A Year of Thinking Positively.

[Arthur Crabtree]

It rained until tea, but when the rain stopped, the end came soon. England finished off with an Audi. Giles, Jones, Harmison and Hoggard scored ducks. The England team that had skirmished around the world, in Bridgetown and Port of Spain, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg, was towed, listing, out to sea, and sunk.

Those lucky enough to have a ticket for yesterday's play won't even get money back for their ten overs of entertainment, as the match ended. Nothing we can do. Read the match regulations. Australia won by 239 runs. Let the crowing begin.

Curiously, on the radio, Merv Hughes, once the broadcast had left ABC listeners, said that things were different this time. England could come back. Michael Vaughan was convincing during the interviews. Either he can still see an England win, or he's a good liar. No changes he said. Which will be of little satisfaction to the people at Sky Sport (apparently they cover the Ashes. Who knew?) who are asking, what is the point of Ashley Giles.

I can imagine a nineteenth century explorer (in khaki shorts and a pith helmet) uncovering an underground pyramid in Egypt, and finally wiping away the sand with a pressed handkerchief from the hieroglyphic over the door of the room to the sarcophagus; and the symbols, when translated of course say, what's the point of Ashley Giles? (maybe a wheely bin with a cross through it).

There was no Lord's 5-fer for Warne, as McGrath ran through the tail. But Warne was impressive. He is a real veteran now. He has two balls left, a hugely turning leg spinner, hurled into the pitch, which drifts into the twilight zone beyond leg stump. And a straight one. England's series depends on their ability to tell the difference.

[Arthur Crabtree]

The series already has a couple of motifs. The slow finger of death from Rudi Koertzen (Aleem Dar fires his hand up like the class swot).

And Tony Greig's remarkable commentary, in which he's wrong all the time, and the technology merely a tool devised to illustrate his errors. "He's middled that, that's gone out of the ground for six... No he's bowled him, all over the place". But delivered with such belief and chutzpah, that you don't really care.

I fear Richie is past his best.

The perfumed, oleaginous Mark Nicholas never had a best.

Come on England.

[Arthur Crabtree]

The teams meet again on the fourth of August. Australia start a game v Worcestershire in six days time.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Three days until we convene in Birmingham for the second Test. Really a must not lose game for England. They have picked the same twelve, and a change to the eleven is unlikely, without another spinner to hand. The England players have been on holiday for the past week.

But the victorious Aussies have been practising. They drew a three day game with Worcestershire. Martyn, McGrath, Gilchrist and Warne (so Hick didn't get to whack Warne in a warm up again) didn't play. Reserve stumper Brad Haddin scored 94. Reserve seamer Mike Kasprowicz took a 5-fer, but there's no place for him at Edgbaston. Everyone's fit, and Gillespie won't be dropped yet.

I'm going down for the third and fourth days. Staying in a guest house about half an hour walk from the ground.

[Durhamfootman]

England need a big turnaround for Edgbaston, otherwise this series is going to go the way of so many others.

Need to find a way to cope with Glenda and SKW, because they are killing us. Can't even prepare a rice pudding, because that would only help them.

Got to be more disciplined out side the off stump when Glanda is bowling.... stop gifting him wickets borne out of the frustration of having absolutely nothing to hit. It might just be that England have to show more patience

[Arthur Crabtree]

Tres isn't going to be disciplined on off stump. He'll stand and deliver. Still, he's a key player. No going back to Rob Key, no matter what you'll read on 606.

60-1 is a good lunch time score. I think they forget that.

[Arthur Crabtree]

An unusual day at Edgbaston. Only 79 overs were possible, and in that, England were bowled out... for 407! Freddie, Tres and KP went along at around a run a ball!

If England went into the game deflated after their Lord's defeat, this unusual day has restored a little optimism. Not the contemplative confidence of good habits and appropriate rewards, but the serotonin release of the belly laugh. Not because of the non appearance of McGrath, who stood on a cricket ball (he hasn't a good record at Edgbaston, and Kaspa is fresh from a 5-fer) but the weird tomfoolery of the crazy events on the pitch.

The morning session was a slapstick free for all. The Aussies bowled no ball after no ball, one of which would have claimed a wicket. They dropped catches. And in between, England attacked (like cornered tigers...). England were 132-1 at lunch off 27 overs.

They then collapsed, only for a gleeful stand of 103 in 17 overs to put a patch on the deflating tyre and keep the jalopy bouncing down the road. That's over six an over! I used to spend my school holidays watching Test teams going at a third of that. It's going to a lot of fun watching these two bat. Freddie hit five sixes.

And then the tail had a turn. As I said the other day, watching your tail enders strike runs is like watching dogs swimming. It looks unnatural, and comical, and hilarious, and just, fun. I like watching Steve Harmison bat better than anyone else. Harmison and Simon Jones slogged England to 407, lofting the ball to all parts, scattering the Aussies like leaves in a park.

But after all that fun, where is the game? Ricky put England in, 'with the overhead conditions'. He'll be pleased with the ten wickets, but not with the way his attack lost control. Warne took four wickets, but for 116 runs off 25 overs. Lee went at 6.5 an over, Kaspa at 5.3. McG will have been glad to escape the carnage. England just shouted 'charge' and kept going, but they have only a par score on the board. And then the rains came. Tomorrow, Australia will make today's play make sense.

[Arthur Crabtree]

First ball of the day, Hayden arrogantly poked at a drive off Hoggard and was caught at short cover. Hayden undone by hubris and Vaughan's typically groovy field positioning. Vaughan even ran Martyn out later on, which hammered home just what a miraculous day this was for England. Australia weren't setting the agenda, they were responding to England's plans, and in those terms, this was an extension of day one.

The great moment for England supporters was Ricky Iolanthe Ponting, who didn't even look like getting out, top edging a sweep off Gilo and caught at backward square leg. Another plan, another tick. The England fielders mobbed Giles, sending off a message to the Aussies: they used to say, win a match and let the press do the rest. These are different times. Gilo then got Clarke, and Warne. And then Freddie (who was magnificent) and Jones cut down the lower middle order with alarming reverse swing. The reverse swing that won them the series in South Africa. Jones looks a master of this.

But after the first two innings where it seemed England played the best cricket you could imagine, they only had a lead of 99. Significant, but not terminal. The Aussies are like a monster in a dream. No matter how hard you run, you turn around and they are half a pace behind. The day ended on a minor chord, when Warne bowled Strauss with a hugely turning leg break. Strauss left the ball, having pitched two feet outside off, and it hit his leg stump. Are players with superhero powers ever beaten?

But the moment that summed up the Test so far, was Langer walking off after a hard won 82, lbw to a ball that swung late. He tramped off shaking his head, as batters do. But his eyes were full of trauma.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Can't post tomorrow as I'm going to the match and am away overnight. I'll post my impressions when I get back.

[Durhamfootman]

enjoy!

Couldn't believe the ball that got Strauss. ridiculous!

[Arthur Crabtree]

Excerpts from my twitter output from the ground on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday.

12.01
omg. lee has scattered the eng top order. oz r like rocky. no matter how hard u batter him, he hits the last punch.

12.32

bell n kp fingered out by kirtzen.:(

13.07

freddie injured. hollies stand quiet. though pissed.

14.01

freddie u hero :) 6666!

16.02

6 4 Warne. 73 4 fred. 282 4 oz 2 win. god save your queen. Ev'rywhere we go...

16.45

Fred gets langer n ponting. lol. reverso mucho. bye bye oz.

17.31

no fight from oz. can we win this 2night? xtra half hour

18.15

harmi with a slower ball, 1 of the great balls. lolololol. beer o clock.

Sunday.

11.00

surrounded by ozzies. a long way to come to watch 2 balls. feel rough.

11.35

ozzies counting runs off. lol. need a wicket.

11.50

warne goes. chin music+++

1230

:( 41 2 win. mate has left the ground- can't watch.

12.40

going 2 lose this. u hero brett lee. 22 2 get.

12.50

15 2 go. i feel sick. jones drops kaspa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12.51

no ball 4. 11 2 win. the world is ending. lee scoring these off his elbow and chin.

12.55

harmi! jones! bowden! won by 2 runs! kaspa caught off the gloves. hard luck you ozzies!

15.00

on train. love you mum. send money.

[Durhamfootman]

the drama!

[Arthur Crabtree]

Too much bleeding drama. I would have settled for far less drama.

[Arthur Crabtree]

After a day to reflect, and watch the highlights on C4, hard to disagree with the view that this was one of the greatest Tests. I really hope that this game doesn't acquire an asterisk provoking a counterfactual about McG's injury, because no one knows what sort of game he would have had, and this great contest doesn't warrant being remembered in the shadow of a single player's absence.

The years will obscure just how plain weird it was that England should set the agenda in this game over four days, after Lord's; and after the Gatting ball, and Steve Waugh's mental disintegration; after the Hussain insertion and after 301-0 at stumps on day one at Trent Bridge in 1989. But it won't dim the valourous Australian resistance. I didn't warm to Brett Lee's flash belligerence, at odds with his rather modest career achievements. But he was utterly irresistible with the ball on the third morning, and inspiring with the bat on Sunday. Rather shamefully, Harmison and Flintoff stopped trying to take him down by cricketing means. They targeted his head and his body. It was bodyline, brought on by the desperation of the game slipping away. England briefly lost sight of this being a sporting contest. But Lee didn't take a backward step. Ultimately, he failed, but in cricket, the part often matters more than the whole.

For England, the sentimental part for me was indulged by Ashley Giles taking five important wickets. Ponting, Clarke, Warne, Katich and Gilchrist. But this was Flintoff's Test. His award of Player of the Match was a gesture of almost ironic understatement. His batting was thrilling, particularly when he shrugged off his shoulder injury on Saturday to leave four massive sixes in the stands. His bowling on Friday evening fired up the England attack as Australia slipped from 47-0 to 137-7. His ball to get Ponting is burned into my memory. The swing, the ball beaten into the slow pitch, and leaping skywards as if yanked towards heaven by the spirits of Harold and Fred and Brian Statham.

How fitting that the game should end with the now ubiquitous picture of Freddie consoling Brett in the aftermath of the contest. Even a couple of days on, I choke a little at the image. Freddie said at the presentation: 'Brett Lee was outstanding: he bowled his heart out and then batted brilliantly today'. And he did. And it reminds us that sport can even feel a little ennobling, when it is played with dignity and honour. I will be pleased if this remains the image of the summer. It will probably mean England have regained the Ashes. And will mean that we have witnessed a contest played hard, but with mutual respect.

[ianp1970]

Back to work today after the drama of yesterday morning, and the first thing that strikes me when we discuss the match is how many people have actually been watching the game on TV! Won't it be a shame when the rights go to a subscription channel?

I don't mind paying for the privilege, and I dare the coverage will be excellent, innovative and uninterrupted, but I do feel sorry for the children of those that won't/don't as they will miss out on what we shared as youngsters throughout the summer holidays.