Andrew Strauss marked a delightful as well as a mesmerizing knock at the cathedral of cricket, which propelled England to 364 for the loss of 6 wickets. At one stage, they were 222 for the loss of 2 wickets but a dismal performance by their middle order helped Australia to gain the momentum exactly like the Cardiff test.
Earlier, once again, the coin swung in favor of England and they hardly had any hesitation to bat first on a placid track. Mitchell Johnson’s woe with the new-ball continued as he bowled a terrible opening spell that helped the English openers to cut loose. He bowled cross-seam deliveries, which had no effect on a flat track and was comfortable for the batsmen to put it way with the pace he was bowling. Siddle was fiery from the start but the wickets column doesn’t reveal the truth. It was a huge blow when Hauritz walked off the pitch due to a finger dislocation but England failed to capitalize on that. Kevin Pieterson got a good start, however a ripper from Siddle ended that. In his last test at lords, Andrew Flintoff never looked comfortable against reverse swing and finally gave his wicket to a determined Hilfenhaus.
It is now a huge responsibility on the shoulders of Andrew Strauss to get a score defendable for the English bowlers. According to the wicket, 500 would be a par score but with Strauss as the only specialist batsmen, it looks highly unlikely. On the other hand, Australia will be looking to wrap up the tail in no time so they can post a good total to come back in to this match. Nevertheless, the contest is getting more compressed as it is hard to choose the winner. Anyway it is good for test cricket, which has been choked after T20 emerged as the favorite brand of cricket.
Archive for July, 2009
Persistent Strauss propelled England to 364
Friday, July 17th, 2009Battle Resumes At The ‘Home of Cricket’
Thursday, July 16th, 2009The Lords has been a conundrum for English cricket since the World War II, as England could never beat the Aussies at cricket’s headquarters. England will strive hard to break this jinx not only to break that awful record but also to gain the upper hand in this ongoing Ashes. Nevertheless, it will be a great match on the cards.
Australia will be hoping for the replication of their efforts in the first innings, though they need to put in the effort for getting the 20 English wickets. Australian batting will have little to worry about, as the four centuries by their batsmen itself is evidence. Australia’s bowling department deserves a big applause for the kind of performance they have put in at Cardiff. In the absence of Brett Lee. Johnson and Co. bowled with great enthusiasm and energy with a mix of aggression, which found tough for the Englishmen. Hauritz was the surprise package for Australia, as he scalped a few valuable wickets, which almost put England on the brink of a defeat. Siddle too bowled with great energy and enthusiasm, which is a good sign for Australian cricket.
England would bank a lot on their marquee all rounder, Andrew Flintoff, for upsetting the Aussies. His fitness would be a cause of concern, but his presence will definitely charge up his teammates. English batsmen should emulate the perseverance shown by the Australian batsmen to build a good innings, especially on a lively track like Lords. The inclusion of in-form Graham Onions will boost the English bowling that had looked quite ordinary in the first test.
Flintoff Is Off Again
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009After twisting his knee during the first innings, Andrew Flintoff is all set to miss the second test of the 2009 Ashes, which will begin on Thursday. Having salvaged a draw at Cardiff, England would definitely be looking for a better performance in the next matches and it will be a huge blow if Flintoff is ruled out. He was definitely the pick of the English bowlers who looked to threaten the Australian batsmen.
The inclusion of in-form Harmmison will be a boost for England, however they cannot overlook the all-round abilities of Flintoff, who was instrumental in the Ashes triumph in 2005. The England lacked zip and never looked ominous apart from Flintoff. Their decision to play 2 spinners backfired after both Panesar and Swann were whacked by the Australian batsmen. Anderson was economical and got couple of wickets, however Stuart broad had an under whelming performance with just a wicket to talk about.
Strauss won’t have many things to ponder, apart from the dismal form of Alastair Cook, who failed in both innings. England might give him another chance since they wouldn’t want to change their combination amidst an important series.
Sprighty Bangladesh Dump Mediocre West Indies
Monday, July 13th, 2009After toiling for four years, Bangladesh finally sealed their second test win yesterday. They played against a weak West Indies side, whose top players had opted out due to contract issues. It can be argued that Bangladesh managed to defeat a team with 9 new faces, but we should not forget the performance put in by them. They were clinical right throughout the match.
West Indies on the other hand looked sub standard after the exit of their key players and found it hard to build a momentum in the match. After being bowled out for 345 runs, Bangladesh held the Windies batsmen with top class spin bowling from Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan. Mahmudullah claimed 5 wickets en route to this career-best of 5/51 and compiled 8 wickets in the match. Apart from David Bernad, none of the West Indian batsmen showed the patience of batting the whole day and eventually they were bowled out for 181 runs.
This victory will definitely be a confidence booster for Bangladesh, which is desperately looking for a feat after earning a Super Eight berth in the 2007 World Cup.
Collingwood Rescued England On An Action-Packed Final Day
Monday, July 13th, 2009The final day started off with an altercation between Kevin Pieterson and Mitchell Johnson when the former hit a ball at the Australians during the pre-match practice session. This tension spread to the turf and until the end of the match, few more spats happened. This gave new vigor to the match which lacked energy when it commenced.
England started off the final day with tremendous pressure of having to save the match. Australia ran into the English top order, confining them to 55 for 4 wickets at drinks. Pieterson was the first man to go after missing a straight one from Hilfenhaus, who bowled extremely well right throughout this test match. England found itself in deep trouble after Strauss was caught behind by Brad Haddin off Nathan Hauritz. They went in to lunch with a sorry-looking scorecard of 102 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. In the 50th over, Flintoff edged a Johnson delivery to captain Ricky Ponting which resulted in yet another verbal exchange. As soon as Flintoff perished, victory looked apparent for the Australians and they bowled with zest to knock England out.
Peter Siddle bowled a fiery spell against Greame Swann, who looked rather uncomfortable against his short deliveries. Siddle targeted his head couple of times and the English physio had a busy 5th day nursing these blows. Few times, when the ball hit Swann’s helmet and gloves, Siddle got elated and sent few pleasantries at the batsman. Even amidst these tense moments, Haddin and Swann shared a grin, which you would see very rarely in the Ashes. After a long and hard battle, Swann was finally trapped in front of the wicket by Hilfenhaus. This dismissal almost sealed an Australian victory, with 18 odd overs to bowl. However, Collingwood had other plans in mind and he was well supported by a defiant Anderson who worked hard to save his wicket. Finally, Peter Siddle sent back Collingwood after a match-saving innings from the latter.
Tension loomed large over Cardiff as dusk began to fall. Australia juggled their bowlers in pursuit of that odd wicket, but was denied it by a determined Panesar and Anderson. In the end, it can be termed as England sealed a draw. However the Australian captain was miffed at the on-field disruptions by the physio and the 12th man, which eventually lost an over for Australia and also a victory.
Cardiff test started off as an ordinary test match yet had everyone on the edge of their seats at the end. Now as the teams move towards the home of cricket at Lords, the flow of adrenaline has intensified and the on field tiffs will set ablaze this exciting test series.
Both teams were matched even on papers before the start of the series and now Australia hold a slight edge for the intensity at which they are playing. It would be an uphill task for the English men to reclaim the Ashes urn against this defiant Australian outfit.
Resilient Australia Bounced Back After English Tail Wagged
Friday, July 10th, 2009Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich hit tons as Australia reduced the deficit to 186. Earlier Greame Swann hit 47 not out to take England score to 435. England tail enders annoyed Australia, as they piled up 99 runs in just 16.5 overs which took England to a respectable total. Peter Siddle started of with couple of half volleys, which helped the tail to get the momentum they wanted. Johnson scalped Stuart Broad for 19 when the score was just 355 and after that Greame Swann joined Anderson to launch a ferocious assault against the Aussie bowlers. This pair added 68 runs in just 10 overs which irritated the Aussie bowlers to the core as Mitchell Johnson lost his cool and sent out smears at the batsmen.
Australia started well as rookie opener Phil Hughes made a brisk 28 of just 30 balls before lunch. England bowlers made the mistake of pitching it short and offering width. He scored runs quickly without any hesitation. Post lunch, Flintoff came in and bowled from around the stumps to Hughes. His vulnerability against short-pitched deliveries was then exposed. It was tough for him to play Flintoff with the kind of pace he was bowling. Finally, he fell to a short delivery from Flintoff, which went in to the hands of Matt Prior. Ricky Ponting started off cautiously. However, once he got his eye in, he played some mesmerizing drives and gained control of the match. Katich looked composed from the time he entered the crease and apart from Flintoff, no other bowler threatened him. Pitch started to turn from the afternoon, but neither Swann nor Panesar troubled the Aussie pair.
As the third day beckons, the intensity of the series has been below par compared to 2005.If Australia managed to score 500+ runs, which looks apparent with the current scenario, then England’s second innings will decide the fate of this test match. According to the pitch report, it is expected to turn from day 3. We have seen some hint of turn on day 2 itself. So if Hauritz and part-timers bowl with their heart out, then Australia will have a greater chance to win the test.
Reckless Act From Pietersen Halted English Progress
Thursday, July 9th, 2009The nightmare almost turned into a reality for the Australians as Kevin Pieterson rescued England from an uncomfortable position to a secure zone. However, his awful shot off Hauritz from wide of the offstump resulted in his dismissal, which proved decisive later.
Earlier, England decided to bat after winning the toss. Ben Hilfenhaus had drawn the first blood by sending Alastair Cook in the eighth over of the innings. Captain Andrew Strauss was looking good but a short ball from Johnson ended that cameo. Ravi Bopara couldn’t replicate his form in the shorter versions to the tests as he fell to a slower one from Johnson. Pieterson joined Collingwood to consolidate the innings and the duo added 158 runs for the 4th wicket before Collingwood edged Hilfenhaus to Haddin for 64 Runs. Matt Prior formed an excellent support for Pieterson and England were heading towards a good score. Pieterson’s intentions were clear against Hauritz. However as he chased a wide delivery to sweep the bowler to fine leg, it ended in the safe hands of Simon Katich. Freddie Flintoff came in after having recovered from the ankle surgery. Flintoff looked relaxed and played some excellent drives. Matt Prior on the other hand was looking too good as the pair added 86 runs in no time. Peter Siddle came back to dismiss both to bring Australia back on track. James Andersen and Stuart Broad remained unbeaten at stumps on a seesaw day as neither Australia nor England hold the edge.
England will be looking for a score not less than 400, which will put Australia under tremendous pressure. Australia on the other hand will be looking to wrap up the English innings quickly to regain the momentum in the first test.
Battle For The ‘Ashes’ Starts Today
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009Now it is back to good old test cricket after we witnessed a hemorrhage of T20 matches in the IPL and the World Twenty 20. Since inception, T20 has been a major threat to test cricket because it is short and thrilling and the kind of money it generates is unparalleled. But Test cricket still remains as the ultimate test for the cricketers. Ashes has a unique place among the list of elite series in test cricket, thanks to the arch rivalry between Australia and England. Australia are still struggling to fill the vacuum created by the exit of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. Their preparations have been put in complete disarray after Brett Lee was ruled out of the series opener at Cardiff. Apart from Lee, none of the other Aussie fast bowlers have played test cricket in England before and this gives England a slight edge over Australia. England have the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff who are potential match winners in present-day cricket.
Phil Hughes was the surprise package against South Africa and emerged as one of the future prospects for Australian batting. But his tentativeness against short-pitch bowling was well exposed in the warm up match against the England Lions. Besides that, the inexperienced bowling attack, in the absence of Brett Lee, will have to toil hard to contain the strong English batting line up. Apparently, the current Australian outfit doesn’t look as ominous as their predecessors have been in the past . However, few will write off an Australian triumph this time around also.
Return Of The Bond
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009It has been nearly two years since Shane Bond played an ODI for New Zealand and these two years have been rather devastating for New Zealand cricket. They lost several players to ICL, the rival Indian T20 championship, which triggered the T20 fever in India. Regardless of his short career, he has managed to grab 125 ODI wickets at a frugal economic rate of 4.20 with an astounding average of 19.32 a piece.
Promising start
In his debut against the mighty Aussies, Bond made early inroads into the Australian top order, dismissing Ponting and Bevan in a span of two overs after sending back Mark Waugh in the first over. That marked the beginning of a genuine pace bowler who bowls at late 90 miles with a staggering accuracy. He has torn apart several defensive walls but was confined due to the lack of quality fast bowling support from his teammates.
Anti-climax at Port Elizabeth
His performances against Australia itself are the testimonials of his skills and talent. In his 11 outings against the Aussies, he has scalped 30 wickets and three times bagged 5 wickets or more in a match. The Super Six match between Australia and New Zealand in the 2003 World Cup will be remembered for Shane Bond’s breathtaking performance against the defending World Champs. Australians had no answer to his accuracy and pace. He started with a ripper to remove Hayden. It was only Shane Bond before Andy Bichel played a blinder along with Michael Bevan to take Australia to 208, which proved too hot for the Kiwis.
Welcome to ICL
New Zealand players were amongst the least paid International cricketers and they lacked the lucrative endorsement contracts, which the Indian players had. Due to this financial instability and an injury prone body, Bond was quite skeptical about his career span and it was at that time that ICL contacted him. He had to choose ICL to make some dollars out of it to secure his family, which is to any man. BCCI showed their muscle by influencing ICC to ban all the ICL players from playing for their country and this was the catalyst in Bond’s abeyance from the national side.
Coming back
The terror attacks in Mumbai prompted the ICL to stop its tournaments for a long time, which was a blessing in disguise for several international players like Shane Bond to come back to the national side. After a long hard 2 years, Shane Bond is all set to play against the Srilankans in August, which is also a platform for him to come back into the test side. With the inclusion of Bond, the New Zealand pace battery will have a new vigor after their lackluster performance against India in their own backyard.
‘Captain Cool’ Back On Track
Sunday, July 5th, 2009When India was knocked out of the ICC World T20 2009, most of us thought that MSD’s honeymoon period was over and that he would be facing stiff challenges in the coming months. Exclusion of Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag in the form of injuries narrowed India’s chances in the Caribbean.
Dhoni was well aware of the fact that the debacle at the T20 World Cup had made the fans forget India’s dream run in the last couple of seasons, since his reign as the captain of India. He was under tremendous pressure to bring the team back on track with fewer resources available. He did that job in style as India sealed their 5th consecutive series victory in Caribbean with an unassailable 2-1 lead as the last ODI washed out due to rain. The series would be a huge confidence booster for team India as they go in for a long break after a tiring season. MSD deserves a pat on his back for regrouping the team in a short span after they received one of the biggest setbacks in their cricketing history. As usual, effigies were burnt, public display of anger and other routine activities by the fans were done effectively. Asian spectators are known for their emotional reaction towards the result though the Lankan supporters haven’t reached this level. These kind of responses are usually related to the Football hooligans in England.
Fans should understand the fact that winning and losing are two sides of a coin. India cannot be expected to win every match it plays. The administrators expect this level of vibrancy from the fans, as they are the source of money which drives cricket forward.
