22 dec 2006

First Martyn, then Warney and then Harmie. Will McGrath be next?

I'm surprised that Warney didn't decide to call it a day at the MCG. He will have taken his 700th wicket and its his home crowd, but the SCG is a great place to play cricket and the atmosphere for him will be great there too. The Aussies love him, and rightly so. Shame the match doesn't really matter.

England's one day squad looks a shambles, so if your a betting person I'd keep your money in your pocket if you were looking to put it on England. I'd be surprised if they got through the league section. Paul Nixon must be the maddest selection ever??

Oh well, same old same old. Merry Christmas and enjoy the Melbourne Test!!

third test - day five - over and out

Congratulations to the Aussies. Sorry we didn't make a better contest of it, which is what you would have wanted.

On Day 4 England fought well - Bell and Cook in particular, but it was too little too late. Who knows if Cook could have hung around for another 16 balls on Day 4 and started Day 5 fresh, then just maybe we would have been in with a shout.

I am a big fan of Freddie's, but I don't think he is captain material. He is all heart, but if it really was him that wanted Giles and Jones, then that shows poor judgment. It similarly reflects badly on Fletcher. His captaincy must also come into question on Day 4 and then Day 5 at Adelaide and here on Day 3, when he allowed Gilchrist to dominate and get the Aussies in a position that they could declare before the end of play and get England into bat.

Poor old Jones must be consigned to the role of back-up keeper for this tour and England need to look at a young keeper to back up Reid for the future. Reid will need to work on his batting if he is to keep the gloves.

Part of me hopes that England can salvage something from this tour, not least for the thousands of fans who will be at the SCG and the MCG, and who have paid through the nose to see England play in two dead rubbers. Another part of me would like them to get whitewashed, as if they were to only lose 3-2 people might forget how easily they have relinquished their grasp on the little urn.

third test - day three close

Andrew Strauss must hate the game of cricket at the moment. He has now been given out in his last three innings when he was not out, and they have been crucial decisions. He is one of England's key batsmen and he is not getting the rub of the green at the moment.

People will say that it all works out in the end, and that he will get a few decisions that go his way, but by that time England will have lost the Ashes. Is it time for video appeals? I think captains or team managers should be allowed two appeals against umpiring decisions per innings.

So what of England's chances now. They need the small matter of 556 to win and they now only have 9 wickets left. The pitch still looks reasonable, but Warne will be able to bowl with men around the bat, so the slightest mistake and England will be punished. The bookies say 25-1 the draw and 20-1 the win (hardly generous that). The Aussies are 1-100 to win.

The first session tomorrow will be crucial. You have to say that England's chances of batting out 6 sessions look pretty bleak, but if they could get through the first session without losing a wicket, then their spirits will be lifted from the depths of despair and you never know. If the odds on England wimnning were 100-1 then I might even be tempted to have a flutter. It's a funny game cricket and if Gillie can hit a 57 ball hundred then who knows what Pietersen might do? He'll need hundreds from a couple of the others - Monty step forward!!

third test - day two close

Another disappointing day for English cricket as their batsmen failed miserably on what is obviously still a decent pitch, as Messrs Hoggard, Harmison and Panesar showed with bat in hand, and as the Aussies have done in their second innings.

Collingwood failed, as people initially feared he would in Australia, outdone by the extra bounce and pace trying to force off the back foot. Flintoff looked woefully out of touch and Geraint Jones may just have played his last Test match after falling again to a skewed drive outside his off stump. Pietersen did his best, and the bowlers batted bravely, Panesar looking as good as any of them, which made a nonsense of Fletcher's claims for Giles' inclusion in the first two Tests.

But at the end of the day, the batsmen have let England down, and with the Aussies already 144 ahead and only one wicket down I pity those who are going out to Aus to see the Melbourne and Sydney Tests, although they are both great city's to be in.

Unless someone can pull something out of the bag tomorrow England look likely to go 3-0 down in this series, and to be honest they probably deserve to be. Then the recriminations will start and no doubts some heads will roll. My bet is that Fletcher won't be in charge for next year's World Cup - perhaps they could give the job to Andy Robinson!!

third test - day one close

A good day for England with Monty at the heart of things.

As suggested yesterday the Aussies are not that clever, with the exception of Hussey, who is a rock. If Ponting goes early Australia look fragile and England exploited that today with good pressure after the first hour's play.

This pitch is not as docile as everyone believed. The ball is coming through nicely, but if a batsman gets in on this wicket he could be hard to shift, as Hussey proved. England need Strauss or Collingwood to play that role, with contributions from all the rest. If Pietersen can curb his initial desires to smash everything out of the park, particularly off Warne, then this could be his type of pitch. Another big hundred from him tomorrow and England will be in a strong position.

The edge was taken off the day by another soft dismissal for Cook lunging forward outside his off stump, and Bell's early exit, but could Warne's miss at slip off Collingwood come back to haunt him. I certainly hope so.

Well done Monty! Now batsman get us into a position to win this Test!!

and on to Perth

Didn't someone once say that 10 days was a long time in cricket...or am I paraphrasing?

The Aussies have named the same side for Perth, with the notable exception of Damien Martyn, who stunned everyone by retiring shortly after the second test. It means Hussey and Clarke will move up the batting order and the wild-haired Andrew Symonds comes into the team at 6.

I really don't think the Aussies have a strong team and they are there for the taking, but I am not sure England are up to it. Monty must play at Perth, but the pressure on the poor bloke to take wickets is now immense. I hope he comes off and is England's hero, but the Aussies will give him a torrid time, and if the WACA pitch is as slow as everyone says it is going to be, he could get a hiding.

Once again the toss will be vital and if England could win it and bat sensibly then they may be able to exert some pressure on the Aussies. Hayden and Langer look fragile, and Ponting must be due a failure. England haven't worked out Hussey yet and Clarke and Symonds can get out early. Clarke reminds me of Derek Randall, the former Notts and England player - a bundle of nerves.

My money would be a on a draw here, but then it should have been a draw at the Adelaide Oval. Surely England cannot be that inept again.....can they?

second test - day 5 close

Pitiful!

It brings back the bad memories of 4 years ago.

England's performance today was abject. They were unfortunate with a couple of decisions (Strauss and Harmey), but they deserved to lose the way they batted. They just lost their nerve. Whoever is the team psychologist they need shooting. Geoff Boycott must have been spitting feathers in the TSM commentary box.

Where do England go from here? They must now win two out of three Tests, but their bowling has not looked penetrative in either of the first two Tests. Giles should be dropped and Panesar should play. Giles has added very little with the bat and his bowling has been mediocre at best.

Everyone keeps berating Anderson, but I don't think he has done that badly and has had no luck - viz Jones's dropped catch off the inside edge off him today. I think he is a better bat than Harmey too, and possibly Hoggard.

If Perth really is a pudding then one of the quicks may have to give way, and it won't be Hoggie after his efforts here. Fletch will stick with Harmie, but he will be a waste.

The prospects are not bright. I think Flintoff is more injured than England would like us to know, and as I have said before he looks dreadfully out of touch with the bat. Cook needs to work out where his off stump is and stop dabbing at balls a foot outside it. Colly and Bell are doing well, and Pietersen either fires or falls flat. His dismissal today was schoolboyish.

These guys are supposed to be professionals, but they looked far from that today.

second test - day 5 - tea

England all out for a dismal 129, and the Aussies need 168 from 36 overs.

I think they will struggle to get there if we bowl sensibly, and Freddie sets the right fields.

England need to make every run a struggle. 4 an over on this pitch will be tough, particualrly if England can take a few wickets.

England have got to give no 4 balls. Just short of a length outside the off stump for the quicks, and Giles has got to bowl out of his skin. The Aussies will target him as soon as he comes on.

second test - day 5 - an hour after lunch

Things are looking grim, unless the bowlers can pull something special out of the bag.

Jones went to a terrible shot. Giles was another Warne victim, and Hoggy fell to the googley, albeit with a big inside edge.

England now lead by 145 runs but there are still nearly 50 overs for the Aussies to bat.

Colly does not seem concerned about protecting Harmey, so I can't see us lasting much longer. They have to try and string this out as long as possible and then bowl their socks off.

second test - day 5 lunch

And here's me thinking I could go to bed at lunchtime (2.30am) safe in the knowledge that England had saved this game, but 30 runs in the session and four wickets means I am forced to stay up for at least another 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Where does this match go from here? We are 124 runs ahead and the Aussies would have a maximum of 59 overs from here. In reality it will take them at least 10 overs to bowl us out, and we might score a few more in that time, so they'd need 150 in 49 overs, which is plenty of time.

England have to get to a situation where the Aussies need 4 or 5 an over to win, so 160 ahead and 40 overs left and we should be OK? That means we have to bat for at least another 90 minutes and score 40 runs in that time.

There is still nothing in this pitch. It is all in the mind. At this level they should be able to cope with it. I don't think this is the case with Jones, but I'll stick my neck out and back Colly and Gilo to pull us out of the clack.

20 minutes on...

Flintoff goes to a poor shot.

Will Fletcher have the last laugh as Jones and Giles (if he gets in, or rather when he gets in) save the day. For England's sake lets hope so.

England are now so negative that they can hardly put bat on ball.

The Test series could be decided in the next two hours of cricket.

We've had 21 overs, scored 18 runs and lost 4 wickets.

second test - day 5 - first session

Just over one hour into this session and oh dear!!

Strauss given out caught when he doesn't hit it; Bell is guilty of ball watching and is run out like a schoolboy; and Pietersen shows his naivety and is bowled behind his legs.

73 for 4 and we are deep in the mire, just 111 runs ahead.

The Aussies are on a high and this is going to take some saving from here...............