Sport can be a Labrador or a snarling Rotweiler. On the first day of the Lord’s Test Mitchell Johnson bowled with chivalry reminiscent of England’s last great bowler, Sir Francis Drake.
He was profligate to the point of reducing Ponting to gum-chewing apoplexy. Johnson fluffed his lines on the biggest stage of all.
Brad haddin, too, was overcome by the occasion and his work resembled a bag snatcher operating in peak hour Times Square.
Johnson’s waywardness was a throwback to Harmison in Brisbane. A reflection of a troubled soul.
There is something eating away within and it may well be his mother’s disapproval of his fiancee. Reprobation from loved ones can be twice as cutting as that from strangers. You don’t go from being a champion to a chump in one day.
Sport is littered with the fickleness of form. Greg Norman’s meltdown at Augusta and IBF’s shank at the British Open come readily to mind.
The brooding despair of Shaun Tait and Maradonna’s flirtation with cocaine are altogether more worrisome as they reflect a malaise in society. And it is not just modern society. Humanity has been afflicted with mood swings since that first fateful bite of the apple. The poisoned chalice as another bard put it.
The champion always fights his way out of the mire and it is a testament to man’s resilience he is able to do so. The records of Bradman, Lara, Lillee, Warne, Tendulkar and Ponting are all the more remarkable when one considers the personal upheavals that spare no one.
On a lighter note Strauss may have done Hauritz a favour. Because Nathan obviously bowls better with a dislocated spinning finger!
I owe the man an apology. He bowled with imagination and looked the most likely to curb a rampaging England side. He, along with the unheralded Hilfenhaus, have been Australia’s best bowlers.
A Test match is no place to tamper with technique and it was bewildering to see Ponting trying to catch with his fingers pointing up.
This is like a golfer tinkering with his golf swing during a major. Chest high and up it is fine to catch with the fingers to the sky. Anything from the waist down the fingers point to the ground. There is more on the captain’s mind than we know.
England have exposed the inexperience of Australia’s bowling and have left Hughes, Katich and company with a mountain to climb.
The last two days will prove if Australia can escape the confines of their self-imposed imprisonment. The pitch is playing true and Australia have no one to blame but themselves if they lose this Test.
Jameswm
Guest
I was only curious, not upset vinay. I couldn't remember mentioning it before but it is something I have an opinion on. Like most things I guess...
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Jameswm....I appreciate your technical nous and was impressed by your treatise on side on and cheston bowling. Lighten up ,it was a compliment.
Jameswm
Guest
By the way vinay Why was the fingers point up issue for me? Have I mentioned that before?
Scrimshaw
Guest
Vinmay, thats why column/blogs like yours are so important...you never know who is reading them..and what impact they can have...so ROAR away good fellow...Best, Scrimshaw.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Hello Scrimshaw...Not for a moment did I think you were criticising me. Lets start again. The agenda for a lot of TV and Sports is gossip. The game seems to be secondary. I thought your comments were lucid and relevant. Brett,there is no irony. I dont know what is going on in Johnson's head. But something is. I never presumed I knew. But having seem similar athletes and other professionals drop their standards in the face of illness or personal devils it is more than likely something is eating away. How do elite sportsmen get in the zone. When everything off field is hunky dory. Some like Tiger Woods and Shane Warne are special and dont get affected.
Jameswm
Guest
By the way on Johnson... Taking him into that game is a risk, I agree. But it's a gamble I'd take. I'd get him to play the tour game before the next test, and tell him to get the technical things right, and the rhythm, and gradually build up the pace. A couple of sessions in the nets first, then build it into the game. just find your line and length Mitch and get your arm and wrist sorted. Let's see if Cooley can earn his money. I think he was trying too hard and needs a dose of confidence. I have no idea who I'd pick for the third test, too. Ironically Hilfy's the only bowler whose place is safe.
Jameswm
Guest
Bask away Brett but don't get sunburnt. Vinay - I actually had Roebuck as coach for 4 years. One year in the U10s when he was very new to Australia and three years in the 1st XI, the last with me as as captain. The year I was captain (his last in the job) was when he was appointed captain of Somerset (see - it wasn't me that sent him away), and he promptly sacked Joel and Viv, in preference for Martin Crowe. His head wasn't quite into his coaching that season, but when he wanted to be, he was an excellent coach. I wish he did more coaching rather than letting us learn from our mistakes all the time. He had some great sayings back then too - like "Don't bowl short to Catholics". He's always been eccentric.
Scrimshaw
Guest
Vinmay, I am not criticising you in any way...I dont think we are on the same page here ! Its as simple as this... Channel 9 should not involve the Mother's and wags in controversial stories that involve our ' First Eleven' ! That's not cricket !!! When they do...it's a clear indication that they dont respect the team.
Brett McKay
Guest
Jameswm, you'll allow me to bask in the irony of you saying "how can we presume to know what is going on inside Johnson’s head", after the points I was trying to make about Strauss yesterday...
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Jamesswm,where have you been? The fingers in the sky was specifically for you. Slipping is a lot different from outfield and you had Roebuck as your coach? I hope you weren't the one he caned. Great writer but coach I am not so sure of. Wasn't he the Captain that lost an A team match to the Netherlands? Do you seriously think we can risk Johnson for a must win Test considering the way he has bowled all tour? I like your endorsement of him and agree that he is a match winner. But a Test is no place to be going into on a wing and a prayer.
Jameswm
Guest
Come on guys - how can we presume to know what is going on inside Johnson's head and why his bowling is all over the place? His batting is fine. Bowling wise, he just has a couple of technical flaws to fix up, and he could be ripping right back. I agree with everyone lese that not dropping Gillespie when his form was down was an obvious mistale, even at the time. But I'm prepared to live with Johnson being there, because at his best, he is lethal. And it might just take 4 good overs and a couple of top order wickets for him to be right back there. Form and confidence are funny beasts. Just a quick word on the fingers pointing up low catch by Ponting. When I was at school, I was the best out catcher (not a slipper) in our team. Roebuck was our coach and he'd do everything he could to make me drop one, but in practice, I barely dropped on in about two seasons - and that includes catches sent up into the stratosphere with a bowling machine. And - the point of my bragging - I almost exclusively caught fingers pointing up. For high ones, catching baseball style onto your shoulder is so much easier. Cupping your hands into your chest means your eyes have to move down. Even for low outfield catches, I found getting down onto your knees and catching fingers pointing up to be more effective. Even having them one facing each way is better than cupping them, unless you have to reach for it.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Scrimshaw,I work on the premise that once I write something and put it out in the public domain,it does not belong to me and I cant control where it leads to. Having said that my premise is to celebrate cricket rather than criticise for the sake of criticising. I can understand the nationalism of fans but I try to look beyond the boundary. The only time this is seriously called into question is when Australia and India play cricket or Hockey. I wrote in a post last month that we never again see the likes of the Don's baggy green going for 330000$. Recently Vijay Mallya,an IPL franchise owner,paid over a million dollars for Gandhi spectacles and slippers and donated them to the Indian Government. The cynical may sneer but it was good to see. I was at a recent cricket Dinner and we had a table of players called The Amateur Ashes. Social Aussie and Pommy cricketers. This crowd has raised over $100,000 for charities over the years. So there are a lot of good and well intentioned people in this world and sometimes this gets lost in the triviality of the pursuit. I have enormous respect for the regenerative powers of Cricket. Sorry,if that sounds evangelical but you wakened the mouse!
Scrimshaw
Guest
Hello Vinay, 'You and I ' can socially promote opinion ...that's what a website like 'ROAR' can contribute towards ! If we say nothing, then the 'Beast' continues on its merry way. Supporting the 'Baggy Green' is a national effort and you should not underestimate the value of your own column ...it's a great forum ! Discussing Mitchell Johnson's poor form and its causes is erstwhile...dont you think? We've all heard of the mouse that 'ROARed' !
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Scrimshaw--There are Sports Editors in print and TV that direct their journalists to get more of what is off the field than on the field. Gossip and innuendo fuel a lot of stories. You and I cannot really control the frivilous reading and viewing habits of the audiences that are targeted. Whiteline--No need to be humble. You have a valid point. But Ricky has been alternating with fingers up and down for the low catches. And I think it is more to do with concentration than a learned response. He is a superb catcher low and away to his right. However for me Mark Waugh was the best I have seen. He could catch when the ball had seemingly past him and also low and coming forward,which is the hardest. Lets watch Ricky for the rest of the series and develope your theory. Colin N--Agreed with all your points. Yes,yes and yes. The Australian bowling lacks experience. LEE and Clark with 400 plus test wickets behind them may well be able to change tack when things are not going well. However the pressure was created more by australi'a's inability to bowl the right lines in England's first innings and then by Flintoff's inspiritional bowling in the first innings. He really made the four wickets for Anderson. It gets interesting now and it will test Australi's tenuous hold on the No 1 Ranking. I personally think the two best Test Teams are South Africa and India. Now these two were slated to play a Test series in early 2010 but looking at the Future tours this may have been scuttled in preference to a one day series.
Colin N
Guest
"Australia still has a better batting lineup and were it not for Flintoff and Strauss England would be struggling." But, you could equaly say without Clarke's century, the margain of victory would have been larger. The fact is that Flintoff and Strauss stepped up to the plate, as did Anderson in the first innings, and provided the inspiration for this English win. You also can't forget the contributions that Swann, Prior and Cook made in this match. Hauritz and Hilfenhaus apart, Australia's bowler's didn't step up. In the batting line-up, only Clarke, Haddin and at a push Hussey can hold their heads up. The problem Australia have is that if Lee and/or Clark are selected, both have had their share of injury problems and although Lee seemed to be in fine form in the tour matches, he hasn't had a great time in English consitions previously. There were also a lot of people stating that neither Clark or Lee should have even been in the orignial 16 man squad. Oh, how opinions change. I personally like Clark, as he bowls a consistant line and length and very rarely strays from that, thus building pressure, something that Australia have struggled with in this match and something that they need. There was some poor shot selection by the Australian batsman in this match, but that came from pressure. There was a lot of quality bowling that didn't get its just reward.
Whiteline
Guest
Hello Vinay I'm sure you have considered your comments regarding Ponting's attempted catch with his fingers pointing skyward but I have to disagree with you (and that isn't because I'm a diehard Ponting fan - far from it). The delivery hit the shoulder of the bat and in most circumstances it would be reasonable to assume it would fly to Ponting's position at 2nd around chest height or higher. Given Ponting has a split second to react I suspect this is why he was in the position he was (that is, it was a learned response given the stimulus). Nothing to do with anything else other than that in my humble opinion.
Scrimshaw
Guest
What was Channel 9 thinking when they ran that story on Johnson's mum ? Short answer, they wer'nt ! What a story to run when the 'Ashes' are up for grabs. If KP was still around ,I think Grimshaw's producer would be looking for another job. Channel 9 is complicit in Johnson's lack of concentration and its not a long bow to draw that conclusion. What better way to assist in his Mum's recovery than to plaster her all over national television. Irresponsible journalism at its worst !!!!! Packer would be spinning....Channel 9 dos'nt want to win the Ashes...it just want's to win ratings and anyone is a target. Best wishes to Mitchel and his family....Channel 9...hang your head in shame..you've lost the plot !
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Colin,his arm was higher in South Africa. The low arn negates his ability to consistently bring the ball in to the right hander and away from the left hander. If Lee and Clark are fit they must drop Johnson and Siddle. Siddle will be unfortunate as he tries hard and is finding his way in Test Cricket. Team management must take the blame as Johnson has not bowled well on tour and they must have known about his off field issues. A test match is no place to carry a mentally fragile person. I sympathise with Johnson but sport is about doing what is best for the team. Hilfenhaus and Hauritz desrve to be retained and Hughes is good enough to overcome his failures. Australia still has a better batting lineup and were it not for Flintoff and Strauss England would be struggling. As ponting said after the match they lost the match in the first session on day one. And that was Johnson 's bowling.
Fuzz
Guest
Was that Johnson who faced the final ball? If so what was he thinking
Colin N
Guest
Has Johnson always bowled with such a low arm? I think you're right about comparing him with Harmison, more technically than anything else. When Harmison is bowling poorly his arm is low and thus sprays it all over the place. I didn't watch too much of him in South Africa, so he may have bowled the same way, and may just be a complete lack of form and rythem, but it's just a theory.