I was on my way back from SF and stuck at Heathrow airport when the third Ashes test was being played at Perth. So I watched most of that test match in the lounge at Heathrow and did not get a chance to write about it. Now that I know the result of the Boxing Day test match, it seems like the Perth test was an aberration. England got into a very good position on Day 1 to have the Aussies reeling at 69/5 but then they let the advantage slip away. They let the Aussies go beyond 200 and then collapsed in their first essay, conceding a lead of over 90 runs. The Australians then went for the kill and won the test match very convincingly. Mitch Johnson was the hero and it seemed like he had found his rhythm. That result raised the hopes for an engaging battle at Melbourne.
The Aussies arrived at Melbourne with their confidence high and then on the opening day England bowled them out for a paltry 98 runs. From that point onwards, only one team could have won that test match and that team was England. They batted superbly, bowled superbly and used the conditions to their advantage. What looked like a very easy batting wicket on day 2 and 3, turned into a field of landmines when the Aussies came out for their second innings. Tremlett, Bresnan, Anderson and Swan bowled beautifully and England won the match by an innings and 157 runs.
Here is my analysis of the events so far:
- England came prepared for this series and they had plans for every situation. They in fact had plan B and C and D in most cases. Their bowlers bowled a perfect line and to a plan, their fielding was flawless and batting in full bloom. In my mind, the credit is due to Andy Flower who has worked wonders with this team
- Australians were too confident and never thought that they could be defeated in their own backyard. I would say Ricky Ponting should take a large part of the responsibility for that mind set. They were not prepared, their planning was pathetic and their bowlers had no clue when confronted with quality techinique.
- Two run outs (or possible run outs) in the Melbourne test outline the preparations. First there was a run out appeal against Trott when he was on 50 something. He dived full length and put his bat down in time to cover the ground. He was adjudged ‘not out’. He later said that he had practiced diving in the nets for exactly this type of a situation. Philip Hughes was run out in the second innings and he did not dive. He plonked his bat in and was caught short. That difference in attitude and preparation is what separated the two sides.
- Strauss as a captain also impressed me. He changed the bowlers and the field placements and every time he did that, there was a plan to make it count. It seems like he had studied his opposition very well.
- Finally, I am not a big fan of Ricky Ponting and he once again showed that under pressure he is very ugly. He is on the verge of losing his job as a captain. Australians were always very fierce competitors but the earlier captains like Border, Waugh, Taylor were graceful in accepting the defeat. I think Ponting has taken that aggressive behavior over the precipice and has inculcated a spirit of street brawls in the team. This is not good for Australia and they need to quickly amend this.
England played a copybook test match at Adelaide and surged ahead in the Ashes series, for what according to me is a winning lead. They did nothing wrong and everything went wrong for the Aussies. I am going to keep this post very brief since this is way too late after the result, but it is a milestone event in Australian cricket history in my mind. I think the recovery from the current drop in their rating is going to be long and hard. They need a Bob Simpson or a Alan Border to drag them out of this. Ponting or Clarke cannot do that job.
In the first innings, they got Australians all out by the end of day one. During that brief period, the Australians lost 2 wickets in two balls twice. Ricky Ponting continued his dismal form with the bat and with the captaincy in this test too. Only Mike Hussey and Haddin provided some resistance, but England bowlers were up to the task and I think Strauss’s bowling changes were spot on. The English reply was a mammoth 620/5 decl. After Strauss and Cook, this was Pietersen’s turn to come to the party. He scored a magnificent double century and more importantly got the confidence and the swagger back, That only means bad news for the Aussies. Cook and Collingwood also chipped in and on the current form I don’t know how the Australian attack can claim the 20 wickets required to win a test match.
With a lead of 375 runs and one thought the Australians would show true grit that they are known for and save the game. But it was a repeat of the first innings and in the end England won very convincingly by an innings and 71 runs.
As one looks back, the Australian batting, bowling and fielding has been in atrocious. The fact that they dropped some easy catches and missed run outs, indicates their state of confidence. There has been some chopping and churning in their squad before the Perth test, but I do not expect any difference in the result. If they do well, they may just reduce the margin of their loss.
I happened to be passing through London Heathrow when the Aussies were getting butchered at Adelaide. You got to hand it to the British press and their sense of humour. The articles they write even when the home team is not doing well are quite humorous and tongue in cheek. I read one such article in The Mail and the author took jibes at Simon Katich getting a duck. So he went on to describe the various types of ducks in cricket. According to him a batsman gets a Golden Duck when he gets out on the first ball that he faces. That is a well known term.
What Katich got was a Platinum duck according to him, because he was at the non striker’s end and was run out without facing a ball. Then the author stretched his imagination and said that the highest honour as far as the anniversaries are concerned is the Granite Anniversary, which is celebrated after 90 years. So what would be a Granite duck?
Well, here it goes. The umpire calls the start of the innings and the two openers start walking out of the dressing room. As they take the stairs to walk down, one of the batsmen drops his pants and they get entangled in his shoes. As a result of this, he starts tumbling down and injures his leg. As he reaches the bottom of the stairs, the masonry work from the roof falls on his head and he has to be rushed to the hospital for treatment. The umpires in the mean time declare him timed out. That my friends is a Granite Duck, because the player did not even come on the field. Great isn’t it?
Of all the folks who have got out under such silly circumstances, I can only think of Inzy to be a good candidate for a Granite Duck.
