Amazing the difference a day makes

I must confess to writing the Aussies off before yesterday’s successful defence of the 3rd Test. Just 24 hours earlier the ball was swinging, Graeme Swann bowled Ricky Ponting out in way that would have Warnie proud and there wasn’t too much to suggest that Australia’s batsmen could improve on their miserable first-inning effort.

But then everything finally clicked for the Aussies. Shane Watson and Mike Hussey looked threatening and got the fightback off to a good start and Michael Clarke and Marcus North were solid as a rock, breaking the fifth-wicket partnership record for Australia at Edgbaston. The weather conditions put an end to the incredible swing bowling making, Onions and Anderson far less effective, Flintoff was obviously nursing a knee injury, the umpiring was good and Michael Clarke has some luck courtesy of a dropped catch (and a stubborn bail and catch off a no-ball, but these were well after the draw was a certainty).

Australia endured in a similar way as England did in Cardiff, though in the end the final overs were not a desperate struggle to survive. In fact had there been another day’s play, to replace the almost two days lost by rain, Australia could well have turned pending defeat into an unlikely win.

Interestingly after having the upper-hand in the First Test in Cardiff, Australia failed miserably at Lords after the three-day turnaround. This will be in the minds of both captains who will be desperately wanting to win the toss as a lot hinges on weather or not England’s will be required to straight after the short rest.

That said England doesn’t have too many worries apart from Flintoff’s fitness. Stuart Broad was seen as the weak link but he bowled well yesterday and continued to improve and his abilities with the bat helped put England in a winning position.

For Australia the dilemma is deciding on the bowling attack. My guess is Peter Siddle will make way for Stuart Clark.

Whatever happens it just shows that it’s always too early to make grand predictions about a Test series and this one promises to go to the wire.

Way more positives than negatives for Australia

It’s become natural now for everyone to have a dig at the Australian cricket team regardless of what they achieve. While they did not make the most of an incredible opportunity to sew up the 1st Test at Cardiff, they achieved everything but the win. And while coming away from Cardiff with a draw would is frustrating, it should be remembered that England’s target of 250 on a belter of a pitch was hardly conquering Mt Everest. It was time that robbed Australia of victory, not England.

So before people criticise Australia after a remarkable five days in Wales it’s worth remembering:

- It was the first time four batsman made 100s in an Ashes Test. Clarke came close and Phil Hughes “failure” was a very handy 36 off 54 balls with five boundaries – not a bad first-up Ashes effort. Mike Hussey failed to fire again, but it would be ludicrous to make any changes to that batting order. Hopefully he’ll bat at number five next time. He will prove his critics wrong.

- Australia took 19 wickets compared to England’s five on a pitch that was supposedly tailor made for England to exploit Australia’s supposed lack of spin bowling talent and an alleged weakness in playing spin. All of England’s bowlers (except part time Paul Collingwood) conceded more than 100 runs – though to be fair they all had to bowl more than 30 overs such was Australia’s dominance in the crease.

- Nathan Hauritz far outshone his more fancied British counterparts and for the first time looked the goods as a spin bowler. What remains to be seen now is if he can be as economical against a batting line up chasing a target rather than one hell bent on self-preservation.

- Ben Hilfenhaus has shown the talent everyone knew he had and will be the bowler that will worry the English batsmen from now on. His ability to direct the ball at the top of off stump time and time again is remarkable.

- Petter Siddle bowled like an absolute trooper on a pitch that gave him nothing. That spell against Swann where he battered and bruised him almost from head to toe was a joy to behold. Such a shame the tea break intervened. It was very apt that he claimed the prize wicket of Paul Collingwood.

- Mitchell Johnson was wayward, but he always is. He bowled a few wides in Perth – then he took 5-8. Don’t worry about Mitch. The biggest shame of the match was that he never got a chance to bat against the English attack when they were hurting.

- Injuries aside we still have Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Shane Watson in the wings

- As well as making a century I reckon Brad Haddin put in his best performance so far as Australian wicket-keeper

- While some of the decisions Ponting made at the death were questionable he played the perfect captain’s Test, leading with a wonderful knock of 150, taking a proactive stance in the field, taking a great catch and making a timely sporting declaration that rattled England.

England’s positives can be best summed up on two words: Paul Collingwood.

A great Ashes read

The Australian’s  Peter Lalor has written an excellent overview of the lead up to this Ashes series.

It’s a longish read but very entertaining.

ABC Cricket Ashes magazine

I have a very close association with the ABC Cricket Ashes magazine, which is edited by the great man of cricket broadcasting in Australia Jim Maxwell.

This is the 75th Anniversary of the magazine, the first of which helped Australians follow cricket on the radio for the first time, in the 1934 Ashes series in England.

Included in the special Ashes issues of ABC Cricket  is a cover story on Mitchell Johnson’s potential to be Australia’s first significant all-rounder since Keith Miller, a series preview by Damien Fleming, Kerry O’Keeffee and Peter Roebuck, a profile of England’s tough guy Paul Collingwood and 34 pages of statistics for Test, One-Day International and Twenty20 International cricket. Mike Coward laments Australia’s inability to capitalise on Shane Warne’s brilliance and there are  profiles on the Australian and English squads written by Jim Maxwell and Jonathan Agnew.

ABC Cricket is available at ABC Shops and selected newsagents.

It looks to be a turner – so where’s Jason Krezja?

Johnathan Agnew on Twitter: “Covers are off. Pitch looks two spinners to me.” 

Aggers also supplied a link to this pic, which shows a rather dry pitch with not much green whatsover.

Two spinners? Sadly that’s not a luxury Australia has.

The Cardiff pitch has been known to spin but in recent times it’s offered a lot more to pace. Brett Lee’s injury will make it easier for the selectors to choose Nathan Hauritz. But the question has to be asked; why haven’t they called for Jason Krezja to join the squad to join him if indeed the Cardiff pitch offers plenty of turn as has long been suggested? Krezja has starred for Australia A in the series against Pakistan A, taking wickets and even posting a century with the bat.

At the moment we have two all-rounders in Andrew McDonald and the injured Shane Watson sitting around because of the likely selection of Marcus North, yet qwe don’t have a back up spin bowler in the squad who has been given an opportunity to climatise to the English conditions.

England on the other hand have better, if not perfect, spin options including Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar. Swann will in the side regardless and I’ll be very surprised if they include Panesar as well. Unlike Hauritz both a real turners of the ball.

Let’s hope Aggers is wrong. If not, let’s hope I’m wrong about Hauritz.

The Ashes for the Ignorant

Click here  for the Ashes for the Ignorant Series at Clubwah.

Training accidents

Aaaaah crap, my shoulder!

The unfortunate shoulder injury to Bryce McGain got me thinking. Have you noticed how when a cricketer suffers a match-missing injury it’s very rarely suffered in the field of play? Players always seem to break down, sprain, twist and break stuff in training.

Unlike football, it’s very rare you see a cricketer go down like a bag of shit on the field leaving Ian Chappell and Richie to speculate how long he’ll be out for.

There have been some famous ones – Steve Waugh and Jason Gillespie’s sickening dust raising collision in India in 1991 and Terry Alderman’s altercation with a pommy thug in Perth.

I’ve been racking my brains to think of more, I’m sure there are some obvious ones.