England scrape home and lead the series 2-1 against Australia

By Will 3 years ago, at the end of August Leave a comment on this post

The greatest series ever. There is now no doubt. England win. More later or tomorrow when I’ve recovered…

Tags: australia, england, the-ashes, trent-bridge |

Comments to “England scrape home and lead the series 2-1 against Australia” Paul wrote:
August 28th, 2005 at 8.00 pm

Completely and utterly exhausted. Couldn’t watch the proceedings after Jones was out but luckily regained my nerve to see the victory runs.

What a comeback by Australia! To those reading from Oz who stayed up to watch it on SBS (what’s that about? Channel 9 missed a trick!) you must be very proud of your boys. That was a real fight and didn’t Warnie love it?!

I totally agree that this is the greatest series ever. It has had everything and congratulations to both teams for being part of it.

To my shame, I used to dislike Brett Lee. I will never forget his sportsmanship and good character over these matches. He is a true champion in my eyes.

Onwards to the Oval.

anil wrote:
August 28th, 2005 at 8.09 pm

I was listening to the BBC commentary and couldnt tear myself away. Havent listened to commentary since the 80’s. This was sensational stuff!!!

mark wrote:
August 28th, 2005 at 8.35 pm

Paul; I completely agree re. Brett lee. At the beginning of the summer I had no time for him at all, a real dislike.

Since then he has grown in my eyes as a player and a person for every game. A true sportsman who fights to the death for his country with both bat and ball yet with extreme good grace in both victory and defeat.

Great to be proved wrong!

Marcus wrote:
August 28th, 2005 at 9.02 pm

Another great, unecessarily close, test match. Real on the edge of the seat stuff, but with around 4 million people watching on channel 4 and numerous more going to the ‘Cricket in the park’ event and listening to the BBC commentary you could argue that the real winner today was cricket, could it possibly overtake football as the main sport in the UK?!

A P Webster wrote:
August 28th, 2005 at 9.06 pm

Nearly had a premature coronary when Geraint Jones lofted that ball to Kasprowicz…but I suppose it all adds to the buzz surrounding the series, as do the remarkable performances of Lee and Warne.
One question though: will England play for a draw in the next Test?

Wraye wrote:
August 28th, 2005 at 9.16 pm

was scoring a Cup semi-final in Germany with the radio on next to me. The weirdest feeling! All the other players not neede on the field gathered around the scoreboard/scorers table to follow both matches at the same time. My team Bonn lost to Dortmund, but we hung around the car park and the captain gave us all a stiff drink - much needed - as we listened to those last runs and wickets. We simply just could not go home til the game was over!

These Tests have been so gripping and reflect the best in the game - though perhaps Ponting calling us English f** cheats reflects the pressure. We forgive him. All the nations of the world will be watching the Oval. Oh God, only have 10 days to grow back some fingernails!

Robert wrote:
August 28th, 2005 at 9.26 pm

Was at a NASCAR race in Tenn. And was calling my girlfriend in DC for the scores every half hour. Well done England. All I wanted was a good series and as they say dreams really do come true. Or if your an Australian, nightmares…..

Innocent Abroad wrote:
August 28th, 2005 at 9.39 pm

Poor show by Aggers comparing Warney to a torturer… he’s simply the greatest spin bowler the game has ever seen ((i) erects barrage to deflect subcontinental missiles

Innocent Abroad wrote:
August 28th, 2005 at 9.41 pm

Oh, half that comment went AWOL…

I was hoping that we’ll get good news of Simon Jones and Glenn McGrath - this is not the series to win your first cap…

The Ashes wrote:
August 28th, 2005 at 9.57 pm

4th Test - Day Four

Katich and Clarke played it slow and steady this morning, but Clarke has just been dismissed by a gentle swinging ball from Hoggard. Australia will go to lunch at 270 for 5 (a lead of 11 runs), and they’ll need

The Ashes wrote:
August 28th, 2005 at 10.20 pm

The greatest ever

Will is calling this ‘the greatest series ever’, and I’d have to agree with him. Those Indians will need to rethink the marketing on their DVD’s. I can’t recall a series that has been so closely contested, with so many

japaddy wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 2.04 am

the monday after the night before, a lot of harping in Australia about bad decisions etc, although no real quibble with the result.
The follow on? surely never again? England gave Warne and co a sniff, all power to them for snuffing out the sniff! Calm heads Trescothick, Hoggard, Flintoff, Giles got England home, Vaughn’s stoic leadership doesn’t always transfer to the crease.
Lee was a true Boys own hero, and Warne was mesmeric although i think he clammed up at the death.
On the umpiring,technology is crucifying these guys, sure Alim Daar did have a poor game, but Buckner was good! Australia have been beneficiaries of umpiring judgement’s all through their ascendancy, no complaints were heard,all dominant teams get the rub! Ponting and Katich deserved to be fined, and Lee may have been lucky for his unacceptable LBW appeal carry on over Hoggard.
And we move on… what chance Collingwood will replace the injured Jones, or will the towering Tremlett be given the nod,it’s valour ‘v’caution. Who would replace a doubtful Mcgrath? Magill? Watson? i think they will persevere with the top six but will have to tinker with bowling balance.
And predictions, probably more of the same, although who could possibly gauge the physical and psychological toll this series is having on individual and team alike. For what it is worth I predict the Oval will be a Captains Test!!!!!!!!!!!

akr wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 4.51 am

greates spinner. innocnet, and you expect missiles from the subcontinent? If only that were possible. he is the greatest friggin spinner, and if there were better, I am sorry to have been born at a different time, for he is special in my eyes.

congrats, then all ye Englishmen! I could not bring myself to move to the computer and comment last night- though I really though GJones had LOST it!
This is beyond mots’s wildest dreams, no? The Oval. Whatever it is, its gonna one hck of an emotional ride.

akr wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 4.51 am

Craig wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 4.57 am

I can’t agree that this is the greatest series ever!!

Sure it has been close, gripping and times exciting series, but it isn’t great cricket.

This series will be known for the terrible umpiring. The terrible captaincy from both sides. And the terrible fielding from both sides!!

The exciting cricket has been brought about by the poor standard of cricket that we have seen. How can England have nearly lost that game, with that poor poor bowling attack of Australia (of course Warney is the only light!).

I would love to know the drop catches count for this series!! It’s like watching Australia circa 1984/85, when I think we dropped 50 catches in a summer!!! Someone told me the other day that Pietersen has 7 drops to himself!!!

Enthralling series, but a lot of poor cricket!

japaddy wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 5.45 am

Pretty mean spirited Craig. The greatest series ever,i certainly can’t make that judgement, the pressure has been on since ball one and that would explain dropped catches, bad captaincy and umpiring misjudgement.
Too little credit is being given to the poms, they are a brave cricket team whose star is definitely rising.

As Bing says “youv’e got to accentuate the positive,……..don’t mess with Mr in-between”

That’s Crosby not Lee.

ze rambler wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 5.48 am

No doubt, it is the greatest series ever played. India V Aus 2001 was fantastic, but it was over 3 parts. This has the same excitement over 5, with a much larger prize still at stake.

Innocent, no subcontinental fan will deny Warne’s place in the temple of spinners. He is a true magician, the best that ever played.

Craig, agree with you - the cricket standards are not the best, but the bowling has been terrific. The batting and fielding is not world class, though.

Well done England, you are on the verge of doing to Aus what India couldn’t after getting so close (2003-4 in Aus). All the best, and can’t wait to see your team in India in 2006.

Craig wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 6.12 am

I agree that the English bowling has been very good. Watching Flintoff toying with some of our batsman has been something to watch.

Some of the stuff that Kaspa, Tait and Lee dished up in the first innings was pretty ordinary stuff. I bet the selectors are wishing they had picked Bracken with all this swing bowling getting wickets at the moment (that was hard for me to say, because I am a Queenslander!!).

But the fielding has been rubbish from both sides. I was always taught as a kid that the keepers lead the way in the field and they definitely are showing the way in this series!! Makes Ian Healy’s work seem outstanding now (that’s better from a Queenslander!!).

Rishi Gajria wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 8.01 am

The ASHES,

We Indians are thinking and watching and loving every minute of it. You are right, there is still one more game but this looks to be the greatest test series ever.

mark wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 9.08 am

Craig: What has made this series so great has been the fact that the pressure on both teams has meant that mistakes (and moments of brilliance) have swung the impetus back and forth more times than I can remember.

I don’t really see how you can say it hasn’t been great cricket. Would you really rather the top 5 in each team never scored below 50, that the bowlers never bowled a no-ball and where not one catch was dropped? 5 draws at the end of the series? I personally believe that the humanisation of this series has been what’s made it great.

The umpiring? Well, when are decisions not disputed. I don’t think it’s been any worse than most series. The captaining? Yes, both captain’s have made mistakes but I also think that there has been some very inventive leadership. Vaughan’s creativity and flexibility has been great to see, and is certainly the best captain England has had since Brearley.

You have 2 teams desperate to win. The Aussies who can’t bear the thought of losing the Ashes and a series which may signal a new era. And England, a young team, who are fighting with everything they have to finally beat a side seen as unbeatable.

If this is poor cricket then I hope it continues!

Rod Hagen wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 9.30 am

For the first time since I started following cricket as a child in the early 1960’s, England clearly has a team which has both a significantly better batting lineup and a better fast bowling attack than Australia.

All they lack is the confidence (which had given way to very unappealing arrogance in recent years) that has characterised Australian cricket for the last decade. Its not too many weeks ago that Australian team members and the local media pundits were crying out that this would be a “straight sets” Aussie whitewash!

When they win this series the English confidence will come, but lets hope that they never aquire the Aussie yobbo arrogance that lies behind Ponting’s recent little outburst. Nothing worse than the current crop of whingeing Aussies!

Cheers

Rod

Innocent Abroad wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 9.48 am

Well of course I’m biassed, but I’d like the critics of Vaughan’s captaincy to provide instances. (Can’t remember the C4 team dumping on him too much - was going to say even Boycott till I remembered they’re both Tykes, even if Vaughan is from Sheffield :))

As to England’s team for the Oval - do you know I’d forgotten all about Paul Collingwood - the obvious pick given we’re 2-1 up with one to play.

Jon Hicks wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 11.12 am

Has Craig been watching a different Test Series to the rest of us. what does he mean “poor standard of cricket” We are watching the two top teams in the world at the moment, playing for what they consider to be a more valuable prize than the World Cup,we have seen the absolutley best bowling from, Mcgrath at Lords, the king of spin turning it 18″ , 2 of the fastest bowlers in the world screaming the ball past the visors and into them. Dont forget an absolute masterclass in swing and reverse swing from Hoggy and Jones. This is definately a bowlers series. There is not one Test and first class Batsman who would be dreading the walk to the crease to face any of the afore mentioned.

Craig wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 11.58 am

I am talking about the standard of fielding in this series - it has been atrocious. The catching has been terrible starting with both wicket keepers (on the whole that is, Strauss’s catch not withstanding). The ground fielding apart from Clarke and Pietersen has been bumbling. Just take a look at the throws from the outfield, way over the top or bouncing just in front of the keeper. You would give kids a gobful for some of the stuff I have seen.

The captaincy from both teams has been dithering and defensive - someone hits a four so both of them put fielders out on the boundary straight away. Lee was batting in the first innings, England are ahead by 260 and Vaughan puts everyone on the boundary. And the less said about Pontings field setting for Flintoff when he had every man on the boundary the better.

England’s bowlers have been very very good, and more power to them. Add Warney in to the mix and they have been the quality that I expect of the two top teams. But the batting from both sides hasn’t been up to scratch - no team would get over 200 an innings if they could catch!!

And for Rod to say that England’s batting is significantly better is to completely disregard the last 3 years of test cricket!!!

Stu wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 12.10 pm

I think the dropped catches and above-mentioned “bad cricket” is mostly to do with the vast amount of pressure that these guys are under, every minute they are on the ground during these matches. The side that walks away with the Ashes will be the side the cracks the least under these conditions. So far, England, but one Test to go.

I think atrocious is a little harsh. Most people I talk to in Aus are appauled by the dropped catches, no balls etc, but it’s mainly bruised egos talking. Australia have often dropped catches, and we know Gilchrist is not the best keeper in Aus, just ask “Chuck” Berry from Victoria, but most of that has been covered up by their performances over the last 10 or so years. Now the chances are being exploited by the best team we’ve come up against in that time, and it is made more obvious.
The “best” is a hard call to make - like who is the best ever batsman, or best side, but it is certainly the most gripping and entertaining series I can remember. That is due also, to the fact that is could be the changing of the guard, and the fact that I continually want to deny it is England we are playing

Geoff wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 12.12 pm

You can’t say that the bowling has been great but the batting not up to par - that is what good bowling does to batsmen, almost by definition! If everyone was racking up centuries, you would be saying the bowling was below par.

japaddy wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 12.35 pm

The point has been well made many times, bowlers win matches, you need a plan and bowlers who can execute it, the batsman can only re-act. Gilchrist has made a brilliant career out of re-acting better than any of his peers, in this series the intensity of Flintoff’s attention has worn him down, England to date have been too good, their attack has pace, height movement and control, and it has been relentless.
One more point England should stick with Geraint for one more test, work him hard until the next series,and hope he comes good,he brings something to this England side beyond statistics, and most importantly he alows England to have five bowlers without being bottom heavy, he is worth it in the long run.

Rod Hagen wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 12.57 pm

And for Rod to say that Englandâ€™s batting is significantly better is to completely disregard the last 3 years of test cricket!!!

Sorry, Craig. I’m not talking about the last three years. I’m talking about the batting in this series! (well, perhaps the last twelve months)

Australia are a long way behind on any current objective measure and falling further behind every match. In the current series the English hold the two top places in the batting averages, and three out of the top 5.

Talking about the “last three years” is like talking about the end of the period when the great West Indies teams gave way to the Australians. Yes, on paper at that time those marvellous WI teams retrospectively came out in front, but we all knew there was a changing of the guard going on. The same applies now. England are clearly emerging as the new dominant nation in world cricket.

Australia will now go through the painful regrouping process that happened for WI, helped a bit, no doubt, by the fact that we are far richer and far more populous than WI. The immediate challengers to England, though, will almost certainly come from the India / Pakistan sub continent, rather than Australia.

It will take quite some time before my living place, Australia, recognises that its smugness hinders, rather than helps, its cricketing cause! Over the last twelve months I have heard Aussie after Aussie saying that they actually hope that Australia LOSES this series because they are fed up with the petty nonsense from our cricketing “heroes” ! When even Australians are responding like this it is surely time that those involved take a good hard look at themselves! Until they do, I suspect they will continue to move backwards rather than forwards.

If Ponting’s latest silliness is anything to go by I might actually being overly generous to Australain cricket! His outbursts certainly don’t sound like the stuff you expect from someone who knows there is a problem and is serious about coming to grips with it!

Cheers

Rod

Barmy Thom wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 1.18 pm

Why is everyone on here from other countries, or in other countries that are not related to cricket like Germany and America!?

Anyway, a brilliant victory, couldn’t be there with the lads, but could hear all the brilliant singing of Englands 12th man as we limped to victory!

Come on ENGLAND

Barmy Thom wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 1.31 pm

England should choose 9 batsman (including Collingwood) and have S. Jones (if fit), Flintoff, Giles and Collingwood doing the bowling! Thatd be a draw in the making!

Will wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 1.44 pm

Review of the Test now available here

Will wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 1.58 pm

Barmy Thom, there are people from all over the world who like cricket. Finland, Germany, France, Singapore, America, Iceland…just look at the world map below with all the visitors coming here…

Wraye wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 3.27 pm

Hi Barmy Thom, Will’s right. All the mentioned countries and many more have a thriving cricket playing communities. Holland beat the Aussies too not so long ago and Richie Benaud is the patron of Cricket France - now there’s bloke who knows a thing or two about the game!

What is more, Will’s blog has been a godsend to those of us in far-flung places. We owe Will a big thanks for such a forum so that loads of us do not have to suffer the stress of following the Ashes all alone. Thanks Will!

Revanta wrote:
August 29th, 2005 at 10.53 pm

Certainly the greatest series by far during my lifetime (all 28 years of it). The Ind-Aus 2001 was exciting, but I for one prefer this series to the Ind-NZL-Zim tri-series anyday.
When does England play India next?

Shane wrote:
August 31st, 2005 at 11.11 pm

Craig has it all wrong re fielding. The fielding has been of a high standard generally. What needs remembering is the fearsome hitting going on by both sides. Most of the dropped chances the ball has been going like a tracer! Hardly any dollies have been missed, even by Gilchrist, Jones or Pietersen. What has been happening is mistakes by players under pressure from games going along like a runaway train. Jones is not a great wickie, but how easy is it to keep to a 4-man pace attack which has been notable for its variety of swing, seam, bounce and hostility? Think also of Strauss’ catch, Bell’s catch last Test, plus others from the Aussies too…incredible cricket!

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England scrape home and lead the series 2-1 against Australia