Will rain save Australia from a humiliating defeat in the Adelaide Test? Does the host nation deserve to be saved after a miserable performance over the first three days?
From over No. 1 on day one to stumps on day three, the visitors have held all the aces, out-bowling, out-batting, out-catching and even out-runouting Ricky Ponting’s men.
Look at the contrasts: Australia lost 2 wickets for 0 runs, and 3 for 2; Simon Katich making a diamond duck (getting run-out for a duck without facing a ball) and the next ball, skipper Ponting getting a golden duck.
England lost 2-176 and were 3-452 before Paul Collingwood was dismissed; the heroes being Alastair Cook (148) and Kevin Pietersen’s (unbeaten) 213 as they lead the fatigued Aussies by 306 runs with 6 wickets intact.
Will England declare the first thing in the morning or await Pietersen’s 250?
So far in the series Cook (225.00) and Pieterson (256.00) have double century batting average, Ian Bell averages 117.00 and Jonathan Trott 80.66.
What’s wrong with the Australian attack?
Surely, Cook, Pietersen and Trott are not Vivian Richards, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar. More disappointing has been Australian fielding; dropped catches, poor throwing. This is all so un-Australian!
The only saving grace for the home team in the series so far has been Peter Siddle’s hat-trick in Brisbane and centuries by Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin, adding 307 for the 6th wicket in Brisbane. Hussey also played a gutsy innings of 93 in Adelaide.
About time Marcus North plays a long innings today, else it will be curtains to his Test career.
As the rain brought some joy to the spectators in Adelaide yesterday I did some oddball research. Ponting playing his 150th Test scored a duck. What’s new? Steve Waugh had also made a duck in his 150th Test.
Katich joined an exclusive duo of Australian batsmen run out without facing a ball for a diamond duck when he was left high and dry by Shane Watson four balls into the game. This is how the Laurel-Hardy fiasco transpired.
Watson survived an lbw appeal but took off for a risky single without consulting Katich and Trott’s superb direct hit from square leg left Katich a couple of metres short. He was so angry at his dismissal that almost two hours later he was still seen stewing as he sat on his own below the dressing room.
Scorers recording balls-faced when batting is a relatively modern measurement, but in the past 40 years only two other Australians have had so little to do before being dismissed. According to Cricinfo, Rodney Hogg was run out in the 1981 Edgbaston Test without facing a ball against England.
And in the second innings of the 1984 Port-of-Spain Test against the West Indies, the Australian opener Wayne Phillips was run out for a duck without facing a ball.
Two diamond ducks were registered in the February 1932 Adelaide Test against South Africa. Australia’s Alan Kippax and Hugh Thurlow were run out for nought without facing a ball. Sadly, this was fast bowler Thurlow’s only Test. What a debut and swan song for him, out for a duck without facing a delivery, taking no wickets after bowling 39 overs (0-53 and 0-33) and no catch. Thurlow’s getting run out cost Don Bradman a triple century as he remained 299 not out!
So Katich, you are in good company. Just as England’s captain Andrew Strauss followed his first innings duck in last week’s Brisbane Test with a century in the second, so can you.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Expert
Congratulations to England on their well-deserved victory by an innings. It is their 100th win over Australia. But Australia have beaten England 132 times. Some consolation. On my light-hearted suggestion on Roar writers fielding a team for an imaginary Website Competition (see my previous comment), I forgot to mention SPIRO ZAVOS who had represented Wellington (NZ) against the MCC in March 1959 and faced the great English fast bowlers Freddie Trueman and Frank Tyson. The scoreline: S. Zavos b. Tyson 3 in the first innings and b. Tyson 5 in the second. Not very impressive but better than Ricky Ponting's performance in the just concluded Adelaide Test. In the above (Wellington v. MCC) match, Spiro was asked to bowl by skipper John Reid. Spiro bowled three overs to Colin Cowdrey and John Mortimer conceeding 15 runs. He almost took a wicket but Mortimer was dropped off his bowling. Spiro's experience against the English legendary players is taken from a booklet entitled "The Pupil Meets the Master" by Ronald Cardwell, The Cricket Publishing, Aus, 2008.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Expert
Seiran, I'm ready for the MCG, if asked by the selectors and become the oldest to make his Test debut! In my dreams, that is. I would have to decline their invitation to play in Perth because I am playing a community cricket match that time! Roar should field a cricket team from their writers, past and present. Howzatt, Zac? Lawson to open the attack, MacGill to spin out other website teams. We can request Alec Swann to bring Graeme along, sunglasses and all. I believe Brett Mackay, Vinay Verma, Sheek, Bayman ... are handy all-rounders. Let's do it.
Seiran
Roar Guru
Kersi is going to rescue Australia tomorrow? ;-) I'm sure he could do better than Doherty with the ball if called upon.
AndyS
Guest
It does and rightly so. They'll be looking to the skies, that is for sure. As it stands right now: Forecast for Monday evening Showers with thunderstorms, becoming rain periods this evening. Warm with light to moderate northeast to north winds and a light northwest to southwest sea breeze until evening. Forecast for Tuesday Cloudy with a shower or two during the morning increasing to showers and the chance of a thunderstorm during the afternoon. Warm with light to moderate northeast to northerly winds and a light to moderate southwest afternoon sea breeze.
Jason
Guest
Clarke gets out close to the end of a session far to often for my liking. Not sure what it is. Gen Y syndrome?
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Kersi,Hussey and Haddin to the rescue tomorrow? There is always North and he may surprise. But it looks dire for Australia.
Briolex
Guest
Yes and only for Clarke to get out on the last ball of the day, but glad to see that he showed some glimpses of his class. a bit of a relief. If Australia are to fight back in this series then he needs to fire. But what is going on with Ponting?
Kersi Meher-Homji
Expert
A good fight back from Hussey and Clarke. Can they keep it up and deny England their 100th Test win over Australia?
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Point taken, Darren Warf, regarding Cook. I am all for him and even picked him in my 2010 Test XI last week in The Roar. But still he has a way to go before one puts him the Viv, Brian, Sachin, Ricky class. Watson and Katich have started reasonably well but there are many Everests to climb before Australia can escape being gobbled up after lunch by a Yeti named Graeme Swann.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Use Australian techniques to save Australia. it's about processes, not results. Catches win matches - you're better off with a great fielder who averages 30, than a batsman who averages 40, and costs you 20 runs in the field Whoever runs more singles, wins. The Sheffield Shield is the nursery of cricket - it provides tough cricket in a variety of conditions. Pick quicks when they are young, but dont be afraid to select a 40 year old spinner Send your kids to play in the Lancashire League Follow these rules, and I think Australian cricket will be back to where it should be.
Darren Warf
Guest
I thought it would be prudent to point something out that can put to rest all this talk about Alistair Cooks form etc. For those who are not followers of statistics and generally cricket fans here are some facts: 1) Cook has been playing test cricket for 5 years and has always been in the top 12 annual international test run scorers since he started playing tests 2) Cook has only ever averaged less than 40 in a season where he averaged 36 (2008) his worst effort since he started 3) Cook is the third fastest to reach 10 test hundreds, only faster is Tendulka and Bradman 4) Cook has the 3rd highest talley of hundreds with 15 at the age of 25, only Tendulaka and Bradman are better So yes Cook is not a Viv Richards or a Suchin Tendulka or a Don Bradman but hes pretty good???? Not sure why he is so underated even if he hasn't had the best record against the Aussies until now.
Briolex
Guest
I think rankings are the last thing on their mind at the moment.....Lets face reality..... it is all doom and gloom at the moment. And I am saying this as an aussie supporter.
Tristan Rayner
Editor
Feels like it's all doom and gloom to me Kersi! While I'm relatively confident about our chances with the bat, it's the ball that really has me worried, as you have noted. Doherty looks to have had his chance and will need to soothe his wounds with some first-class game time and performances. He lacks variety. Bollinger is great at 100% but anything less than that he doesn't look threatening. Siddle bowls with heart but without swing. Harris has found his place and hopefully his body holds up. I'm usually against the (over)use of the term 'un-Australian' but poor fielding, dropped catches and heads down in the field makes it a very apt description. I hope Katich can play with this Achilles injury he looks to have picked up, a century would be quite handy.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
It's not all doom and gloom for Australia. Despite their disappointing performances (an understatement) in the Ashes so far, Australia has been promoted from 5th ranked Test nation to 4th. England has deservedly gone up to No.3 after India and South Africa. Unfairly in my opinion, Sri Lanka has been denoted from No. 3 to No.5 because of a rain-ruined series against the West Indies.