Jonathon Trott replaced him and after starting with a four guided to third man and then a delightfully guided ball to square leg both in Ben Hilfenhaus' second over, he looked very confident and stroked the ball nicely in his stay of an hour. In fact, apart from an ill-judged lbw referral by Ponting which always looked like it was passing leg in real time, Trott had looked in little trouble until playing the wrong line to the last ball of Shane Watson's first over when it moved in enough to disturb the castle. Kevin Pietersen took his first ball from Mitchell Johnson and the second was flicked to midwicket from that standing tall position that makes him look imperial. In a little under an hour, he had faced a lot of Watson and then Doherty, supposedly bought in as his bogey man. Whilst the contest was keen, Pietersen didn't play a false shot and by lunch, was rising dominance.
At the other end, Alastair Cook, always looked the next to go but survived with pushes and prods with the bat turning in his hands and he often looking like he was surprised when the ball was on his bat. Be cautious, however. How often have we seen men at this level play this way, survive and emerge with important innings and renewed form. Ponting's captaincy was good in this first session. He made his bowling changes at good times although I would have like to see two more overs by Johnson when Pietersen was new. He attacked and tried things but first sessions have seldom been his problem. Let's see how he's going at 5:00pm if Pietersen is still there and blazing. All the bowlers did their job, as they should at this level and time in a big series but Peter Siddle needed to be fuller in length to take advantage of a first morning wicket. Delicious as only Ashes cricket can taste.
Tea - Another lovely mixed session of cricket with both Australia and England advancing their causes in very similar fashion. Hilfenhaus bowled a most convincing spell first up after lunch, getting the inside edge of Pietersen's bat - the only false shot the tall English batsman played but at the other end, Johnson was wayward, Pietersen taking three boundaries from him and making the so called personal challenge look one sided.
It took a change to Doherty and Siddle to achieve the breakthrough and it was the Victorian who showed his true quality and more importantly a better length to have first Pietersen and then Collingwood snicking to a third slip the captain had just moved there so credit Ponting there. Collingwood had adopted an unusual position at the crease, his front foot being only six inches in front of the batting crease to the ball which found the edge. Why he would be so far back on a day when the ball was set to swing is a mystery. Siddle was fabulous and one wonders why such a good user of the seam wastes so much time bowling short. Bell looks different at the crease - calmer somehow and less distracted by fidgeting with bat or pad or foot position. Despite an attack on his off stump mounted by Siddle where it had success in past encounters, his judgement of when to play was immaculate ... as it will need to remain.
Australia wasted another wicket review when Katich and Ponting convinced themselves that Johnson had found the edge of Bell's bat but if the infrared was enough to dismiss their foolishness, then Bell's look of disdain was. On this tour, he is ready to play the role of the intimdater now that McGrath is newly wed and Warne safely shelved where he can play the idiot on the idiot box.
Johnson bowled several spells and they were all poor. His line was inconsistent and his length mostly short and caused, no one other than his captain, any bother. He slung the ball more than bowled it, removing any swing and given that this wicket will not play with any pace until the third day, bowling short was a no brainer. How Doug Bollinger must regret the selectors decision. Doherty, however, was a pleasant surprise, fielding athletically and unlucky not to pull down a great catch at point off Cook. He had an excellent line during this session and very nearly tempted an aggressive Bell into disaster, the Englishman perhaps still thinking on the run feast he took from Steve Smith in the Australia A game before the Test. He has more testing times ahead of him but he has made a good start.
By tea, Bell looked comfortable and Cook had his fifty (128 balls, 204 min) and was enlivening my ealier concerns. As a shower crept across the ground two hours after lunch, he was striking them in the middle, all remnants of his nervous start forgotten in a tradesman like performance of his role. Two sessions of give and take and even though England are still my favourites for series glory, it shaping a great contest. The better team will strike the hardest blows in the clinches when they are most needed and form, preparation and ability makes that victory scent on the air England's ... ... but oh, the battle will be well worth the watching.
Stumps - the U12D Miranda Magpies players back in the season of 1973-74 had one thing drummed into them, over and over at every training season and when opportunity permitted, during their games. Bowl straight. It was a theory called "you miss, I hit" and I told them what I had been told in order to give young bowlers a chance at wickets.
Peter Siddle must have had such a coach. Siddle resumed forty minutes into the last session when England were building like Brisbane thunderheads on a steamy afternoon. At 4-197, the game was shifting their way with Cook now looking very solid and at the other end, Bell extremely comfortable and in control of anything Ponting threw at him. It just took two overs for Siddle to change all that and all of it delivered by good old fashioned full deliveries. That corridor outside Cook's off stump which had been empty of red ball passers by was finally found by the bustling Victorian and Watson did the honours at first slip, despite grasping the ball first by the palm of his hands. Matt Prior, so often a hard hitting danger man in these circumstances got a cracking yorker which speared in like the ghost of a Thommo sandshow crusher 26 years later, brushing his pads on the way to the woodwork. After a delay, both before and after the toe of Broad's front foot was hit on the full by Siddle's next ball, two umpires confirmed what any eye witness would have testified ... Broad was out and Siddle became the 11th Australian to take a Test hatrick. This man with a resurrected back who doesn't know how to let his country down had put them back into the match and on his 26th birthday. Bill Lawry, Shane Warne and countless Victorians were slipping into apoplexy. After a brief partnership with the by now glorious Bell, Swann played across the line to Siddle and was also lbw and his miracles were over for the day. In an hour of great line and length fast bowling, he had four more wickets and 6 for the day, which should have been 7 as Haddin dropped Anderson, a catch that may have been taken if he had used his feet.
During this period, Ponting again employed the modern tactic of giving away runs by setting the field back to the established batsmen. It eventually got wickets but 50 runs were added to a meagher total in the meantime. With Siddle on fire, it was sending the day's best batsman, Ian Bell, a clear message that Ponting didn't feel he could get him out. That may prove to be a poor communication which will only add to the confidence this innings will have given the English middle order tyro.
England were out just before stumps with a total that may yet prove to be useful - one of those in between totals. In the doing, Doherty picked up his first wicket at this level and in all honesty, he made a good start. Time will tell.
Before the crowing starts, there are reasons to temper the claims of series victory just yet. These include:
- England were dismissed on the strength one outstanding bowling performance. Hilfenhaus bowled well but will need to bowl better. Doherty was steady and Watson useful, as he often is now but Johnson was dreadful
- Three of the batsmen (Trott, Peitersen and Bell) batted very well and seemed unbothered, with Bell playing the best hand he ever has against Australia but clearly, he will repeat this performance. This is a very difference Ian Bell. Cook looked shaky early but he got better over time and was in good fettle by the end. Strauss, Prior & Broad are unlikely to get quick ducks in the same innings again this series
We will judge better after Australia bats. There are still 24 days of this series to be played.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments will appear after moderation.