By the end of Day 3 in this first Test in Brisbane, I really thought – as did plenty of other writers, commentators, and punters – that we were heading for a sensational opening to this Ashes campaign. One way or the other, we were heading for a result, and whoever was to emerge the victor would have known that they had played very, very well.
Instead, we’re left with even more confirmation that this series will be tighter than ever. England will take all the momentum out of this match into the Second Test in Adelaide, and will no doubt be very confident heading to what might now be only the second-flattest batting track in Australia.
That the ‘Gabba wicket only got flatter and flatter surprised most, and it couldn’t be any further removed from the Shield game played three weeks ago where an outright result was achieved before Tea on the second day.
Only twelve wickets fell after the first day as the odds for a draw grew shorter by the over bowled.
Without question, those shortening odds were aided by the disappointing Australian bowling attack in England’s second innings.
The Day 5 efforts were especially substandard, with numerous balls disappearing well down the legside for four byes each time. Mitchell Johnson was by no means on his own, but he was the worst offender, with one ball to Jonathon Trott so wide it was closer to fine leg than it was to ‘keeper Brad Haddin.
But to focus on the ordinary Australian bowling efforts would take away from outstanding fight back from England Captain Andrew Strauss and Alistair Cook on Day 4, and then the record-breaking and draw-ensuring partnership from Cook and Trott on Day 5.
Strauss, having survived an lbw referral in the first over of England’s second innings, was very keen to make amends for his first innings duck, played the lead role in reeling in Australia’s Hussey and Haddin-inspired lead, and this paved the way for Cook and Trott to pile on the runs on the final day.
For Cook, this was a career-defining innings. Chatting to my new English colleagues yesterday, they told me of the scrutiny that Cook found himself under, with parallels quickly emerging between him and Michael Clarke, for the way Cook has also been viewed as a long term successor to Strauss as England Captain, but without being seen to have earned the mantle.
His record against Australia hadn’t been all that flash up to yesterday, and while there hadn’t been any concerted callings for his head per se, the doubts remained. Another poor Ashes series might well have brought the whispers to a slightly harder-to-ignore level.
Instead, and like Mike Hussey in Australia’s first innings, Cook has erased any lingering reservations is the best possible manner.
He batted exceptionally well throughout his innings, and his back-foot stroke play was right from the top shelf. I must say, however, he did get plenty of chance to iron out any slight deficiencies he may have had, so obliging were the Australian bowlers of the required length. By the time Straus declared England’s innings at a mammoth 517, Cook was pulling through mid-wicket for fun.
The worry for Australian cricket, is not just the performance of the team, and particularly the bowling outfit currently, but also that a tight series will not endear itself to the crowds.
The final day attendance was disappointing by any stretch. With the top deck of the Stanley Street end closed off, the lower concourse levels were conspicuous by the acres of empty seats, save for the large Barmy Army section.
Actually, the most amusing aspect of the predominantly pro-English crowd was the suggestion from the Army on Twitter that they were able to see the “magic eye” patterns in the ‘Gabba seats.
“I spy a dolphin…,” one of their number offered up early in the day.
The Army had found their voice again on Day 4, including a point late in the day where they turned on the media room, and any evident atmosphere in the ground yesterday was of their doing. Thankfully.
It would have been a long, quiet day without them.
It’s up to Australia now, and to an extent the Australian selectors, to ensure a motivated team takes the field in Adelaide. Too often during the England second innings, the Australian body language in the field was poor, and misfields or boundaries were generally greeted with dropped heads or ‘teapot’ stances.
Whether the likes of Mitchell Johnson or Marcus North make way before Adelaide remains to be seen, but some kind of change – be it personnel or attitude – is quickly needed, or Australia will find themselves trailing in this series.
Though the draw was inevitable once Cook and Trott got through the first hour yesterday, this was still a proper Test cricket contest, and we got to the final position we did through some career-best performances saving both sides at different points in the game.
Ricky Ponting will be happy with the way he finished the Test 51 not out, but his team cannot rely on the individuals to do the job this summer. The sooner his team looks more like one unit, and less like eleven blokes standing in close proximity, the better.
Personally speaking, I’ve had an amazing week, and aside from a slightly different result, I couldn’t have asked for a better opener to my Ashes tour.
It’s been a lot of fun, but it’s time to say “thanks, Brisbane” and move on to Adelaide after a whistle-stop trip home.
Tom Dimanis
Roar Pro
Great post Bayman, love the high school captain bit! Great batsmen don't always make great captains, and vice versa.
Brian
Guest
Whilst the analyis was more amusing than serious it does raise an interesting question. Could/should we look at naturalising a Pakistani. The last 30 years tells us there must be some more Mohammed Aamer's or the next Abdul Qadir in their system who currently face a rather bleak future, despite loads of talent. Aren't RSA looking at playing a Pkaistani leg-spinner soon, I think he's called Tahir.
Rickety Knees
Roar Guru
Thanks Bayman, I really enjoy your posts. I have always suspected that once a test cricketer gets on an advert on TV his position in the side for the summer is virtually guaranteed. Brands like Weet Bix, Milo or Ford don't want to see their advertising campaign derailed mid stream by the dropping of their "star" player flogging their goods. I also often wonder who actually controls the Australian Cricket Team - the selectors (with influence from the board), Ponting and his preferences for his mates, the marketers, the advertisers, Channel 9, the curators - and probably some others. Australian Test Cricket at the moment is rudderless. We are number 5 in the world and playing like it and nobody seems to care. The powers that be are living under the delusion that the first test was a cracker - that is just hype to keep the series going - the last 2 days of the match just fizzled out to the nothing. That is not entertainment! Michael Clarke, Mitchell Johnson and Marcus North just did not front up to play and nobody seems to mind. "The Emporer fiddles whilst Rome burns":
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
Well we need to try something and the bloody selectors won't select an in form team, so what else is left :)
Fisher Price
Guest
The mates will play.
RBH
Guest
Sorry Betty but you are living in cloud cuckoo land. Anderson may noty have got wickets but he bowled very well. Yes, Finn got some tailenders out but so what? You can only bowl at what is in front of you and if the Aussie tail enders dont care if they stay at the wicket as you suggest, then they shouldnt be anywhere near the team. Swann did have a bad game but worse than Doherty? Not really. He did bowl well against Bangkladesh but he also bowled well against SA away so I wouldnt write him off just yet. You are clearly upset with how your team performed and that is fair enough. However, I would focus on Australia's problems rather than trying to make Englands areas of concernworse than they are!
Bayman
Guest
Rickety, Your soap bubble analogy is perhaps being too kind. Based on the obsession with crowd numbers, memorabilia, tv rights, book deals, commercial ventures of many and varied hues, I think we can safely assume that CA, and those that move in CA circles, are not really cricket folk. Lawyers, accountants, HR specialists, marketers, professional hangers-on they may be. Cricket officianados they are not. To wit, two wonderful stories told to me last Saturday evening at the St. George DCC Centenary Dinner celebration. To set the scene, story one. I haven't seen it, so it's second hand, but I'm told it's true. A book, recently published in England tells a story about the 1948 Oval Test. Bradman's famous duck. The book nominates Lindsay Hassett as the fellow at the other end who scored 196. Any tragic worthy of the name could tell you it was Arthur Morris, not Hassett. Naturally, I was gobsmacked. Shocked. Horrified. How could some Pommy git get that wrong given there's only a thousand references which would happily tell him it was Morris. This, however, was just the entree. I was then told of a CA publication (origins unclear and not explained) which told of the previous Test in 1948 in which Australia chased down 400 in the last dig and won for the loss of just three wickets. The CA version had Sid Barnes (or, I believe, Syd Barnes) scoring 182 to help Bradman get the team over the line. Once again, of course, it was the same Arthur Morris who got the 180 odd to wrap up the game. Now when CA can get wrong one of the most iconic results in Australian Test history you do have to wonder how much anyone there actually knows about cricket. It might have been a natural mistake and perhaps would have been if Barnes had actually played in the game - but, alas, he did not! I know I'm a tragic but......how do you get that sort of detail wrong for an official publication? The fellow who told me these two stories then added that he had to look up Wisden to see if Morris had ever played in these matches. He was amused as much as he was bemused. No bitterness but he was a little baffled. On the other hand, I was amazed at the incompetence but we both managed to laugh at the stupidity of it all. My story-teller....Arthur Morris.
Oracle
Guest
The fact that North and Johnson are still in the squad, it still smells of the PM's(Ponting's Mates) XI. Clarke should be made to have a searching fitness test on the Wednesday, and if he doesn't come up, flick him. His selfishness in Brisbane , and the Johnson and North debacle left us playing with effectively 8 players. Get 11 fit (physically and mentally) goers on the ground, and we may have an Aussie win. Bat Haddin at six, and North at 10, as the only way he could be picked is as a "frontline" spinner. Time for the selectors to show some ticker, form not "reputation".
Bayman
Guest
Tom, Don't tell me about North's wicket taking prowess. I had to put up with a life long mate (55 years) who still hasn't forgotten he was born in England. He sent me a text today saying, "Mate, what about North's wicket in England's second dig?" I could almost see the smirk on his face. 1 for 500. I can't even say it without wanting to stick my head in the oven! Of course, it's an electric oven. That's the beauty of cricket - there's always another day. Yin and yang. The great leveller. Good days and bad. England and Australia. As for Ponting's captaincy, I despair. A great player but it seems that these days he's just incapable of anything other than a defensive field. I've known high school captains who would have set a better field. Just imagine the scenario. First innings completed and you're 200 in front with the filth to bat again. Some guys, like my high school captain, would have said, "Right, four slips and a gully, leg gully, short leg, cover, point". Then he might have told the bowlers, "Right, anything on the pads and you can bloody well fetch it yourself. If you get hit for four don't come whining to me - get your bloody line right or give me the ball and I'll find someone else." Ponting, however, puts men on the boundary, apparently to create pressure on the batsmen (no fours, see?) and then fields for two days while Strauss, Cook and Trott take whatever they like in whatever manner they like. It has long been known; you can't legislate for idiots and you can't set fields for bad bowling. The captain, it seems, disagrees!
Bayman
Guest
Guys, Let's face it, I'm a Redback through and through and therefore immune to pain and disappointment. That said, I reckon it's time to put Trent Copeland (yet another Blue-bagger) into the mix so that at least we have someone who knows where the stumps are hiding. At the St. George DCC Centenary dinner last Saturday Kerry O'Keeffe said Copeland will play for Australia within 12 months. I reckon by the end of this series. Brisbane just made me more confident. Of course, I'm not a selector!
Bayman
Guest
True, Brett, but last time we had Warne! and McGrath! and Clark! This time we've got Jooooooooooohhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooo (I can hardly say it......although maybe, probably, not), Siddle and Doherty. They'd worry me but they may not worry England.
Oli
Guest
Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, there bowling problems solved. Convince Brad Hodge to play test cricket and there's your replacement for North, and get Shane Warne to coach Steve Smith some more and there's your Spinner.
Brett McKay
Expert
that's good news Rickety, I reckoned we'd see Smith in Sydney anyway, but this might mean we see him before that now...
Rickety Knees
Roar Guru
Thankfully the Wallabies have given us something to cheer about ......
Rickety Knees
Roar Guru
Smith scored 70 today against WA. He curves the ball when he bowls - worth an investment especially against the Poms
Betty B
Guest
You've obviously got selective viewing Leftarm. England dropped at least two catches on the Saturday, Anderson got no wickets and field placings were astray. Finn's wicket tally was boosted by tail-enders who looked intent on swinging and not caring if they stayed. Similar in the final session - Strauss had no idea what to do with his field and his bowlers were disappointing. They must be very concerned about Swann, who did well against Bangladesh but showed nothing in Brisbane and was the second best spinner in the game by far.
Brett McKay
Expert
Rabz, I don't think Kookaburra themselves intend to be pitched mid-track, or flung down the legside for five wides. And anyway, a Platypus or a Steeden isn't that much different in Australian conditions. Even a Duke might go gun-barrell straight down here. The ball is not the problem...
sledgeross
Guest
OKeefe has certainly looked likely this season, even captaining NSW at one stage this year. Ive got no problem with North being retained PROVIDED he is bowling 15 or so overs each innings. He should be the allrounder and pick another batsman who might be able to chime in with the ball. Katich and Clarke seem to have afflictions which prevent them from bowling too often. There are a few decent leggies running around in Sydney Grade that may be decent with exposure to state cricket as well.
Brett McKay
Expert
Brian, Harris for Johnson wouldn't lengthen the tail too much, but otherwise, yeah, there is a risk of a draw in Adelaide for sure. But then again, we were all set for a draw on Day 5 last time around too...
Brett McKay
Expert
Ian, and with due respect to young Enamul, I'm pretty confident that Australia's spin depth is not so shallow that we need to start an import program. In five years time, Enamul will be 28 and someone like a Smith or an O'Keefe could have played 50 or more Tests by then..