Poms on the ropes and praying for rain
By Tom Wald, 12 Jul 2009 Tom Wald is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Ashes, Australia, Brad Haddin, Cricket, England, Marcus North, Ricky Ponting
Australia's Brad Haddin hits a ball from England's Graeme Swann during the fourth day of the first cricket test match between England and Australia in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, July 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Tom Hevezi)
Australia had a physically and mentally exhausted England on the ropes heading into the final day of the opening Ashes Test in Cardiff.
Only further rain interruptions Sophia Gardens and some dogged resistance look like stopping Australia from assuming a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series.
The weather forecast for Sunday is a mainly fine day with the chance of showers.
Ashes debutants Marcus North (125no) and Brad Haddin (121) completed the humiliation of the English attack on Saturday as Australia made 6(dec)-674, the nation’s highest Ashes total since 1934.
Needing 239 to make the tourists bat again, England crawled to tea on the fourth day at 2-20 before rain washed out the final session with skipper Andrew Strauss (6no) and Kevin Pietersen (3no) unbeaten.
After spending just under 12-and-a-half hours in the field, there should have been no surprise the footwork of the English batsmen wasn’t going to be that flash in the second innings.
And Mitchell Johnson (1-11) was the first to exploit that as he had Alastair Cook (6) plumb in front in fading light.
The lights came into effect at the ground and improved vision but not enough to stop Ben Hilfenhaus (1-9) from collecting Ravi Bopara’s (1) scalp seven balls later.
Hilfenhaus had the right-hander adjudged lbw by umpire Billy Doctrove with some doubt over the height of the ball.
The tourists had four century makers in their first innings – the first time a team had done so in an Ashes battle since Trent Bridge in 1938.
Australia’s batsmen have batted in their captain Ricky Ponting’s image in Wales, being utterly ruthless and rarely giving England a sniff.
North and Haddin became the 15th and 16th Australians respectively to score a ton in their maiden Ashes clash, the last men to achieve the feat being Damien Martyn and Adam Gilchrist at Edgbaston in 2001.
England’s five frontline bowlers also brought up triple figures as well in James Anderson (2-110), Stuart Broad (1-129), Graeme Swann (0-131), Andrew Flintoff (1-128) and Monty Panesar (1-115).
Anderson was lacklustre outside of his second new ball spell, Broad unable to hold his line and length and Swann failed to live up to the hype.
Flintoff was the most threatening while Panesar’s only wicket was off a false stroke from Ponting.
And in case there was any doubt that it wasn’t England’s day on Saturday, it was the sight of a ball bouncing off Paul Collingwood’s melon at first slip off Panesar’s bowling.
The carnage from North and Haddin’s 200-run sixth wicket stand only ended when the gloveman was caught on the boundary by Bopara off Collingwood’s bowling.
He earlier upped the scoring rate after lunch on his way to his second Test hundred as Australia tried to put up a big score before the afternoon showers.
Before lunch it was North’s turn to celebrate his century, he dived in returning for a second run to reach triple figures for the second time in his third Test.
It is hard to believe there were concerns over North’s form before his big hundred in the final warm-up match in Worcester last week.
After resuming at 5-479, Australia continued their unrelenting approach as England crumbled in the field.
Their woes were highlighted by Anderson’s haphazard attempt to collect a throw from the deep that should have had Haddin in real strife as he returned for a second.
There was also further signs of decay in the normally reliable Collingwood misfielding and Kevin Pietersen producing a wild return.
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spiro said | July 12th 2009 @ 8:18am | Report comment
England were so negative during the first session of the fourth day’s play they deserved to be put to the sword. They started playing for rain to give them a draw from the time they used Stuart Broad (how can he be a Test player?) as one of the opening bowler. Even when the spinners came on they took nearly 5 minutes to bowl their overs. This negative play did not help in the end as Brad Haddin (all is forgiven over the dropped chances in his Test career) and Marcus North pushed the score along at a good clip.
Credit, too, to the selectors and coaching staff (who we’ve criticised and rightly so over the past season) for presenting a well-selected and tactically aware side. The field setting have been good and all the time the Australian seem to know what they have to do and how to do it.
Michael Clarke showed he is a true team player by taking the initiative and going on to the front foot when Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey were dismissed.
Andre Flintoff must be the most over-rated player playing the game. He took the wicket of Philip Hughes and celebrated as if he had won the match. After this opening spell which was impressive, he’s been ordinary. Apparently he has taken only a cople of five-fors and averages just over 30 with the bat. Hardly world-class figures.
hazey.the.bear said | July 12th 2009 @ 10:16am | Report comment
I guess the only thing positive you could say for England is that their tail wagged, while the Aussies’ didn’t…
Seriously though, I agree with ya Spiro – When Freddie got Hughes you’d think they’d won the Ashes there and then…pity there were another nine wickets to get, eh? I’m not sure I’d agree that Flintoff is the most over-rated player at the moment…Surely Swann’s up there somewhere?
So what do we honestly think the chances of a draw are now? It’s probably not as much of a sure thing as it was two days ago, plus the Aussies have the fire and the momentum going their way.
Also, how much should the Aussies play their spinners on that pitch? Not just Hauritz (who suddenly doesn’t look nearly as bad), but North, Clarke and Katich? If any of the part-timers snag a wicket or two, it could seriously undermine England’s confidence and make them look really silly…
Dublin Dave said | July 13th 2009 @ 3:45am | Report comment
12 overs needed to get the 10th and 11th batsmen out and the Aussies couldn’t do it!
Is that cricket’s equivalent of the Rope a Dope trick?
pothale said | July 13th 2009 @ 6:02am | Report comment
Probably. But if you keeping blocking and not playing so that time runs out, who’s the real victor?
Dublin Dave said | July 13th 2009 @ 7:11am | Report comment
That’s cricket, old boy!
hazey.the.bear said | July 13th 2009 @ 7:48am | Report comment
Well, England survives a close one to get the draw….As Dublin Dave has correctly pointed out, that’s cricket. However, it would be a serious mistake for England to think of this as a win of any kind. The bowling attack was revealed as the paper tiger it is – getting only six wickets in two and a bit days is not good enough. I find it strange that all the attention prior to the game was on the Aussies bowling attack, while it was the English who struggled to take wickets (Admittedly, the Aussies probably should have found a way to get the last one). The Poms will need to drop a spinner for the next test, and should probably think of dropping Broad for another of their quicks. Plus, Freddy needs to lift when bowling to other players (whose surname is not Hughes)…
Jameswm said | July 13th 2009 @ 11:06am | Report comment
Poms will drop Broad and Panesar for Sidebottom and Harmison. Batting will stay the same, though Bopara looks as solid as a house of straw.
Aussies may consider dropping Siddle or Hauritz for Clark, but will probably keep the same XI.
I would give Hussey two more innings and if he remains scratchy, replace him. Problem is, Watson is the only other “batsman” they’ve got in the squad.
Rowdy said | July 14th 2009 @ 12:24am | Report comment
Every now and again, Spiro, you write something informative and well worth reading. Ubnfortunately this wasn’t one of those times, just another retread of “Poms bad, Aussies spectacular” tripe that we can get in any Australian newspaper any day of the week.
I’m hoping for Panesar out, Onions and Rashid in, with Onions in the XI. Harmison proved once and for all his international credentials with the first ball of the 2006-7 debacle. Gutless and spineless.