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After a short delay Australia's Phillip Hughes, left, walks back to the pavilion as Ricky Ponting, 2nd left, looks at umpires Billy Doctrove, 2nd right, and Rudi Koertzen on the fourth day of the second Ashes Test match between England and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Sunday, July 19, 2009. Hughes was caught out by Andrew Strauss off a ball from James Anderson for 17 runs. AP Photo/Tom Hevezi
The beauty of sport is that the scoreline is unambiguous. It sums up the collective performances of the combatants, it factors in the vagaries of the pitch, the inconsistencies of the umpires, the errors of the players and even the changeability of the climate.
The ‘what ifs’ give the experts, the pundits, the coaches, and the media plenty to talk about. But they never change the scoreline on Monday mornings.
Which leaves us with the Ashes – three down and two to play, with England holding a decisive one-zip advantage. I say ‘decisive’ not so much in the vitality or superiority of the lead, but because being one up in this series is like being a goal in front of the FA Cup Final with 15 minutes to play.
The defense is packed so tightly that the Morris twins, Gary Ablett Jnr, Tim Cahill, and even Warney couldn’t score.
When the fourth Australian wicket fell at 161 last night, there became a growing fear that England could roll the lower order and steam away for the win. Graham Manou, batting at 7, inspires a deal less confidence than Brad Haddin.
And Australia can’t keep relying on the tail to keep them afloat.
Two things, not unrelated happened over the next couple of hours as the Ashes lay in the balance.
Firstly, Michael Clarke and Marcus North batted with true Test match grit. They weathered early storms and blossomed when the attack tired and the bowlers strayed.
Which brings us to, secondly, England bowled very well in the first innings, though Australia got a bonus 70 odd from 9, 10 and 11.
England then began reasonably in the second dig but had some lapses late on the fourth day when Watson was gifted runs, and then again after that fourth wicket fell.
Runs were easy to make as the bowling was short and wide or full and not quite straight. It was as though the pressure was all on England.
Clarke and North blocked the good ones, not many of those, and whacked the bad ones, yep, plenty of them.
Test match bowling discipline flew out the window and Andrew Strauss began the hair pulling ritual that Ricky would do if his rug wasn’t so expensive.
The much-maligned Mitchell Johnson certainly bowled better in this match. “Wouldn’t be hard you”, say. And quite rightly so.
But he did have a much more consistent technique and did actually swing a couple, which umpire Koertzen was shocked by and couldn’t raise the index digit for.
Mitch was significantly better, but he needs a plan when the ball isn’t swinging and the tail are!
Whether his two wickets for the Test match will return his mojo is debatable, but in a series that has seen such swings of form and fortune, we find ourselves demurring to Forrest Gump.
We just don’t know what we are going to get from the players of either side out of the box of chocolates.
Shane Watson has secured his Test lifeline, opening the batting can you believe! The prodigy, Hughes, is forgotten already at this stage of his career.
Strikeforce Johnson has ten wickets at nearly 50, Peter Siddle has not reproduced anywhere near his sterling South African form, Nathan Hauritz has been steady – just STEADY mind you.
But he is bucking the system by being consistent. Get a grip Nathan!
Ben Hilfenhaus looks Terry Alderman-like one day and Alderman Clem Jones the next (young people can Google him ).
Skipper Ponting breaks records then leaves a Sydney Heads gap to Swann.
Swann looks unplayable at 11am and unmissable at 3; Jimmy Anderson swings it both ways at pace and then can’t miss the bat; and Graham Onions peels off outswingers on a length followed by long hops at a width.
Stuart Broad is averaging much worse than the maligned Johnson in this series, but keeps getting picked in front of Steve Harmison (Harmison and S Clark will SURELY play in the next Test!)
I’m not sure if I like all this unpredictability.
I prefer my Test cricket played by men with known and measureable skills, you know, like McGrath, Warne and Bradman. Isn’t that why, and how, you get to play Test cricket in the first place?!
One nil down, two to play.
English weather, African umpire, Headingly pitch (remember 1981, I’ve almost erased it completely from my memory), Merv Hughes a selector, Shane Watson the form opener, Brett Lee professing peak fitness …
Like my time in Pakistan, it is all fascinating, but in the end only the scoreline will matter.