Mitch Johnson looked like mummy’s little boy with his shorn locks. But, unlike Samson, it did not affect his potency. His left arm delivered the heat seeking missiles first seen in Malaysia two years ago and last deployed in South Africa.
He unleashed them again at Leeds as he had the miles in his legs and the focus in his mind.
If Peter Siddle is the assault and battery specialist then Hilfenhaus is the Duke of Swing.
Stuart Clark kills you with slow poison even as he serenades you. Johnson possesses all the weapons of mass destruction that Dubya couldn’t find. The fiendish projectile that scarred Bell in the first innings was nothing compared to the ball that exploded in front of Collingwood’s face in the second dig. Polly’s crazed eyes told their own tale of retribution.
Swann and Broad delayed the inevitable with a stand reminiscent of Custer at Little Bighorn.
After the seventh wicket fell at 120 Australia’s bowlers lost their way for 12 overs as England posted over a hundred runs in a frenetic but ultimately doomed rearguard.
Ponting once again refocused his bowlers on the discipline of the first two days and victory was formalised. This is increasingly looking like Ponting’s team.
It would have been easy for him to go with Lee ahead of Siddle. Instead he trusted his instinct and saw in the wood chopper the fire and energy needed in the engine room.
Hilfenhaus continues to impersonate Terry Alderman and his twin strike on Strauss and Bopara effectively killed England’s hopes.
Bopara was an unfortunate casualty in the continuing Umpire War but on this showing he looks a pygmy among giants.
Ponting has had a turbulent two years and his hold on the number one Test ranking has looked tenuous at times.
He has endured barbs about his defensive captaincy and some of it has been justified.
He has been accused of standing up for his mates but this is the Australian way. He has been branded as sullen and lacking grace.
He is respected by his countrymen but not loved in the manner of a Steve Waugh. He has been a captain under seige.
Ponting will not lie down for the undertakers. He will continue to fight his own battles.
He has marshalled his troops magnificently at Leeds. His 78 in the first innings showcased his pre-eminence as the world’s most accomplished number three and second only to the Don in Australia’s rich history.
When Katich went for a duck, Harmison was bowling like a runaway train. Ponting stopped him in his tracks and shunted him to bowling purgatory.
The pulls and hooks forward of square bespoke a batsman at the height of his powers. A backfoot drive past cover was hit with thunderous intent.
Ponting does not have to answer to retired Generals in the comfort of their commentary boxes.
He goes to the Oval determined to preserve Australia’s ranking. Magic Mitch sealed his bond with the Skipper with five telling blows in the second innings.
And those calling for Pup to be top dog will have to bite their tongue and bide their time.
Dave1
Guest
Ian Chappell had some good coments on the subject. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/theashes/5995456/The-Ashes-Soft-cricket-lets-England-down-not-Justin-Langers-dossier.html ".........It’s easy to produce plans for batsmen who are recidivists but try coming up with a sure-fire method of dismissing Ricky Ponting cheaply on a regular basis. I’m certain Jimmy Anderson and Graham Onions know where to bowl to trouble Ponting early in his innings but they are also aware that if they miss that spot by a few centimetres either way, the ball will disappear to the boundary When it comes to bowling plans, a top-class batsman can shred one faster than an Enron executive handling a top-secret document. Anyone with a decent knowledge of the game can draw up a few foolscap pages of plans to dismiss batsmen and unsettle opponents but unless the author is accountable for the end result, they’re mostly window dressing. ......."
Colin N
Guest
"but compared to 2005, the bowlers are standing up nicely" Indeed, and on paper, this England bowling attack isn't as good as 05. The difference I think is that all the bowlers are contributing. Tait, Gillespie, Kasprowicz and Lee just didn't do the business back then. This series, although certain bowlers have been inconsistant, they've bowled a lot better as a unit, and pretty much everyone has come to the party.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Pleasure to hear from you Brett,what was it you said about agreeing to disagree. Cricket indeed is a simple game when evrything is going to plan. Lord Ted attributed it to the planets aligning and that you will grant is a notoriously difficult occurence. As a cricketer you know how hard it is to constantly hit the proverbial six pence. The hours bowling in the nets till your fingers hurt and the feet cry. And then like the marathon runner you go through the brick wall and get the second wind. The sheer hard work it takes to master bowling or batting or fielding. And then when it all comes off it looks so simple. I read Patrick's article in depth before my comment and I stand by that it only looks simple when done well. Very early in our discussions I remarked about the golf balls and not wasting them. Golfers hits thousands of balls to produce the "simple" swing. The act of passing a rugby ball was made to look simple by Nick Farr Jones but looks horribly difficult for Burgess. Nadal hits for hours and even Tiger is no slouch on the practice fairway. Brett,I will always think my comments through when replying, because I respect the comments people like you make.
Brett McKay
Expert
Vinay, I think you've possibly dismissed Patrick Smith's article a little too easily there, in this particular case, he's 100% on the money: cricket really is a simple game. Specifically, on the subject of Australia's bowler's straying from their plans while trying to take the last five wickets, Smith wrote, "Exactly what happens when bowlers do not stick to their orthodox strategies and try to bowl out every batsman with every ball was evident on the third morning of the Test when Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann made 123 runs between them off 121 balls. Clark bowled 11 overs for 74 runs. When the quicks operated at the middle order, when they stuck rigidly to common-sense plans, when they "were setting the tone" the result was devastatingly different. Ravi Bopara, Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell combined to bat six times at Headingley for 16 runs, off 60 balls and were at the crease for 86 minutes." Yes, the economy rates have improved as the series has progressed, but compared to 2005, the bowlers are standing up nicely. Four of the five leading wicket-takers for the series would confirm this too...
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Dave...If it were that simple Patrick smith would be playing Test Cricket. Great bowler that Warne was,I rank him the greatest with Lillee, his record against Tendulkar and Laxman was not imposing. The economy is markedly improved because of Leeds. Prior to Leeds it was a lot worse. I also believe that the bowlers all needed the miles in the legs. It has been four months since they last played Test Cricket. Poor scheduling and lack of planning by the administrators. It could have been 4-0 to Australia if they had spent a month playing three or four four day games against the counties.
Dave
Guest
Ptrick smith made some good points today when he showed how Australia's bowling is better this series than 2005 Understanding the simple art of cricket http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25910733-12270,00.html
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Gaff,the only change I would like to see is Hughes to come in for Hussey. Watson then bats at four and Hughes opens. Opening partnerships take time to meld. Katich has suffered even though Watson has prospered. Katich and Hughes should be given an extended run. If the selectors dont go this way I would rather they left the side as is. Lee,I fear may have played his last Test for Australia. Unless one of the incumbents gets injured I dont see a way back for him. He may have to resign himself to one dayers and Twenty/20. It would be madness to drop Stuart Clark. He was the stabilising factor,the fulcrum,on which the other three rotated. Drop Clark only if he is injured.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Greg, trust you are enjoying the English hospitality. My favourite(among ten) beers is Bass Pale Ale. Coming to Johnson,you are right,a hastily arranged ODI series to placate some Broadcasters and sponsors. this was my first real look at him. I think it was Dennis Lillee annointing him as the next big thing. The perplexing thing is that Johnson has an economical run up similar to Wasim Akram and strong shoulders but he takes a lot of bowling to get the right rythm. Its taken him six weeks to get back into rythmn. You will recall a similar problem when he came back for the one dayers recently. He needs to be bowling constantly. If you are going to play Test Cricket you need two or three four day games before the series. But then Test Cricket is being treated like a fossil by many administrators. Rod marsh last gushed about Ponting when he was at the AIS in 1992-1993?
Greg Russell
Roar Guru
"His left arm delivered the heat seeking missiles first seen in Malaysia two years ago" Malaysia? My memory is struggling ... was that a tournament played against India and the WI, a warm-up for something? Aside from which, I thought Rod Marsh gushed in public about Johnson at age just 16, saying something like he had the most potential he had seen since Dennis Lillee.
Gaff
Guest
Any changes to the Aussie XI for the Oval? I know that you shouldn't mess with a winning team, but they say it'll spin at the Oval. Which quick misses out after they all bowled well? Does Binger get a look in now that he is supposedly 100% fit? Can we keep carrying Mr Cricket if he's not in form? My XI: Watson Katich Punter Clarke North Haddin Johnson Hauritz Clark Siddle Hilfenhouse There's no way that the selectors will pick 5 bowlers or drop Huss. My prediction is Hauritz will come in for Clark. In the end it won't matter 'cause the poms will fold again and we have exposed their soft underbelly finally. JL's dossier is all true, when their backs are against the wall they will fail.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Colin..One of the biggest problems in the structure of cricket is the preparation of pitches. Curators the world over have been preparing flat pitches for ODI's and Twenty/20. This has carried into the Test arena with Broadcasters and sponsors wanting value for their sponsorship dollar. But this ultimately leads to one sided batathons. And this becomes boring. The recent IPL in south Africa at least provided a balance. This was because of the lateness of the season and pitches having worn during the summer. I am sure fans would rather see a good hard fought match over in three days than a batting walk in the park. TV fans are also more likely to recall a sponsors product from a enthralling match than an insipid one.
Colin N
Guest
Moore's a good player, and I'm sure he'll get his chance, but he's 28, so Joe Denly, I think is the future option. Also worth noting he was born in South African. Which leads nicely onto your second point. I think Strauss and Pieterson are bad examples, because they are both excellent test players. Strauss is very underrated (especially up until recently, by the English public), considering he has a similar average to Justin Langer. Pieterson left at 20 and said that he left because he didn't like the politics in South Africa (or something like that), and to be fair, his County turned him from a primarily off-spin bowler, who could bat a bit, into a top player. England, isn't naturally, a sporting culture, and I think you are right about the 'pampered' environment. Considering, Cricket is the second biggest sport, in terms of its media coverage, we should be a lot better at it. The same applies to Rugby Union. So, in that sense, I completely agree with what Justin Langer said about English cricketers being 'lazy' etc. The correct structure has only just been implemented by the Rugby hierachy in England, and the players just aren't there mentally (so to speak). I think some of that is to do with the society.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Colin,I see they have included Stephen Moore in the Lions team to play Australia on the weekend. He looked a likely lad in the earlier game against the tourists. He showed a refreshing attitude to attack. Colin,I have been intrigued by the fact that Strauss and Kp couldn't cut it in South Africa but are super heroes in England. Does they say something about the softer "environment" ? Now this is not a criticism of all things English. It is a reflection of a pampered society...USA. Australia,Europe,pockets of middle class India...
Colin N
Guest
Rashid is talented, but raw, both as a batter and a bowler. As a batter, he doesn't play himself in and play straight. He plays like Strauss did for 18 months, too square of the wicket early in his innings. Bowling wise, he's quite erratic. Is a wicket taking bowling, but will probably go for about 4 an over. I don't think he's ready yet, but it's only as risky as putting the mentally frail Ramprakash back into test cricket, I suppose.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Colin..What about Rashid..if he is good enough why not play him. Age has never stopped talent. He can bat and I think is a better option than Swann
Colin N
Guest
Vinay, The problem is, I don't think Key is good enough, Trott is untried at this level, and Ramprakash has never done it at test level. Ramprakash has been batting fantastically well over the last few years and is probably the most talented batter in England, but suffered mentally, at test level. That's why what Justin Langer said about English cricket is so true. I said before the series that this England side is a poor team, but the thing is, this Australian side is only just slightly better. Both teams have played some good stuff this series, but both have been too inconsistant. It's been very rare in this series to find both teams playing good cricket at the same time in this series. Perhaps, the only time(s) has been after tea at Cardiff on the fifth day and at Lords, when Clarke and Haddin came to the crease. England were bowling well, but Clarke counter-attacked and led an Aussie fightback.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
HazeyB...Broad has to be persevered with. He is improving with every outing and I suggested in a different post he could do with a season playing Grade in Sydney or District in Melbourne. He will have to bowl lots of overs as an "import" player and this will also give him responsibility. I feel the County Championship has a few strong teams but then the standard falls away and players play for their "benefit" years and keep yound players from coming through. It has been mooted that Key and Trott replace Bell and Bopara . They are talking about Ramprakash whose home ground is Surrey and though he is forty he scored well on the weekend. England seem to have the selection worries that Australia had going into Leeds. Without Flintoff and KP England look suspect. As far as Australia is concerned I see some comments about Watson replacing Hussey and Hughes back to open. This makes sense. Colin N...Harmison had a full head of steam when he dismissed Katich. That he was banished after three overs was due to Ponting's counter attacking. Credit where it is due.
Colin N
Guest
"Harmison was bowling like a runaway train" Not really, he bowled a couple of balls just back of a length, that got Katich out, which gave him encouragement to bowl what was effectively longhops.
Hazey the Bear
Roar Rookie
Vinay, What's your take on Broad in all of this? Six-fer in the Aussie innings and a handy contribution with the bat, yet his position in the team still seems to be scrutinsed (the Aussie "All-Star" commentary team on SBS was very ambiguous, with Mo not even including him in the eleven at the Oval). The English batting is in disarray. I agree that Bell and Bopara are under immense pressure to hold their spots, but who to replace them with? Broad and Swann did do some damage with the bat, but I think a lot of that was a slight Aussie brain-snap that made them forget how to bowl in these conditions, in particular Stuart Clark. As you alluded to, this could cost him his spot in the side, and that'll be a tough call to make. I don't think the brain-snap was that serious though - when you've got two lower order batsmen swinging hard, they'll make quick runs if you don't bowl line and length. The Aussies eventually changed their system and got it right - it just took a little time. The Aussies batting is okay - except for Hussey who continues to instill exasperation in the minds of every Australian armchair critic...*sigh* Mr Cricket, what are we going to do with you?