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review

The week in photos

2 years ago, at the start of August

In case you missed it, there is a new column at Cricinfo - Shots of the Week - which is my baby. It’s a work in progress, and we have a very exciting new gallery software coming in the next few weeks which will completely revolutionise how we present them. But, we’re stuck with the old version for now - but there are some pretty cool shots.

The year in review

3 years ago, at the end of December

We (Cricinfo) have been assembling a year-in-review for 2005; it promises to be both fascinating and enjoyable, even for those of us involved. I’m doing a photo review, which should be around on New Year’s Day - but the rest of the scores of features will be starting very soon.

Review: England v Australia, Old Trafford

3 years ago, mid-August

Old Trafford, England v Australia, 2005 - the match which set ablaze the Ashes. England were so good, and dominated it with such gusto, that this humble blogger proclaimed the tide had turned. And to get so close to winning, it is surely like a loss to England - and a win to Australia. But that doesn’t tell the full story of what we saw.

To have witnessed a drawn match (which did go down to the wire again, despite my plea that it wouldn’t!, was commonplace in previous eras, and indeed in the early 1990s. However, these days it’s all about runs, wickets and 3/4 day Tests - the one-day format has infliltrated into Tests, which is partly the cause for Cricket’s high in Britain at the moment. The main reason is England’s continued success, of course.

Old Trafford saw England continue its momentum gained from Edgbaston, in that thriller, but no one expected a similar nail-biting encounter. There was a nervous stage, for English fans, as Ricky Ponting threatened to go for the win. But, needing over eight per over to achieve it, it was never seriously in the running. England took wickets regularly throughout the day, except that of Ponting whose innings was one of guts, determination and a mass of skill. Outdone by England’s bowlers in the previous three Tests, his eyes revealed his motives at Old Trafford: he was never going to give in to England, especially when all his colleagues collapsed around him. A fabulous knock.

His innings aside, England again dominated Australia’s batting machine on day five. Once Ponting was ninth out, for 156, English hopes were understandably high. Unlike Edgbaston, in which Mike Kasprowicz replaced an ankle-injured Glenn McGrath, Australia’s tail was weakened by McGrath’s prescence at Old Trafford. His plucky pronouncement that he was overdue batting promotion would only have amused England - he is a dreadful batsman and a classic number eleven, but must be given credit for his obdurity in this Test. Given the pressure he was under (he came in with five overs to spare), his innings of nine balls was one of his most crucial.

Much credit and respect must go to Brett Lee, too, who again thwarted England’s bowlers. While Australia’s top-order have really not looked the force they can be, their tail-enders have been brilliant. Shane Warne is a most-underestimated batsman - damn him! - but even he must admit he’s played out of his skin this series. As it stands at the moment, he’s hit 204 runs at 34. More than Langer, Martyn, Hayden, Gilchrist & Katich. More, even, than Andrew Flintoff and Ian Bell, and only one run behind Andrew Strauss! Quite remarkable, and damn him for his brilliance!

Simon Jones' amazing wicket to dismiss Michael Clarke

Key moment of the day (match?): Simon Jones going off with cramp during the latter overs, as England’s desperation increased. Jones had, once again, bowled quite superbly, including a spectacular delivery to bowl Michael Clarke. He cramped up, and Steve Harmison replaced him - but bowled far too short and wide, allowing McGrath to shoulder-arms and leave several balls. This was a big factor in England failing to take the final wicket.

So, who takes the momentum? Arguably Australia - it is, for them, much like a win, as Justin Langer himself admitted. But they were still outplayed and outskilled by an improving English team, for the majority of the match. As miffed as England will feel, they will be quick to remind themselves of their dominance in the past two Tests, as well they might.

My proclamation that the tide has turned still stands. I was crushed by the draw yesterday, and needed some time for the ramifications of it to fully absorb. Australia have the problems, not England: they have just two bowlers they can put their trust in, McGrath and Warne. Gillespie might have played his last Test of his career, and almost certainly the last of this series - but Mike Kasprowicz doesn’t frighten England as much as Australia need him to. Indeed, the manner of the draw - “captain stands alone as team fight for draw” - is worryingly similar to England’s performances of the past 20 years. One in particular…

It was especially gutting for English fans, as cricket’s appeal in Britain soared to an unprecendant level of histeria. It is BRILLIANT news and long may it continue. I’ve even noticed it on this mere blog - over 3000 people (not hits, people) arrived yesterday alone. I’ll write more specifically about this later though.

All in all, regardless of the result, it was brilliant cricket. As Geoff Boycott said on TV, no one moved from their seats. They were glued there, and cheered and whooped all day long, much as we did from our sofas (and beds!). Cricket won the hearts of many in five days of unstoppable, brilliant sport. That’s the best result of all.

Stuff:

Cricinfo photo gallery. Andrew Miller’s verdict. Boycott says England must, and will, remain positive. Paul Hayward reckons Fred is the one They fear. Glenn McGrath thinks, well - need I tell you?

Blogs:

Dave provides his thoughts. Despite being awake for 36 hours, Scott found it enthralling. Stu is itching to find negatives for England, but concedes it is Australia who have the problems. Before the match was over, Darryl questioned Australia and whether it was the end of an era (what do you think now, Darryl, out of interest?). Jagadish nearly praises England, but is clearly happier with Australia drawing.

Crappy post, sorry; too busy to put my mind to it properly. Shall probably add more thoughts later.

England beat Australia and level the series

3 years ago, at the start of August

What a day. What four days we have witnessed. I suppose relatively, I’m quite new to cricket; I first started following in the winter of 1993, and the addiction was immediate. Despite that, this Test is without doubt the best I have witnessed. The level of skill on show, the atmosphere, the showmanship - indeed, the sportsmanship - has been breathtaking. And England, up until Warne and Lee defied their bowlers, have dictated this game from the outset. As Richie said, this was “one of the most thrilling games there has ever been.” Even those who hate the English cricket team would have been in awe of what we all saw.

The England team celebrate their astonishing victory

Of course, at the start of the day’s play it all looked far too easy for England; with but two wickets to fall, Australia and her fans were only expecting a miracle. How close they came! Shane Warne, who with ten wickets in the match had already reminded everyone why he’s irritatingly brilliant and omnipresent, batted superbly. His knock of 42 came from just 59 balls - indeed, the speed of his innings was perhaps crucial to Australia’s eventual chance of victory. Had they scratched, poked and prodded, England would have knocked them over. They didn’t. Warne and Brett Lee, who remained undefeated on 43, gave an English nation the jitters. I left home and drove…I just had to get out, away from the TV, it was too much to withstand. Suffice to say when I heard on the radio that England had won, I drove at breakneck speeds to get home!

A word on Lee. There are some cricketers who naturally warm themselves to the opposing fans, with their brilliance on the field, or something eccentric in their character. For whatever reason, I don’t think Lee has done this to English fans. Until now, that is. His innings today was absolutely extraordinary. Once Warne had trod on his stumps - an embarassing, and hilarious way to end a brilliant knock - Lee was left with Kasprowicz. Peppered by Harmison and, in particular, Flintoff, he defied them right ’til the end. Receiving damaging, sometimes sickening blows to his body and hands, he still didn’t give in - and I for one found that quite brilliant to watch. When the Australian batsmen (Warne, Lee) walked out to bat this morning, they were inevitably booed and jeered in a theatrical style; it was a gladatorial atmosphere, and the players matched it with a gladatorial performance, from both sides.

Andrew Flintoff consoles Brett Lee

The photo above was, for me, the moment of the day. England had won a famous victory, and Lee had been left stranded. Bouncing Lee mercilessly, Flintoff acknowledged his opponent’s misery and it was a moment of true sportsmanship…all the more rare in a world where arrogance is king, and football reigns supreme. Just fantastic.

The Australian’s (and maybe the English) media will no doubt make a lot of England nearly losing the game, from a seemingly impenetrable position, but let them. I have no doubt Australia will be smarting, and not just from losing the game today, but from being outplayed for the majority of the match. Peter English, an Australian and an excellent writer, said in his column on Cricinfo:

Australia have consistently requested more challenges during their long reign and finally got their wish. Perhaps after this Test they will change their minds. England have questioned, pestered and hurt their tormentors and are two wickets from levelling an already classic series.

And that, for me as an Englishman, is the most thrilling aspect of this Test. Rarely, and not in my lifetime or that I can remember, has an English side bounced back from an Australia drubbing, such as we witnessed at Lord’s. Yet they did bounce back in this Test. It’s one-all with three to play, and this series has already contained enough thrills and spills (Jones and KP…!) to fill an entire tour. Breathlessly, we march on to Manchester. Who will go two-up, and will McGrath be back?

Newspaper and blog round-up.

Darryl thinks England really shouldn’t have let Australia get so close, but concedes Flintoff’s brilliance.

Stu reckons both teams have batting troubles, and Australia is more likely to sort theirs out.

Rick can’t beleive it, but concedes Flintoff’s brilliance.

Jagadish’s silence is deafening.

Cricinfo have a reaction from Australia; Andrew Miller gives his verdict
, as does Peter English.

A casual cricket fan got excited. Nick thinks it’s all far too tense. BrokenEnglish thinks greatness beckons. Even a Kiwi enjoyed it! Free Beer, an Aussie, reckons the commentators went OTT. This bloke’s over the moon for the “beautiful game”. Hammy says it was a ripper, and also reminds us of the 1993 “ripper” between Aus and WI.

County games review

3 years ago, at the end of April

Strauss failed against Warwickshire today, making just 13. Not quite “desperate times,” but he does need to show some form - even ahead of Bangladesh. Joyce though continued his merry way by hitting 92 (top scoring again). Some player that bloke. And Scott Styris, Middlesex’s new overseas player, made a quick 52 on debut. But Warwickshire hold first day honours.

Tomorrow’s back pages will be full of Flintoff failing - a 5th ball duck, too - but it sounds like Ali’s little wobblers were perfect on that pitch (and in those conditions) at Worcester. Lancs reached 196 only thanks to Hegg who made a counterpunching 69 off 64.

Surrey brightened their start to the season by taking 9 Glamorgan wickets. Mark Wallace - one of a clutch of hugely promising wicket-keepers in Britain at the moment - is not out 80 at the moment. Good to see some young players outdoing their senior team-mates this early in the season.

So - relative carnage around the country, apart from Derby where Northants have smashed nearly 300 in a day n’avec losing a wicket. Bilal Mustapha Shafayat hit 150 - another very talented young batsman.

Hoggard beats South Africa

3 years ago, mid-January


[Updated 18 Jan to include links and pictures]

Today, Matthew Hoggard took the final wicket and his 12th in the match to seel a win for England versus South Africa. Yet just a few hours before, it was South Africa who were box favourites. Hoggard will deservedly take the tabloids tomorrow, but Trescothick setup the real chance of a win with a brutal 180. He started the day on 101, which had so far taken him 159 balls. By the time he was out, he’d left South Africa an improbable 324 to win. His striking and clean hitting was a sight to watch - in the space of a couple of hours, he’d demolished any hope SA had of winning. His feet might not move, but his bat certainly does! As destructive an innings to start the day as I’ve seen in years.

Given the weather forecast, which turned out to be wrong, England had to strike early with the new ball. After 20-odd overs, the ball went incredibly soft and the pitch became a belter - and Hoggard duly obliged, with an awesome display of old-fashioned swing bowling. He’s never been an out-and-out pace bowler (although he did top 91mph 4 years ago…younger and stupider back then!), but has always swung the ball. He’s had many good performances in the past 18 months - today was by far his best one. He’s an unfashionable bowler - a workhorse, engineroom, machine…he just keeps on going, and rarely lets the team down. A true team player, one who I think even opposing players would warm to and share a beer with. A bloody good bloke and today was just reward for his efforts, especially with England lacking a fit-n-firing Harmison.

It was perhaps England’s best win for years. They were well beaten at Cape Town, and again looked weary and jaded in this game. In fact - some of the cricket was truly awful; a really scrappy, backyard-fight, bare-knuckle-contest of a Test match. Both sides kept winning back the momentum, and both sides kept losing it - sometimes through special bowling, more often through poor shots - but when England had a sniff, they honed onto the victory like a white-shark on a dead seal. The rustiness, apart from Hoggard, was still there - Jones missed a run-out, Vaughan dropped a catch and Anderson dropped a sitter - but the sheer belief of the team is just thrilling to behold. Some of my Indian and Pakistani readers refuse to concede England are a good side - performances like today might sway some of you to change your opinions.

Favourite moments

Newspapers, quotes etc

Cricinfo have an excellent newspaper roundup.

South African journalist Neil Manthorp writes quite a sad, passionate article on South Africa’s performance and the state of cricket in their country. Including this on Ray Jennings:

“The coaching style of Ray Jennings will no doubt again be questioned. His aggressive methods, which caused the injury to his captain Graeme Smith during the warm-up on this Test’s fourth morning, are controversial to say the least. If Smith’s injury had been an unlucky accident Jennings could be forgiven, but this is the second time in two months that a player has been concussed courtesy of Jennings’ warm-up bat. In Kanpur six weeks ago the unlucky man was Dippenaar. It is one thing having a hard nut as a coach, quite another having simply a nut.”

It contains a lot more, so much that I’ll reflect on it in another post later.

South Africa v England T1 D1 thoughts

4 years ago, mid-December

Of the two captains, Vaughan will be happiest - but only be a whisker. South Africa narrowly escaped losing 8 or 9 wickets on the first day, and although they ended 7 down at stumps it could have been worse. It should, though, have been better.

Smith won the toss and chose to bat - bucking a recent trend where SA have usually bowled first. The consensus was - a good toss to lose, if only because no one knew what to do. Smith was first out, from the 2nd ball of the series - a collossol psychological breakthrough for England. And to have done it so quickly made it even more vital - it made South Africa immediately vulnerable, and reminded him that this is a different team to the one he slayed in 2003.

Rudolf played well for 93, although I still can’t watch him for too long. (”paint” and “dry” come to mind). He was undone by Flintoff who out-thought him and, eventually, after the previous ball had been turned down, had him caught by Jones. A steep lifter - why didn’t Harmison try the same round-the-wicket tactics to the lefties? Steepling bounce around their necks - they don’t like it much there.

So overall, England’s day marginally. The exciting thing for England, and perhaps worryingly for South Africa, is they took 7 wickets quite easily for not many runs…and they’re not in form. Hoggard looked in great rythmn; Fred was just outstanding, but Harmison (and Jones in particular) were well out of sorts. Harmison will more than likely come good come T2, or even later on in this match, but the Jones saga continues….I shall post more on him later.

Just one final note I’d like to say. I haven’t seen an England side who are so obviously such good mates…a side who don’t begrudge their team-mate’s successes. It’s very clear they’re “in it together,” which couldn’t be said of teams in the 90s. Even if I wasn’t English, I’d find it pleasing to see a side gel together at last and perform as one. Let’s hope the Windies can sort themselves out one day, and start terrorising batsmen with 6′7″ giants again…