By Tom Wald
July 18th 2009 @ 4:26am
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Anderson puts limp Aussies in a headlock
James Anderson led a demolition job on the Australian batting lineup as England took a stranglehold in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s. He starred in an inspired bowling performance compared to the home side’s limp showing in Cardiff as the tourists slumped to 8-156 at stumps on day two in reply to England’s 425.
Nathan [...]
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spiro said | July 18th 2009 @ 8:35am | Report comment
Ricky Ponting got a double jeopardy decision. If it wasn’t out caught, which it actually was not, it was probably out LBW, although I agree with Shane Warne that the ball looked to be slipping down outside the leg stump. The video, though, showed it hitting the stumps. I don’t have a lot of faith in these replays, however.
Australia is in a tough spot. Everything has worked perfectly for England. It got the best of the batting conditions on the first day. Then the ball started swinging on the second day with time before lunch to pick up a couple of wickets. Then the breaks and bad light meant that the swing bowlers were fresh throughout the day and could pressure on the batsmen.
This is a real Test for Australia now. England got out of jail at Cardiff. Now it’s the turn of the Baggy Green Caps to make an escape. They can’t win this Test. They have to ensure they don’t lose it. Someone, probably a couple of batsmen, have to play very big innings in the second dig.
sheek said | July 18th 2009 @ 10:21am | Report comment
What is happening in the second test explains why England were so excited at escaping with a draw in the first test. The English understand better than most, the importance of living to survive another day (eg, Dunkirk).
Unless the Aussies get over their dominant first test performance & WAGs distraction fog, England will go one-up in a series the Aussies felt should be 1-1.
When Ricky Ponting was criticising the English for cheating with their time wasting tactics in the first test, I thought he would be better served thinking about his bowlers being more effective in securing 20 cheap wickets.
Gee, if ever there was truth in the saying – you’re only as good as your last performance – this second test has borne that out.
Dave said | July 18th 2009 @ 2:27pm | Report comment
why do you think there is a WAGs distraction fog?
Benjamin Conkey said | July 18th 2009 @ 3:24pm | Report comment
Meanwhile Steve Harmison continues to push for selection…6 for 20 off 12.3 overs against Notts.
It’s been awhile since England had so many bowlers to choose from.
What about that ball that dismissed Hussey by Flintoff…It was 153kph!
The big question is..will England enforce the follow-on if they can? Surely they will. The bowlers are fresh and they have Australia on the ropes.
Dave said | July 18th 2009 @ 4:51pm | Report comment
maybe if they stopped getting out to the hook shot.
whiteline said | July 18th 2009 @ 5:04pm | Report comment
Harmison needs to come in for that bloke off Harry Potter – Thorpie (Hughes) is looking a touch confused – Poor old Ricky continues to show us the value of the lack of a proper education and it looks like the English have a great opportunity to go one up in a series that Ricky’s incompetence will show through again. I wonder if they would have won in India in 2004 if Ponting was the leader? Highly unlikely.
Dave said | July 18th 2009 @ 5:09pm | Report comment
“Poor old Ricky continues to show us the value of the lack of a proper education”??????
That’s a pretty Kumblelike statement
The English are better educated? what you have to go to a posh school like Strauss
What Anderson and Flintoff are more educated?
And what does going to school have to do with any of this?
whiteline said | July 18th 2009 @ 5:21pm | Report comment
Hey Dave
Nothing to with school champ. In case you haven’t been watching the past 5 years, Ponting conducts himself in a manner which hardly promotes the wee documented ethos of the Australian Cricket Team of playing within the Spirit of the game etc etc.
Have you noticed how Strauss handled the issue last week? With dignity. Same as Kumble last year whereas Ricky went on the defensive as he always seems to do.
The amount of media, management and leadership training he has received over the years and he still has no idea on how to act with humility and charm.
By the way, I’m Australian Dave but would be much more comfortable with someone else leading the team – not that it’s Ponting’s fault he was selected as the leader.
vinay verma said | July 18th 2009 @ 5:44pm | Report comment
Benjamin- I believe England will seek to bat Australia out of the game and the plan would be to declare at lunch on the fourth day with a lead close to 600.
On the other hand Australia’s only chance is if England do enforce the follow on. If Australia bat well and give England 250 to chase in four sessions it could be interesting.
The rain may have something to say in all of this.
Dave said | July 19th 2009 @ 4:22pm | Report comment
Whiteline
Again what does that have to do with someones education. You siad he doesnt have a proper education.
Are you sugesting that Struass had a better education? therefore he is better.
Kumble was a disgrace as a captain 2007/2008 in Australia. possibly the worst captain to visit Australia.
His coment after the test caused an international incident.
Pontng did nother wrong Kumble did. The treatment of Poniting was disgusting.
Kumble coments were just him thaking his pompous upper/upper middle class values and using them to judge everybody else by.
He was wrong
Lewie said | July 20th 2009 @ 12:18pm | Report comment
whiteline,
what on earth does Ricky’s education have to do with Australia’s performance in Cardiff, or at Lords?
What exactly was dignified about Strauss’ performance in Cardiff? What was dignified about Kumble’s performance “last year” (i assume you mean the controversial Sydney test) ? Was it Strauss’ babbling explanation of why he was sending his twelfth man, and Physio on the ground to waste time? Was it Kumble ignoring the theatrics of his own teammates when claiming Australia didn’t play within the spirit of the game, before then threatening to abandon the tour?
Was it Strauss’ ’superior education’ that led him to incorrectly claim a catch last night at Lords?
Under Ricky’s leadership, the Spirit of Australian Cricket charter has emerged. Ricky has continually challenged opposing captains to accept the word of the fielder when it comes to contentious catches, only to be rebuffed. His detractors like to point to the SCG test v India as vindication of this. However, Australia claimed but two contentious catches in that match. One, the Clarke slips catch, is shown via video evidence to indeed be a fair dismissal (despite the hysterical protestations of Gavaskar); and the second, that of Ponting at silly mid off, whilst proven to be not a catch, was certainly contentious and afterall all Ponting did was appeal for it and let the umpire decide, which he did. Darrell Hair, an umpire who had only recently been given the highest mark amongst the ICC panel of umpires for his knowledge and application of the rules, said at the time that he believed it was out. That doesn’t prove it was out, but certainly proves it was contentious.
Let’s compare this to the record of the ‘educated’ English captains….. Hussain claiming a catch from Greg Blewett in 1997, where it clearly bounced first. Michael Vaughan stubbornly standing his ground having been caught by Justin Langer on his way to a hundred in 2002. Atherton with his dirt in the pocket. Strauss with the jelly beans on the pitch. Strauss catching Hughes last night, where the ball clearly hits the ground. Yes all jolly good, what.
Thank goodness we have wonderful blue collar gems like Ponting to annoy the crap out of pretentious snobs such as yourself.