The Ashes 2010 – Test 5: Total Annihilation

Never in the recent past has the Australian team got such a drubbing at home. In the final test at Sydney they seemed to be mesmerized with no clue about what was happening around them. England on the other hand came prepared and were ready for the kill. They ensured that the ashes were won convincingly and left no doubt as to the better team.

There was a lot of talk about the change in guard and a fightback from the wounded Aussies before the test match began. I think the Australian team still thinks that there is nothing wrong with them. That is reflected in their team selection and also in their approach. The only changes they made this time were sort of forced changes. Khawaja came in place of injured Ponting and Beer came in as a specialist spinner. The team still thought that the firm of Johnson, Hilfenhaus and Siddle were capable of running through the opposition. That was wishful thinking and England demonstrated that this attack is toothless in the only innings they batted. Only Shane Watson and Steve Smith seemed to create any opportunities in that innings. Cook continued his brilliant form and was helped by centuries from Bell and Prior.

The approach of the team and its belief in its own abilities is also key in a test match. After getting bowled out for 281, thanks to a rearguard action from Mitchell Johnson who was the only person to post a fifty; the Aussies had the Poms at 5/226 when Collingwood got out. At that stage they should have enforced a quick closure. But they allowed Prior and Bell to score freely and take the score to a mammoth 644 runs. Then in their second innings, when the situation called for playing out the time, they went on the attack and lost the plot. The English bowling was too good for them and they lost by an innings. So in this series they lost all the three matches by over an innings, they conceded 500+ runs three times.

As far as Australia are concerned there were no positives from this series. It thoroughly exposed their bowling limitations. It also exposed the lack in depth of their batting pipeline and therefore it looks like a very steep climb from here on. Barring Perth, their bowlers never took 20 wickets in a test match. All the commentators were in unison on this. As Ian Chapell said a band aid solution ain’t going to fix it. They need a complete overhaul of the selection committee, the coaching staff and the team. The irony will be if they win the series at home against SL in August they will start day dreaming again. Ricky Ponting is done as a skipper, it remains to be seen if he stays as a batsman.

England on the other hand have a bagful of positives. The batting of Cook, Strauss, Trott, Pietersen, Prior and Bell. The bowling of Anderson, Swann, Finn, Tremlett and Bresnan and the fielding overall has been stellar. The only negative, if you really have to pick any, would be the form of Collingwood (who has announced his retirement now) and to an extent the inability of Pietersen to focus on the job and play a long innings consistently. I thought a lot of credit must go to their coach and the back room team. Their bowlers were spot on from the first delivery and bowled very few no balls. They created opportunities and applied pressure when required.

On the whole, I think England deservedly won the series 3-1. My prediction was a English with a margin of 1 (2-1 being my favored score line). But hey, who is complaining when you witness some great cricket and a total annihilation of the Aussies. Watch out for my statistical analysis of the series to wrap this series.

The Ashes 2010 – Test 3 and 4: Contrasting Wins

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. 

The Ashes 2010 – Test 2: England on a song

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.

The Ashes 2010 : On the lighter side

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.

The Ashes 2010: England make a bold statement and Hussey finds form

At the end of Day 1 of the first test match, one got that “oh no, not again” feeling with England failing to capitalize on a good toss. Australian bowling also seemed to have found the teeth and sharpness that was lacking in the past few months with Peter Siddle claiming a hat-trick. One thought that the English team had frittered away a good opportunity get their hand up in this opening battle. They should have scored at least 350 in the first innings and I think the early loss of Strauss and that Siddle hat-trick really made the matters worse. Cook and Bell got some runs on the board but got out when they we settled and failed to get the big tons. Pietersen also got out after scoring a 40. Siddle was the surprise package and finished with 6-54.

The Australian reply was very strong and the openers got them to a good start. England came back strong and demolished their middle order cheaply but then came that superb knock of 195 from Mike Hussey. He and Haddin ensured that the Australians got a big enough lead to start thinking about a win. They finished with a lead of 221. I was very impressed with Steven Finn, who finished with a 6 wicket haul. He is tall, fast and has the ability to create some awkward angles for the batsmen with his height. I think he will cement his place in the side by the time this tour is over. Swann was also impressive but Hussey read him like a book and carted him all over the park. He needs to come back with Plan B for the next test match.

With that huge deficit on their minds, the English reply almost started disastrously with Hilfenhaus getting Strauss almost plumb in front in the very first over. Fortunately for England the appeal was overruled as the ball was going over the stumps as the replays suggested. From then on, it was just one way street. Strauss, Cook and then Trott piled on runs aplenty and England had the privilege of declaring the innings at 517-1 with a impractical ask. The only academic interest was if they could get some wickets and gain some psychological advantage. Australians lost Katich early but the pair of Ponting and Watson ensured a draw.

I think this test match has exposed the weakness in the Australian bowling attack. If you take out that one over when Siddle collected a hat-trick, there was nothing in the game for them. In the second innings they failed to pose any questions and when there were edges the fielders floored those edges. Mitchell Johnson must have realized that he is no Glen McGrath and he would do well to focus on his bowling rather than engage in sledging. He needs to get his radar repaired too. There is no spinner worth naming in Australian squad. So Ricky Ponting has a lot to think before the second test.

England on the other hand will come out stronger. They have managed to handle the pressure well, their bowlers looked to attack and they seem to have a more balanced attack too. So on technicality I would say this test is England’s on points, just by a whisker.

PS: And I must mention the one incident on the final day when Ponting claimed a catch and the umpires ruled against it. There was a big discussion among the Aussie commentators on how he is an honest fielder and a skipper. Well we Indians know very well from that infamous Sydney test incident.

The Ashes 2010: A curtain raiser

The 2010 Ashes series gets under way on the 25th and there is already a lot of discussions about the possible outcome this time. This series always generates the kind of excitement that I have not seen in any other series. So here is my take on the current version.

The Poms have done nothing wrong since they announced a near perfect squad for the tour. They have brought in a quality spinner in Monty and they have a unit that is well balanced in all the departments. They have solid opening batsmen, their middle order is good too and they have a wicket keeper who can contribute. Then they have a quality attack consisting of swing and spin bowlers. The only missing element in their squad is a true pace bowler. Most of them have scored runs and taken wickets in the prep games and seem to be in a good nick. Ever since Andy Flower has taken over as their coach, they have improved by leaps and bounds.

The Aussies on the other hand have had a wretched 6 months or so. They have lost to practically every team that matters and more importantly they have not won anything for a long time. Their batting relies mainly on Ponting and the rest of the batsmen are under the scanner for their poor run of form. The bowling department is also weak and the only threatening bowler they have is Mitchell Johnson. But you know the stories about his mental fitness and the radar problem that he has. That nervousness is also reflected in their team selection. The home team has declared a squad of 17 players for the first test.

Australia also has another problem to cope with. With the English squad so nicely balanced and in form, they have a tough task in preparing the wickets too. If they make batsmen friendly wickets, then the Poms will score heavily against a weak attack. If they go for fast, bouncy wickets then their own batting will come under the guns as the Poms have a decent pace attack. Turning tracks will also be disastrous. So what should they do? In my mind their best chance lies in either winning the first test match when the Poms would be still adjusting to the conditions or win one solitary game and then play for draws. If they select the second option, which is against their nature, the series will be a very dull affair.

So what is it going to be? My bets are on England winning it with a margin of one test, 2-1 looks like the most likely result. I am very eager to see the first test match and see what the Aussies throw at the Poms. Keep reading!!