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By Scott 4 years ago, at the end of November Add your comment below
To the audible relief of South Australian cricket administrators, England provided some much needed resistance on day four, and saved them the prospect of half-empty stands for the Second Test starting on Friday.
England were set an insane target, worked out by Ricky Ponting on the formula of multiplying my overdraft times the speed of light, or some such nonsense, and let his bowlers loose, while retiring to the massage table. He would have dined well as England lost two early wickets, and with Cook playing a range of loose shots, promise of more to come.
However, Pieterson and Collingwood provided stout resistance and some fiery entertainment for another large crowd, stated as being 37,000.
Yet England will surely lose, and they deserve to lose- while there was some magnificent batsmanship today, there was also some shameful episodes. Strauss, Cook, Collingwood, Flintoff and Pieterson were all guilty of some dreadful shot selection at various points in the day, treating an Ashes Test as little more then a knockabout in the park.
Pieterson’s innings was an instructive example. There was some lovely drives, all through the V, yet there were also some grotesque cross-bat swipes. None of these have cost him his wicket (as yet), but what happens if rain comes about three PM tomorrow and England have been bowled out at 2.35?
If England had batted with a slightly more applied approach, they might well have been three wickets down tonight, not five. That’s a big difference.
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What do readers think about Andrew Flintoff’s dismissal? Shane Warne gave him an ugly serve on his way, and Justin Langer was smiling in delight even before he took the catch; the arrogance of it will grate on English sensibilities.
But it is an arrogance reflective of an Australian team that knows the value of their wickets, and the absolute folly of Flintoff’s shot. I don’t recall Ricky Ponting playing such an agricultural heave during his defensive masterpiece at Old Trafford last year. Duncan Fletcher may or may not remind his charges of that innings between now and the morning.
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Speaking of coaches, I came across this article on my web-meanderings this evening, asking about the worth of overseas coaches. Given the kvetching about Duncan Fletcher that I’ve read in British media outlets the last few days, I wondered about the role of the coach.
It seems to me that for a coach to be a benefit, rather then a hindrance, there needs to be an absolute understanding between the coach and his captain. In many first class teams, it seems to be the increasing trend that the coach is the top banana and the captain merely his on-field lieutenant, rather in the way a football manager operates. That may work, but there does need to be a clear line driven, and both sides working in tandem.
It’s never been the Australian way. Would you fancy being the coach telling Steve Waugh how he was to arrange his batting order? John Buchanan always knew his place in Waugh’s order of things.
I’m not sure about the inner workings of England’s team, but Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher certainly were working on the same wavelength. It may well be that the relationship between Fletcher and Andrew Flintoff isn’t quite so attune.
Tags: andrew-strauss, ashes, australia, coach, duncan-fletcher, england, john-buchanan, justin-langer, kevin-pietersen, kevin-pieterson, media, old-trafford, paul-collingwood, rain, ricky-ponting, shane-warne, speed-of-light, steve-waugh |
I’m not sure if Strauss’ or Flintoff’s dismissal was more reprehensible. Strauss simply gave his wicket away as if it made no difference, and Flintoff did much the same thing. Amittedly, he came out when the game was effectively lost, but he is the captain and a captain simply can’t lead that way.
I didn’t mind Collingwood’s dismissal so much. That’s the way he’d been playing, and to fall being positive carries no shame at all.
I think Strauss’s was the worst, as his role is quite different to that of Flintoff. He should have been the steady rock, aiming to simply bat on and on and on, especially considering how he got out in the first innings…
Poor Collingwood. I had this sinking feeling during his 90s that Warne was just relishing all the pressure…
Pieterson though… man. I just wish he’d stop playing the bloody sweep! I know the field settings made it nowhere near as risky as it could have been, but for gods sake man, just knuckle down a bit!
If England were 3 down rather than 5, I’d almost be betting on them, particularly given Gilchrist’s rather negative field placings, and the lack of a fully fit McGrath…
It’s almost fair now if Ponting and McGrath are injured… 
Makes up for Jones, Vaughan and Trescothick.
I was playing International Cricket Captain during the breaks, and was playing the same match as was on TV… quite bizzarre.
Anyway, in my game Trescothick hit 160 odd, Vaughan made a century, and Jones took a five-for. Then Langer, Ponting and Hayden all fell really cheaply to irresponsible shots. I ended up being forced to follow on after England had won the toss and made 580… mainly due to McGrath’s lack of match fitness …. now I’m just batting for a draw.
Almost the direct inverse of the match in the real world.
John Buchanan is a fairly quietly spoken sort, and I think you would be doing him a disservice to suggest he isn’t the brains behind Australia’s consistent performances over a lot of years.
Watching this test there were several times where Queenslanders sitting near me who know Buchanan, from his time as Queensland coach, chortled at events that were sure to have been orchestrated by Buchanan.
He’s a coach that belives the devil is in the detail and he’s not about to leave that purely in the hands of a player on the field.
1st Test: Day Four…
I was at the Gabba myself today, and although it wasn’t a terribly memorable day’s play, it was an interesting one. Australia declared early … the only thing holding them back was Justin Langer’s century. With that milestone kno…
Here’s what I wrote on http://www.third-umpire.blogspot.com:
Do England know how to save Test matches?
Considering their cataclysmic first three days, England can be content with reaching 293-5 on the fourth day. It is, rather prematurely, being lauded as the start of England’s attempts to retain the Ashes. England’s endeavours were certainly an improvement. But they didn’t bat in the manner that saves Test matches.
Three of England’s wickets were lost to reckless shots, the sort that would attract light criticism even in limited overs games. Andrew Strauss was caught pulling for the second time in the game; Paul Collingwood, after a fine innings, was stumped; and, most inexcusably of all, skipper Andrew Flintoff played a suicidal shot, caught trying to hit Shane Warne out of the state. It was more reminiscent of his pre-2003 batting, characterised by a lack of coherent thinking.
Though defiant, England’s batting was more Edgbaston 05 than Johannesburg 95. Rattling along at 3.66 an over, England were responsible for a day of exhilarating cricket. Yet their emphasis seemed to be on taking the game to Australia, rather than saving the game themselves.
It is an indication of modern Test cricket that the art of saving games has been lost. Batting time has been replaced by belting.
England have long since been a victim of ‘100 and out’ syndrome; indeed, Collingwood would never have attempted such a reckless shot had his score been anything other than 96. We only need to look at the Australians – Ricky Ponting was devastated to have missed out on a double ton, having made exactly 100 more than the Durham man.
Collingwood’s feisty knock deserves enormous credit, and has surprised many, myself included. But he must realise that, the moment he put century before the match, he ended England’s hopes of salvation. His partnership with Kevin Pietersen constituted the most uplifting facet of England’s performance.
At 244-3, Australia were searching for their next wicket, and there was a very real chance England would save the game. Alas, England gifted it to them.
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