff of respectability then they were going to have to bowl well this morning and then bat with the kind of application that they haven’t shown since the Hussey – Haddin stand at Brisbane, which feels an eternity ago. They did neither.
Matt Prior started the series by being the meat in the sandwich of Peter Siddle’s first day hat trick, but his batting has improved as the series has gone on and he was at his imperious best again today, moving effortlessly on from his overnight fifty-four to one hundred and eighteen. When he is batting well he is a joy to watch, rather in the style of his original mentor Alec Stewart, driving through the off side in particular with power and grace. He found good support, too, in Tim Bresnan, who is a more than handy batsman and, after a steady start, produced some thumping shots of his own. With Graeme Swann then enjoying himself hugely at the expense of the wilting Mitchell Johnson England’s innings finally closed at a startling six hundred and forty four, their second score of six hundred in the series and the fourth time that they have passed five hundred.
Australia started pretty well in reply with Shane Watson playing some trademark muscular shots and Phillip Hughes hanging on in there, but Watson’s departure to a farcical run out rather summed up Australia’s series and Hughes played a typical firm handed prod outside the off stump not long afterwards. Khawaja and Clarke both played nicely for a time, but both perished in the manner that has typified Australia’s batting approach over the last few weeks, pushing with hard hands at balls moving away from them. With Hussey perishing to a cut shot and Tremlett then producing two wickets in two balls there is no way back fro Australia. Haddin and Johnson were both undone by excellent deliveries, but this as Johnson’s eighth duck in his last eleven tests and he was, as so often, firm footed against the moving ball.
England took the extra half hour but Smith and Siddle, showing rare character in an Australian side that has none of the mental toughness of its predecessors, survived to the close. England’s champagne, however, is on ice. They have outplayed their opponents in every single department and tomorrow morning should be the first Ashes side ever to win three tests in a series by an innings. Bring it on.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Nails in the Coffin - Day Three at Sydney
Talking to a friend this morning he ventured that this was the day on which England secured the series, and it’s hard to disagree, for even if Australia knock over the remaining wickets quickly tomorrow then they will have to bat in a manner that hasn’t been seen all series if they are to stand a chance of victory. At the risk of tempting fate, the best that they can hope for is a draw.
The day started reasonably well for Australia. Anderson, having done his job (which is of questionable value) the night before didn’t hang around for too long and Collingwood, sadly, fell cheaply on what may well turn out to be his final test innings. Cook, who was magnificent once again, and Bell took the game away from them and then Bell and Prior hammered the nails into the coffin.
It is a measure of how far Alastair Cook has come since the start of the series, when many felt that he shouldn’t be in the side, that there is a sense of disappointment that he got out for one hundred and eighty nine. He has had a staggering series and is a shoo-in for the Compton – Miller Medal having made the highest score in a test at Brisbane, scored three centuries, the lowest of which has been one hundred and forty eight, and scored more runs in an Ashes series than any Englishman except Wally Hammond. Phenomenal is a word that is overused, but it can truly be said that he has had a phenomenal series.
Ian Bell hasn’t had a huge amount to do at number six, but he played well in both Brisbane and Perth and batted beautifully here. He had some luck and probably should have been given out caught behind on sixty-seven, but his hundred was a joy to watch, being slightly reminiscent of Sachin Tendulkar in the way that he played his shots. He is another who has had a tour that he can be pretty satisfied with and will be an important part of the side for a number of years to come.
Matt Prior has kept exceptionally well in this series but his batting in the first three tests was largely indifferent. At Melbourne and then again here he has shown what he is capable of, however. He played some blistering shots but also kept the scoreboard ticking to the extent that his runs came at almost a run a ball. His partnership with Bell, which came to an end with Bell’s nick to slip, finally swung the game totally in England’s favour.
England will look to bat on for as long as possible tomorrow and take a lead of at least two hundred and fifty, but even if they lose the remaining three wickets in the first over in the morning then they have already built a match winning or, at the very least, a match drawing lead. Graeme Swann may well have an important role to play on days four and five but England, without being complacent, can already reflect on an extremely satisfying first three days.
The day started reasonably well for Australia. Anderson, having done his job (which is of questionable value) the night before didn’t hang around for too long and Collingwood, sadly, fell cheaply on what may well turn out to be his final test innings. Cook, who was magnificent once again, and Bell took the game away from them and then Bell and Prior hammered the nails into the coffin.
It is a measure of how far Alastair Cook has come since the start of the series, when many felt that he shouldn’t be in the side, that there is a sense of disappointment that he got out for one hundred and eighty nine. He has had a staggering series and is a shoo-in for the Compton – Miller Medal having made the highest score in a test at Brisbane, scored three centuries, the lowest of which has been one hundred and forty eight, and scored more runs in an Ashes series than any Englishman except Wally Hammond. Phenomenal is a word that is overused, but it can truly be said that he has had a phenomenal series.
Ian Bell hasn’t had a huge amount to do at number six, but he played well in both Brisbane and Perth and batted beautifully here. He had some luck and probably should have been given out caught behind on sixty-seven, but his hundred was a joy to watch, being slightly reminiscent of Sachin Tendulkar in the way that he played his shots. He is another who has had a tour that he can be pretty satisfied with and will be an important part of the side for a number of years to come.
Matt Prior has kept exceptionally well in this series but his batting in the first three tests was largely indifferent. At Melbourne and then again here he has shown what he is capable of, however. He played some blistering shots but also kept the scoreboard ticking to the extent that his runs came at almost a run a ball. His partnership with Bell, which came to an end with Bell’s nick to slip, finally swung the game totally in England’s favour.
England will look to bat on for as long as possible tomorrow and take a lead of at least two hundred and fifty, but even if they lose the remaining three wickets in the first over in the morning then they have already built a match winning or, at the very least, a match drawing lead. Graeme Swann may well have an important role to play on days four and five but England, without being complacent, can already reflect on an extremely satisfying first three days.
The Two Sides of Mojo Mitch - Day Two at Sydney
I said yesterday that if Australia could bat well then they were still in with a shout and, although two hundred and eighty looks a little below par, they are still in the hunt after two days, something which certainly wasn’t the case at Melbourne.
England bowled well again against Hussey, Haddin and Smith, although Hussey will count himself slightly unlucky to be bowled off both bat and thigh pad by Paul Collingwood of all people. Haddin is a fine batsman but looks a place too high at number six, rather as Matt Prior did in 2009, and Smith is not yet a test number seven, so it was no great surprise to see Australia slump to one hundred and eighty nine for eight. At that point England must have entertained thoughts of bowling them out for under two hundred, but Johnson and Hilfenhaus had other ideas.
A quick glance at Mitchell Johnson’s stats over the last year or so show a lot of failures with the bat, but when he gets in he can be dangerous, as he showed at Perth and showed again here. He was severe on Swann and played one or two glorious shots off the quicker bowlers. With Hilfenhaus, who isn’t the worst tail ender in the world, riding his luck a little but then joining in with an astonishing six off Bresnan, England briefly lost control of proceedings as they added a rapid seventy six. The last two wickets came as a relief to England as Australia closed on two hundred and eighty, a score that had seemed unlikely not long before.
Unfortunately for Australia, Johnson and Hilfenhaus then undid much of their good work by bowling horribly with the new ball, allowing Strauss, in particular, and Cook to get England off to a flying start. By the time Strauss was out for a better than a run a ball sixty one wondered if the damage had already been done.
Johnson then evoked memories of Perth by dismissing the prolific Jonathan Trott without scoring, but Cook and Pietersen then set about rebuilding. Cook had some luck when he was caught at mid-on off Michael Beer, only for the debutants celebrations to be cut short by the revelation that it had come from a no ball. There was sympathy for Beer from the commentary box, but it is hard to feel too sorry for any bowler who has a wicket chalked off due to a no ball and especially a spinner. Beer, though, bowled nicely without ever looking desperately threatening.
Pietersen had looked in decent touch but, with four overs to go before the close, he became the third England batsman in the last two innings to fall hooking Johnson, Beer taking a nicely judged catch at fine leg. This brought in Anderson as night watchman, much to Mike Atherton’s consternation, but he survived to the close.
England are on top but are by no means in control of this game. With Anderson in and then the out of form Collingwood due in next Australia will fancy taking a couple of quick wickets in the morning and gaining some momentum. If Collingwood does fail, which seems likely on recent evidence, then much will depend on Cook, Bell and Prior. If these three play well then the match could well be England’s, but if they do not then we could yet be looking at a drawn series. It’s all to play for.
England bowled well again against Hussey, Haddin and Smith, although Hussey will count himself slightly unlucky to be bowled off both bat and thigh pad by Paul Collingwood of all people. Haddin is a fine batsman but looks a place too high at number six, rather as Matt Prior did in 2009, and Smith is not yet a test number seven, so it was no great surprise to see Australia slump to one hundred and eighty nine for eight. At that point England must have entertained thoughts of bowling them out for under two hundred, but Johnson and Hilfenhaus had other ideas.
A quick glance at Mitchell Johnson’s stats over the last year or so show a lot of failures with the bat, but when he gets in he can be dangerous, as he showed at Perth and showed again here. He was severe on Swann and played one or two glorious shots off the quicker bowlers. With Hilfenhaus, who isn’t the worst tail ender in the world, riding his luck a little but then joining in with an astonishing six off Bresnan, England briefly lost control of proceedings as they added a rapid seventy six. The last two wickets came as a relief to England as Australia closed on two hundred and eighty, a score that had seemed unlikely not long before.
Unfortunately for Australia, Johnson and Hilfenhaus then undid much of their good work by bowling horribly with the new ball, allowing Strauss, in particular, and Cook to get England off to a flying start. By the time Strauss was out for a better than a run a ball sixty one wondered if the damage had already been done.
Johnson then evoked memories of Perth by dismissing the prolific Jonathan Trott without scoring, but Cook and Pietersen then set about rebuilding. Cook had some luck when he was caught at mid-on off Michael Beer, only for the debutants celebrations to be cut short by the revelation that it had come from a no ball. There was sympathy for Beer from the commentary box, but it is hard to feel too sorry for any bowler who has a wicket chalked off due to a no ball and especially a spinner. Beer, though, bowled nicely without ever looking desperately threatening.
Pietersen had looked in decent touch but, with four overs to go before the close, he became the third England batsman in the last two innings to fall hooking Johnson, Beer taking a nicely judged catch at fine leg. This brought in Anderson as night watchman, much to Mike Atherton’s consternation, but he survived to the close.
England are on top but are by no means in control of this game. With Anderson in and then the out of form Collingwood due in next Australia will fancy taking a couple of quick wickets in the morning and gaining some momentum. If Collingwood does fail, which seems likely on recent evidence, then much will depend on Cook, Bell and Prior. If these three play well then the match could well be England’s, but if they do not then we could yet be looking at a drawn series. It’s all to play for.
Is Usman the Man? - Day One at Sydney
The mantra throughout this series has been to reserve judgment on a pitch until both sides have batted on it, but it was a surprise to see Michael Clarke win the toss and bat this morning. The thinking at Sydney used to be to avoid batting last on a turning pitch, but this has been less true of late and the covering of grass on the wicket coupled with the overhead conditions made the decision something of a gamble. It is certainly true that Clarke knows conditions at the SCG well and so it may turn out to be an act of genius, but the feeling is that the track will get easier to bat on over days two and three.
England bowled exceptionally well with the new ball but Watson and Hughes, both showing unexpected discipline, batted well until the final ball before lunch. It was almost as though Hughes could resist no longer and sparred indeterminately at a short ball outside the off stump, Collingwood completing a routine catch. This was a shame both for him and for Australia since surviving the first session with all ten wickets intact in tricky batting conditions would have been an impressive achievement and might have set up the rest of the day nicely for them. As it is, the jury is still out on Hughes’ suitability at the top of the order.
Coming in at fifty-five for one, Usman Khawaja immediately looked at home – he got a nice ball first up which he tucked away for two but the withering pull and decisive leave that followed were impressive. Sides may look to pack the area behind square on the off side against him as he seems prone to slicing the ball in the air through that region, but he showed enough class to suggest that he has a long test career ahead of him, and he and Watson moved forward nicely in the overs after lunch.
It wasn’t to last, however. Watson, having shown great diligence in the morning session and a greater array of strokes after the interval, fell in a manner that has almost, regrettably, become his trademark, pushing outside off stump with hard hands to the slips. The stump mic caught his cry of ‘Oh no’ as the ball flew off the edge – well though he has done at the top of the order he may be of more use to Australia lower down as they look to develop their side.
Michael Clarke then came and went as he has done throughout the series, batting like a man ill at ease with his game and looking to hit his way out of trouble. The cut shot that brought about his downfall was both poorly conceived and poorly executed and meant that, once again, the top order was putting pressure on those batting lower down. One suspects that Clarke is too good a player not to re-discover his touch but his batting in this series has been horrible – even when he made runs at Adelaide he batted frenetically and looked like getting out at any moment.
As the rain clouds circled it looked as though Khawaja and Hussey, who also rode his luck a little, would take Australia through to the close, but in the final over before the rain finally descended Khawaja played an ill advised sweep shot off Swann and was comfortably caught at square leg. It is not a dismissal that he will look back on with any enthusiasm but he will, hopefully, learn from it. He certainly looked less at ease in the six balls that he faced from Swann than he had done against the quicker bowlers, but overall he can be reasonably pleased with his debut effort.
It was, then, an intriguing, if truncated, day. England are probably just on top, but if Australia can bat well tomorrow then they are certainly still in this match.
England bowled exceptionally well with the new ball but Watson and Hughes, both showing unexpected discipline, batted well until the final ball before lunch. It was almost as though Hughes could resist no longer and sparred indeterminately at a short ball outside the off stump, Collingwood completing a routine catch. This was a shame both for him and for Australia since surviving the first session with all ten wickets intact in tricky batting conditions would have been an impressive achievement and might have set up the rest of the day nicely for them. As it is, the jury is still out on Hughes’ suitability at the top of the order.
Coming in at fifty-five for one, Usman Khawaja immediately looked at home – he got a nice ball first up which he tucked away for two but the withering pull and decisive leave that followed were impressive. Sides may look to pack the area behind square on the off side against him as he seems prone to slicing the ball in the air through that region, but he showed enough class to suggest that he has a long test career ahead of him, and he and Watson moved forward nicely in the overs after lunch.
It wasn’t to last, however. Watson, having shown great diligence in the morning session and a greater array of strokes after the interval, fell in a manner that has almost, regrettably, become his trademark, pushing outside off stump with hard hands to the slips. The stump mic caught his cry of ‘Oh no’ as the ball flew off the edge – well though he has done at the top of the order he may be of more use to Australia lower down as they look to develop their side.
Michael Clarke then came and went as he has done throughout the series, batting like a man ill at ease with his game and looking to hit his way out of trouble. The cut shot that brought about his downfall was both poorly conceived and poorly executed and meant that, once again, the top order was putting pressure on those batting lower down. One suspects that Clarke is too good a player not to re-discover his touch but his batting in this series has been horrible – even when he made runs at Adelaide he batted frenetically and looked like getting out at any moment.
As the rain clouds circled it looked as though Khawaja and Hussey, who also rode his luck a little, would take Australia through to the close, but in the final over before the rain finally descended Khawaja played an ill advised sweep shot off Swann and was comfortably caught at square leg. It is not a dismissal that he will look back on with any enthusiasm but he will, hopefully, learn from it. He certainly looked less at ease in the six balls that he faced from Swann than he had done against the quicker bowlers, but overall he can be reasonably pleased with his debut effort.
It was, then, an intriguing, if truncated, day. England are probably just on top, but if Australia can bat well tomorrow then they are certainly still in this match.
Sunday, 2 January 2011
Sydney
It seems only days since the captains were tossing up at Brisbane and Peter Siddle was engendering a sense of déjà vu among England supporters, but tonight we come to the final test. England, of course, already hold the Ashes but they will be desperate for the series win that their cricket has merited, while Australia will be looking for respectability and for something that they can build on as they move forward into 2011.
Sydney is no longer the raging turner of old, but there should be enough there to keep Graeme Swann interested and for Australia to give Michael Beer a belated debut, especially given the injury to Ryan Harris. The big story, of course, is the absence of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke’s captaincy and Usman Khawaja’s debut. I have written about Ponting elsewhere, but Clarke’s story is almost as interesting. For so long the heir apparent, the wheels have come off his batting of late and he is rumoured to be unpopular with his team mates, so this will be a massive test of his credentials for the job. If Australia lose heavily then it will be fascinating to see what the selectors do. Khawaja, meanwhile, is in for a potentially tough debut, but his technique looks good and he will be eager to impress. I can’t help wondering, though, what those elements of the Australian media and public who have been keen to point out the South African origins of some England players make of his selection.
England will, presumably, be unchanged, although there may be some thought of brining Finn back into the side. Looking ahead, though, it seems likely that this will be Paul Collingwood’s final test, and he and the side will be keen to make it a memorable one. My prediction? England to win comfortably, exposing the long Australian tail, and to fulfil my pre-series prediction of a 3-1 win.
Sydney is no longer the raging turner of old, but there should be enough there to keep Graeme Swann interested and for Australia to give Michael Beer a belated debut, especially given the injury to Ryan Harris. The big story, of course, is the absence of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke’s captaincy and Usman Khawaja’s debut. I have written about Ponting elsewhere, but Clarke’s story is almost as interesting. For so long the heir apparent, the wheels have come off his batting of late and he is rumoured to be unpopular with his team mates, so this will be a massive test of his credentials for the job. If Australia lose heavily then it will be fascinating to see what the selectors do. Khawaja, meanwhile, is in for a potentially tough debut, but his technique looks good and he will be eager to impress. I can’t help wondering, though, what those elements of the Australian media and public who have been keen to point out the South African origins of some England players make of his selection.
England will, presumably, be unchanged, although there may be some thought of brining Finn back into the side. Looking ahead, though, it seems likely that this will be Paul Collingwood’s final test, and he and the side will be keen to make it a memorable one. My prediction? England to win comfortably, exposing the long Australian tail, and to fulfil my pre-series prediction of a 3-1 win.
The End for Punter?
As Ricky Ponting looks on at Sydney, his little finger throbbing and frustration welling up inside him, he will inevitably wonder if his illustrious test career finished in the wreckage and tantrums of Melbourne. If that is the case then it certainly won’t be the finish that he would have scripted for himself, nor would it be a fitting end to an illustrious career.
The wisdom among pundits is that he shouldn’t remain as captain but that he still has a good deal to offer as a batsman. Those Australian players who have ventured an opinion seem to suggest that they still consider him to be their leader and, in Michael Clarke’s words, a ‘champion player’. Sadly for all, that is no longer the case.
One of the great challenges for selection committees is when to let a great player go. A tradition seems to have arisen over the last few years for allowing players to go on until they say that they have had enough in the hope that they might recapture past glories: Matthew Hayden is a recent example of a player who went on for a year or so too long but was considered undroppable by selectors even when his batting resembled a parody of its former power. England have done the same: the most obvious example is Ian Botham, who kept being selected in hope rather than expectation. Too often sentiment has been allowed to stand in the way of progress and there is a real risk that this will happen in the case of Ponting, that he will be allowed another series to enable him to go out on the crest of the wave rather than in the embarrassment of recent days.
The problem is that, for all of the talk and expectation, his form in the Ashes shouldn’t be a great surprise to anyone who has been watching him of late. In sixteen tests since the last Ashes he has scored just over a thousand runs at 36.35. These are respectable figures, but are inflated by his 209 at Hobart against Pakistan, his only hundred in the period. Had he been caught on nought in that innings, as he should have been, then his average would have dropped below thirty. It’s also worth pointing out that ten of those tests have been against Pakistan, the West Indies and New Zealand who, without wanting to be rude, aren’t the most challenging opponents in world cricket at the moment.
All batsmen have bad trots, of course, but what should be of most concern has been the manner of his dismissals. It feels as though almost all of his innings in this series have ended with him prodding outside off stump, his feet trapped on the crease. At his best, Ricky Ponting’s footwork has been among the best in the world, but now his movements are tentative. Equally, his once withering pull shot has become little more than a reflex paddle, an invitation to fine leg or deep backward square. With his fielding also becoming mortal, all of the indications are that his eyes have gone slightly, that he isn’t picking the ball up quite as early as once he did and so all of his movements are just a fraction too late. That isn’t something that can be rectified, it isn’t a matter of form, it is something that signals the end of a career.
There is also the fact that Australia have to move on – they have to look forward to what they can achieve with the players that they have and the players that are coming through. The glory days are gone and so they need new leadership and new players stepping up. It may well be a painful process, but it is something that happens to all great sides eventually. They will be better served with a new captain and a new set of players who have the freedom to make their mark on the game, rather than living up to the expectations of the old. Quite who that captain should be is a matter of conjecture, but they have to move on and that means an Australia without Ricky Ponting.
The one hope that I think that all cricket fans, whatever their persuasion, share is that history judges him on his whole career, not on its rather messy end, for he has been a truly great cricketer, one of those that I will be privileged to tell my grandchildren that I have seen play.
The wisdom among pundits is that he shouldn’t remain as captain but that he still has a good deal to offer as a batsman. Those Australian players who have ventured an opinion seem to suggest that they still consider him to be their leader and, in Michael Clarke’s words, a ‘champion player’. Sadly for all, that is no longer the case.
One of the great challenges for selection committees is when to let a great player go. A tradition seems to have arisen over the last few years for allowing players to go on until they say that they have had enough in the hope that they might recapture past glories: Matthew Hayden is a recent example of a player who went on for a year or so too long but was considered undroppable by selectors even when his batting resembled a parody of its former power. England have done the same: the most obvious example is Ian Botham, who kept being selected in hope rather than expectation. Too often sentiment has been allowed to stand in the way of progress and there is a real risk that this will happen in the case of Ponting, that he will be allowed another series to enable him to go out on the crest of the wave rather than in the embarrassment of recent days.
The problem is that, for all of the talk and expectation, his form in the Ashes shouldn’t be a great surprise to anyone who has been watching him of late. In sixteen tests since the last Ashes he has scored just over a thousand runs at 36.35. These are respectable figures, but are inflated by his 209 at Hobart against Pakistan, his only hundred in the period. Had he been caught on nought in that innings, as he should have been, then his average would have dropped below thirty. It’s also worth pointing out that ten of those tests have been against Pakistan, the West Indies and New Zealand who, without wanting to be rude, aren’t the most challenging opponents in world cricket at the moment.
All batsmen have bad trots, of course, but what should be of most concern has been the manner of his dismissals. It feels as though almost all of his innings in this series have ended with him prodding outside off stump, his feet trapped on the crease. At his best, Ricky Ponting’s footwork has been among the best in the world, but now his movements are tentative. Equally, his once withering pull shot has become little more than a reflex paddle, an invitation to fine leg or deep backward square. With his fielding also becoming mortal, all of the indications are that his eyes have gone slightly, that he isn’t picking the ball up quite as early as once he did and so all of his movements are just a fraction too late. That isn’t something that can be rectified, it isn’t a matter of form, it is something that signals the end of a career.
There is also the fact that Australia have to move on – they have to look forward to what they can achieve with the players that they have and the players that are coming through. The glory days are gone and so they need new leadership and new players stepping up. It may well be a painful process, but it is something that happens to all great sides eventually. They will be better served with a new captain and a new set of players who have the freedom to make their mark on the game, rather than living up to the expectations of the old. Quite who that captain should be is a matter of conjecture, but they have to move on and that means an Australia without Ricky Ponting.
The one hope that I think that all cricket fans, whatever their persuasion, share is that history judges him on his whole career, not on its rather messy end, for he has been a truly great cricketer, one of those that I will be privileged to tell my grandchildren that I have seen play.
Retained! - Day Four at Melbourne
And so it came to pass. England’s players and management will wake up tomorrow morning with headaches brought on by too much champagne: Australia’s selectors, meanwhile, have rather more worrying headaches to deal with.
Unlike at Adelaide or, indeed, unlike their own batting at Perth, England had to work for their wickets. Once Mitchell Johnson had gone to an indeterminate push at a good delivery from Tremlett, Haddin and Siddle at least showed some character in prolonging the game into the second hour of the morning. Both offered tough chances to Collingwood at slip, both played and missed and Siddle was millimetres away from being run out, but they showed the kind of character and application that has been all too rare from Australia in this series. Siddle, in particular, has had a match to remember but eventually perished – having had one big shot beautifully caught in the crowd he went for another and fell to a well judged catch by Kevin Pietersen. After that it was simply a case of watching and waiting and it was appropriate, given his dismantling of the top order yesterday, that the final wicket fell to Tim Bresnan, Hilfenhaus’s inside edge being beautifully caught by a diving Matt Prior.
England were suitably jubilant but also careful to say that the series has not been won yet while Ricky Ponting, as always, was more generous in his post match interview than he had been on the field. The captain’s future is just one concern for the selectors, but it seems to be the main topic of conversation in the Australian media. It is hard not to feel a little sorry for Ponting, for someone had to be captain at the point at which the side went into decline and he happens to have been the man with the poisoned chalice. It is always easy to blame the man in charge, and his captaincy certainly hasn’t been great, but Australia’s problems run far deeper than that.
The only change that England may ponder for Sydney will be the return of Steven Finn, although I suspect that they will be unchanged, while Australia will, at the very least, need to replace Ryan Harris, presumably with Michael Beer. My prediction of 3-1 is still looking reasonably good.
One final note: I notice that the more cretinous of the media who were keen to attribute the defeat at Perth to the arrival of the players' families have kept quiet about the fact that they are still there.
Unlike at Adelaide or, indeed, unlike their own batting at Perth, England had to work for their wickets. Once Mitchell Johnson had gone to an indeterminate push at a good delivery from Tremlett, Haddin and Siddle at least showed some character in prolonging the game into the second hour of the morning. Both offered tough chances to Collingwood at slip, both played and missed and Siddle was millimetres away from being run out, but they showed the kind of character and application that has been all too rare from Australia in this series. Siddle, in particular, has had a match to remember but eventually perished – having had one big shot beautifully caught in the crowd he went for another and fell to a well judged catch by Kevin Pietersen. After that it was simply a case of watching and waiting and it was appropriate, given his dismantling of the top order yesterday, that the final wicket fell to Tim Bresnan, Hilfenhaus’s inside edge being beautifully caught by a diving Matt Prior.
England were suitably jubilant but also careful to say that the series has not been won yet while Ricky Ponting, as always, was more generous in his post match interview than he had been on the field. The captain’s future is just one concern for the selectors, but it seems to be the main topic of conversation in the Australian media. It is hard not to feel a little sorry for Ponting, for someone had to be captain at the point at which the side went into decline and he happens to have been the man with the poisoned chalice. It is always easy to blame the man in charge, and his captaincy certainly hasn’t been great, but Australia’s problems run far deeper than that.
The only change that England may ponder for Sydney will be the return of Steven Finn, although I suspect that they will be unchanged, while Australia will, at the very least, need to replace Ryan Harris, presumably with Michael Beer. My prediction of 3-1 is still looking reasonably good.
One final note: I notice that the more cretinous of the media who were keen to attribute the defeat at Perth to the arrival of the players' families have kept quiet about the fact that they are still there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)