Test Cricket: England v Australia

Is it me...

2011-01-15T17:45:00.002Z

Or has Shane Watson invented a new bat with a hinge in the handle?

Great Picture...

2011-01-08T14:33:00.004Z

From The Australian

Top 10 Moments of the Ashes (for England)

2011-01-08T10:08:00.006Z

1. Cook's double hundred at Brisbane, set a psychological platform for Cook and the other batters

2. Anderson reducing Australia to 2/3 at Adelaide, devastating start from which their top order never recovered

3. KP's double hundred at Adelaide, skillful and dominant

4. KP bowling Clarke at Adelaide, completely out of the blue halting Clarke's recover of form

5. Collingwood's catch of Ponting off Jimmy at Perth, spectacular and epitomised England's fielding

6. Trott not realising he'd run out of partners in Melbourne, that man just plays in his own bubble, just what England need at 3

7. Jimmy getting Hussey in the first innings at Melbourne, ended Hussey's run-fest which was another key nail in the Aussie coffin

8. Ricky losing his cool at Melbourne over the referral, poor old fella, he may never play Test cricket again

9. Bresnan bowling Pointing in the second innings, every England bowler got Ponting out in one way or another and even our support bowlers managed it

10. Winning the series 3-1 - nuf said!

Session by Session

2011-01-08T10:06:00.002Z

OK, here's a breakdown of the series by day, showing the number of sessions won and lost, using the normal margin of 90/3 being halved (unless extenuating circumstances). England's score first.

Brisbane (draw)

------------------------

Day 1: 2.5/0.5

Day 2: 1.5/1.5

Day 3: 1/2

Day 4: 3/0

Day 5: 2/1

Total: 10/5

Adelaide (Eng win)

-------------------

Day 1: 2/1

Day 2: 3/0

Day 3: 1/2

Day 4: 1/0

Day 5: -

Total: 7/3

Perth (Aus win)
-------------------
Day 1: 2/1
Day 2: 0/3
Day 3: 1/2
Day 4: 0/1
Day 5: -
Total: 3/7

Melbourne (Eng win)
-------------------
Day 1: 3/0
Day 2: 0.5/2.5
Day 3: 1/2
Day 4: 1/0
Day 5: -
Total: 5.5/4.5

Sydney (Eng win)
-------------------
Day 1: 2/0
Day 2: 2.5/0.5
Day 3: 3/0
Day 4: 2.5/0.5
Day 5: 1/0
Total: 11/1

Series Total: 36.5 / 20.5

That's pretty emphatic and the signs were there in Brisbane in the first test that England had the mettle to go on and win the series with their wining draw after batting brilliantly in the second innings. The nature of the win in Sydney by dominating nearly every session really shows how far England came this Winter.

Collingwood's successor

2011-01-06T07:57:00.003Z

Paul Collingwood announced his retirement from Test cricket today, to no-one's surprise, it was always unlikely that England's management would tolerate another dip in his form having supported him through them on several occasions before. But they know how valuable his overall contribution is to the team and they will struggle to find a like-for-like replacement.

Morgan seems to be the "next cab off the rank" in terms of batting and it's almost become a shoe-in that he will play but that would be a mistake. Morgan is a pretty one dimensional cricketer in Test terms where his bravado with the bat wont always be appropriate as KP has discovered. James Hildreth has been mentioned a lot and is obviously in the selector's plans for the future, he has a great at Somerset but for me we need to be looking for someone who can bring a bit more to the party, my candidates would be:

Ian Bell: the bottom line is that no-one new should be coming in above Bell in the order so he will actually be the direct replacement at number 5, the question then becomes who replaces Ian Bell at 6

Ravi Bopara: slight bias as he is an Essex man, but he would be a natural fit to replace Collingwood's all round talent and batting at 6 would suit him perfectly

Tim Bresnan: we know he can bat, has a decent technique, and we definitely know he can bowl so why not take the opportunity to strengthen the bowling line up, promote Prior to 6 and play Bresnan at 7

Stuart Broad: effectively Broad is the player who is coming back into the side that played at Sydney so technically he could be Collingwood's replacement if there were no changes to the current side, keeping Bresnan.

Playing Broad and Bresnan means you have two guys to replace Collingwood's runs, as his bowling would be well covered, batting stats are as follows:

Collingwood's average: 40

Bresnan's average: 32

Broad's average: 27

So that's the batting sorted, the only thing missing is Collingwood's exceptional fielding, which may be the thing that he is most remembered for. Someone needs to come in and catch well off Swanny both sides of the wicket. The likely candidates are Bell, who is a specialist close-in fielder, Anderson who appears to be an excellent all-round fielder or Trott who fields at slip for his county.

Whichever way you look at it Collingwood will leave a strange shaped hole in the England team and it will take some filling, I just hope England selectors take the opportunity to explore all the options.

Innings Averages

2011-01-05T12:48:00.006Z

Australia's scores in the series so far (excluding second innings at Brisbane):

481/10

245/10

304/10

268/10

309/10

98/10

258/10

280/10

281/10

--------------

Average for completed innings: 280 (28 per wicket)

Average total score for top 5 wickets: 154

England (all innings):

513/10

187/10

123/10

620/5

260/10

517/1

644/10

------------

Average for completed innings: 409 (51 per wicket)

Average total score for top 5 wickets: 289

So to put it simply England's top 5 were twice as good as Australia's

Eng 50s: 11 (6 players)

Aus 50s: 16 (8 players)

Eng 100s: 9 (6 players)

Aus 100s: 3 (2 players)

Australia scored a lot more 50s but only went on to convert 15% of them into 100s, 8 of their squad scored a 50 in the series, with Johnson adding two from the lower order, only Hughes from the top order didn't manage to register one.

England converted their 50s into 100s at a rate of 45% which is outstanding with 6 of their regular top 7 batters scoring a 100. This consistency and ultimately the form every one found themselves in was the real difference. The only disappointment for England would be that their tail did not wag much in the series but I dont think they'll be losing sleep on that one. Australia got some useful contributions from Johnson and Siddle in the series, but probably too little too late in most cases.

Hat's off to Australia...

2011-01-05T07:33:00.002Z

They've unearthed yet another completely ineffective spin bowler, where do they find all these unusually mediocre players? It's almost become a skill. Nathan Hauritz must be absolutely gutted, he's easily the most average of all of them and he cant get in the team! Has he been shagging Ricky's missus or something?

England's Player Review

2011-01-05T07:18:00.004Z

I've ranked these in order based on their contribution to the series:

Cook: record breaking stats fest wherever he batted this winter - outstanding, and sweat-free!

Anderson: led the bowling attack with maturity and skill, his economy rate was a session winner on a number of occasions

Trott: the answer to England's problem position with a really solid series

Strauss: slightly patchy with the bat, but very positive, implemented the tactical plans superbly

Swann: patient and still threatening in not very friendly conditions, bit more with the bat would have been nice

Bell: looked excellent but missed a couple of opportunities to shine in difficult circumstances

Pietersen: lots of runs and 1 major innings, cant help thinking one more hundred would have added to his credibility

Prior: kept wicket really well, taking lots of key catches, weighed in with runs at the end of the series

Finn: could have been the weakest link and was targetted by the Aussies but kept his head and got a lot of wickets early in the series, fitness let him down but a great start to his ashes career

Tremlett: came in and showed his physical prowess to make some telling contributions which may well take him into the Summer

Bresnan: came in and kicked the Aussies when they were down, they had been softened up a bit by then but still useful, shows our strength in depth in the bowling department

Collingwood: can you be in the England team for your catching? Probably not.

Broad: very unlucky to get injured when he did, he bowled tight with intelligence for not much reward

Alistair Cook: Man of the Series

2011-01-05T07:15:00.002Z

I'd just like to draw your attention to a post I put up some weeks ago now

Cooky's in the runs

Not to say I told you so but...

Bell-end

2010-12-27T11:08:00.002Z

Well, that's why you're at number six Ian, you muppet. Out hooking, under no pressure whatsoever. Very reminiscent of Trent Bridge in 2005 when he heaped pressure on his teammates by hooking to backward square, straight down his throat. In fact how many times has Ian Bell cleared the ropes with that shot? He'd only been in for 2 overs and there was a hundred there for the taking, credit to Matt Prior for taking Bell's runs for himself and passing 2000 career runs. Fair enough, England needed to get the run rate but you're only 4 foot 6, what were you thinking???

Some stats...

2010-12-27T08:06:00.002Z

Always worth checking the Howstat site for decent cricket stats, and here's a few good ones:

Run Rate

In 2005 England's improved run rate was the difference between the two teams and it is showing again here, England are at 3.54 and Australia at 3.16. It is key to England's plan of playing 4 bowlers that they restrict the opposition run rate, as it builds pressure and creates wickets. This is why Finn was dropped from the current test he is going at 4.32 which breaks the model. Bresnan came in to do a very specific job and went for 1.92, he also picked up the wickets of Hughes and Haddin who were both flashing at the ball with attempted scoring shots. Well done England!

Batting

England have 4 of the top 6 batters in the series so far by average score, only Hussey appears in the top 4 for Australia, and he is having an excellent series. England's tail are letting them down badly with no-one averaging over 20 outside the top 5. Collingwood is having a mare and may well be on his last tour for England, having said that he has the same average as Ponting, maybe it's time for both to go?

Records

Alistair Cook is nearing 5000 career runs and he's still in his fifth year of International cricket, that's a 1000 runs per year, pretty good for a 26 year old. With his latest knock Matt Prior has become England's third best wicket keeper of all time, behind Alec Stewart and Alan Knott. No batsmen on show in the Ashes are rated in the current top 10!

Melbourne Test: The wrap up - An Australian Perspective

2010-12-26T22:34:00.003Z

Hi Guys,
It is my last post for a little while as I am off down the beach for 5 days. By this stage the Ashes will of been complete unless something drastic happens.

I took my two little boys to MCG yesterday and was a great atmosphere. You do not mind get beaten in cricket however the way Australia go about their cricket has been very consistent throughtout the series. Mentally, they are not prepared to sit through difficult batting conditions. I count'nt at least 3 batsmen that played silly shots to get out.

Strauss won the toss and bowled. The ball fizzed around and it was interesting since you can hear the sound of the willow from the crowd and I do not think I heard the Australias hit the middle of the bat too many times even when defending. So, it was particularly difficult to bat.

England bowled superbly between Anderson, Tremlett, Bresnan in conditions which were similar to England conditons. They pitched the ball up, were able to move the ball and fielded brilliantly. Well done.

I think Phillip Hughes will make it however the shot he went out on is typically of a player who thinks he is invincible on flat pitches. Problem was the pitch was not flat and needs to learn to play in all conditions. Watson was all at sea. Next up was R Ponting who was scratchy at best. Played two nice shots and then played the Tremlett delievery all wrong - once upon a time he would of pulled that delivery since it was quite short. Hussey recieved a nice ball from Anderson and his luck finally run out. M Clarke played ok for a while and looked to be in OK touch until he nicked one. Steve Smith is not a No.6 (he is a No.7 or No.8) and C White should take this position (still cant work out this logic). B Haddin played an aweful undiscipled shot.

Every single Australian that went out looked like they did not care. They played rash, undiscipled shot to outstanding bowling. Yeah sure the conditions suited the bowling however you need to have some more patience in their stroke play. I thought Par was around the 200 run mark.

Onto the English batting. The sun came out as soon as they walked out. They used the heavy roller also to flatten to pitch. Yep, that did the job alright. All of a sudden conditions suited the batsmen. Once again, England opening pair showed great composure on every ball and picked their shot play. Similarly when you heard Strauss and Cook hit the ball whilst defending then it hit the middle of the bat every time. They were in good touch.

The Australian bowling was too short from Johnson, Harris & Hillfeneus. I thought Siddle bowled well however he understand the conditions more since he is Victorian.

In most of the Shefield Shield Games in the last few years at MCG. The team that Bats first generally loses.

Anyway all the momentum and skill with England. It is very overcast today so there will be some wickets I would expect and there will be some showers however it should not stop England for regaining the Ashes. The next 3 days of weather should be very sunny.

Congratulations to England well done.

The fall out for Australia will be heavy however it needs to happen to bring through a bunch of new talented kids (there are plenty around also).

All the best. I am off to the beach.

Luke

automatic sentence checker

2010-12-26T18:04:00.003Z

Hello Luke the automatic sentence checker on my Mac listed a couple of things that needed clarification:

'I need to buy my tickets today. They are saying there is going to be over 90,000 people there and maybe one of the biggest crowds in the last 50 years at MCG' - did you mean just on day one?

'Welcome to Melbourne - home of sport attendance. I think the Barmy Army may be a little overwhelmed this week' - Luke, did you mean overwhelmed with excitement?

ps This was the game my wife and I were meant to be at to celebrate our 10th Anniversary until she remembered we have only been married 9 years.

Interesting point...

2010-12-26T16:42:00.004Z

Just saw this on an Australian web site:

"It is curious that of Australia's top seven, only Ricky Ponting and Hughes are not regulars in the national Twenty20 side, yet of England's, only Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood are."

This is exactly the sort of criticism that used to be leveled at England when they were in selection turmoil, and it used to be lauded as one of Australia's strengths, the fact they played the same team in all forms of the game. So now the tune has changed and you can't play T20 and Test cricket and be successful, and with England T20 champions and in the box seat to retain the Ashes the boot really is on the other foot.

Here's how Aussie fans think they will do in the one day world cup next year

Am I dreaming??

2010-12-26T09:13:00.004Z

Another great start to a Test by England, and this time we surely wont throw it away like we did in Perth. What an incredible come back by England, they have real "bouncebackability" that's for sure, which must be the sign of a team in good mental state. Winning the toss may be a key factor here but you still have to "deliver your skills" as Stuart Broad would say (and does every 5 minutes on TMS).

An extra Xmas present that's most welcome! All the talk of momentum seems a bit simplistic now, Test cricket is a much more complex game than most others and has a lot of hidden depths. Having just watched the highlights practically every Aussie batsman got out in the same way with the same shot, albeit to balls of the right length in the conditions - it looks like a training video for slip catching or a compilation of swing bowling hits, the only odd one is that I couldn't see much movement on the ball that Ponting got which is a bad sign for him. A great moment in the highlights on Sky was Johnson's return to form with a nice wide one down leg side for four byes - great work Mitch!

Don't Panic!

2010-12-19T09:56:00.003Z

It looks bad but I have to agree with Andrew Strauss, this is not time for panic. England always have one disaster in the series and we need to pray that this was it, I would remind you of our innings defeat in the test at Headingly in 2009, after which we went on to win. In 2005 we lost badly at Lords before then taking 2 of the last 4, and arguably should have been 3 if we'd managed to force a win at Old Trafford.

Of course last time we were in Australia we managed to back up our one disaster test with 4 more, so it will be interesting that's for sure.

After 3 Tests - Player versus Player - Batting

2010-12-19T05:44:00.004Z

It is difficult to anlayse after 3 tests since it has been a see-saw battle so far.

So here we go on the batting front.
Openers
Strauss v Watson = Even
Cooke v Hughes/Katich = Cooke (you could argue if Cooke v Watson then England would win this one also as Strauss is better than Hughes/Katich)
Total England 1 1/2, Australia 1/2

Middle Order
Ponting v Trott = Trott
Clarke v Peterson = Peterson (just)
Collingwood v Hussey = Hussey
Bell v North/Smith = Bell
Haddin v Prior = Hadden
Total England 3, Australia 2

Lower Order
Swan v Johnson = Johnson
Harris v Anderson/Broad = Anderson/Broad
Siddle v Tremlett/Anderson = Siddle
Hilfeneaus v Finn = Hilfers
Total Australia 3, England 1

Total Australia 5 1/2 England 5 1/2

Any comments?

Good morning England........Series is now 1-1

2010-12-19T05:16:00.003Z

You will wake up to see Australia demolished your last 5 wickets within about the first hr of play.

England, hang your heads. Pathetic, insipid and scared performance. Can't believe this is the same confident side we saw in Adelaide.

Congratulations Australia. Suberb bowling. They stuck at it with great line and length for both innings. Harris, Hillfeneus, Johnson and Siddle were terrific and should again prove to be difficult to stop. Harris has not hit top gear as yet......

The main differences in the bowling departments were that Australia are quicker and bowled fuller than England. This was very key in the outcomes.

It is about bloody time we bowled to Trott wide of off stump also. He is particularly vunerable (it doesnt help that we have dropped him 4 times also). I don't think Strauss is any more comfortable than Ponting either, so a big score is around the corner for him also. He has feathered two down leg side so far and played a ball he should not of played. Collingwood looks awefully out of form also.

Michael Hussey has been an absolute champion as has Shane Watson during the series so far.

Englands lower order looks extremely fragile and something they need to think about a little more. No runs from Prior, Swan, Anderson & co and some cause for some concern.

Ian Bell had something to prove today. It was his 'day in the sun' today, however he got ' severe sunburnt' when put under pressure. Mr Bell you still have a bit to prove son.........

Again congratulations Australia. Let's keep the momentum going for Melbourne.........

Batting Yips are Back!

2010-12-18T10:30:00.005Z

Another great performance by England's (and Australia's) bowlers let down by the batting, how many times have we said over the last few years. It does show how hard it is to win abroad, which does mean that our performance in the first two tests maybe didn't get the praise it deserved. In classic Australian conditions and with the Aussies finding the answer to their spin problems, ie dont bother, they bowled really well as a unit. If asked I suspect England would have taken 569/20 as Australia's total before the game and would have expected to get the runs needed. With two days to go the draw is now not an option, Australia will be expecting to win easily, probably by lunchtime tomorrow. The only positive glimmer for England is that Bell would probably be the batsman you'd want in at the moment. Arise Sir Ian, this is your moment to be a legend!

Looking ahead, Collingwood is looking like a walking wicket, but his fielding and support bowling will keep him in the team but surely Bell must go above him in the order? Hussey has gone from not being selected to being Man of the Series for Australia, it will be interesting to see who comes back in as a spinner for Australia and who gets dropped for the next test. On the bowling front Tremmlet has secured himself a berth for the rest of the series. As Swanny is struggling to get wickets maybe he can weigh in with some runs tomorrow.

congrats where they are due

2010-12-17T19:04:00.002Z

Well, well, well.... typical Englanders getting ahead of themselves (myself included). Just when I think we can't undo the good work done, we do. How often I have spoken with others about the Australian ability to turn a match or a series in one session of cricket. I don't for a minute think this game is over (and I would take a draw as we stand) but Johnson (who looked like a farmer chucking potatoes 2 weeks ago) grasped his opportunities well and bowled like a diamond...It hurts, but this must be better for everyone - a good tight contest and a juicy bit of cricket over the next few weeks...a cracking response from Australia. Dead and buried my arse........

Normal service has been resumed...

2010-12-17T07:23:00.003Z

As ever England are only ever 1 innings away from returning to their inconsistent selves, we used to have one of these 'bad day at the office' moments every couple of tests, we got it down to once a series in recent years. Against Australia this could be a fatal day in the series, needs some big hearts to get out of this one.

2010-12-16T12:19:00.002Z

Ponting holing out to Collingwood again. Genius. Ponting should have been leaving the new ball for a few overs at least. His head is gone. One foot on the trap door.............

Cricket Heaven!

2010-12-16T10:11:00.003Z

Well, it just gets better and better, 2 years ago England would have been 30/2 at the end of the day and making a game of it but being 0 down gives us the psychological edge going into day 2 on what looks like a batting paradise with boundaries going all round the ground.

I don't know about anyone else but I've never felt so bullish about tomorrow which is of course where it usually all goes wrong for England! I cant wait!

Clint McKay......I am pushing this boat once again

2010-12-14T03:12:00.003Z

You may remember my Blog from a few weeks ago. Again Clint McKay bowled tight and got wickets against England.

Not sure what the selectors are thinking however a reminder call for them once again.

Victoria have won the last 2 of the last 3 Shefield Sheild sides however yet only 1 test player in the side (Peter Siddle). Clint Mckay should be added to the squad, as should C White (leadership qualities are tremendous). They should also look at David Hussey also.

Unless you play for NSW you do not seem to get a look into the Australia test side.......

Any comments........?

One Nil to the Engerland!

2010-12-07T17:29:00.002Z

I dont think we've beat anyone that comprehensively since we played Bangladesh earlier in the year, incredible stuff. There were some amazing moments in the match but the intensity with which England played was by far the most outstanding element. If Pietersen had held the diving catch at Gully to get the final wicket he would have been carried off the pitch shoulder high, but as it was, every player weighed in to the victory which was richly deserved.

Australia are in such disarray that it makes you wonder if it's worth them making changes for the next game at all, they'll need to replace Katich but there is not a better player waiting in the wings to play at opener, lets face it if they had a decent opener they wouldn't be be playing Watson or Katich there in the first place.

No point changing the captain, might as well let Ricky take one for the team, he deserves a bit of retribution for having let Warney and McGrath win all those matches for him. You could blood a new batsman in place of North or Clarke but that's just arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. The position of spinner seems to be up for grabs, they could not bother and just play their 4 best seamers.

It's a massive shame for Broad as I think he was gearing up for a match winning performance in one of the upcoming tests. The great thing for England is that their batting is firing so they dont need to pick a replacement on anything other their bowling which makes it an even contest for those in the frame. I like all three of the contenders; Bresnan was immense in Bangladesh last winter, Shahzad has tons of promise and Tremlett is physically imposing. I think we'll leave that one to the experts.

The only other change may be to put Bell up one at 5 which is probably his rightful place in the team considering the form he's in.

Congratulations England - Too good......

2010-12-07T00:59:00.002Z

Only weather could have saved Australia......
Completely outplayed by England. Congratulations.
Time to move onto Perth. Australia are down and out. The fragility of their middle & lower order was shown again, the accuracy of the bowling. Australias fielding is not up to scratch either.

Expect Steve Smith to come in for Xavier Doherty to sure up the lower order ( and to lesser extent his bowling) and one of the batters (take your pick).

Time to move onto Perth.......

Stick em back in...

2010-12-05T09:30:00.003Z

I know they won't do it but wouldn't it be great if Strauss declared now. Ian Bell looks in great nick and the whole batting order looks to be enjoying themselves but as Jim said below we have got to push for a win here and that needs time in the middle for our bowlers. If the pitch is deteriorating and there is a chance of rain then we have get started and take some wickets.

Just a quick note on the sessions won and lost, I'm scoring this as England winning every session so far, which is some kind of achievement in my book. The only debatable one is the first session of the first day which ended 90/3 which should make it exactly a half but by the nature of the way the wickets fell and considering who they were I'm still giving it to England, it was a brilliant start.

Weather report....

2010-12-04T23:29:00.002Z

Hey. Attached is a link of the weather report for Adelaide. I think England will need to go for it this morning and then declare as it does not look too good.

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/tenday/ASXX0001?site=www.espncricinfo.com&cm_ite=wx-10Day&par=cricinfo&cm_pla=citypg&cm_cat=scores&cm_ven=cricinfo&promo=0

When I arrived in Melbourne last week I shocked to see everything so green and the rain continues to poor across the country. It is quite bizarre weather for this time of year.

Australia I thought bowled much better yesterday than the first test however they were outclassed completely in the end. We seem to want to run Trott into form also as we have now dropped him 4 times in two test matches. All in all I am happy with the pace attack however Doherty struggled a bit yesterday.

So there continues to be many chances for Australian domestic players to come in including:

Copeland (young fast bowler)
C White (should be in the side anyway since is a natural leader)
Uzeman
P Hughes
S Marsh
Hauritz (bowling well again)

If Australia get out of this test then they are very bloody lucky...........

2010-12-04T14:05:00.001Z

I hear that they are praying for rain in Adelaide. That used to be us.......

'nowt won yet though.

Wake Up Call

2010-12-04T12:25:00.004Z

There are many wonderful ways to wake up in the morning: a gentle kiss from your other half; the sound of sizzling bacon drifting up from the kitchen; the fresh smell of the ocean and a shaft of summer sunshine breaking through the curtains.

We can now add to these hearing the news of Ponting going for a golden duck and the Aussies being well on their way out for 245!

Marvelous!

Then to add a cherry to the top of this fairy cake, or some extra gravy to the meat pie if you like, this morning's news of a steady English performance with the bat!

Marvelous, marvelous!

Strauss falling for the third ball is an annoying lump of gristle in the gravy smothered meat pie... but I'll choose to ignore it on this occasion.

"Good morning Mr Ponting, this is the wake up call you requested."

I wonder if Ricky has any plans after January? Roll on day 3!

Pinch me...

2010-12-03T16:35:00.002Z

Is this really happening? Not only did we bat superbly in the last test but we've now just put on one of the best fielding and bowling displays of recent memory. Just excellent from England, that's all there is to it.

As I thought Australia definitely need something in the batting department, if they make a change there for the next test then England would have forced them to change their team in consecutive matches (excluding changes for injuries) which must be a first. Everyone got wickets and with 2 run outs Ricky Ponting must be sweating.

I heard Hussey speaking afterwards and it was similar to Watson after day 4 in Brisbane, he was saying all the right stuff, being positive and talking the team up but even he just didn't seem convinced. Day 2 will decide the destination of the Ashes, if England follow that display with some good batting then it's all over for the series. If they falter then it's all back on!

Good recovery from Australia........

2010-12-03T02:33:00.003Z

OK. There is a bit in the pitch from what I could see however nice recovery from Australia to end up close to 3/100. Watson is particular looked very strong which is a good sign.

In terms of the bowlers:

Jimmy Anderson - absolutely sensational bowling again. Good movement to get both Ponting & Clarke this morning.
Stuart Broad - started well in troubling the batsmen, however then again bowled too short. He needs to sort his shit out on line & length
Graeme Swan - bowled OK however does not yet to be troubling Australia too much.
Steven Finn - bowled poorly and too short and was hit all over the place.

I still maintain England are a bowler short. If you compare Australia's top 5 to Englands top 5 bowlers then see below as the 5th bowler even things up somewhat.

Head to head - Bowling Attack
Anderson v Bollinger - Anderson (just)
Siddle v Broad - Siddle (generally I would say Broad though)
Swan v Doherty - Swan
Finn v Harris - Not sure yet (I expect Harris to be good though)
Collingwood v Watson - Watson

So in summary that is 2 1/2 each, however you would expect the 5th bowlers not to bowl as much. So England maybe shade them....just.

Australia 3/11

2010-12-03T00:30:00.002Z

All I can say is what a disaster........

Time to overhaul the batting attack now.

There is a bit in the pitch though. Jimmy Anderson deserves his good bowling.

Cheers,
Luke

struggling

2010-11-29T19:44:00.003Z

Now that I have 3 children, I didn't think it would be this difficult to stay awake all night. Managed to get up at 2.45 am to watch the final day. I slurred my way through Sunday and have spoken gibberish at work for most of the today. All without a drink. Looking forward to Adelaide already...

Summing up from Brisbane...

2010-11-29T15:55:00.002Z

Luke has got the cricket nailed in the post below but there are a few questions which still need answering:

Where were all the fans? Those painted chairs didn't fool me, if it wasn't for the Barmy Army the place would have been deserted!
Who is Michael Clark kidding, his career is slipping through his fingers and he's struggling badly, somebody might have to have a word
Ponting's field placings were a bit off the pace - has he lost it?
Johnson was talking himself up big time before the series, I think he'd be better off out of it so he doesn't embarrass himself any more
Does anybody feel like 2005 when we saw the back of Gillespie and Martyn after woeful performances early on in the series?

The 1st Test so far......

2010-11-28T19:35:00.002Z

OK. I have been watching intensely the competition for the last 4 days and here are my thoughts.

England 1st Innings.
I thought England's first innings whilst was not great I do not think their performance was too bad. The Australian bowling was poor with the exception of Siddle, Doherty and Watson. Both Hilfeneus and Mitchell Johnson were very poor. Without the dazzling display from Siddle it could of been very different.

Australian 1st Innings
The Australian innings looked a little shaky at first, in particular with Michael Clarke stratching around for some runs. If England had a little more luck with the decisions then it could of been a different story with Australia only having a slender lead. The England players all bowled without luck (maybe Broad was too short in his deliveries?) and at no point did they get their heads down. Equally whilst the bowling was good both Haddin and Hussey played well.

I wrote to my brother in law after the end of the 3rd day saying to him that England were still in this purely because I felt England mentally were the better side. This was proved yesterday. Whilst Australia played on inspiration, the England players felt they could get back into the game.

England 2nd Innings - so far
I thought Strauss lead from the front and some of his shots were top class. Outside of the catch M Johnson put down he did not do much wrong. Equally Cook just knocked the ball around until he decided to put the accelerator down.

The Australian fast bowling yesterday was some of the worst I have seen in a long time. It was not accurate, it was too short and they paid for this. Before the test match started I felt the batting was fairly equal however it was going to be down to the bowling. There is no doubt that Australia's bowling is not as strong as England's bowling now we have seen the attacks.

Mitchell Johnson needs to unfortunately be dropped as he has lost all confidence.

So all in all today is going to be a fantastic day of cricket. If England can declare at lunch and then have a good bowl in the afternoon, then they may further dent the Australian confidence. My prediction now is that I believe Australia will struggle to retain the Ashes - and I think Ricky Ponting knows this. I think they need to spend the rest of the Ashes ensuring they blood new players for the next generation since the side is in transition right now, whilst England are an excellent unit.......

Anyway that is my obserrvation from an Australian perspective.

Stats so far...

2010-11-28T19:19:00.001Z

Just to keep up to date in a test match which appears to have been dominated by Australia, it's interesting to see that Engalnd havent done that much wrong. If we look at it by sessions then it tells a slightly different story:

Day 1
Morning Eng 86/2
Afternoon Eng 86/2
Evening Eng 88/6 Aus 25/0

Day 2
Morning Aus 71/1
Afternoon Aus 72/4
Evening Aus 52/0

Day 3
Morning Aus 109/0
Afternoon Aus 107/0
Evening Aus 45/5 Eng 19/0

Day 4
Morning Eng 114/0
Afternoon Eng 103/1
Evening Eng 71/1

Using the usual (for me) way of deciding if a session is won by the batting side getting 90 runs or the bowling side getting 3 or more wickets. On that basis the score so far is Eng 5 Aus 4 Halved 3.

For my reference there have been 10 referrals so far.

morale swings our way

2010-11-28T12:32:00.004Z

If the Aussies lose a few wickets on the final afternoon, I would think the England and South Africa team would claim to have the morale in their favour. Personally, I hope England bat on for as long as possible giving the Aussies a dismal final day moping around the Gabba like bored chimps in a zoo. The Aussie bowling looked a bit limp last night - how rubbish is Mitchell Johnson? He looks like a potato chucker. Where was the 'intimidating atmosphere' that we are used to from your fans? Can the Australian crowd not get behind their own team?

It was hard trying to stay awake all night, but the brilliant batting of Cook and Strauss kept me going. After four days, both teams are looking like the sides they were on paper coming into this series. Adelaide beckons and Australia will need to lift their spirits to get anything out of the game. Ha'way the lads...

Much better from England...

2010-11-28T07:03:00.002Z

Well if the Aussies least in form batsman (Hussey) can get 195 on this pitch you really would hope that your team could post some runs and much to our relief that's what we've done. The draw is now favourite with an outside chance of a win for either team on the final day, the run rate is probably too low for that though. England had to bat 4 sessions and it looks they will do that, with a declaration after lunch on day 5 a possibility, although nicking the draw will be a moral victory with Australia dominating the first three days.

An interesting point to note is that the so called bowling all-rounders on each team, Broad and Johnson, have yet to get a wicket or a run between them!

Phew!

2010-11-26T07:10:00.002Z

So 260 is not looking so bad now, with the Aussies at 143-5 England would have been hoping for a first innings lead. If the weather holds it looks like the draw is out of the question so we're off and running with a result in the first test and probably a tense finish. Test match cricket delivers yet again! Highlights for England would be the figures of Anderson and Broad only going for 2 an over - that is superb bowling. Great for Finn to pick up wickets too.

England need a good start tomorrow to get Australia out for less than 300 and then set it up for Swanny in the last innings.

It could have been worse...

2010-11-25T20:10:00.004Z

When I woke up this morning I thought about how bad the first day could be and then I saw the BBC headline: "Australia rip through England", and I saw 'all out for 150' or worse in my mind. Many real England fans will remember what we're capable of and be quite relieved by that performance. As notorious slow starters this is not as bad as it could have been. The two low points are obviously Strauss and the hat trick but there are some reasonable performances to go against that. And as Geoffrey always says: "you dont know what's par until both sides have batted."

The only regret is that whatever psychological edge England had built up by their great start to the tour has been completely wiped out in the first day. I'd still back us to come good even if we lose this first test. Hopefully better things to come tomorrow.

Aussie Spinners...

2010-11-23T09:56:00.002Z

Dropping Nathan Hauritz for an unheard of lefty came as a shock to me, then when I read more on the BBC it appears that the Aussies have brought him in to target England's right handed middle order. So that means the Aussies are worried about Ian Bell, it cant be true! I don't remember them having ever selected a bowler because of the opposition batters let alone against England, they would normally only replace someone in extreme playing conditions or injury. They might be trying to deal a psychological blow to Pietersen by playing on one of his demons, but honestly so what, England have to accept that Pietersen can get out for 3 or 300 and it makes the other guys play too which is no bad thing. It will be good for England if the Aussies focus on KPs batting and select their side on that basis.

Clint McKay

2010-11-19T10:02:00.003Z

There is no doubt that Clint McKay should be in the Australian test squad. He bowled accurately, beat the bat on more than a dozen occasions and can hold up one end. He is just the type of bowler Australia need at present to keep a lid on things.

This guy is just getting better a better and need to be picked into the squad.

OK. I am a little biased since Clint grew up in my suburb in Victoria and I played basketball with Clint and his father when I was younger.

Kevin Peterson - what to do with him

2010-11-19T09:56:00.002Z

Again we saw Peterson lose his way yesterday to the left arm spinner. I am not sure whether it is the spin or his mental approach to seeing through an innings.

If he is not hitting fours and sixes then he does not seem to have the patience to see off a bowler.

He is Englands main problem right now.

Jonathan Trott.......

2010-11-19T09:52:00.002Z

My thoughts on Jonathan Trott......
Very strong player, great mental strength and anything you bowl onto the middle to leg stump he hits to the boundary.

Where I think he has a problem is the rising bowl on his off stump to wide of off stump. Australia need to keep bowling only in this area.

Just an observation however Australia need to be very discipled in their bowling to him as I think he is a touch vunerable.

Mr Cricket is back......

2010-11-19T09:45:00.003Z

Mike Hussey is back.........lovely century yesterday for WA.

http://cricket.com.au/news-display/Mr-Cricket-returns/22743

Australia have backed themselves into a little bit of a corner now though since Uzman and Ferguson have now failed with Australia A so they limited other batting options.

For me I would of picked Cameron White and Phil Hughes also into the squad.......lets watch this space to see how it all unravels.

Mitch Johnson Smashes Hundred for Western Australia

2010-11-19T09:35:00.002Z

Ok. Some great news here. Mitchell Johnson smashed a hundred a day ago for WA to keep an even keel in matching the batting of Chris Broad lower down the order. This is going to be a really important battle as I see it as both Australia and England middle order can be fragile at times.

http://cricket.com.au/news-display/Mitch-ton-fires-Warriors/22714

The real area of importance for Australia is who do they pick as their spinner. The left arm spin of Xavier Doherty maybe a great option since Peterson looked completely messed up by the left arm bowler in Australia A side Okeefe. The other alternative is to go for Steve Smith who I believe will be a great bowler in the next few years however would be picked more for his batting strength.

Smart thinking by England...

2010-11-18T10:22:00.002Z

OK, this is getting weird, we're playing good cricket and even the management are making good decisions, the way the tour has been planned and this last decision of resting the first string bowlers looks inspired. Tremlett and Shahzad have done themselves no harm at all especially with Shahzad getting the old ball to swing yesterday.

Cooky's in the runs...

2010-11-12T11:00:00.002Z

Following a better batting effort from Alistair Cook in the warm up match today I'll stick my neck out now and say that if Cook gets runs in all the test matches England will win the series, not so much because he is a talisman for the team but it will show that the Aussie bowlers are not on their 'A' game. In that event we'll get enough runs in every test to allow our 4 bowlers to get the wickets we need and win the series.

A good start to the tour...

2010-11-11T06:55:00.002Z

Looks like all the batsman have started to get some runs under their belt, Trott, Cook and Prior need some more time in the middle but Collingwood has come to the party today. Bowlers all look good so avoiding injury must be the priority. According to the BBC the Aussies are already planning changes for the second test to cover for 1 or 2 players who they expect
to fail!

The Ashes 2010/11

2010-11-10T10:56:00.003Z

Well, it seems like an awful long time since we started this blog, the excitement of 2005 was completely justified as we saw one of the all time great Ashes series. Th drama was nail-biting and the outcome, from an English perspective, was sensational. So we didn't blog much about the following series, in fact none at all which is the same the number of test series the England won. The 2009 series in England was another classic for a whole lot of new reasons so we thought with predictions for this time around on a knife edge we'd start again, let battle commence...

Cricket Frenzy...

2005-09-25T15:42:00.000Z

Well it is everywhere. Everytime I walk my dog I see kids and families playing cricket. They are playing in the park and in the street. I have never seen anything like it in this country. It just shows that winning is still the key to getting people to play sport, and finally the message may get through to the liberals who took competitive sport off the school curriculum. Hopefully our government will finally get it and start supporting the national teams and sportspeople more.

It gets even better, the ramshackle 6 or so kids who have been using the all weather strip in the local park, today staged a game with about 20 of them playing, they even had an umpire with a notebook! The funniest thing was that the guy who was next in to bat was padded up on the boundary and one of the lads batting had no pads on at all. The over I saw consisted of a couple of beamers, 3 wides and a couple of streaky singles. But at least they aren't using their bikes as the slip fielders anymore!

Freddie, what have you started?

Pietersen's Problem

2005-09-25T15:40:00.000Z

Having just watched a highlights show from the Ashes series, it would seem that Pietersen was out and dropped playing exactly the same shot, a drive outside off stump to a very full swinging ball. On the basis that I have spotted this you have to assume that Duncan Fletcher has this one covered. The Pakistan bowlers will definitely have got it logged and they love swinging yorkers, they practically invented them!

Overall Series Stats

2005-09-22T08:12:00.000Z

By session:

I score it like this:

England 32 sessions
Australia 26 sessions

Which seems a big difference overall, that is 2 days cricket difference. In fact I reckon there is about 1 hours cricket in the overall result. Another 30 runs at Trent Bridge and it was an Australian win, Another 5 overs at Old Trafford and we may have got a result, Edbaston was 1 shot away from being an Aussie win. It could have been 3-2 to the Aussies on that basis and what a travesty that would have been.

Maybe Test match cricket is the true test of two sides and the better team does win, regardless of toss, weather, umpires, crowd, pitches etc etc.

England Batting

Top order 1150
Middle order 1292
Lower order 326

TOTAL 2768

Run Rate 3.6

Australia Batting

Top order 1071
Middle order 942
Lower order 542

TOTAL 2555

Run Rate 3.4

So a measly 213 runs, a session and a half difference on the batting.

Here come the jokes...

2005-09-21T18:57:00.000Z

Well it never takes long does it...

Billy was at school this morning in the outback and the teacher asked all the children what there fathers did for a living. All the typical answers came out, Fireman, Policeman, Salesman, Chippy, Captain of Industry etc, but Billy was being uncharacteristically quiet and so the teacher asked him about his father. "My father is an exotic dancer in a gay club and takes off all his clothes in front of other men. Sometimes if the offer is really good, he'll go out with a man, rent a cheap hotel room and let them sleep with him. "The teacher quickly set the other children some work and took little Billy aside to ask him if that was really true. "No" said Billy, "He plays cricket for Australia but I was just too embarrassed to say."

Love it.

Head to Head: Series Review

2005-09-17T14:24:00.000Z

Before the Series began I had Australia winning in the following areas:

Openers
Keepers
Middle Order
Spinners

I called it even in the following areas:

Captains
Opening bowlers
Quick bowlers

And the funny thing is I have called all categories except Spinners in Englands favour now the series is over.

Head to Head: Series Review - Part 4

2005-09-17T11:33:00.000Z

Opening Bowlers

Pre-Series: "This one will depend on how they both start the series - I would call this one even at this stage."

Post Series: This all changed half way through when Gillespie was dumped by the Aussie selectors through poor performance. That was absolutely correct as he was dreadful. And of course McGrath missed two tests through injury. Interestingly neither Hoggard and Harmison were not the best England bowlers in the end, they weighed in with 33 wickets in all. McGrath and Gillespie took 22. Just through their fitness and performance this one goes to the England boys - just.

The All Rounders

Pre Series: "Well we've got Freddie and they've got.....is this the edge for England I wonder????"

Post Series: In simple terms Freddie was the difference, the other batsman and bowlers all pretty much cancel each other out. Australia had 3 bowlers who took more than 10 wickets and 4 batsman who made more than 300. England had 4 bowlers and 5 batsman and in both cases that extra man was Flintoff! Case closed.

The Middle Order

Pre Series: "This could be where this series is won and lost, across the board in all other categories it works out pretty evenly. I fear that the Australians may have the edge here."

Post Series: Hats off to England again here, the middle order put together 1292 runs compared to Australia's 942. This is the biggest difference in the batting and was indeed, as predicted, where the ashes was won. Martyn and Bell failed to impress for both teams. Clarke and Pietersen played well overall, Jones out scored Gilchrist and Freddie did the same to Katich. Australia did not have the dominance they needed in this area in the end, that has to be mostly down to Adam Gilchrist who will be disappointed with hiw own batting.

Head to Head: Series Review - Part 3

2005-09-17T11:23:00.000Z

The Keepers

Pre Series: "Geraint Jones has come on a treat and is a key part of the England set up, unfortunately it is not enough, Gilchrist is one of the best players in the world and wins this one easily for the Aussies."

Post Series: Adam Gilchrist must be gutted on this one, Jones outscored him by 229 runs to 181. Gilchrist was worked out by England's superb planning and suffered at every turn, not making 1 50 in the whole series. Credit must go to Duncan Fletcher here. But also Hoggard and Flintoff for picking him up with great bowling, and as Luke referenced, "Gilchrist does not get out lbw"... he does now! Jones was rightly criticised for dropping catches and some shoddy work but I think England must persevere here, he could be a huge asset in years to come.

The Quicks

Pre Series: "They could both do a good job but both sets of batsman will enjoy themselves with these guys dishing up pace on hard wickets in the sunshine. I am guessing they will be as ineffective as each other."

Post Series: Simon Jones turned out to be one of England's key man with the ball, he was used as a strike bowler to great effect time and time again. His consistent movement both ways had the Aussies struggling in the key Tests at Old Trafford and Trent Bridge. Injury did for him in the end, his old problem. I am going to call this one even though but not because of "ineffectiveness" but because of excellence, Brett Lee was the find of the Tour for the Aussies, he has matured into a brilliant, gutsy performer and if he had been a bit luckier he may have got a few more wickets. He was expensive but made up for it with some great batting displays at vital times.

Head to Head: Series Review - Part 2

2005-09-17T11:16:00.000Z

The Spinners

Pre Series: "I will surprise some people here, but I think this is much closer than it looks. I am going to call this even, on the basis that Giles will get more runs with the bat than Warne."

Post Series: Well, you have to say that overall both of these guys over performed, Giles batted well scoring the vital runs at Trent Bridge and he bowled much better than the Aussies thought, their manager fingered him as the weak link in England's attack and he was certainly not that. But hats off to Shane Warne he was absolutely brilliant, far from being even - Warne bowled out of his skin, batted well [at times] but most importantly was Australia's rock, when all else was going wrong Warne was on hand to bowl, advise or encourage. His sportsmanship was top drawer and he was pushed to the physical limits, bowling 250 overs! His figures of 40 for 797 are incredible. That is like bowling for a whole Test match, bowling out both teams twice from both ends!! Awesome. He is by far and away Australia's star man.

Head to Head: Series Review - Part 1

2005-09-17T09:11:00.000Z

At the beginning of the Series I did an analysis of the players against their opposite numbers, it is only reasonable to go back and look at this in light of the resulting performances:

The Captains [No 3s]

Pre Series : "My view would be that these guys are extremely evenly matched. They both weigh in regularly with runs at 3 or 4 and have great cricketing brains. Vaughan has been able to show an agressive style on England's winning run and has not been found wanting in his decision making on the field. Although Ponting is no Steve Waugh he has certainly been around the block and will have learnt a lot from the players around him. I would have to call this one a tie."

Post Series: Vaughan has to take this for his excellent captaincy throughout, with Ponting out of his comfort zone at times with some poor decisions. Ponting did weigh in with more runs but he was often under extreme pressure. Ponting also let the pressure tell at Trent Bridge with his outburst and subsequent fine. Although to credit him, both he and his players were tremendously gracious and generous in defeat.

The Openers

Pre Series: "I give Australia the edge here as I expect Hayden out perform Trescothick."

Post Series: England all the way here, they made good starts repeatedly and up until the Oval Hayden had totally underperformed, he will be lucky to keep his place in the team. Tres batted beautifully and without Pietersen's heroics at the Oval would have been the series' top scorer, he didn't make a ton but averaged 43. Strauss turned his game around brilliantly despite pressure from all the Aussie bowlers at one time or another. I can not give Langer the edge here because of this intelligent approach and hard work that was clearly going in between Tests against Merlyn [Englands spin bowler simulator]. Strauss and Tres also excelled in the field where the Aussie boys were fairly anonymous. On paper the England openers outscored their couterparts by 824 runs to 712.

The Pietersen Phenomenon

2005-09-17T08:33:00.000Z

From a very small survey of people I have spoken to my belief was upheld that before his 158 at the Oval Kevin Pietersen had not made his mark in this series. Luke has said below that he was one of England's disappointments and I wrongly [corrected later] accused him of being under pressure in the batting line up.

But lo and behold he was the series' top scorer! He scored nearly 500 runs at an average of over 50.

So why did we all think he had failed to live up to his billing?

I think the issue was two fold, and you have to ignore the last innings at the Oval for this to stack. For one thing despite his volume runs he didn't really stick around too long, certainly no more than one session in nearly all his innings. He also scored half of his runs in the first two test. He failed at Old Trafford which was probably the most watched Test and of course was being generally rounded for his Teflon hands and lack of catching.

Without the Oval innings he would have scored the same runs as Vaughan so could not have been criticised out of hand but the bottom line is he did get the 158 and good luck to him. But conversely if Vaughan had not got the 166 his place would have been in question!!

Pietersen has to bat at 4 going forwards with Bell demoted to 5 until his form picks up.

England's Champagne Moments

2005-09-17T08:13:00.000Z

Obviously there were key moments when England won matches but here are a few of the moments when England supporters would have drawn breath and ruminated on the phenomenon that is now England cricket. There were certain points when individual players did something a bit special which made you realise that we are now playing cricket on another level...

Pietersen's 6 off Shane Warne at Lords
----------------------------------------------------
Now that does not happen very often! And from an England player, this was a big reminder to the established England players that they had to get their game together against Warne. Pietersen was the catalyst to this new found confidence and strategy which was key to England's victory in the series.

Harmison's slower ball to Clarke at Edgbaston
-------------------------------------------------------------
Harmison did not have a great series with the pitches not suited to his usual style but he caused problems and certainly unsettled the Aussies allowing other bowlers like Jones to exploit. But the slower ball to Clarke with the last ball on Saturday night set up the victory but was also executed to such perfection that it established Harmison as a bowler with guile and precision. My personal feeling is that he failed to deliver that variation enough overall but hopefully something to work on in future.

Vaughan bowled off a no ball by McGrath at Old Trafford

-------------------------------------------------------------

I didn't think Vaughan had a great series with the bat but when your in luck you have to fill your boots. He was clean bowled by Glenn McGrath and to his relief it was a no ball. He went to score 166 and set up a match winning position for England.

Strauss's catch off Gilchrist at Trent Bridge

-------------------------------------------------------------
Getting Adam Gilchrist was always the line that had to be crossed by England in every Australian innings and this catch was absolutely sensational, like Collingwood's catch of Hayden in the one dayers it left you speechless. The Strauss catch was absolutely fundamental to the Aussies following on and it gets better and better every time you watch it.

Flintoff's 18 over spell - 5 for 38 at the Oval
-------------------------------------------------------------
For the shear endurance and determination this is not a moment as such but a sustained spell of brilliance from a fast bowler. I cant remember a feat of physical excellence of this nature in any sport. It totally turned the game and gave England the chance of the draw and the series win. To have the Aussies scoring at 2 an over and hemorrhaging wickets was superb, a marvel to behold and an example to team mates which must never be forgotten.

Oval Stats

2005-09-17T08:12:00.000Z

Result: DRAW

Run Rate

Much closer which determined the draw in the end.

England run rate 3.6
Australia run rate 3.4

Runs

England Top Order 262
Australia Top Order 278 [only 1 innings]

England Middle Order 269
Australia Middle Order 59 [only 1 innings]

England Tail End 143
Australia Tail End 7 [only 1 innings]

All very skewed due to the nature of the match, Aussie openers finally bothered to show up!

Best Bowling

Warne 12-246
Flintoff 5-78

Ludicrous performance from Warne, he totally carried the Aussie attack.

Key Men

Pitersen: a timely innings which guaranteed his place in the winter tour, oh yes and it won the ashes for England.
Warne: mental, thankfully last time we have to face him in England.
Flintoff: 18 over straight, 5 for 38, absolutely staggering physical performance which was a marvel to behold.
Strauss: good knock in the first innings.
Aussie openers: about time really.

Trent Bridge Stats

2005-09-17T08:11:00.000Z

Run Rate

This was closer, interestingly Australia's run rate is identical to Old Trafford.

England run rate 3.9
Australia run rate 3.5

Runs

England Top Order 208
Australia Top Order 170

England Middle Order 290
Australia Middle Order 248

England Tail End 57
Australia Tail End 149

Top and middle order will be disappointed here, the Aussie tail nearly scored more than the top order!

Individual Contributions
The England bowlers were excellent with bat and ball, with everyone weighing in after Jones was injured, Warne and Lee were both excellent as well. Ironically the individual contribution most remembered will go to Gary Pratt for running out Ricky Ponting.

Best Bowling

Jones 5-44 [one innings]
Warne 8-133

Key Men

Hoggard:bowled well with 3 quick wickets in the first innings and picked up Gilchrist in the second
Flintoff: 100+ runs which set up the lead and 3 key wickets.
Warne: he produced a horrible spell as far as England were concerned in the second innings.
Lee: Annoying with big runs from the tail end and real passion in his bowling.
Strauss: brilliant catch to dismiss Gilchrist in the first innings.

Just in case you are new to Cricket...

2005-09-12T17:35:00.000Z

It is not always like this!

The last few years have been excellent and England really have scraped home in this series, it is a fabulous achievement and I am thrilled to have witnessed it. It will take a while to sink in and more comments will follow...

England: Congratulations on the Ashes win...

2005-09-12T01:49:00.000Z

Unless something drastic happens. It is all over for the Aussies to win the Ashes...

I know it is an early call, however I cannot see them getting over the line. Secondly, they simply do not deserve to win. They have been outplayed by England emphatically.

Such a wonderful, wonderful series indeed. So many highs and lows from a spectator point of view.

I am so excited for the future as this will enforce changes across the board. This is something the Aussie selectors have refused to do throughout the series.

Player of the series: Andrew Flintoff - followed by Shane Warne.
A.Best newcomer: Simon Jones
B.Best Batsman: Knowone
C. Best Bowler: Andrew Flintoff, Shane Warne
D. Most dissapointing players: Australia - Damien Martyn, Simon Katich, Adam Gilchrist, Jason Gillespie (Hayden only just missed selection here). England - Ian Bell (not the worst though), Kevin Peterson (not the worst either)
E. Key players to turn the tables:
1. Gilchrist v Jones - Jones has won the battle.
2.Flintoff versus Katich - Flintoff completely killed Katich (and he is a specialist batsman).

Oval Day 4 Review

2005-09-11T18:21:00.000Z

There is absolutely no question about it - over the 5 matches England's bowling attack has been better that Australia's. It has outperformed the Aussies at practically every turn.

The batting has been about even I reckon but today's performance of Freddie Flintoff was probably his best of the Summer. What a cricketer, he inspired the whole team with one spell of 18 overs, what a feat of fitness, strength, guile, skill and sheer patriotism! He took 5-38 at an incredible 2 an over. He was passing the bat time and time again and had a whole host of close calls as well as the wickets. Ably supported by Matt Hoggard he destroyed the Aussies today.

The game is still finely poised and can still can go either way, the England victory is impossible, the draw looks the favourite but an Aussie win is by no means out of the question as long as Shane Warne has a breath in his body. He for one will take most imspiration from Flintoff's performance. The standard of play is getting higher and higher and could all come to an incredible climax tomorrow, but me? I'm hoping for it to go out with a whimper and England get a draw in the rain.

Unbelievable...

2005-09-11T12:46:00.000Z

England have a first innings lead!!!!!!

That is utterly incredible, another massive performance from Freddie with the ball. I'm afraid the conditions look way too friendly though and I am afraid it is all in vain. I'm glad I am not at the Oval, at least I can turn the telly off if it gets nasty - which it will!

AUSTRALIA WIN ASHES 2-2

2005-09-10T16:02:00.000Z

I thought I would try it on for size, as it is [more or less] my prediction for the series, I actually said 1-1. Not sure how the Aussie press will take this one but England must see it as a springboard and a measure of how far they have come.

Shane Warne will yet again be the stand out cricketer with an incredible display and records falling all over the place. He fully deserves the plaudits but there wont be many Englishmen shedding a tear that this is probably his last tour to our shores.

Next time the Aussies come here they will certainly be without Warne, McGrath, Gillespie, Kasprowicz, Hayden and Langer. I would also expect them to come without Ponting, as this is the beginning of the end for him, Michael Clarke will replace him as he looks too uncannily like Steve Waugh in the way he plays, and Brett Lee will be the main strike bowler.

Oval Day 2/3: The Weather is the winner...

2005-09-10T15:48:00.000Z

Well, it is for the moment, and England will be hoping it comes to their rescue. There is an inevitability to this one that England will end up batting on the last day and trying to survive against Shane Warne. Australia will only need to bat once the way they are playing and that will be the difference.

The pitch was made for Steve Harmison but for one reason or another he has been ineffective, although not alone in the England attack which has been impotent.

I have watched some of today's play and without sounding like sour grapes Billy Bowden appears to have decided that he is not going to give England anything else before he goes home. That is the big problem with having an umpire standing throughout a series, he may try and even out decisions made in other games as he goes which is unfortunate [for England] to say the least. Langer was absolutely plumb lbw to the first ball of the day and Ponting was clearly bat pad to Giles shortly before today's close.

Oval Day 1 Review: Advantage Australia

2005-09-09T10:58:00.000Z

Well its a long time since I have said that, in fact since the first test at Lords there has not been one whole day where the Aussies have taken the honours. They comfortable one two of the sessions with some much better bowling and some shoddy batting from England.

If this match is not affected by weather this is a good position for the Aussies as they could build a big lead and make England bat on Monday which is not ideal. If England's batters performace was nervous we have to hope that the bowlers are in better shape mentally as they now have a real challenge on their hands.

Whatever the Aussies say they are under pressure here and one or two are playing for their places in the team, and Ricky Ponting must be included in that, some of his decision making under pressure has been poor. If a number of batters dont get runs they will be under severe pressure back home.

Talking of which, huge question marks have appeared over Bell in the England batting line up, a few of our younger players should be getting prepared for the call.

Collingwood gets the nod...

2005-09-08T08:21:00.000Z

I think this is the right call in the end, OK I am changing my mind back again!

If Harmison and Flintoff bowl well and Collingwood holds some cathes we will probably pick up a few extra wickets anyway. I am guessing he will bat at 8 which give us a great chance to put some runs on the board with the middle order.

Oval Preview

2005-09-07T20:40:00.000Z

I am desperately trying to get up for this one but when i think about it I just get nervous, in the kind of way I used to with the old England, the ones that get beaten.

I am convinced we will see a big backlash from the Aussies and lets be honest, noone would be really surprised. I think we have one hope and that is that Steve Harmison comes to the party tomorrow and shows what he is made of. He got 9 wickets last year at the Oval and we need the same again.

The jury is still out on whether Anderson or Collingwood play and I am leaning towards Anderson now, slight change of mind there [see previous post]. The toss and the weather will probably decide it ultimately but Australia have Warne and McGrath back, and that can't be underestimated. The tension continues.

The Twelfth man...

2005-09-01T10:46:00.000Z

Lots of controversy around this issue at the moment. Whether it is England picking the best fielders in the country as their sub fielders, well we are at home, it is our perogative. Or the influence of the crowd on the opposition players.

I read criticism from Gilchrist of the crowd booing their 'world champion' players. And a piece in the Independent criticising the behaviour of the crowd [and Duncan Fletcher] waving the Aussies goodbye as they leave the field. I first encountered this pathetic attitude at Lords and it is why I wont go there again to watch England. There is no place in the modern game for England supporters to clap when Aussies score runs or get to milestones. How do you think that makes our players feel?

We are there to see England win and to help them do so. The crowd has played a vital part in the England team's success in the last few years and long may it continue. Michael Vaughan has thanked the crowd after England victory and that is because he knows we are helping.

Most of the barracking we give the Aussies is 'tongue in cheek' but is absolutely part of the game and must be encouraged. If it means they get to the wicket and lob their first ball to point [Shane Warne] after being roundly booed please find me an Englishmen [player or supporter]who would complain.

The term 'whingeing Aussies' comes to mind! Sound familiar?

And now the Oval...

2005-09-01T10:37:00.000Z

My overwhelming feeling about the Oval is that Australia will win in what was their traditional manner. For some reason they have not been able to exert pressure in this series, since Lords, but they certainly remembered how to do it on Sunday.

I would expect to see Shane Warne bowling from the 10th over at the Oval with men all around the bat. Warne and Lee have been the only Aussies to establish any credibility from this series and it has been a pleasure to see them at their best.

England's hopes rely on recovering some composure and being able to field an unchanged side. If they cant play Jones then I would bring in Collingwood to strengthen the batting and hope for the draw with a bit of bad light thrown in for good measure.

I expect to see the Aussies in full flow at the Oval and I fear England may be a little short of stamina to keep up the level of play we have seen. The Old Trafford test will become even more significant if the series is drawn, but make no mistake England have already won this battle by being in the position they are in. We have grown as a team and as a force in world cricket.

We have given every other Test playing nation a glimmer of hope and tipped the scales against Australia for the next few years. We may even have ended the careers of a few of their players [Hayden & Gillespie] which is a stark contrast to the last decade where many Aussies made their reputations at the expense of England.

Deja Vu

2005-09-01T10:31:00.000Z

My second experience of live Test cricket was a trip to Lords to see England v West Indies around 2000. England has managed to create a potentially winning position of needing 186 in the last innings, bear in mind the first three innings were finished in the first two days, with history being made on the Friday when all 4 innings were played. It was a luicrously tense affair with England winning by 3 wickets and the crowd cheering every single run.

Jim and I were there, much like Sunday at Trent Bridge, absolutely bricking it! We had agreed on the way to the ground all those years ago that if England had won it would be the start of the new era. And here we are seeing them do the same to the Aussies that we did to the Windies to begin this incredible revival in England's cricket fortunes.

These two matches feel like the book ends of a brilliant 5 years and is testament to Duncan Fletcher, Nasser Hussein, central contracts, Michael Vaughan [who played at Lords that day] and of course Freddie Flintoff.

Thank you all.

Trent Bridge Review

2005-09-01T09:46:00.000Z

Apologies for not reviewing each day as it came along but the excitement [alcohol] of going to the Test with a couple of my best friends took over, and I have since been in recovery after having my nerves shredded by the England batting in the second innings.

It was another epic, of course, which had another ridiculous ending that was too much to bear. I have some key thoughts from this game which I will summarise and will try and elaborate as time allows.

My feelings after day 1 were that England had been slightly fortunate not to lose a couple more wickets which would have been disastrous. The second day wholly belonged to England with a brilliant batting display and a superb bowling stint which set up the win.

Day 3 was all about the follow-on, and I am proud to say I was there the day that we asked the Aussies to do so, with Simon Jones again the difference between the teams. Michael Vaughan's decision was an easy one with the conditions as they were and talk of bad weather on Monday. Psychologically it was entirely correct, even if we had drawn the match due to weather it would have been a huge blow.

Without Jones England toiled but still picked up key wickets as they have all series. There may have been a few dodgy lbws but that is indicative of Trent Bridge, it happens every year no matter who the umpires are. I think the missed chances and close calls even out the bad ones though if you look closely.

The morning session on Sunday was tense and hard fought, with England strangling the Aussies to just 48 runs. That is where the game was won, although some of the newbies to Test cricket found it tedious it was enthralling and exactly what England needed. It set up the afternoon collapse and the manageable target of 128. Jim, sitting next to me, had already said that 150 would be too many. I would almost have preferred to see a larger total so we approached it properly but instead we were presented with another nail bighter!

Hats off to Giles and Hoggard, they were excellent in the end. And as Ashley always says, England win the tight ones and thanks to him we did.

It will be great to watch the DVD of this series later in the year and reflect on the overall improvement in the England team but right now we are on a rollercoaster with no idea how it will end. The only thing we know is that England are 2-1 up with one to play and cannot loose the series. Incredible.

The Hunters become The Hunted....

2005-08-28T23:51:00.000Z

Hats off to England who once again completely outplayed the Aussies in the first two days to set up an epic victory.

Unbelievable how close all the Test matches have been when you think about it.....

I always thought the Aussies would be a great chance if they could get 200 in front. They were not able to do so and this look like being the difference.

Sorry about the sour grapes here England however I thought there was 3 dubious lbw decision during this game.

Martyn - first innings (the second time in two test matches he has hit it into his pads)
Katich - second innings (a disgrace)
Gilchrist - second innings (a ball that hits in line with the leg stump and swinging is not out guys)

The Aussies can walk away from this test with showing much better signs than the previous tests for mine.

The pressure is now firmly back on England to win the Ashes. I believe Australia will go back to playing a fully aggressive stye of play to win the 5 test. Do not be surprised if you see some fireworks in this match.

The test result will be either 2-2 or 3-1 in Englands favour. Ricky Ponting must win the toss and bat. Both teams have struggled to chase runs.

Local Weather Report...

2005-08-24T16:12:00.000Z

Well, as someone who lives and works in Nottingham I can honestly say that the tension is building. Ashes fever is about to take over the town and if I know the cricket fans of Nottingham it is going to be one hell of a weekend!

I have tickets for both Sat and Sun and am looking forward to it immensely, regardless of what happens it is always a brilliant time, and this year will be no different.

Slight anticlimax as tomorrow looks like being rain affected but means that we should get cricket all through the weekend which is great. The Aussies feel that the pressure is on England, they are having a laugh, they are the ones under performing, England are playing out of their skins...OK they may not keep it up but who cares, it has already been a brilliant summer of cricket. Those newcomers to cricket who have not lived through the last 17 thrashings probably dont realise how good this is!

Difficult call at the toss tomorrow but if England win it I trust Duncan Fletcher and Michael Vaughan to have worked it out, cant say the same about Ricky Ponting after Edgbaston!

Bring it on!

Was this Englands big chance?

2005-08-17T05:18:00.000Z

I suppose the question needs to be asked.

While the article is slanted from an Australian viewpoint. You still need to ask yourself English supporters if this was the "one that got away".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/4156292.stm

There is a lot being said around the office at present in regards to the fact that England have blown it and Australia will go on and win the series. Now, I would say that is also fairly typical of the cockiness that most Aussies supporters have.

I still feel that the Aussies are under extreme pressure. If they do not get some further flexibility in the side I can see them continuing to struggle. I am not sure if it is McGill, Tait, Symmonds, Hussey. The one thing I do know is that England know the Aussies game plan back to front. We are too predicatable at present.

The shackles are on Gilchrist because we have suffered to make runs in the top order. Why not let him open? It would shake and change how England will bowl from the first ball.

I must say in all seriousness that I always thought this would be an epic series and certainly the best I have seen in my life time. I did always deep in my heart believe Australia would win, but not convincingly.

The most incredible surprise to me and a pleasure to watch has been Andrew Flintoff transformation into a match-winner and world-class player. Guys like him do not come along to often. Enjoy.

Like Dave, hats off to our wives who never enjoy cricket (my wife is Scottish and they simply do not like Cricket).

I wish I hadn't said that...

2005-08-16T14:22:00.000Z

"5-0. I never set out not to win a match. So out of five Test matches we'll be trying to win them all," said Glenn McGrath. England all sqaure at 1-1 after 3 matches.

"I thought in a county game earlier this season, when he tried to reverse sweep me, that he did not have a plan, nothing has made me change my mind." Shane Warne on Andrew Strauss. 2nd Innings at Old Trafford - Warne 0-74, Strauss 106.

"Giles is a key strategy in their cog of containing, we didn't necessarily tax Giles too heavily but he was going for around five an over. We understand his role and if we can erode that role, that is going to be pretty important." John Buchanan after Lords Test. Giles has since got 8-339 at 3.4 an over.

"I'm not trying to be arrogant when I say this, but I don't really care about them. We know that if we are playing to the best of our ability then England will not come close to us." Matthew Hayden, currently averaging 24.5.

The Ashes: Session by Session

2005-08-16T12:50:00.000Z

I have been doing some work on this over the past week or so to try and identify the key sessions and overall significance to the match results. The nature of the first day at Lords got me thinking, effectively England won 2 sessions out of 3 but ended the day as almost definite losers in the context of the match. In the same way that it is possible to lose a tennis match but actually win more points than your opponent.

As a guide I am awarding the session to the batting team if they score more than 90 runs for the loss of less than 3 top order wickets or less than 5 lower order wickets.

3 or more top order wickets gives it to the bowling team unless they concede more than 120 runs. I am making a judgment call in some cases.

There are some very close calls in some of the sessions, for example Freddie's match winning knock in the second innings of the Edgbaston Test was part of a session which gave England 87 runs for 4 wickets - technically an Australian point but it was so pivotal that you have to be tempted to give it to England.

At Lords I have it that Australia won by 7 sessions to 3, which sounds like a one sided game, which indeed it was. Especially as 2 of England's session were on the first day.

At Edgbaston it is closer than it looks, with England winning 6 to 4. It felt like England dominated throughout but their capitulation on day 3 undid all their good work. And according to the analysis although they lost the game, the 100-2 on the final morning is an Aussie win in the context of the session.

At Old Trafford it scores 8 to 5 in England's favour, so for a draw that does seem odd. If England could have got rid of Shane Warne quicker in the first innings it would have given them the session and reduced the number of sessions in the game so would have probably been a win by 8 to 3. Everyone was saying that Ponting's innings was pivotal but in fact it was probably Shane Warne's 90.

The only pattern so far is that the sessions analysis does reflect the result, ie you cannot win the game without winning most sessions, but you can draw!

Third Test Analysis

2005-08-16T12:44:00.000Z

Run Rate

In line with my theory about run rates, a difference of 0.5 or more sets up a winning position.

England run rate 4.2
Australia run rate 3.5

Runs

England Top Order 396
Australia Top Order 278

England Middle Order 264
Australia Middle Order 148

England Tail End 14
Australia Tail End 175

A real topsy turvy one here, superb performance from England's top order who look in great nick, Australia rescued by their tail enders.

Individual Contributions

The captain's batting on both sides really took the quality of the series to a new level.

Best Bowling

Jones 7-110
Flintoff 5-136

Probably most significant was that McGrath posted his worst ever figures in the first innings.

Key Men

Vaughan: showed what he is capable off in terms of match winning batting performances.

Warne: as he said, if he got more wickets he could an all-rounder, his knock in the first innings was pivotal.

Flintoff: just getting better and better as a bowler, now rated 10 in the world.

Ponting: did a captain's job on day 5

Trescothick: batted beautifully and should have scored more but was undone by freakish bad luck

Jones: if anyone doubted why he is now a England regular, there is your answer.

Strauss: great work in second innings, albeit a bit of a one day knock, but shows he has thought hard and worked on his game

Mullets

2005-08-16T10:40:00.000Z

Jason Gillespie has even got a mention on Wikipedia for his ridiculous mullet, surely it is time to see it off, ever since he started growing it his bowling has gone downhill. I dare him to cut it off and see how he bowls as Trent Bridge.

Day 5 Review: Cricket at it's best

2005-08-16T08:48:00.000Z

I was really pleased to see the game end in a draw, it is the essence of cricket that sometimes [even after 5 days as my wife complains] you just cant separate two sides, they are genuinely as good eachother. Albeit that England were actually slightly better, and any Australian who saw fit to celebrate the draw yesterday will be waking up feeling a little bit silly after he realises that his team were in fact a shadow of their former selves and their dominance over England is now over.

I agree with Luke that Autralia have to strengthen somewhere and it is probably in both batting and bowling, Symonds being the obvious choice for me instead of Clarke [back] or Katich [inept].

Cricket... its better than football!

2005-08-16T08:47:00.000Z

Like we didn’t know this already… but it is good of the BBC to tell everyone else:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/4153306.stm

[Thanks to Alison Hogg for this one]

Head to Head: Update

2005-08-15T15:47:00.000Z

Worth having a look at the Head to head analysis now that are 3 Tests in to see if our original comments are valid. Click one each one to see the original post:

Opening Bowlers
I think it would be reasonable to say that Harmison has matched McGrath so far. He has been threatening in nearly every innings and has added a few extra balls to his repertoire. He still lacks a bit of experience and McGrath showed plenty in the second innings at Old Trafford but it will come. The England openers seem to have finally come to terms with McGrath's style, especially to the left handers.

Hoggard and Gillespie have been the real disappointments for both teams and both are struggling to keep their places.

The Captains
I called this even but I think most people would be very impressed with Michael Vaughan's captaincy. Their batting is about even, both with big hundreds at Old Trafford. Ponting made a howler by installing England at Edgbaston.

The Openers
Funnily enough I got these the wrong way round, Trescothick looks superb as does Langer. Tres was out in freakish style in both innings at Old Trafford after looking in superb nick, he will definitely pile it on in the last two tests in my mind. Hayden and Strauss have struggled until Strauss's century yesterday. Ironically I gave this to the Aussies but you have to reverse that.

The Spinners
Warne has been man of the series so far for me along with Freddie - he has been a giant for Australia. Ashley has impressed with performances beyond expectation but will never be the player that Warne is.

The Quicks
Well, whyat can you say, these guys have both come to the party and showed everyone that they are both well worth their places in their respective teams. Lee has become a new ball bowler from being on the edge of the team and Simon Jones is now a specialist reverse swing bowler taking career best figures at old Trafford. You would have to call this one even but for more positive reasons than I said!

The All Rounders
Freddie - nuff said!

The Keepers
A certain irony here as both keepers have suffered at Old Trafford with Gilchrist performing terribly with the gloves. Ironically 'the best batsman in the world' (according to Luke) has only scored 5 more runs than Jones in the 6 innings so far.

The Middle Order
This was the key as far as Luke and I were concerned and according to stats so far that has been the case. I gave this to Australia initially but with all England's batsman weighing in with runs now this may neutralise itself.

Missing in action.....

2005-08-14T23:02:00.000Z

This is what Dave has suggested in his lat Blog.........I suppose the Aussie batting line-up has been "missing in action" .

At the start of the tour there was a lot of talk in regards to how shabby the Aussie bowling line-up was. The bowling needs some minor tweaking, however it has performed well....the batting on the other hand has been terrible for all three tests so far. The Aussie batsman have either not shown enough respect to the English bowling attack or are simply not concentrating enough.

They are all getting starts without taking up the fight. It is unqestionable that England want this more than the Aussies (you only need to look at the body language). There is one thing I find unacceptable in the tests so far is they way England have not bothered to go and see if a player is hurt when he is hit. You may want to win, however not at any cost.

I do not think any side has chased down any more than approx. 230 on this ground, so I cannot see the Aussies winning. I suppose the one upshot is that there is life in the pitch and a batting paradise. This was proved yesterday by how England and the Aussies batted.

If Australia can etch out a draw then they should count themselves very lucky. They have only really won 2 sessions in the first 3 tests.

The main changes I would make to the Aussie side:
1.Balance up the side to match Flintoff. Bring in Symmonds (we have nothing to lose and an extra bowler if it turns)
2.Bring in Mike Hussey for Clarke (injured). Has been the most impressive Aussie batsman I have seen this summer.

Finally, Shane Warne has been an inspiration and once again showed how easily he handles pressure. Not sure he needs to be holding up both bowling and batting though!

Ricky Ponting needs to lift. His decision not to bat first in the 2nd test may haunt him for a long-time.

Bye for now.

Luke

Day 3 / 4 Review: England closing in

2005-08-14T19:07:00.000Z

After a shabby day of poor weather, too many extras and generally poor cricket on Saturday it is better to focus on today's play which was much brighter and construcitve.

The Old Trafford crowd will be disappointed not too have seen Freddie and Kevin Pietersen in full flow but overall an excellent day's cricket was enjoyed. After Glenn McGrath's worst ever bowling performance in Test cricket on Thursday he returned with a fifer today with some fairly innocuous bowling round the wicket, never have I seen him quite so underwhlemed by the events of the day.

England took the initiative form the first session, economically dismissing the Aussie tail and then moving on to build a solid lead. Lots more missed chances and woeful fielding from the Aussies who look genuinely bemused by what is happening to them. At least it let Geraint Jones and co off the hook for similar poor play in the first innings.

If Australia win from here then they are back with a vengeance, if England put them away it could be the Ashes won, I still think a draw is most likely. But who knows, England have had a habit of winning the tight ones, and with Michael Vaughan's off spinners looking interesting tonight we shall have to wait and see.

Luke, where are you!

2005-08-12T18:26:00.000Z

I know you said you were busy at work but I am thinking that there are a lot of Aussies who are 'busy at work' right now, its like splitting up from your girlfriend: you throw yourself into the job, spend longer at the office, all to avoid confronting the truth...

Come on fella.

Day 2 Review: Advantage England

2005-08-12T18:21:00.000Z

This is deja vu of the second Test, Australia are in real trouble. They are actually in danger of following on, they all made starts and all got out to poor shots or superb bowling - AGAIN!

I actually hope they dont follow on, it is not good for the bowlers. It sone of things I really believe in along with the person who is fouled in football not taking the penalty. Lets hope we see England take those wickets and bat through to he end of the day tomorrow - pending weather breaks - and then have two days to see of the Australian batters for the fourth time!

Excellent bowling from Ashley Giles today, he was genuinely dangerous all afternoon. Superb support from Jones and Flintoff. Difficult to say what input Hoggard and Harmison will have as the Test unfolds.

Blast from the past...

2005-08-12T08:10:00.000Z

Wonderful to see Michael Vaughan in such lovely touch yesterday and with the luck of the gods on his side. The perfect scenario for England is for Vaughan to open with Trescothick and the sooner he gets his form back the sooner we should do it. Having a left / right combination to open is the absolute ideal senario in Test cricket. It stops bowlers getting into a rhythm and allows pressure to be alleviated.

Strauss is suffering from batting with Tres as the Aussies bowl better at left handers than any other Test team at the moment. If Strauss could nudge the odd single and change the field and the lines the bowlers are bowling he would have a much better chance of building an innings.

Gillespie has gone...

2005-08-11T19:18:00.000Z

I was amazed that McGrath played today although noted that he looked in trouble in the field this afternoon. But actually I was more surprised that they are persevering with Jason Gillespie, he has got absolutely nothing to offer. I thought Karprowicz was very unlucky not to have made the team, he is easily an equal bowler and looks a better bat.

Day 1 Review: Another Great start by England

2005-08-11T19:06:00.000Z

Wow, this is becoming a habit, we have started every test really well. And yes we have tailed off in each game but we have also got better, more confident and luckier, and it does not get much better than that.

There are few better sites than Vaughan in full flow and he rode his luck brilliantly. He had some great support with Trescothick looking in really good nick.

The Aussies dropped 4 catches and had Vaughan clean bowled off a no ball, this is unheard of and can only be down to the seed of doubt that we have managed to plant at Edgbaston. I reckon they still thought they would win the last test and were more disappointed than they let on. There is a very thin line and the tables have definitely turned.

However I still expect the Aussies to bowl us out before lunch tomorrow and bat through. With Saturday looking like a right off due to rain I still favour the draw.

Tossers

2005-08-11T07:57:00.000Z

I have a theory about the toss in cricket, it has always struck me as ludicrous that a 5 day sporting event with all the logistics involved is influenced by the toss of a coin. In other sports it is the same but nowhere does it have the dramatic influence that it can have in cricket. And this is only exacerbated if the captain is on an unlucky run.

Nasser Hussain was a terrible tosser and lost two thirds of the tosses he called, when you overlay this onto his record as captain he actually did pretty well. The way to alleviate the influence of the toss is to alternate the decision across the series or each time the two sides play. Over a five test series I would always give the extra option to the away team as the home crowd is always worth a bit of an advantage. This would allow each team to plan properly and maybe even change their line up knowing that they are batting or bowling at certain times of the match.

Any thoughts?

Finally, the penny has dropped...

2005-08-10T09:59:00.000Z

The Old Trafford pitch has been prepared to Caribbean standards, that is fantastic news for England. Regardless of the result we are finally getting some joined up thinking between the ECB, the players and the test venues. How long has that taken!

It doesn't guarantee a result but at least it shows some nouse on the part of the groundstaff. I am sure Brett Lee and Gelnn McGrath will be looking forward to it too...oh no, they aren't playing! Shame.

Second Test Analysis

2005-08-07T13:46:00.000Z

Run Rate
In line with my theory about run rates, it definitely made a difference here, the runs that England scored on the first day was fundamental to their win.

England run rate 4.5
Australia run rate 4.2

Runs

England Top Order 190
Australia Top Order 202

England Middle Order 269
Australia Middle Order 188

England Tail End 96
Australia Tail End 127

Again key difference is in the middle order, just a reminder: Luke and I predicted this.

Individual contribution
Undeniably a stunning match winning contribution from Freddie, putting to bed any doubts about him being able to perform on the biggest stage. I think he has to be content with 2 or 3 wickets in each innings and 100 runs as his target for any match. He is compared to Botham a lot but people forget how good a bowler Botham was, he was the best bowler in the world for several years and Flintoff will never be that, just check how many and 10 wicket hauls Botham has compared to Freddie. But he was the difference here and lets hope he pushes on from this brilliant performance at Old Trafford.

Flintoff 141 and 7-131

Best Bowling

Warne 10-162
Flintoff 7-131

Key Men

Harmison: not many wickets but 2 very key ones in the second innings.
Warne: total handful as usual - expect even more
Flintoff: the architect of the win with devastating batting in both innings
Lee: stepped out from the shadow of McGrath in the second innings
Trescothick: more of the same please Marcus
Langar: despite pummeling looked in better nick

McGrath's tour hanging in balance

2005-08-07T13:43:00.000Z

Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please...

Link to BBC Story

No big scores yet...

2005-08-07T13:39:00.000Z

Two test matches, just sneaking into the 4th day, no 100s yet from either team, bowlers dominant - this is a most unusual series so far. I think we can expect some more pragmatic batting from both teams at Old Trafford with a high scoring draw on the cards. All the top order batsman seem to have improved during this match and at least one of them from each side should make a ton in the next game. We need something to settle the nerves before the last two tests at Trent bridge and the Oval, two of England's favourite grounds.

Day 4 Review: Thank God!

2005-08-07T13:34:00.000Z

Fuck, that was close. I couldn't watch, I used to watch Doctor Who through my fingers, from behind the sofa, scared shitless when I was a kid but that was much worse. You can never write the Aussies off and they got way too close for comfort. To lose that one would have been devastating, but despite vistory England must look to improve still further, the batting in the second innings was poor. The bowling was generally excellent and the fielding much improved. This could be a huge turning point for England this Summer. Bring on Old Trafford!