Dead and Buried in Brisbane
By Bagpuss
December 3 2006
Well it seems to have started the same way. A poor England performance and the Aussies cock-a-hoop! Brisbane is not the start the visitors wanted and it doesn't look any more promising for the rest of the tour unless some digits are removed from some body openings!
AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND 1ST TEST
WOOLLOONGABBA, BRISBANE 23-27 NOVEMBER 2006
Day 1
I have a lot of memories of the first day of the Ashes series here in Australia four years ago. One being a fair degree of elation hearing that England had one the toss, only to find out that Nasser Hussain (family motto – we’ll have a bowl) had made an error of judgement to go down in Ashes history. Of course this minor misjudgement was to be usurped a few years down the line by Ricky Ponting (family motto – we’ll have a bowl) at Edgbaston.
No need to worry about the dodgy decisions of England’s captain today as its not his decision to make. Unfortunately Ponting flies in the face of his family by deciding a bit of batting was in order. All dodgy decisions have been made a little earlier in the day when, following heavy hints in the morning’s press, it was announced that the final cog in England’s Brisbane Test mechanism would be Ashley Giles. There was some spiel in the papers this morning from yesterdays press conference that there were concerns about the injury to Bell’s hand a couple of days ago so it was deemed necessary to strengthen the batting. Call me old fashioned (many do) but this smells of the stuff that makes the roses grow. Surely either Bell is fit to play (apparently so) or not. If he isn’t then Joyce should be playing. The truth of the matter is that a 8,9,10,11 of Hoggard, Harmison, Anderson and Panesar scares the **** out of all good Englishmen. Panesar hasn’t exactly shone with the ball so far on this tour and the Gabba wicket is unlikely to be greatly helpful. And when you play Giles you get what it says on the tin.
The Aussies had one decision to make on their team selection and they too erred on what would be seen as the side of caution. South Australian speedster was released from the squad yesterday so it was a straight choice between the lower-lip-and-tongue-bestudded left arm Queenslander Mitchell Johnson and the (yawn) line and length jewellery-free (unless of course you know different) Stuart Clark. Alert to the possible dangers of dropped catches when the sun glints off the bowlers facial adornments the Australia selectors go with Clark (who has the added benefit of being man of the series on their most recent tour to South Africa).
So we have seen the teams line up for the National Anthems (sung heartily by on my reckoning some 8 or 9000 England supporters and quite a few more Aussies), watched the obligatory team huddle and now Harmison is pawing the ground at the Stanley Street end waiting to bowl the first ball to Langer. Harmison has a bit of a wait – the umpires (Bucknor and Bowden) aren’t ready, Mr Murdoch isn’t ready, then Langer advances up the pitch to pat down a speck of dust that he cant quite see over the top of. A quick chat with his old mucker Haydo at the non-strikers end (just to check he switched the gas off under the casserole before they came out) and we are off. The most anticipated Ashes series since, well probably the last one.
The last time Langer held a bat in a test match was his 100th test. His innings (and indeed his involvement in the whole match) lasted precisely one ball from Ntini, a snorter which almost knocked his block off and left him with a considerable case of concussion. No offence to the Somerset record holder but what England need now is the sort of spell Harmison bowled on the opening day of the 2005 Ashes at Lords. He gets to bowl the opening over – a task usually handed to Hoggard. Surely this is a ploy to play on Langer's nerves. Pity then his first ball is so wide of the mark it is taken by second slip. The moment has been lost before it really started. Langer scores two boundaries in the over.
Hoggard opens from the Vulture Street end to Hayden, who swings and misses a couple of times. A maiden. Harmison’s second over is not a lot better than his first and he is sent to contemplate the error of his ways as Anderson replaces him in the 5th over. Langer pulls his first ball for 4.
Australia’s most-successful-ever opening pair are off to a flyer as they reach 50 in the 11th over. Jaques must be putting his future Test plans back on ice. Flintoff replaces Hoggard in the 12th over – the first ball is struck for a quick single-a direct hit from Anderson may have interested the third umpire but we’ll never know. Drinks are taken after 13 overs with Australia 57-0, Langer (38) outscoring Hayden (16) by more than 2:1.
Harmison gets another go, this time from the Vulture Street end, replacing Flintoff in the 16th who switches to the Stanley Street end to replace Anderson. Does the trick for Langer who gets to his 50 (66 balls; 8x4) and also for Hayden who gets a big nick on the next ball to Collingwood in his new post of second slip. At last the breakthrough, Hayden gone for 21 but Australia would be fairly satisfied at 79-1. Hoggard replaced the out of sorts Harmison for the 24th over and Giles comes on for the traditional lets-give-the-spinner-an-over-before-lunch spot. Australia go to lunch 109-1 off 25, Langer on 68, Ponting 11. Harmison has gone for an alarming 37 off his 6 overs, Flintoff the pick of the bowlers 1-18 off his 6 and in a spirit of equality Hoggard and Anderson have also bowled six overs going for 27 and 22 respectively.
After lunch its Anderson from the Vulture Street end and Flintoff from Stanley Street. In the 29th over Langer drives uppishly at Flintoff to Pietersen who snaffles the catch at extra cover. Australia 141-2. Langer may have made 82 runs but this is still 260 runs less than the last time I watched him bat. About 10 degrees cooler today than it was in Guildford too.
And thats all you're getting tonight guys t'internet's closing sorry!
(Morning everyone!!)
Martyn joins Ponting and Australia cruise past 150 in the 34th. Another double bowling change as Harmison replaces Flintoff and Hoggard for Anderson. Nothing is putting the brakes on Ponting who is batting like a man with something to prove. He reaches 50 in the 41st over (65;8). Giles replaces Hoggard in the 42nd over – there was no real swing for Hoggard when the ball was new so there certainly aint any now. At least the King of Spain is keeping the run rate down a bit though Harmison is leaking them freely at the other end. The obvious move is for Flintoff to come back on and in the 47th over he does with almost immediate effect, though the wicket is at the other end as Giles gets Martyn edging and Collingwood takes the catch at the somewhat unfamiliar post of slip. Martyn gone for 29, Australia 198-3. Next man in is Hussey – who would probably be my outside tip for top scorer in the series. We need him early on but he gets off the mark with what is the shot of the day, a glorious straight drive off Flintoff. Australia go to tea 217-3 off 52, Ponting 63 and Hussey 10. There was a flashback to Brisbane four years ago about 5 minutes before tea as a fielder slides to stop the ball and jars his knee. The physio is on the field and there are anxious glances around the England supporters in the crowd. Until someone with binoculars confirms that the fielder in question is KP. Always one to make a drama out of a bit of a twinge, ne’er a day goes by without him doing some sort of minor injury to himself, surely this isn’t too serious. He leaves the field and Ed Joyce is substitute until the tea interval. Cant help wishing it was Gary Pratt. Never mind Fred, bring him in to extra cover. Just in Ponting’s eyeline. Quick single Ricky?
After tea the KP situation is resolved as he takes the field with the rest of the team. Its Anderson and Giles, but Anderson seems to be losing the control he had earlier in the day and the batters are taking advantage. Bell replaces him in the 61st over. Not sure why – it is a bit early to be resting bowlers for the new ball. Is it a move to switch Gilo to the Stanley Street end – apparently not as Giles continues his spell from the Vulture next over. So it must have been an experiment of the barrel-scraping variety and not a particularly successful one as the over goes for 12 runs. Bell is replaced by Hoggard next over.
Ponting reaches his inevitable century in the 66th over (136;15) which seems to spark another spot of experimentation when Pietersen is brought on in the 68th. He does well enough to get a few overs, worryingly well. Lordy me if KP is turning the ball past the edge of the bat, even occasionally, on day 1, what on earth will Warne be doing in the fourth innings? Try not to think about that one too much. Hussey has been slowly accumulating at the other end to Ponting and without us really noticing has reached 50 (94; 4). Flintoff gives up on the old ball after 84 overs and takes the new ball himself from the Stanley Street end. Anderson gets the honour from Vulture Street. Flintoff however decides one over is enough and Hoggard bowls the final two from Stanley. Ponting and Hussey are not confused and Australia close on 346-3 off the 90 overs, Ponting 137 and Hussey 63.
Flintoff returns the best figures of the day, 2-48 off16 overs. Whatever anyone thinks about Giles being picked ahead of Panesar he’s done the job expected of him without looking at all ring-rusty, 1-51 off 18. Hoggard with 0-52 off 16 must be wondering what he has to do to get a wicket on this ground – four years ago he was wicketless throughout the Test, something he failed to repeat until the Old Trafford test this year and he must be getting feelings of déjà vu (he wouldn’t be the only one!) Anderson started fairly well but faded over the day to finish with 0-88 off 18. And Pietersen finishes with a creditable 0-28 off 9 overs. Still think he should be treated more seriously as a part-time bowler.
And on day 2 we must sit and pray for the return of the form of Harmison.
Day 2
Memories of day 2 at Brisbane four years ago are of an improved England performance. Will history repeat again today? I sincerely hope so as Flintoff and Anderson open this morning. A psychological boost were it needed for Ponting and Hussey as their 150 partnership steers the Australian total past 350 in the first over of the day. Harmison replaces Flintoff from the Stanley Street end in the 7th over of the morning. Proof if it were needed that the big man hasn’t had a moment of revelation since last night, its ‘orrible stuff. But Flintoff persists with him – might as well see if things improve with a few overs, getting to the stage where things can’t get much worse anyway. A double bowling change either side of drinks as Hoggard replaces Anderson and Flintoff for Harmison after Ponting has cruised past 150 (235;17). Flintoff still seems to be the only bowler causing any concern to the batters and he caused a moderate increase in the pulse rate of several thousand Aussies when Ponting appeared to glove to the keeper. Bucknor says not out, Flintoff appears aggrieved and thirty thousand Australians in the Gabba breathe a sigh of relief. Slo-mo replays prove inconclusive.
Flintoff has to wait another over for his rewards, though Hussey is the man to go when a ball nips back into him and sends off stump cartwheeling. Hussey out for 86 in a partnership of 209 – a record for the fourth wicket against England at the Gabba. Australia 407-4. This was to be England’s only success of the morning though. Harmison tries his luck from the other end, Anderson gets the opportunity to be hit around the park by Ponting and Giles, well he gets the last over before lunch. Of course. Australia are 427-4 at lunch off 116 overs, Ponting 177 and Clarke 10. You wanna know the bowling figures? Tough. Take it from me Flintoff good, rest ineffective to grim.
Decided that maybe England’s luck would change if I wasn’t actually watching – a good excuse for lunch and a glass of vino at a little Italian café a short stroll from the ground. Return about 45 minutes into the session to find that the runs tally has advanced beyond 450 whilst the wickets column still displays a sorry 4. So much for that theory. Or was I some help – as soon as I sat down Hoggard, bowling from the Stanley end, gets one to come back in to Ponting and the Aussie skipper’s long vigil is over – lbw for 196. Standing ovations all round the ground but our Ricky looks pretty cross with himself. Australia 467-5. Enter Adam Gilchrist, once a sight to strike terror into any struggling bowler but nowadays when the Barmy Army sing ‘just the tail to go’ there is more than a hint of truth. Flintoff must have been mentally preparing to replace Giles next over to reacquaint himself with his bunny, but he doesn’t get the chance as Hoggard immediately switches to come around the wicket and traps Gilchrist for a third ball duck. Easy as you like. Why did it take the world’s bowlers so long to work it out?
WAAAAAAAAAARNIEEEEEEEEEEE!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAARNIEEEEEEE!!
Kinda subdued greeting for Australia’s number 8. He shouldn’t have lasted long but Anderson at mid on drops him off Hoggard, who has hit a purple patch. Warne is playing all round him but doesn’t manage to get a nick.
Harmison returns for Giles from the Vulture Street end. Can hear the encouragement from Freddie now. “Come on big guy. You can get this one out. Easy peasy. He’s got man boobs for Heaven’s sake! Just try and aim for them rather than me”. And once Australia have passed 500 in the 135th Harmison seems to realise his mate Fred is right. There is half a shout – not really convincing from bowler or fielders, but I can’t remember Harmison even appealing in this innings so far. It has surprised Warne too and he chases the next ball down the leg side, helping it on the way to the keeper. 500-7. It is like watching a sleeping giant awaken from a slumber as Harmison seems galvanised into action. Next ball gets another full-force appeal but Bowden remains unmoved. The last ball of the over thuds into Lee. Welcome back Harmy where have you been all this time.
Flintoff is getting fired up at the other end. Cant help feeling it is too little and far, far too late as Clarke reaches his 50 (86; 4/1) but is then out in the final over before tea caught by Strauss off Anderson. At tea Australia are528-8 off 141.3 overs, Lee 16. Australia 101-4 for the session – England’s best of the match, a dubious accolade at this stage in the innings. Its foot on the throat time after tea as Lee has to play second fiddle to Clark (no E). Out to prove to the world he is no Glenn McGrath clone he certainly managed to do so with the bat, hitting 39 off 23 balls including three 4s and two 6s. A batting performance the original model could only dream of. Clark is out first ball of the 150th over when he is bowled by Flintoff. Its 578-9 but the declaration doesn’t come, instead Ponting chooses to let his opening bowlers hang out in the sunshine for a few overs until the total reaches 600. At 602-9 off 155 he waves them in. England’s torture is over. Or is it about to begin.
England technically have 23 overs to bat this evening but in practice the clock and the all empowering television will curtail these at 5.30pm. Wishful thinking that any Australians will be bowling a ball that passes through untouched to second slip – except of course Warne, and that one will pitch in line with middle first! Lee opens from the Stanley Street end to Strauss and England are off the mark – with 4 leg byes. Beggars cant be choosers when the follow on mark is a massive 403. We’ll take ‘em all. McGrath opens from the Vulture Street end. Lee has a shout for lbw against Cook – head getting too far outside the line again as one nips back, but Bucknor turns it down. Nice drive for 3 next ball. 6th over Strauss mistimes a pull. Looks as though the ball will land safe as Lee is running from fine leg and Hussey from backward square. Both are watching the ball and they are on a collision course (Steve Waugh and Jason Gillespie look away now). Collide they do. The rest of the team are running towards them. To check for damage? No, to congratulate Hussey who somehow in the midst of this has clung on to the catch. Strauss gone for 12, England 28-1 but it is about to get worse as Cook, who has made it down to the other end during the crash test dummies palaver, gets McGrath’s next ball on the splice and straight to Warne at first slip. 28-2. Collingwood keeps out the hat trick ball.
Clark(noE) comes on for Lee in the 7th – Lee seems to have left the field for the insurers to assess his bodywork damage. Great, now we have McGrath at one end (bowling a storm) and PseudoMcGrath at the other. The original has a huge shout for caught behind against Bell, who I think may have been a trifle lucky. Not so Collingwood who is caught behind of the bowling of mk II last ball of the 11th over. 42-3.
Lee is back on the field (I try to stifle my unsportsmanlike disappointment) after being patched up – his knee had come off worst in a clash with Hussey’s studs. He replaces McGrath in the 14th over from the Vulture end. England reach 50 runs – a long way to go. The natives are getting restless and Ponting panders to their wishes in the 16th over by bringing on WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARNIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Pietersen safely negotiates the first two balls and takes a casual single off the third, bringing Bell to face his nemesis from the 2005 series. What will he get? Warne has promised a new, improved flipper in his first over of the match. Has he saved it for Bell? May have done-difficult to tell from pitch level and more or less midwicket but Bell survives. Only one more over is possible before the umpires call time seven overs short for the day. England are 53-3 off 17, Bell on 13 and Pietersen 6.
All those touts who have been buying up Ashes tickets anticipating a bonanza will be crying into their medium-strength beer tonight.
DAY 3
McGrath opens from his preferred Vulture Street end, Lee from the Stanley Street end. Pietersen gets a life when he is dropped by Stuart Clark at mid on off Lee in the 25th. Bell strolls down the pitch to touch gloves with KP. Think a good slap is more in order. But Pietersen doesn’t get much chance for stupidity as the gets the (possibly) wrong end of an lbw decision not offering a shot to McGrath in the 28th. 78-4. Worse is to follow with Flintoff edging Lee in the next over – pity the umpire missed the no ball. The captain has gone for a duck and England are in tatters at 79-5.
Time for Jones to justify his inclusion then – maybe I am being a bit harsh expecting him to drag England out of this horror but he and Bell make a fair go at stopping the rot. Lee and McGrath are replaced by Warne and Clark and England finally reach 100 in the 35th over and progress to 118-5 off 45 by lunch, Bell 41 and Jones 19. The most notable shot played in the last half hour before lunch was Jones’ sweep shot off Warne which almost wiped out square leg umpire Billy Bowden. His unexpected fielding saved three runs. So should England lose by two we all know who to blame.
Lee and McGrath continue after lunch. Lee seems keen on testing with the short stuff – his first ball of the afternoon session is adjudged a wide for height. McGrath proves that landing the ball on a postage stamp works more often than not in the fifth over after lunch getting Jones lbw, though it does seem to take Bowden an eternity to raise the finger. Maybe savouring his revenge for that bruising sweep shot. Giles, like Jones, maybe feels he has to justify his inclusion to the masses and is playing some decent shots, interspersed with some heart-in-the-mouth stuff. Three gullies and he still manages to find the gaps.
Bell reaches a hard-won 50 (155; 5) but that’s as far as he gets. Clark replaces Lee at the Stanley end, Bell drives at his second ball outside off stump and Ponting takes the slip catch. 149-7. Hoggard joins Giles – these two can't have batted together many times since THAT innings at Trent Bridge. Agnew and Roebuck, commentating for ABC radio, discuss the possibility of a Hoggard double hundred. After all, Jason Gillespie has rather set a precedent here. The consensus of opinion, however, is that a five day test does not allow enough time for the Hogster to copy the feat. And the discussion proves somewhat academic when two balls after drinks Hoggard edges Clark to Gilchrist. 153-8.
The crowd are starting to call for Warne but McGrath sends a message to the other end to ask someone to tell the fat man he won’t get a bowl till after he’s got a five-fer. Just the one more over will do the trick as Harmison edges to Gilchrist. McGrath earns another over after this but needs just the one ball to wrap up the England innings as Giles gets a top edge taken by Hayden at point. Giles’ 24 is England’s second-highest score. England all out for 157 off just 61.1 overs.
Now the big surprise of the day. AUSTRALIA DO NOT INVITE ENGLAND TO BAT AGAIN!!! I can think of four reasons for this :-
(a) Ricky Ponting can’t do maths. He can’t work out that 602 – 157 is a first innings lead of, er, about, no exactly, 445. The largest first innings lead where the team hasn’t been asked to follow on.
(b) Ricky Ponting is frightened by history. There are very few occasions where a team has lost a Test match after enforcing a follow on. But this has happened to Australia twice in Ponting's lifetime – Headingley 1981 and Calcutta 2001, when quite a few of this team would have been playing.
(c) Ricky Ponting knows that all those Dads Army taunts about his aging team are true. The bowlers aren’t up to another stint in the field. Instead they need to take the Stannah stairlift to their dressing room where cold ice baths and warm cups of cocoa await.
(d) Ricky Ponting is aware that should Australia manage to bowl England out for the second time by close of play on the third day then Cricket Australia will have to refund tickets for a sell out 4th day crowd – along with a number of day 5 tickets already sold. No idea how much this would be but a guesstimate on my part would be getting on for about 2 million aussie dollars or ¾ million pounds or so. Before you take into account additional spending at the ground on beer, food, beer, merchandise, beer, water etc. And beer. And did I mention that players contracted to Cricket Australia earn a percentage of Cricket Australia’s annual income?
Take your pick.
Whatever the reason England have an unexpected chance to undo some of the ills in their bowling attack before the Adelaide test starts in six days time. They have the chance to fire in at the Australian batsmen, maybe score some moral points, get a few wickets, maybe even score some physical blows.
Or maybe not.
Hoggard opens from the Stanley Street end and unlike the first innings he is getting the Kookaburra ball to swing. Maybe it is this reason that Flintoff gives Anderson the honour from the Vulture Street end. Or maybe he is sending a message to Harmison. Langer and Hayden make hay as Anderson bowls and Australia go to tea 33-0 off 7, 8 off Hoggard's 4 overs and 24 off Anderson’s 3. Anderson gets a chance to make amends after tea and nearly succeeds but Hayden’s edge flies between the hands of Flintoff at slip. Flintoff replaces Hoggard in the 9th, Hoggard switching to the Vulture street end for a couple of overs before being replaced by Harmison in the 12th.
The only thing I can say is that it wasn’t as bad as the first innings. The line is better – some of the time. But half of the balls bowled can be left, usually to sail down leg side. And the ones on a decent line are too short. But there is some improvement.
Hayden goes for a cheeky 2nd run in the 16th over and doesn’t quite beat the combination of Anderson’s good throw from fine leg and Jones neat glove work. Australia lose their first wicket on 68.
It is to be England’s only success of the day. A chance to make amends for the first innings bowling performance goes begging. But the bowlers didn’t get a lot of help from their captain. Why the defensive fields? Australia weren’t batting to set a target – lets be honest they probably had enough runs on the board before they started their second innings. Australia are batting again to use up time and their declaration will be based on the clock rather than the scoreboard. And whether England are “chasing” 600 or 700 for “victory” is pretty academic. So put in the attacking slips for Harmison, get the guys round the bat when Giles is bowling. Give them, a chance of getting a confidence-boosting wicket or two rather than seeing an edge sail through where second slip would be for 4.
OK that’s my rant for the day! Australia close on 181-1 off 40, Langer 88 and Ponting 40. England have mountains to climb.
DAY 4
Australia choose to bat on this morning but for just 5.1 overs. This gives Langer just enough time to reach his 23rd test match hundred, and Ponting enough time to strain his back reaching to hit Harmison for 4. Australia declare on 202-1 off 45.1 overs, Langer 100 and Ponting 60.
Just 648 to win then.
Ponting takes time out for treatment so its vice-captain Gilchrist who leads Australia back on to the field with 82 overs of play left in the day. (Someone may correct me on this, but I think the last time Gilchrist captained for a significant amount of time in an Ashes test was probably Headingley 2001 . . . ). Lee opens from the Stanley Street end, Strauss is off the mark with 3 off the last ball of the over. McGrath bowls a maiden from the other end. Lee, now bowling to Cook, immediately switches to around the wicket but Cook copes well with this and he too is off the mark. McGrath bowls just three overs before going off the field and being replaced by Clark in the 8th. Gilchrist gives in to the irrepressible urge to bowl Warne just two overs later when he replaces Clark in the 10th. Clark switches ends to replace Lee and Strauss does an action replay of his first innings dismissal, attempting to pull Clark over midwicket he just gets a top edge which is caught at fine leg by substitute fielder Ryan Broad. Strauss out for 11 and England 29-1. The batsmen have crossed and Cook takes a quick single off the next ball. Bell has to dive to make his ground – a direct hit would have been a problem. But at least Bell could have blamed his partner – he had only himself to blame when he fails to pick Warne’s slider and is out lbw for a duck. England 36-2.
Cook and Collingwood guide England to lunch at 43-2 off 19, Cook 25 and Collingwood 3. Still no Ponting after lunch, McGrath is back on the field (and was there for a few overs before lunch) but it is Warne and Clark who begin the post-lunch hostilities. England pass 50 in the 21st over and an all-run 4 brings up the 50 partnership in the 28th. Lee replaces Clark in the 29th – still no McGrath even though he has been back on the field long enough to bowl now. My suspicions that he looked slightly lame are being enhanced by rumours he has had a painkilling injection in a sore heel.
But this is the fourth innings and we are firmly in Warne territory now. He gets the breakthrough in the 30th over when Cook pushes at a leg break and the edge goes off the front pad to Hussey at short leg. A battling innings by Cook comes to an end on 41, England now 91-3. Pietersen needs to quell his compulsion to attack but it proves difficult. He advances down the pitch to Warne, loses grip and balance with the front foot. Lucky not to be stumped, Collingwood walks down to his end to pat down the divots he has gouged out of the pitch. No words are exchanged.
Plenty are exchanges between Pietersen and Warne. Warne takes a shy at the batsman and Pietersen fends the ball away from his face over the slip cordon before asking Mr Warne to go forth in his best Queens English. Come along boys kiss and play nicely or it will all end in tears. England pass 100 in the 33rd over.
McGrath gets another chance to bowl in the 36th. A couple of overs later Collingwood pulls him for 4 to reach his half century (86; 6/1). Lee tries bowling around the wicket to Pietersen who pulls him in front of square for 4. Lee’s experiment lasted 2 balls before going back over the wicket. Another 50 partnership is reached in the 44th and confirmation that England are frustrating the Aussies when Gilchrist invites Hussey to have a go with his medium-pacers in the 45th. Warne replaces McGrath for the last over before tea, Pietersen hitting him for 4 through midwicket to bring up the 150 for England. At tea England are 150-3 off 46, Collingwood 56 and Pietersen 25. Credit to Pietersen who I feel often is competing as much against the batter at the other end as he is against the opposition. He hasn’t tried to narrow the gap in the scores between himself and partner Collingwood.
Clark and Warne continue after tea – Warne’s first over of the session goes for 10. He then has a MASSIVE shout for a caught behind against Pietersen. Was there the finest of bottom edges on the attempted cut shot? Warne thinks so, the Australia team think so, the green and yellow majority of the crowd think so. Pietersen remains unmoved, so, more importantly, does umpire Bucknor. Aghast posturing by Warne – better acting ability than he showed in his recent appearance in “Neighbours”.
The first 100 partnership of England’s Ashes campaign is reached in the 55th over, Pietersen reaching 50 in the next over (81; 10). A Collingwood drive takes England past 200 in the 56th. McGrath, so far used very sparingly, is brought on to try to break the partnership, from the Stanley end for the first time in the match. Drinks are taken at 230-3 off 61. An hour and 25 minutes or 21 overs to go. A few clouds are beginning to roll in from the south. Could the weather reports of a possible storm later on Monday be true. ABC radio is getting phone messages reporting storms in other areas of the state.
The partnership passes 150 – now this is a record 4th wicket partnership for England at the Gabba. Collingwood is approaching 100 but then – disaster. Poised on 96 he gets a rush of blood at the thought of an Ashes ton, comes down the wicket to Warne who bowls a big leg break. Collingwood misses, Gilchrist doesn’t and he is out stumped by a mile. 244-4.
Pietersen cuts McGrath delicately for 4 to long leg to bring up the 250. The Aussies think the most likely man to get Pietersen out is Pietersen himself. Glenn McGrath is bowling – with NO SLIP FIELDERS! Not sure if it is the arrival of Flintoff that has precipitated Lee to begin his warm-up routine of if McGrath has refused to continue under such humiliating conditions but Lee replaces him in the 67th. Warne meanwhile is bowling around the wicket from the other end to Pietersen who is keeping a lid on his frustrations and just padding away the balls that pitch a mile outside off.. He could have been stumped off a low full toss but Gilchrist fluffs the chance. Flintoff isn’t so patient. Still hasn’t really got himself in so why is he trying to pull Warne through midwicket? The shot is mistimed, goes high in the air and Langer at long on doesn’t even have to move, just stand and wait for re-entry before taking the catch. 271-5. News on the radio waves that one Englishman at least has tasted success in Australia this weekend. Congratulations to golfer Justin Rose. And more muted congratulations to Pietersen (92) and Jones (12), still there at the close of play. England are 293 – 5 going into day 5. Look on the bright side – on the last tour of Australia my day 5 tickets were pristine and unused until Melbourne. As I walk home from t’internet at 9pm there are fat drops of rain falling. Unlikely to be around in the morning to prevent play getting underway. But by mid afternoon the weather could be more of a factor. If England can just hang in there maybe they can prove that just this once Ponting should have said ‘we’ll have (another) bowl’. But Warne (family motto – “everyone needs good neighbours”) is likely to have the final say.
It's 12:30 here, Pietersen is gone (fourth ball) and Jones has just been bowled by the cripple McGrath at 326 for 7...will there be any point in finishing this off tomorrow Baggy? I'll probably stay up until it ends. As Henry has just said "....It won't be long now!"
DAY 5
On their last tour of Australia four years ago England supporters had to wait until Melbourne to make use of the day 5 portion of our match tickets. Two days ago it seemed that we would be enjoying an extra day off here in Brisbane but here we are, day 5 of the first Test. All England have to do is hold out for 90 overs or thereabouts. Less if the predicted storms arrive in the late afternoon. Pity they are 5 wickets down – I wonder how well the Australians would have sleptt last night had it been Pietersen and Collingwood to resume, Flintoff still to come and a little matter of another 354 runs to win – about 4 an over. Records are there to be broken y’know!
Crocked Australians Ponting and McGrath both make it to the field of play. Ponting isn’t in his usual position at slip but is a little stiff at mid on (don’t call me a little stiff – RP). Lee opens from the Stanley Street end and after a couple of deliveries takes the new ball. Pietersen then falls for the old half volley trick, flicking it casual as you like to the eager Martyn at short midwicket. Neither Pietersen nor England has added to their overnight score and England are 293-6.
Jones and Giles are out to delay any green and gold celebrations as they put on 33 before Jones gets one that keeps a bit low from McGrath and plays on. 327-7. It’s all over bar the shouting – or rather the singing as the Barmy Army have finally managed to regroup into a sizeable choir down at fine leg. Here they are entertaining Brett Lee and later Stuart Clark with tuneful ditties, singing under umbrellas that ‘only rain . . .can save Australia now’ – actually quite close to the truth in this drought-ridden country!
Clark replaces Lee and gets Giles just before drink, an edge to Warne at slip. The same combination accounts for Hoggard a few overs later. Harmison retrieves a morsel of his shattered pride by smiting Warne to the boundary. Warne is striving for his fifth wicket to go with the four yesterday but he runs out of opportunities when Harmison hooks Clark to McGrath at fine leg.
Australia win by 277 runs and Ponting is named man of the match, He will be relieved that his decision to bat again didn’t backfire. But the decision has meant that England were able to regroup and at least with the bat show that they aren’t going to give the little urn up without a fight. They kept some of Australia’s finest old crocks out in the field in the sun for longer than they would have liked – no extra rest day before Adelaide starts on Friday. Ponting and McGrath are expected to be fit but there is a lot of cricket ahead in a short time. Dennis Lillee has offered to sort out Harmison’s bowling problems. Maybe he should take him up on this – if nothing else it will rile Ricky Ponting who has already commented on the ex pace bowler’s apparent lack of patriotism.