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The Ashes 2009
- Thread starter chandikagunawardhana
- Start date
England 102 & 82/5 (32.0 overs)
Australia 445
England trail by 261 runs with 5 wickets remaining
Australia 445
England trail by 261 runs with 5 wickets remaining
The real Mitchell Johnson
This is the Mitchell Johnson Australia had counted on. Intimidating when short, swinging when full and all at an unnerving pace and trajectory. Australia's selectors have moved heaven and earth to accommodate their misfiring paceman in this series and, in the second innings of the fourth Test, Johnson finally delivered with a spell of venom and control to effectively steamroll England out of the contest. Better late than never.
The "Super Mitchell Johnson" chants, laced with irony at Edgbaston barely a week ago, resurfaced at Headingley on Saturday evening, only this time with an adulatory undertone. Johnson's furious spell of 3 for 1 from 14 deliveries was a throwback to his Man-of-the-Series performance in South Africa, which was notable as much for his maiming of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis as it was his 17 wickets at 25.88.
Johnson finished the second day's play with figures of 3 for 21 from ten venomous overs, and would have had a fourth wicket had Marcus North not spilled a regulation chance off Matt Prior at third slip. North, who notched his third Test century a session earlier, confirmed after play what all at Headingley knew: the real Mitchell Johnson had stood up.
"England supporters are starting to see the way he bowled in South Africa," North said. "All players have their ups and downs and we know he's had a difficult month, but he showed great signs at Edgbaston. He worked very hard at his game and got the ball swinging late, like in South Africa. It's great to see a guy getting the rewards he deserves."
Johnson's Ashes series has read like a soap opera script to date. Wild at Cardiff and wilder still at Lord's, Australia entered the third Test at Edgbaston aware that one more errant display from their attack spearhead could cost them the series. Aware of his match-winning potential, the Australians resisted the temptation to drop Johnson for the more accurate Stuart Clark, and instead provided him with an insurance bowler in the form of Shane Watson in the event of another blowout.
The move left no room for the equally out-of-sorts Phillip Hughes, but demonstrated just how highly regarded Johnson is among Australian cricket's brainstrust. Through battles with confidence, wrist position and a delicate family situation in Australia, Johnson was embraced rather than ostracised by team-mates, even though his dreadful outing at Lord's went far to costing the tourists the Test and a proud 75-year unbeaten record at the ground.
Edgbaston wasn't the breakthrough the Australians had hoped for, but it was progress. Far straighter than in his previous outings, Johnson bowled with pace and discipline until a final spell during which he was riled by Andrew Flintoff and Stuart Broad and reverted back to a short length.
The improvement continued at Headingley where, thriving on the pressure created by the miserly Clark at the Kirkstall Lane End, Johnson removed Ian Bell on a dominant opening morning for the Australians. But the crucial moment came after tea on Saturday when Johnson, bowling first change, was tossed the ball with England reeling from Ben Hilfenhaus' double-strike that removed Andrew Strauss and, dubiously, Ravi Bopara.
Swing was supposed to have been the undoing of Australia on this tour - both in their mastery of it, and attempts to play it - only for Hilfenhaus and Johnson to completely out-duel James Anderson and Graham Onions. Johnson found in-swing early in his spell, mixing movement with brutish bouncers and genuine pace.
Bell fell to Johnson for the second time in the match to a tentative push outside off stump, and Paul Collingwood promptly followed lbw to a fast, full inswinger. Aerial movement also played a role in the dismissal of Alastair Cook, pushing a fuller offering to Brad Haddin, as Johnson ended any notions of English resistance.
"He's obviously found a bit of form," said Broad. "The ball swinging has helped him with that, and he's picked up wickets. You need a bit of luck as a bowler and he's had a bit of luck. He's also got the ball in the right areas more consistently and caused our batsmen a lot more trouble. We knew he was a world class talent. When he came into the series he had a fantastic record in Test matches. I know the media built him up to be struggling but we knew we had to be very aware of what he can do, and he's proven he can take wickets."
Johnson might have left his run late in the series, but with the Ashes almost certainly headed for a deadlock leading into The Oval, the timing of his return to form could hardly be more astute.
This is the Mitchell Johnson Australia had counted on. Intimidating when short, swinging when full and all at an unnerving pace and trajectory. Australia's selectors have moved heaven and earth to accommodate their misfiring paceman in this series and, in the second innings of the fourth Test, Johnson finally delivered with a spell of venom and control to effectively steamroll England out of the contest. Better late than never.
The "Super Mitchell Johnson" chants, laced with irony at Edgbaston barely a week ago, resurfaced at Headingley on Saturday evening, only this time with an adulatory undertone. Johnson's furious spell of 3 for 1 from 14 deliveries was a throwback to his Man-of-the-Series performance in South Africa, which was notable as much for his maiming of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis as it was his 17 wickets at 25.88.
Johnson finished the second day's play with figures of 3 for 21 from ten venomous overs, and would have had a fourth wicket had Marcus North not spilled a regulation chance off Matt Prior at third slip. North, who notched his third Test century a session earlier, confirmed after play what all at Headingley knew: the real Mitchell Johnson had stood up.
"England supporters are starting to see the way he bowled in South Africa," North said. "All players have their ups and downs and we know he's had a difficult month, but he showed great signs at Edgbaston. He worked very hard at his game and got the ball swinging late, like in South Africa. It's great to see a guy getting the rewards he deserves."
Johnson's Ashes series has read like a soap opera script to date. Wild at Cardiff and wilder still at Lord's, Australia entered the third Test at Edgbaston aware that one more errant display from their attack spearhead could cost them the series. Aware of his match-winning potential, the Australians resisted the temptation to drop Johnson for the more accurate Stuart Clark, and instead provided him with an insurance bowler in the form of Shane Watson in the event of another blowout.
The move left no room for the equally out-of-sorts Phillip Hughes, but demonstrated just how highly regarded Johnson is among Australian cricket's brainstrust. Through battles with confidence, wrist position and a delicate family situation in Australia, Johnson was embraced rather than ostracised by team-mates, even though his dreadful outing at Lord's went far to costing the tourists the Test and a proud 75-year unbeaten record at the ground.
Edgbaston wasn't the breakthrough the Australians had hoped for, but it was progress. Far straighter than in his previous outings, Johnson bowled with pace and discipline until a final spell during which he was riled by Andrew Flintoff and Stuart Broad and reverted back to a short length.
The improvement continued at Headingley where, thriving on the pressure created by the miserly Clark at the Kirkstall Lane End, Johnson removed Ian Bell on a dominant opening morning for the Australians. But the crucial moment came after tea on Saturday when Johnson, bowling first change, was tossed the ball with England reeling from Ben Hilfenhaus' double-strike that removed Andrew Strauss and, dubiously, Ravi Bopara.
Swing was supposed to have been the undoing of Australia on this tour - both in their mastery of it, and attempts to play it - only for Hilfenhaus and Johnson to completely out-duel James Anderson and Graham Onions. Johnson found in-swing early in his spell, mixing movement with brutish bouncers and genuine pace.
Bell fell to Johnson for the second time in the match to a tentative push outside off stump, and Paul Collingwood promptly followed lbw to a fast, full inswinger. Aerial movement also played a role in the dismissal of Alastair Cook, pushing a fuller offering to Brad Haddin, as Johnson ended any notions of English resistance.
"He's obviously found a bit of form," said Broad. "The ball swinging has helped him with that, and he's picked up wickets. You need a bit of luck as a bowler and he's had a bit of luck. He's also got the ball in the right areas more consistently and caused our batsmen a lot more trouble. We knew he was a world class talent. When he came into the series he had a fantastic record in Test matches. I know the media built him up to be struggling but we knew we had to be very aware of what he can do, and he's proven he can take wickets."
Johnson might have left his run late in the series, but with the Ashes almost certainly headed for a deadlock leading into The Oval, the timing of his return to form could hardly be more astute.
Woeful England heading for a new low
If England believed that their downward spiral of Ashes misery had bottomed out with their 5-0 thumping in Australia three winters ago, they might just have to reassess that situation before the series decider at The Oval in a fortnight's time. Barring a late rally that seemed inconceivable in the fading light on Saturday evening, England are hurtling towards their heaviest home defeat in the history of Ashes cricket, and if they fail to scrape an extra 36 runs tomorrow, they will have surpassed the innings-and-226-run trouncing that West Indies inflicted on them at Lord's in 1973, the single biggest home defeat in England's entire Test history.
Somehow it wasn't meant to be like this, but much the same was being said 20 years ago to the week at Trent Bridge, when Mark Taylor and Geoff Marsh batted straight through the first day of the fifth Test en route to a cripplingly comprehensive innings-and-180-run victory. Then as now, an unfancied and under-estimated Australian team of rookies had sprung a horrible surprise on their complacent English opponents, seizing the Ashes from a position in which they were apparently at their lowest ebb.
Australia's dominance in the summer of 1989 was reflected in every respect - they took the six-Test series 4-0, and might have won by a tennis score had it not been for rain. This time, however, they are piling all of their pre-eminence into one ultra-effective performance. Marcus North's century was Australia's seventh of the summer; England have only Andrew Strauss's 161 at Lord's to boast about. Five of their batsmen currently average over 50 (Strauss again is England's only half-centurion). And they can also lay claim to all three of the leading series wicket-takers, as well as the only three bowlers to average below 30.
"Statistics can be a funny thing," said Marcus North, whose second hundred of the series laid the platform for Australia's dominance. "The way we look at it is winning the critical moments in Tests. There was a critical day on the last day of the first Test [at Cardiff] and we didn't win that, and so England walked away with a draw. We saw England win critical moments in the second Test [at Lord's] and outplay us completely, and I think it was probably even at Edgbaston, but we're winning the critical moments here. The most important thing for us as a team is winning session by session, and especially the important ones."
Such has been the speed with which Australia have seized control of this match, England haven't had time to find their bearings at any stage. Minuscule flickers of competitiveness - Steve Harmison's early strikes with both new balls, for instance - have been swamped by the magnitude of the events that have followed, and Stuart Broad's career-best figures of 6 for 91 barely even register in the overall scheme of the contest. The loss of five wickets in the closing overs of the day meant his best day's work of the series came across as a very pyrrhic victory.
"We're disappointed with the way we've made the same mistakes with the bat there towards the end of the day as we did in the first innings," said Broad. "We lost wickets in clumps. We had a really solid start there with Strauss and Cooky, and to lose 5 for 23 is really disappointing. I think the Australians bowled fantastically well, but it was a shame we made the same mistakes we did in the first innings."
The debacle leaves England on the verge of their first Test defeat since a performance of equally stunning ineptitude at Sabina Park in February, when - with some bitter irony - Broad once again excelled with his previous best figures of 5 for 85. "We've had two average days of Test cricket but we've had four or five months of really good Test cricket," he said. "It's not something you lose overnight. We're still a very confident bunch of players. We're obviously disappointed with how we've performed in this game, but confidence is not something you lose over night. We just need to make sure we come out and play positively tomorrow and move forward to The Oval."
That may, however, be easier said than done. The ease and certainty with which England's rizla-thin middle-order has been smoked by Australia's seamers in this contest does not bode well in the slightest. For the first time in 121 years, England's Nos. 3, 4 and 5 were all dismissed in single figures in both innings of a Test, and with Kevin Pietersen laid low for the rest of the summer, and Andrew Flintoff increasingly likely to require further surgery on his damaged knee, there seems little obvious way to paper over such frailties. Broad bridled when it was suggested that Flintoff's absence has been the decisive factor for England, but the evidence on display is hard to controvert.
"You're obviously going to miss Fred because he's a world-class cricketer but it's something the side has dealt with in the past two years and is going to have to deal with for the foreseeable future because he's retiring from the game," said Broad. "It's hard to pinpoint what we've lacked in this Test match. They're a very talented side, and they've got something about them. We're just focussing on what we've done badly in this game, because we've not learned from our mistakes."
Broad recalled England's series defeat against South Africa last summer, in particular their ten-wicket humiliation on this very ground at Headingley, when Darren Pattinson's controversial selection was taken as evidence of the overall malaise in the camp. "We were batting and were bowled out by tea, again pushing at the ball," he said. "We did similar things here in the first innings. We've got many hundreds led by Andrew Strauss and that's the sort of thing we should focus on."
Avoiding a three-day defeat is surely beyond England's remotest expectations, but Broad defended his own selection at No. 7 as a positive move, and set out to justify his promotion with morale-salving runs on Sunday. "It's obviously important," he said. "We have to remember there are Test match runs and Test match hundreds out there for some batsmen tomorrow. We just need to look to play positively and enjoy it tomorrow. It's going to be tricky obviously being five-down for not very many, but there's an opportunity there to score some Test match runs which everyone wants to do."
Australia, however, have wanted those runs more in this series, something that North was very proud to relate. "Our disciplines have shown that," he said. "We've clicked and done that over a long period of time, with the bat and ball, and put a lot of pressure on England. It's no coincidence we're in the position we are at the moment.
"It's obviously up to England to assess," he said. "The game's not in the bag just yet, we've still got five wickets to get so we've got to create a few more opportunities, but if we apply ourselves and play as we have in the first two days, the series should be level at one-all."
If England believed that their downward spiral of Ashes misery had bottomed out with their 5-0 thumping in Australia three winters ago, they might just have to reassess that situation before the series decider at The Oval in a fortnight's time. Barring a late rally that seemed inconceivable in the fading light on Saturday evening, England are hurtling towards their heaviest home defeat in the history of Ashes cricket, and if they fail to scrape an extra 36 runs tomorrow, they will have surpassed the innings-and-226-run trouncing that West Indies inflicted on them at Lord's in 1973, the single biggest home defeat in England's entire Test history.
Somehow it wasn't meant to be like this, but much the same was being said 20 years ago to the week at Trent Bridge, when Mark Taylor and Geoff Marsh batted straight through the first day of the fifth Test en route to a cripplingly comprehensive innings-and-180-run victory. Then as now, an unfancied and under-estimated Australian team of rookies had sprung a horrible surprise on their complacent English opponents, seizing the Ashes from a position in which they were apparently at their lowest ebb.
Australia's dominance in the summer of 1989 was reflected in every respect - they took the six-Test series 4-0, and might have won by a tennis score had it not been for rain. This time, however, they are piling all of their pre-eminence into one ultra-effective performance. Marcus North's century was Australia's seventh of the summer; England have only Andrew Strauss's 161 at Lord's to boast about. Five of their batsmen currently average over 50 (Strauss again is England's only half-centurion). And they can also lay claim to all three of the leading series wicket-takers, as well as the only three bowlers to average below 30.
"Statistics can be a funny thing," said Marcus North, whose second hundred of the series laid the platform for Australia's dominance. "The way we look at it is winning the critical moments in Tests. There was a critical day on the last day of the first Test [at Cardiff] and we didn't win that, and so England walked away with a draw. We saw England win critical moments in the second Test [at Lord's] and outplay us completely, and I think it was probably even at Edgbaston, but we're winning the critical moments here. The most important thing for us as a team is winning session by session, and especially the important ones."
Such has been the speed with which Australia have seized control of this match, England haven't had time to find their bearings at any stage. Minuscule flickers of competitiveness - Steve Harmison's early strikes with both new balls, for instance - have been swamped by the magnitude of the events that have followed, and Stuart Broad's career-best figures of 6 for 91 barely even register in the overall scheme of the contest. The loss of five wickets in the closing overs of the day meant his best day's work of the series came across as a very pyrrhic victory.
"We're disappointed with the way we've made the same mistakes with the bat there towards the end of the day as we did in the first innings," said Broad. "We lost wickets in clumps. We had a really solid start there with Strauss and Cooky, and to lose 5 for 23 is really disappointing. I think the Australians bowled fantastically well, but it was a shame we made the same mistakes we did in the first innings."
The debacle leaves England on the verge of their first Test defeat since a performance of equally stunning ineptitude at Sabina Park in February, when - with some bitter irony - Broad once again excelled with his previous best figures of 5 for 85. "We've had two average days of Test cricket but we've had four or five months of really good Test cricket," he said. "It's not something you lose overnight. We're still a very confident bunch of players. We're obviously disappointed with how we've performed in this game, but confidence is not something you lose over night. We just need to make sure we come out and play positively tomorrow and move forward to The Oval."
That may, however, be easier said than done. The ease and certainty with which England's rizla-thin middle-order has been smoked by Australia's seamers in this contest does not bode well in the slightest. For the first time in 121 years, England's Nos. 3, 4 and 5 were all dismissed in single figures in both innings of a Test, and with Kevin Pietersen laid low for the rest of the summer, and Andrew Flintoff increasingly likely to require further surgery on his damaged knee, there seems little obvious way to paper over such frailties. Broad bridled when it was suggested that Flintoff's absence has been the decisive factor for England, but the evidence on display is hard to controvert.
"You're obviously going to miss Fred because he's a world-class cricketer but it's something the side has dealt with in the past two years and is going to have to deal with for the foreseeable future because he's retiring from the game," said Broad. "It's hard to pinpoint what we've lacked in this Test match. They're a very talented side, and they've got something about them. We're just focussing on what we've done badly in this game, because we've not learned from our mistakes."
Broad recalled England's series defeat against South Africa last summer, in particular their ten-wicket humiliation on this very ground at Headingley, when Darren Pattinson's controversial selection was taken as evidence of the overall malaise in the camp. "We were batting and were bowled out by tea, again pushing at the ball," he said. "We did similar things here in the first innings. We've got many hundreds led by Andrew Strauss and that's the sort of thing we should focus on."
Avoiding a three-day defeat is surely beyond England's remotest expectations, but Broad defended his own selection at No. 7 as a positive move, and set out to justify his promotion with morale-salving runs on Sunday. "It's obviously important," he said. "We have to remember there are Test match runs and Test match hundreds out there for some batsmen tomorrow. We just need to look to play positively and enjoy it tomorrow. It's going to be tricky obviously being five-down for not very many, but there's an opportunity there to score some Test match runs which everyone wants to do."
Australia, however, have wanted those runs more in this series, something that North was very proud to relate. "Our disciplines have shown that," he said. "We've clicked and done that over a long period of time, with the bat and ball, and put a lot of pressure on England. It's no coincidence we're in the position we are at the moment.
"It's obviously up to England to assess," he said. "The game's not in the bag just yet, we've still got five wickets to get so we've got to create a few more opportunities, but if we apply ourselves and play as we have in the first two days, the series should be level at one-all."
Clarke needs a promotion
If Michael Clarke wants to graduate as a true great of the game he must seek a promotion in the Australian order and aim to finish his career at No. 3. It's the position for the team's best player and if Clarke can replicate his form in this Ashes every couple of series he will soon be wrestling Ricky Ponting for that title.
Whatever the result of this five-game contest, Ponting should be in no hurry to leave the set-up and will enter at first drop until he's had enough, but Clarke's rise has to begin to give the side extra strength early in an innings. During his first year as an international Clarke found himself at four after entering originally at six and was dropped after three matches. Since coming back in 2006 he has spent almost all his time at No. 5 and done extremely well, taking his career average to a formidable 50.58 in 51 Tests. The only asterisk comes with his position.
It is time for the vice-captain to take on more responsibility as he prepares for a seemingly inevitable takeover of the leadership and major batting duties. Ponting is 34 and likely to continue patching his team together until the 2011 World Cup, when he will probably decide whether to wave the bat for the final time. Clarke will be 30 then, the ideal age for a captain as long as he has the support of his men.
Currently he looks like he will be a leader by example rather than a man to provide psychological prods; a regular run-maker instead of a commander convincing his unit of the same way forward. In the form he has been in England there is no doubt over the quality of his stroke-play.
The initial promotion to No. 4 is easy and involves a simple swap with Michael Hussey, who would benefit from the reduction in duties as he tries to regain the consistency of his first three years as a Test player. Clarke needs the extra stress to hone his mind for the future, when he will be required to enter as early as the second delivery of an innings, facing fresh fast bowlers with the first new ball instead of tiring quicks with the one offered after 80 overs.
Clarke has been exceptional throughout this series, holding Australia together at Lord's and Edgbaston and pushing them to the brink of leveling the rubber at Headingley. Today's innings was a crucial display and he deserved a third hundred, but left with 93 after missing an inswinging full toss from Graham Onions. Until then he had splashed runs on the second morning, benefiting from England's awful lines to drive, whip and pull, and showing no signs of the stomach problem which hampered him before the match.
Steve Harmison dropped short early and was cross-batted to mid-on while James Anderson was struck straight with such force that the ball had already passed the bowler when he put his hand out. Clarke's best shot was a flick from outside off stump to Anderson that sped through square leg. It was the sign of a batsman at his peak, someone who could do anything until that full toss arrived. He left with 445 runs in the series at 89.00, the best of the contest, and a convincing argument for promotion.
Ponting's career included an early elevation to No. 3 but it was not until England in 2001, six years into his career, that he made it his position. Clarke can follow a similar journey north when Ponting walks away.
Valuing Clarke in this critical way is like examining a diamond to discover whether it's medium or high grade. He's undoubtedly a special jewel but has to decide whether he wants to become a national treasure.
If Michael Clarke wants to graduate as a true great of the game he must seek a promotion in the Australian order and aim to finish his career at No. 3. It's the position for the team's best player and if Clarke can replicate his form in this Ashes every couple of series he will soon be wrestling Ricky Ponting for that title.
Whatever the result of this five-game contest, Ponting should be in no hurry to leave the set-up and will enter at first drop until he's had enough, but Clarke's rise has to begin to give the side extra strength early in an innings. During his first year as an international Clarke found himself at four after entering originally at six and was dropped after three matches. Since coming back in 2006 he has spent almost all his time at No. 5 and done extremely well, taking his career average to a formidable 50.58 in 51 Tests. The only asterisk comes with his position.
It is time for the vice-captain to take on more responsibility as he prepares for a seemingly inevitable takeover of the leadership and major batting duties. Ponting is 34 and likely to continue patching his team together until the 2011 World Cup, when he will probably decide whether to wave the bat for the final time. Clarke will be 30 then, the ideal age for a captain as long as he has the support of his men.
Currently he looks like he will be a leader by example rather than a man to provide psychological prods; a regular run-maker instead of a commander convincing his unit of the same way forward. In the form he has been in England there is no doubt over the quality of his stroke-play.
The initial promotion to No. 4 is easy and involves a simple swap with Michael Hussey, who would benefit from the reduction in duties as he tries to regain the consistency of his first three years as a Test player. Clarke needs the extra stress to hone his mind for the future, when he will be required to enter as early as the second delivery of an innings, facing fresh fast bowlers with the first new ball instead of tiring quicks with the one offered after 80 overs.
Clarke has been exceptional throughout this series, holding Australia together at Lord's and Edgbaston and pushing them to the brink of leveling the rubber at Headingley. Today's innings was a crucial display and he deserved a third hundred, but left with 93 after missing an inswinging full toss from Graham Onions. Until then he had splashed runs on the second morning, benefiting from England's awful lines to drive, whip and pull, and showing no signs of the stomach problem which hampered him before the match.
Steve Harmison dropped short early and was cross-batted to mid-on while James Anderson was struck straight with such force that the ball had already passed the bowler when he put his hand out. Clarke's best shot was a flick from outside off stump to Anderson that sped through square leg. It was the sign of a batsman at his peak, someone who could do anything until that full toss arrived. He left with 445 runs in the series at 89.00, the best of the contest, and a convincing argument for promotion.
Ponting's career included an early elevation to No. 3 but it was not until England in 2001, six years into his career, that he made it his position. Clarke can follow a similar journey north when Ponting walks away.
Valuing Clarke in this critical way is like examining a diamond to discover whether it's medium or high grade. He's undoubtedly a special jewel but has to decide whether he wants to become a national treasure.
North savours special hundred
Marcus North's Test career is still shiny and new but he has another lasting memory after his 110 put Australia within touch of levelling the Ashes series. His composed innings earned him a third Test century and when he launched a six to reach three figures he experienced a never-before-felt emotion.
"I enjoy scoring hundreds wherever I play," he said. "But to score one in a Test like we are playing at the moment, and to put ourselves in a position to have a 300-run lead in an Ashes Test, it is pretty satisfying."
North has succeeded in this arena almost as quickly as Michael Hussey, his fellow Western Australian, who brought up three centuries in his opening five Tests. It has taken North one more game to match the record, but even though he still does not feel secure he can relax in the knowledge he is now an accomplished Test batsman.
His hundred came in spectacular style when he biffed a slog sweep over midwicket off Graeme Swann and celebrated before the ball succumbed to gravity. It made up for his near-miss on 96 at Edgbaston last Monday.
"I just thought if he bowls in that slot then I will back myself to hit it," he said. "It worked out, that bit of premeditation, and Swann kind of put the ball in the right area and I just followed through with it."
The method showed his increasing confidence at this level, but he soon fell attempting more big runs after being stuck with the tail. There was one powerful cut for four off Graham Onions, when the boundary was supposed to be covered by fielders, before he fell attempting to clear midwicket off Stuart Broad.
On the first afternoon he spent 42 deliveries avoiding risk to make 7, but his mood changed this morning and he increased his pace significantly once set. He stayed for 206 balls overall, collecting 13 boundaries and the six, in a complete innings from an impressive batsman.
"I was pretty pleased that I stuck with it and did a job for the team [on day one]," he said. "I let the team down a little bit at Edgbaston, where James Anderson bowled very well to me [he got 12 in the first innings]. I was disappointed to get drawn into a poor shot there. I wanted to make things right and felt that I did that last night. By doing that it set me up and I got the rewards today."
In this series he has collected 349 runs at 69.80, sitting second on the run list behind Michael Clarke, who added 93 to improve Australia's already healthy position. North has formed a strong on-field bond with Clarke and the pair, who enter at five and six, shared another large contribution with 153, their third century stand of the tour.
The combination took Australia towards 445 and earned a lead of 343, a position which gained in strength as the hosts slumped to 82 for 5 in their timid reply. It would have been even better if North had held Matt Prior's edge at third slip from the final ball of the day.
Marcus North's Test career is still shiny and new but he has another lasting memory after his 110 put Australia within touch of levelling the Ashes series. His composed innings earned him a third Test century and when he launched a six to reach three figures he experienced a never-before-felt emotion.
"I enjoy scoring hundreds wherever I play," he said. "But to score one in a Test like we are playing at the moment, and to put ourselves in a position to have a 300-run lead in an Ashes Test, it is pretty satisfying."
North has succeeded in this arena almost as quickly as Michael Hussey, his fellow Western Australian, who brought up three centuries in his opening five Tests. It has taken North one more game to match the record, but even though he still does not feel secure he can relax in the knowledge he is now an accomplished Test batsman.
His hundred came in spectacular style when he biffed a slog sweep over midwicket off Graeme Swann and celebrated before the ball succumbed to gravity. It made up for his near-miss on 96 at Edgbaston last Monday.
"I just thought if he bowls in that slot then I will back myself to hit it," he said. "It worked out, that bit of premeditation, and Swann kind of put the ball in the right area and I just followed through with it."
The method showed his increasing confidence at this level, but he soon fell attempting more big runs after being stuck with the tail. There was one powerful cut for four off Graham Onions, when the boundary was supposed to be covered by fielders, before he fell attempting to clear midwicket off Stuart Broad.
On the first afternoon he spent 42 deliveries avoiding risk to make 7, but his mood changed this morning and he increased his pace significantly once set. He stayed for 206 balls overall, collecting 13 boundaries and the six, in a complete innings from an impressive batsman.
"I was pretty pleased that I stuck with it and did a job for the team [on day one]," he said. "I let the team down a little bit at Edgbaston, where James Anderson bowled very well to me [he got 12 in the first innings]. I was disappointed to get drawn into a poor shot there. I wanted to make things right and felt that I did that last night. By doing that it set me up and I got the rewards today."
In this series he has collected 349 runs at 69.80, sitting second on the run list behind Michael Clarke, who added 93 to improve Australia's already healthy position. North has formed a strong on-field bond with Clarke and the pair, who enter at five and six, shared another large contribution with 153, their third century stand of the tour.
The combination took Australia towards 445 and earned a lead of 343, a position which gained in strength as the hosts slumped to 82 for 5 in their timid reply. It would have been even better if North had held Matt Prior's edge at third slip from the final ball of the day.
Broad stands amid the wreckage
Sifting for positives is a tricky business for any team faced with a 343-run first innings deficit and an historic defeat on the horizon, but Stuart Broad's career-best haul temporarily lifted English spirits on Saturday. There will be no medals struck or public holidays commissioned in honour of Broad's 6 for 91 - coming, as it did, in a match Australia are expected to win comfortably inside three days - but it will be remembered as England's sole act of defiance on a day of meek surrender.
Broad cut a forlorn figure when he addressed the media after play, eyes low and voice soft. With England teetering at 82 for 5 in their second innings, still trailing Australia's first innings total by 261 runs, the England all-rounder could summon little enthusiasm when discussing his most prolific outing as a bowler in Test cricket.
"As any bowler knows, it's hard to build pressure and get wickets when you're giving the odd bad ball away," he said in a quiet, resigned monotone. "We know wickets come with momentum and pressure and as soon as you give that release ball you're not as effective. I probably gave less release balls in this innings which helped me get six wickets, but obviously I would have liked to have picked those six wickets up in a slightly different scenario."
Broad's Ashes campaign had been a humbling experience prior to Headingley, yielding just six wickets at 61 from three largely ineffectual Tests. His most significant contributions had come from the No. 8 position, most notably his 55 at Edgbaston last week, but none were enough to ease the pressure on his place in the team. If confidence could be charted on Hawk-Eye, Broad's would have been well below the knee roll.
The focus on Broad was all the more acute at Headingley after Andrew Flintoff was ruled out prior to the match and James Anderson sustained a hamstring strain while batting on Friday. Teamed up with the unpredictable Steve Harmison and inexperienced Graham Onions, Broad, suddenly, found himself thrust into a position of seniority he had seldom occupied.
The early exchanges were unconvincing. Set upon by Ricky Ponting, Broad was punished on several occasions for straying short and found little of the pitch or atmospheric assistance so heavily exploited by the Australian quicks the previous session. To his credit, he quickly adapted his gameplan and was rewarded for hitting a fuller length with the wickets of Ponting and Michael Hussey, both trapped leg-before. Broad closed out his opening spell with three consecutive maidens to Michael Clarke and Marcus North. The battle was on.
Clarke and North had the better of Broad in his second spell, in which he offered too much width, although his task had been made immeasurably more difficult by the injury to Anderson. Matt Prior informed the media the previous evening that Anderson was unaffected by the hamstring strain, but his ginger movements in the field and constricted bowling suggested otherwise. In all, Anderson managed 18 overs in the first innings - nine fewer than Broad - at the heavy price of five-per-over.
Broad's final spell was the most entertaining of the innings, if not for technical precision than pure, frenetic action. First Mitchell Johnson, then Stuart Clark took the long handle to the England all-rounder - the latter batsman at one stage plastering him for consecutive sixes over mid-wicket in an over that cost 16 runs.
Broad's reversion to a back-of-a-length strategy might not have looked pretty in the runs column, but it did have the desired effect in dislodging Johnson and North. Clark and Peter Siddle, meanwhile, were bowled to fuller deliveries, completing a fine spell that, sadly, will have little impact on the match.
Sifting for positives is a tricky business for any team faced with a 343-run first innings deficit and an historic defeat on the horizon, but Stuart Broad's career-best haul temporarily lifted English spirits on Saturday. There will be no medals struck or public holidays commissioned in honour of Broad's 6 for 91 - coming, as it did, in a match Australia are expected to win comfortably inside three days - but it will be remembered as England's sole act of defiance on a day of meek surrender.
Broad cut a forlorn figure when he addressed the media after play, eyes low and voice soft. With England teetering at 82 for 5 in their second innings, still trailing Australia's first innings total by 261 runs, the England all-rounder could summon little enthusiasm when discussing his most prolific outing as a bowler in Test cricket.
"As any bowler knows, it's hard to build pressure and get wickets when you're giving the odd bad ball away," he said in a quiet, resigned monotone. "We know wickets come with momentum and pressure and as soon as you give that release ball you're not as effective. I probably gave less release balls in this innings which helped me get six wickets, but obviously I would have liked to have picked those six wickets up in a slightly different scenario."
Broad's Ashes campaign had been a humbling experience prior to Headingley, yielding just six wickets at 61 from three largely ineffectual Tests. His most significant contributions had come from the No. 8 position, most notably his 55 at Edgbaston last week, but none were enough to ease the pressure on his place in the team. If confidence could be charted on Hawk-Eye, Broad's would have been well below the knee roll.
The focus on Broad was all the more acute at Headingley after Andrew Flintoff was ruled out prior to the match and James Anderson sustained a hamstring strain while batting on Friday. Teamed up with the unpredictable Steve Harmison and inexperienced Graham Onions, Broad, suddenly, found himself thrust into a position of seniority he had seldom occupied.
The early exchanges were unconvincing. Set upon by Ricky Ponting, Broad was punished on several occasions for straying short and found little of the pitch or atmospheric assistance so heavily exploited by the Australian quicks the previous session. To his credit, he quickly adapted his gameplan and was rewarded for hitting a fuller length with the wickets of Ponting and Michael Hussey, both trapped leg-before. Broad closed out his opening spell with three consecutive maidens to Michael Clarke and Marcus North. The battle was on.
Clarke and North had the better of Broad in his second spell, in which he offered too much width, although his task had been made immeasurably more difficult by the injury to Anderson. Matt Prior informed the media the previous evening that Anderson was unaffected by the hamstring strain, but his ginger movements in the field and constricted bowling suggested otherwise. In all, Anderson managed 18 overs in the first innings - nine fewer than Broad - at the heavy price of five-per-over.
Broad's final spell was the most entertaining of the innings, if not for technical precision than pure, frenetic action. First Mitchell Johnson, then Stuart Clark took the long handle to the England all-rounder - the latter batsman at one stage plastering him for consecutive sixes over mid-wicket in an over that cost 16 runs.
Broad's reversion to a back-of-a-length strategy might not have looked pretty in the runs column, but it did have the desired effect in dislodging Johnson and North. Clark and Peter Siddle, meanwhile, were bowled to fuller deliveries, completing a fine spell that, sadly, will have little impact on the match.
Australia level with crushing win
Australia required a session and six overs on the third day at Headingley to wrap up a thumping innings-and-80-run victory against England, and so draw level at 1-1 in the Ashes with just the fifth Test at The Oval to come in a fortnight's time. Mitchell Johnson had the honour of sewing up the contest with his fifth wicket of a resurgent performance, when he bowled Graham Onions for a duck to confirm his return to his best and most hostile form, and underline the fact that Australia have suddenly emerged as firm favourites to complete their 10th Ashes victory in their last 11 contests.
It was not, however, a day that went entirely to plan for Australia, who were frustrated - not for the first time in the series - by England's tail, not least Stuart Broad, who added a boundary-laden 61 from 49 balls to his earlier six-wicket haul, as he became the first England cricketer to achieve such an Ashes double since Darren Gough at Sydney in 1994-95.
On Saturday evening, Board had promised to provide late-innings resistance for England's beleaguered cricketers, and he was true to his word as he and Graeme Swann compiled a spirited and thrilling eighth-wicket stand of 108 in just 12.3 overs. The tempo of the stand, at more than eight-and-a-half runs per over, was the second fastest for any partnership over 100 in Test cricket, behind Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns at Christchurch in 2001-02, and then as now, it was glorious in its futility. It could not save England from a hefty defeat, but it might just preserve a modicum of their self-respect.
Such a prospect didn't seem to be remotely on the cards when James Anderson fell meekly to the third ball of the morning, immediately after cutting Hilfenhaus to the boundary, thus extending his "duckless" streak to 54 Test innings. Anderson hung out his bat limply to a shorter delivery and edged to Ricky Ponting at second slip. Head down, shoulders slumped, and reeking of the bad body language for which Justin Langer has taken him to task in today's leaked dossier, Anderson took an eternity to trudge from the playing surface. It was an image that summed up England's match.
Australia required a session and six overs on the third day at Headingley to wrap up a thumping innings-and-80-run victory against England, and so draw level at 1-1 in the Ashes with just the fifth Test at The Oval to come in a fortnight's time. Mitchell Johnson had the honour of sewing up the contest with his fifth wicket of a resurgent performance, when he bowled Graham Onions for a duck to confirm his return to his best and most hostile form, and underline the fact that Australia have suddenly emerged as firm favourites to complete their 10th Ashes victory in their last 11 contests.
It was not, however, a day that went entirely to plan for Australia, who were frustrated - not for the first time in the series - by England's tail, not least Stuart Broad, who added a boundary-laden 61 from 49 balls to his earlier six-wicket haul, as he became the first England cricketer to achieve such an Ashes double since Darren Gough at Sydney in 1994-95.
On Saturday evening, Board had promised to provide late-innings resistance for England's beleaguered cricketers, and he was true to his word as he and Graeme Swann compiled a spirited and thrilling eighth-wicket stand of 108 in just 12.3 overs. The tempo of the stand, at more than eight-and-a-half runs per over, was the second fastest for any partnership over 100 in Test cricket, behind Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns at Christchurch in 2001-02, and then as now, it was glorious in its futility. It could not save England from a hefty defeat, but it might just preserve a modicum of their self-respect.
Such a prospect didn't seem to be remotely on the cards when James Anderson fell meekly to the third ball of the morning, immediately after cutting Hilfenhaus to the boundary, thus extending his "duckless" streak to 54 Test innings. Anderson hung out his bat limply to a shorter delivery and edged to Ricky Ponting at second slip. Head down, shoulders slumped, and reeking of the bad body language for which Justin Langer has taken him to task in today's leaked dossier, Anderson took an eternity to trudge from the playing surface. It was an image that summed up England's match.
Clark cool as Oval chances diminish
Stuart Clark's position is under threat for the deciding Ashes Test at The Oval, but it's not such a big deal for the experienced fast bowler. He feels his spot has been in danger ever since he crashed into a baggy green in South Africa three years ago. It's because his bowling looks slower and less effective than it is. It's why, at 33, he's no longer a certainty in either one-day or five days games.
In 23 Tests he has 93 wickets and his 3 for 18 in 10 first-innings overs at Headingley flattened England's middle order, but that performance probably won't be enough to keep him in the XI for the fifth Test from August 20. Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said this week Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle remained the main men in Australia's attack, suggesting Clark would only play at The Oval if the conditions suited four quicks.
The trio delayed Clark's entry into the series, but he is not miffed by Hilditch's thoughts. "I think throughout my 23 Tests there has been talk about my spot in every single one of them," Clark said. "So it is pretty much business as usual for me."
When in form Johnson is capable of destruction, Siddle provides the batsmen with a hurry-up and Hilfenhaus delivers teasing swing at a testing pace. Then there's Brett Lee, who offers extreme speed and late movement, but at the moment is fifth in line. While Clark is capable of seam and rushing batsmen, his main weapon is control, a trait losing supporters as quickly as hardcopy newspapers.
In six Tests against England it has been a highly-effective method, upsetting 29 batsmen to show old tricks can work in the modern day. "I enjoy playing cricket against England," he said. "I have had a bit of success and I feel pretty comfortable when I do play against them, there is no secret to it. I have a pretty simple plan and try to keep it simple and it seems to be working for me at the moment."
This weekend he and Lee have their final chances to convince the selectors on this tour when they appear in a two-day game against England Lions at Canterbury. At least a couple of the preferred trio will have a rest, leaving Lee and Clark, first picks less than a year ago, to hope for something spectacular.
"You always want to be in the Test team and whether I am is probably neither here nor there," Clark said." What I think and what any of the other guys think, and how well they are going and how rapidly they are bowling, doesn't really matter."
It's all up to the selectors and the state of pitch at The Oval, which has supported draws throughout the season for Surrey. That's all Australia need to seal the Ashes after leveling the contest in Leeds on Sunday.
The final half-day at Headingley was the worst period of the game for Australia, who were attacked by Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann as they delayed the inevitable loss. Clark, who had chipped in with 32 runs the previous day, was treated the most harshly, going for 74 in 11 overs, a reverse of his instant good fortune in the first innings.
His opening effort was more memorable but the late spray, which included being struck for four boundaries in an over by Broad, added some tarnish to his first Test since elbow surgery late last year. "It probably wasn't a bad day for me because it reminded me that Test cricket is a little bit harder than just running up and bowling and getting a few wickets and a few runs," he said. "It was a real wake-up call that you need to be on top of your game all the time. If you drop slightly you can pay the ultimate price." That's a bit extreme - the spell didn't cause anyone to stop breathing - but it could be the moment the selectors come back to when they list their XIs for The Oval.
Stuart Clark's position is under threat for the deciding Ashes Test at The Oval, but it's not such a big deal for the experienced fast bowler. He feels his spot has been in danger ever since he crashed into a baggy green in South Africa three years ago. It's because his bowling looks slower and less effective than it is. It's why, at 33, he's no longer a certainty in either one-day or five days games.
In 23 Tests he has 93 wickets and his 3 for 18 in 10 first-innings overs at Headingley flattened England's middle order, but that performance probably won't be enough to keep him in the XI for the fifth Test from August 20. Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said this week Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle remained the main men in Australia's attack, suggesting Clark would only play at The Oval if the conditions suited four quicks.
The trio delayed Clark's entry into the series, but he is not miffed by Hilditch's thoughts. "I think throughout my 23 Tests there has been talk about my spot in every single one of them," Clark said. "So it is pretty much business as usual for me."
When in form Johnson is capable of destruction, Siddle provides the batsmen with a hurry-up and Hilfenhaus delivers teasing swing at a testing pace. Then there's Brett Lee, who offers extreme speed and late movement, but at the moment is fifth in line. While Clark is capable of seam and rushing batsmen, his main weapon is control, a trait losing supporters as quickly as hardcopy newspapers.
In six Tests against England it has been a highly-effective method, upsetting 29 batsmen to show old tricks can work in the modern day. "I enjoy playing cricket against England," he said. "I have had a bit of success and I feel pretty comfortable when I do play against them, there is no secret to it. I have a pretty simple plan and try to keep it simple and it seems to be working for me at the moment."
This weekend he and Lee have their final chances to convince the selectors on this tour when they appear in a two-day game against England Lions at Canterbury. At least a couple of the preferred trio will have a rest, leaving Lee and Clark, first picks less than a year ago, to hope for something spectacular.
"You always want to be in the Test team and whether I am is probably neither here nor there," Clark said." What I think and what any of the other guys think, and how well they are going and how rapidly they are bowling, doesn't really matter."
It's all up to the selectors and the state of pitch at The Oval, which has supported draws throughout the season for Surrey. That's all Australia need to seal the Ashes after leveling the contest in Leeds on Sunday.
The final half-day at Headingley was the worst period of the game for Australia, who were attacked by Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann as they delayed the inevitable loss. Clark, who had chipped in with 32 runs the previous day, was treated the most harshly, going for 74 in 11 overs, a reverse of his instant good fortune in the first innings.
His opening effort was more memorable but the late spray, which included being struck for four boundaries in an over by Broad, added some tarnish to his first Test since elbow surgery late last year. "It probably wasn't a bad day for me because it reminded me that Test cricket is a little bit harder than just running up and bowling and getting a few wickets and a few runs," he said. "It was a real wake-up call that you need to be on top of your game all the time. If you drop slightly you can pay the ultimate price." That's a bit extreme - the spell didn't cause anyone to stop breathing - but it could be the moment the selectors come back to when they list their XIs for The Oval.
Watson desperate for maiden ton
Shane Watson desperately craves a Test century and hopes he can sign off as an Ashes opener in style at The Oval next week. In his first three innings as a substitute Watson has scored 62, 53 and 51, adapting quickly to the role after a surprise promotion when Phillip Hughes was dropped before the game at Edgbaston.
Watson, 28, will prepare over the next week for the biggest match of his life as Australia try to hold off England and retain the Ashes in south London from August 20. "I wouldn't say it has been easy but it has been a lot of fun to take on the new ball," Watson said before the team left Leeds for Canterbury and a two-day game against England Lions this weekend. "I have really enjoyed the challenge of taking on the fresh English bowlers and hopefully I can turn one of my fifties into a bigger one."
He said the sudden switch from the middle order - his previous highest spot in eight matches was No. 6 - had helped his game and contributed to his immediate success. "Being able to have another crack at Test cricket in a different light, opening the batting, has been a good test," he said. "It has been different but different in a good way. The nervous energy you have - you normally waste a bit batting four, five and six, waiting to go into bat - can be used up going straight out there and being on the ball straight away."
The only problems he has had since coming back into the side have been converting those impressive starts, some loose bowling, and speaking a bit too freely about the prospects of Brett Lee last week in Leeds. The men are good friends but Watson tipped Lee's exclusion for the fourth Test at Headingley two days before the toss because Australia's fastest bowler was not match fit.
Lee had been cleared after a side strain but the selectors wanted to see him get through a game before picking him for such an important contest. "We talked about that afterwards," Watson said. "What I had been told from the Australian hierarchy had been that he was physically and medically fit, but not match fit. So I am sure he is really looking forward to getting out in this tour match [against the England Lions] and it will all [be] behind us."
Watson wants to play alongside Lee in Canterbury, but it is unlikely that the fast man will be able to earn a spot in the XI for The Oval. Andrew Hilditch and his selectors have faith in the trio of Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle, while Stuart Clark performed strongly in the first innings in Leeds.
At least two of the main bowlers will be rested over the weekend and Watson is hoping to receive some work after not being used in the fourth Test and delivering a short spell at Edgbaston. "Those three overs were pretty dreadful," he said. When Watson was first considered for the Test team he was a bowler who could contribute runs, but on this trip his role has been inverted.
Shane Watson desperately craves a Test century and hopes he can sign off as an Ashes opener in style at The Oval next week. In his first three innings as a substitute Watson has scored 62, 53 and 51, adapting quickly to the role after a surprise promotion when Phillip Hughes was dropped before the game at Edgbaston.
Watson, 28, will prepare over the next week for the biggest match of his life as Australia try to hold off England and retain the Ashes in south London from August 20. "I wouldn't say it has been easy but it has been a lot of fun to take on the new ball," Watson said before the team left Leeds for Canterbury and a two-day game against England Lions this weekend. "I have really enjoyed the challenge of taking on the fresh English bowlers and hopefully I can turn one of my fifties into a bigger one."
He said the sudden switch from the middle order - his previous highest spot in eight matches was No. 6 - had helped his game and contributed to his immediate success. "Being able to have another crack at Test cricket in a different light, opening the batting, has been a good test," he said. "It has been different but different in a good way. The nervous energy you have - you normally waste a bit batting four, five and six, waiting to go into bat - can be used up going straight out there and being on the ball straight away."
The only problems he has had since coming back into the side have been converting those impressive starts, some loose bowling, and speaking a bit too freely about the prospects of Brett Lee last week in Leeds. The men are good friends but Watson tipped Lee's exclusion for the fourth Test at Headingley two days before the toss because Australia's fastest bowler was not match fit.
Lee had been cleared after a side strain but the selectors wanted to see him get through a game before picking him for such an important contest. "We talked about that afterwards," Watson said. "What I had been told from the Australian hierarchy had been that he was physically and medically fit, but not match fit. So I am sure he is really looking forward to getting out in this tour match [against the England Lions] and it will all [be] behind us."
Watson wants to play alongside Lee in Canterbury, but it is unlikely that the fast man will be able to earn a spot in the XI for The Oval. Andrew Hilditch and his selectors have faith in the trio of Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle, while Stuart Clark performed strongly in the first innings in Leeds.
At least two of the main bowlers will be rested over the weekend and Watson is hoping to receive some work after not being used in the fourth Test and delivering a short spell at Edgbaston. "Those three overs were pretty dreadful," he said. When Watson was first considered for the Test team he was a bowler who could contribute runs, but on this trip his role has been inverted.
England conundrum amuses Siddle
Peter Siddle, the Australia fast bowler, is amused by England's possible turn towards the veteran batsmen Mark Ramprakash and Marcus Trescothick for next week's series-decider at The Oval. The contest is level at 1-1 but England must win to regain the Ashes and are looking at a variety of options to cover their under-performing middle order, which failed twice in the innings-and-80-run loss at Headingley.
There is a growing push for either the 39-year-old Ramprakash or Trescothick, who retired from the international scene in 2008, to make a one-off comeback. Ricky Ponting was the first Australian to find humour in his opponents' scenario after the game at Leeds, and Siddle has joined in.
"We've heard the rumours and seen the footage on the TV that Mark Ramprakash might be recalled for The Oval, and Marcus Trescothick's name has been mentioned as well," Siddle wrote on www.wisdencricketer.com. "It's funny to look at in a way, but we'll just prepare how we normally do. It doesn't matter to us what side England put out, we're still going out to try and beat them at The Oval."
Siddle felt an "older bloke" might be able to deal with the high-stakes situation better than Ravi Bopara, England's "struggling" No. 3. "He's an attacking player and likes to play his shots, but the pressure of coming in so early on a wicket that you needed to dig in a little bit on looked to be on his mind," he said. "It'll be up to the England selectors to decide whether they want to stick with him, it's harder on them too when it's a young bloke that's struggling, an older bloke will know his game a little better and be able to deal with the situation."
In Leeds Siddle produced a career-best 5 for 21 in the first innings as England were bowled out for 102 on the opening day. The haul eased the pressure on his position after he was unsure whether he would be picked, with Stuart Clark and Brett Lee also pushing hard for places.
"I knew I hadn't been quite at my best through the series, so it was a bit of a nervous wait, but luckily for me I got to stay in and Nathan Hauritz, who has been outstanding, was the one to miss out," he said. "To then go on and take a first Ashes five-for was a very proud moment for me."
Siddle, who now has 16 wickets at 29.50, expected more of a fight from the hosts at Headingley. "I was a little bit surprised by how easily England folded in Leeds, but it was the best we'd bowled all tour," he said, "and probably the best all-round bowling performance I've been involved in since I came into the side."
Peter Siddle, the Australia fast bowler, is amused by England's possible turn towards the veteran batsmen Mark Ramprakash and Marcus Trescothick for next week's series-decider at The Oval. The contest is level at 1-1 but England must win to regain the Ashes and are looking at a variety of options to cover their under-performing middle order, which failed twice in the innings-and-80-run loss at Headingley.
There is a growing push for either the 39-year-old Ramprakash or Trescothick, who retired from the international scene in 2008, to make a one-off comeback. Ricky Ponting was the first Australian to find humour in his opponents' scenario after the game at Leeds, and Siddle has joined in.
"We've heard the rumours and seen the footage on the TV that Mark Ramprakash might be recalled for The Oval, and Marcus Trescothick's name has been mentioned as well," Siddle wrote on www.wisdencricketer.com. "It's funny to look at in a way, but we'll just prepare how we normally do. It doesn't matter to us what side England put out, we're still going out to try and beat them at The Oval."
Siddle felt an "older bloke" might be able to deal with the high-stakes situation better than Ravi Bopara, England's "struggling" No. 3. "He's an attacking player and likes to play his shots, but the pressure of coming in so early on a wicket that you needed to dig in a little bit on looked to be on his mind," he said. "It'll be up to the England selectors to decide whether they want to stick with him, it's harder on them too when it's a young bloke that's struggling, an older bloke will know his game a little better and be able to deal with the situation."
In Leeds Siddle produced a career-best 5 for 21 in the first innings as England were bowled out for 102 on the opening day. The haul eased the pressure on his position after he was unsure whether he would be picked, with Stuart Clark and Brett Lee also pushing hard for places.
"I knew I hadn't been quite at my best through the series, so it was a bit of a nervous wait, but luckily for me I got to stay in and Nathan Hauritz, who has been outstanding, was the one to miss out," he said. "To then go on and take a first Ashes five-for was a very proud moment for me."
Siddle, who now has 16 wickets at 29.50, expected more of a fight from the hosts at Headingley. "I was a little bit surprised by how easily England folded in Leeds, but it was the best we'd bowled all tour," he said, "and probably the best all-round bowling performance I've been involved in since I came into the side."
Ramprakash would 'cherish' England call-up
Mark Ramprakash has yet to be contacted by Geoff Miller's selection panel, but said he would "cherish and savour" the opportunity to make a dramatic comeback for the Ashes decider at The Oval. A day after Miller told Ramprakash was firmly in the frame for the contentious No. 3 position after a seven-year absence from Test cricket, the Surrey batsman declared himself available for a call-up that would fall a fortnight shy of his 40th birthday.
"I just think that mentally, in terms of approaching a Test match, I'm probably in the best shape I've ever been," Ramprakash told the Surrey website. "I'd be thrilled like any player selected to play for England in what is now a fantastic occasion. It's been a fascinating series, and now at the Brit Oval it's going to be a showpiece occasion. That's why you play the game. For any player that is selected, it's the sort of occasion that they will savour and cherish for the rest of their careers.
"I suppose (the publicity) is all a result of what happened at Headingley and not only the defeat but the manner of defeat. Of course, as England supporters we're all disappointed with the fact that having a 1-0 lead we've let the Aussies back in. The speculation has probably been whipped up really through that performance. I'm no stranger to this situation. I've had it before when my name has been linked strongly with trips to Australia - in fact the last two trips to Australia - and also the last tour to Sri Lanka. I've always tried to let my performances do the talking and I believe that I've presented a very strong case for all those occasions and again this year. I'm happy within myself, I'm batting well and playing good cricket."
Ramprakash insists he is a far superior cricketer now to that which made a tentative Test debut against the West Indies in 1991 alongside the likes of Graham Gooch, Allan Lamb and Graeme Hick. The 39-year-old has scored 1,209 runs at 100.75 for Surrey in the Championship's second division this season, including scores of 80 and 130 not out in his most recent match against Derbyshire. He has averaged in excess of 90 over the last four first-class seasons, and has been a dominant force at his home ground, The Oval, which will host the Ashes decider from August 20.
"I've seen some comments and articles and I think I have to respond because people sometimes still talk like it's 1995," he said. "I had a very difficult start in Test cricket, there's no doubt about that. I've had two careers - 1991-1997 and from 1998-onwards, where I have performed a lot better. My last Test match was in 2002 at the age of 32 and I had a difficult tour of New Zealand along with several other batsmen on some juicy pitches. But over the last few years I've worked very hard at my game.
"I still enjoy playing with Surrey. I think as a player and a person you just keep evolving, improving and developing. I've completed the ECB level four coaching course, which is aimed at professional coaching and has benefited me tremendously - just knowing myself as a person and communicating with other players. I was involved for 14 weeks in a very highly pressurised reality TV show, which was something totally out of my bubble. That's a life experience. I think if you ask anyone if they had know ten years ago what they know now then they'd all say it would have helped them a great deal."
Alec Stewart, the former England captain and current Surrey consultant, insisted Ramprakash would be a stronger candidate for the England No. 3 position than incumbent Ravi Bopara and contenders Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Rob Key and Marcus Trescothick.
"You have to move all sentiment to one side," Stewart said. "England's selectors I hope will pick the best side to regain to the Ashes. Forget anything about sentiment, forget anything about looking to the future, forget anything about consistency or continuity. Go and pick the best XI that gives England an opportunity to win the Ashes.
"Ramps is in my best XI. The last Test he played was seven years ago, and people are allowed to change and mature. We don't know what Jonathan Trott will do, we don't know what Robert Key will do. All I'm saying is that if we don't know about people, is it not better to pick the very, very best player that we're not sure about.
"He's a mature person. He's comfortable. Just look at his record: he averages 91 over the last four years. It's never been technical, he did struggle to cope with everything that was thrown at him, but he's seven years older and he knows what a great player he is. I have no doubt that if Ramprakash is picked, he will perform."
Mark Ramprakash has yet to be contacted by Geoff Miller's selection panel, but said he would "cherish and savour" the opportunity to make a dramatic comeback for the Ashes decider at The Oval. A day after Miller told Ramprakash was firmly in the frame for the contentious No. 3 position after a seven-year absence from Test cricket, the Surrey batsman declared himself available for a call-up that would fall a fortnight shy of his 40th birthday.
"I just think that mentally, in terms of approaching a Test match, I'm probably in the best shape I've ever been," Ramprakash told the Surrey website. "I'd be thrilled like any player selected to play for England in what is now a fantastic occasion. It's been a fascinating series, and now at the Brit Oval it's going to be a showpiece occasion. That's why you play the game. For any player that is selected, it's the sort of occasion that they will savour and cherish for the rest of their careers.
"I suppose (the publicity) is all a result of what happened at Headingley and not only the defeat but the manner of defeat. Of course, as England supporters we're all disappointed with the fact that having a 1-0 lead we've let the Aussies back in. The speculation has probably been whipped up really through that performance. I'm no stranger to this situation. I've had it before when my name has been linked strongly with trips to Australia - in fact the last two trips to Australia - and also the last tour to Sri Lanka. I've always tried to let my performances do the talking and I believe that I've presented a very strong case for all those occasions and again this year. I'm happy within myself, I'm batting well and playing good cricket."
Ramprakash insists he is a far superior cricketer now to that which made a tentative Test debut against the West Indies in 1991 alongside the likes of Graham Gooch, Allan Lamb and Graeme Hick. The 39-year-old has scored 1,209 runs at 100.75 for Surrey in the Championship's second division this season, including scores of 80 and 130 not out in his most recent match against Derbyshire. He has averaged in excess of 90 over the last four first-class seasons, and has been a dominant force at his home ground, The Oval, which will host the Ashes decider from August 20.
"I've seen some comments and articles and I think I have to respond because people sometimes still talk like it's 1995," he said. "I had a very difficult start in Test cricket, there's no doubt about that. I've had two careers - 1991-1997 and from 1998-onwards, where I have performed a lot better. My last Test match was in 2002 at the age of 32 and I had a difficult tour of New Zealand along with several other batsmen on some juicy pitches. But over the last few years I've worked very hard at my game.
"I still enjoy playing with Surrey. I think as a player and a person you just keep evolving, improving and developing. I've completed the ECB level four coaching course, which is aimed at professional coaching and has benefited me tremendously - just knowing myself as a person and communicating with other players. I was involved for 14 weeks in a very highly pressurised reality TV show, which was something totally out of my bubble. That's a life experience. I think if you ask anyone if they had know ten years ago what they know now then they'd all say it would have helped them a great deal."
Alec Stewart, the former England captain and current Surrey consultant, insisted Ramprakash would be a stronger candidate for the England No. 3 position than incumbent Ravi Bopara and contenders Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Rob Key and Marcus Trescothick.
"You have to move all sentiment to one side," Stewart said. "England's selectors I hope will pick the best side to regain to the Ashes. Forget anything about sentiment, forget anything about looking to the future, forget anything about consistency or continuity. Go and pick the best XI that gives England an opportunity to win the Ashes.
"Ramps is in my best XI. The last Test he played was seven years ago, and people are allowed to change and mature. We don't know what Jonathan Trott will do, we don't know what Robert Key will do. All I'm saying is that if we don't know about people, is it not better to pick the very, very best player that we're not sure about.
"He's a mature person. He's comfortable. Just look at his record: he averages 91 over the last four years. It's never been technical, he did struggle to cope with everything that was thrown at him, but he's seven years older and he knows what a great player he is. I have no doubt that if Ramprakash is picked, he will perform."
Trescothick dream is over
Any lingering hope that Marcus Trescothick might make a shock return for the fifth Ashes Test has been further quashed, with the former England batsman revealing that the speculation over his return provoked a vivid dream that had him waking up "in a cold sweat".
Trescothick has been one of several former England batsmen named in the past week to revive England's fledgling middle-order in a bid to regain the Ashes. Yet, both he and England's national selector, Geoff Miller, have given strong indications that he will not be considered for next week's Test, despite having played a crucial role in England's 2005 success against Australia.
"It has been very flattering to see my name mentioned in so many circles since Australia's crushing win at Headingley and I'd be a liar if I said the prospect of playing at The Oval hadn't occupied my mind a lot," he told the Bristol Evening Post.
"In fact, that has been the case to such an extent that the other day I woke up at 6.30am from a terrible dream. There is a nightmare a lot of cricketers experience that they can't get their pads on when they are due in to bat.
"My dream was a variation of that. I couldn't get my England kit out of my bag! The other players were waiting for me on the pitch to do a team photo so I was in a right panic. I woke up in a cold sweat.
"Perhaps that told me something. It gives me a massive kick that I am still thought good enough to come back and play at international level, but I've gone too far down the line in battling my stress problems to change my mind about now ending my England career."
Trescothick yesterday said that he and his wife, Hayley, had discussed his possible return to England colours, before admitting he didn't "want it enough".
He announced his retirement from international cricket in March 2008, having battled with stress in the latter part of his England career. He remains prolific in county cricket, however, and tops the run charts this season in the Championship with 1330 runs at 78.23.
Any lingering hope that Marcus Trescothick might make a shock return for the fifth Ashes Test has been further quashed, with the former England batsman revealing that the speculation over his return provoked a vivid dream that had him waking up "in a cold sweat".
Trescothick has been one of several former England batsmen named in the past week to revive England's fledgling middle-order in a bid to regain the Ashes. Yet, both he and England's national selector, Geoff Miller, have given strong indications that he will not be considered for next week's Test, despite having played a crucial role in England's 2005 success against Australia.
"It has been very flattering to see my name mentioned in so many circles since Australia's crushing win at Headingley and I'd be a liar if I said the prospect of playing at The Oval hadn't occupied my mind a lot," he told the Bristol Evening Post.
"In fact, that has been the case to such an extent that the other day I woke up at 6.30am from a terrible dream. There is a nightmare a lot of cricketers experience that they can't get their pads on when they are due in to bat.
"My dream was a variation of that. I couldn't get my England kit out of my bag! The other players were waiting for me on the pitch to do a team photo so I was in a right panic. I woke up in a cold sweat.
"Perhaps that told me something. It gives me a massive kick that I am still thought good enough to come back and play at international level, but I've gone too far down the line in battling my stress problems to change my mind about now ending my England career."
Trescothick yesterday said that he and his wife, Hayley, had discussed his possible return to England colours, before admitting he didn't "want it enough".
He announced his retirement from international cricket in March 2008, having battled with stress in the latter part of his England career. He remains prolific in county cricket, however, and tops the run charts this season in the Championship with 1330 runs at 78.23.
Panesar backs himself to deliver on Oval pitch
Monty Panesar, the England left-arm spinner hoping for a recall to the England squad for the final Ashes Test at The Oval, backed himself to perform there saying it would be easier to trouble the Australian batsmen on a pitch expected to favour pace and bounce. Panesar was dropped from the squad after taking 1 for 115 in the first Test in Cardiff but said he had got batsmen to misread the length and created uncertainty despite the pitch being low and slow.
"Despite all the talk about how it was going to be a turner, Cardiff was low and slow, so even though there were times when I managed to get the ball to turn, or get them to misread the length, and created uncertainty, they were able to adjust," Panesar was quoted as saying in the Guardian. "If the wicket had had a bit more pace it would have been harder for them, but I feel I did create opportunities. On a wicket with a bit more pace, a bit more energy, you'll get something out of it. When the pitch is dead, even when you create uncertainty, it's hard to make the most of it."
Panesar said he had been working by himself on improving his bowling over the last 12 months. "You have to come through these kinds of phases, and the only way you do is by fighting. You have to keep bowling, keep being positive, and fight your own corner, because no one is going to hold your hand."
He said he had worked with England's spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed only during the time he was picked for the squad to play West Indies. "I think it's something you have to try and understand yourself; about how to get the best out of yourself in different situations, how to apply yourself when certain batsmen come in, and try to find out things about yourself as a player," Panesar said.
Monty Panesar, the England left-arm spinner hoping for a recall to the England squad for the final Ashes Test at The Oval, backed himself to perform there saying it would be easier to trouble the Australian batsmen on a pitch expected to favour pace and bounce. Panesar was dropped from the squad after taking 1 for 115 in the first Test in Cardiff but said he had got batsmen to misread the length and created uncertainty despite the pitch being low and slow.
"Despite all the talk about how it was going to be a turner, Cardiff was low and slow, so even though there were times when I managed to get the ball to turn, or get them to misread the length, and created uncertainty, they were able to adjust," Panesar was quoted as saying in the Guardian. "If the wicket had had a bit more pace it would have been harder for them, but I feel I did create opportunities. On a wicket with a bit more pace, a bit more energy, you'll get something out of it. When the pitch is dead, even when you create uncertainty, it's hard to make the most of it."
Panesar said he had been working by himself on improving his bowling over the last 12 months. "You have to come through these kinds of phases, and the only way you do is by fighting. You have to keep bowling, keep being positive, and fight your own corner, because no one is going to hold your hand."
He said he had worked with England's spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed only during the time he was picked for the squad to play West Indies. "I think it's something you have to try and understand yourself; about how to get the best out of yourself in different situations, how to apply yourself when certain batsmen come in, and try to find out things about yourself as a player," Panesar said.
Trott likely to replace Bopara
England's selectors are ready to put faith in the men they put forward for the fateful fourth Test at Headingley, and are believed to have overlooked the claims of Mark Ramprakash and Robert Key in favour of Warwickshire's Jonathan Trott, who just missed out on his Test debut in Leeds last week. Trott is expected to slot into the side at No. 5, with his county team-mate, Ian Bell, promoted to No. 3 in place of Ravi Bopara, the only anticipated batting casualty after a humiliating innings-and-80-run debacle.
England's four-man selection panel - Geoff Miller, James Whitaker, Ashley Giles and Andy Flower, plus the captain, Andrew Strauss - met for five hours at Trent Bridge on Friday, where they witnessed Bell comprise a timely 126 to secure a draw for Warwickshire against Nottinghamshire. Coming off the back of Trott's 121 in the same innings on the previous day, it was enough to convince them that wholesale changes will not be required ahead of Thursday's Oval showdown, where England will seek the comeback victory they need to reclaim the Ashes.
If the reports are confirmed at 9.30am on Sunday, when the squad is officially announced, then the selectors will have shown an admirable determination not to be hustled into "panic" measures after a week of intense media speculation. Strauss and Flower were understood to be particularly keen not to jettison their entire Ashes strategy after one poor game. Nevertheless, the decision to pitch a Test debutant into England's most eagerly anticipated fixture for four years, alongside Bell, who bagged a pair in the corresponding match in 2005 and whose temperament in pressure situations has often been shown to be suspect, will undoubtedly leave them open to further scrutiny.
Bell's average at No. 3 is a lowly 31.00, set against an overall figure of 39.84, suggesting he is a player who prefers to react to events on the pitch rather than set the agenda. Trott, meanwhile, will have an early opportunity to show how he reacts to the heightened expectation of an Ashes clash when he begins a two-day game for England Lions against the Australians at Canterbury today. Either way, both men undoubtedly benefited from the presence on the selection panel of Giles, who serves a duel role as Warwickshire's director of cricket.
The Headingley fall guy is expected to be Bopara, who has managed 105 runs in seven innings so far this series, having recorded three Test centuries in succession against West Indies earlier in the year. The selectors took soundings from within the Essex dressing-room to assess Bopara's frame of mind, and a morale-boosting 52 not out for Essex at Lord's on Friday is unlikely to earn him a reprieve.
"Every batsman has been through a run of low scores and he hasn't managed to really get in and show what he is made of in this series," said Flower, Bopara's former Essex team-mate, after the Headingley defeat. "It's a tough situation for him but he is a pretty calm bloke, so he's keeping it in perspective." There is no question that he will be an integral part of the Test and ODI parties to South Africa this winter, which were also discussed at Trent Bridge.
England's other change for The Oval will be the welcome return of Andrew Flintoff, whose damaged right knee was given a positive verdict by his specialist, Andy Williams, last week, and who can be guaranteed to bowl until he drops in what will be his final Test before retirement. He is likely to come in for Graham Onions, who has performed impressively since joining the side in the second Test, but who lacks the outright swinging skills of James Anderson, or the presence that Flintoff and an in-form Steve Harmison bring to the line-up.
Monty Panesar is likely to rejoin a 14-man squad as back-up for Graeme Swann, although he is not expected to play as part of a two-spin attack. Surrey's former captain, Mark Butcher, who knows the conditions well, told Cricinfo that while the surface was likely to be responsive to spin, it made more sense for England to stick to what they know best. "If you've got two world-class spinners, you play them both," he said. "But we don't really have them, and the England are much more comfortable with a four-pace and one-spin attack."
The Oval wicket has been the subject of much scrutiny this week, in the wake of comments from the Surrey CEO, Paul Sheldon, saying that they would not be "cooking the books" to create a surface to suit England's requirements. Butcher, however, came to his club's defence. "The pitch will be as they always are at The Oval," he said. "It'll have decent bounce, decent carry and it'll turn as the game goes on. That's what they are like, and that's what they are always like.
"They can't change the character of the pitch, it's not that they won't or they refuse to, it's because they can't," he added. "They are what they are. The Test match pitch always goes through quicker than the county pitches, and England have bowled there well in the past. Harmison and Flintoff bowled South Africa out twice last year."
Probable squad: 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Jonathan Trott, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steve Harmison, 12 Monty Panesar, 13 Graeme Onions, 14 Ryan Sidebottom.
England's selectors are ready to put faith in the men they put forward for the fateful fourth Test at Headingley, and are believed to have overlooked the claims of Mark Ramprakash and Robert Key in favour of Warwickshire's Jonathan Trott, who just missed out on his Test debut in Leeds last week. Trott is expected to slot into the side at No. 5, with his county team-mate, Ian Bell, promoted to No. 3 in place of Ravi Bopara, the only anticipated batting casualty after a humiliating innings-and-80-run debacle.
England's four-man selection panel - Geoff Miller, James Whitaker, Ashley Giles and Andy Flower, plus the captain, Andrew Strauss - met for five hours at Trent Bridge on Friday, where they witnessed Bell comprise a timely 126 to secure a draw for Warwickshire against Nottinghamshire. Coming off the back of Trott's 121 in the same innings on the previous day, it was enough to convince them that wholesale changes will not be required ahead of Thursday's Oval showdown, where England will seek the comeback victory they need to reclaim the Ashes.
If the reports are confirmed at 9.30am on Sunday, when the squad is officially announced, then the selectors will have shown an admirable determination not to be hustled into "panic" measures after a week of intense media speculation. Strauss and Flower were understood to be particularly keen not to jettison their entire Ashes strategy after one poor game. Nevertheless, the decision to pitch a Test debutant into England's most eagerly anticipated fixture for four years, alongside Bell, who bagged a pair in the corresponding match in 2005 and whose temperament in pressure situations has often been shown to be suspect, will undoubtedly leave them open to further scrutiny.
Bell's average at No. 3 is a lowly 31.00, set against an overall figure of 39.84, suggesting he is a player who prefers to react to events on the pitch rather than set the agenda. Trott, meanwhile, will have an early opportunity to show how he reacts to the heightened expectation of an Ashes clash when he begins a two-day game for England Lions against the Australians at Canterbury today. Either way, both men undoubtedly benefited from the presence on the selection panel of Giles, who serves a duel role as Warwickshire's director of cricket.
The Headingley fall guy is expected to be Bopara, who has managed 105 runs in seven innings so far this series, having recorded three Test centuries in succession against West Indies earlier in the year. The selectors took soundings from within the Essex dressing-room to assess Bopara's frame of mind, and a morale-boosting 52 not out for Essex at Lord's on Friday is unlikely to earn him a reprieve.
"Every batsman has been through a run of low scores and he hasn't managed to really get in and show what he is made of in this series," said Flower, Bopara's former Essex team-mate, after the Headingley defeat. "It's a tough situation for him but he is a pretty calm bloke, so he's keeping it in perspective." There is no question that he will be an integral part of the Test and ODI parties to South Africa this winter, which were also discussed at Trent Bridge.
England's other change for The Oval will be the welcome return of Andrew Flintoff, whose damaged right knee was given a positive verdict by his specialist, Andy Williams, last week, and who can be guaranteed to bowl until he drops in what will be his final Test before retirement. He is likely to come in for Graham Onions, who has performed impressively since joining the side in the second Test, but who lacks the outright swinging skills of James Anderson, or the presence that Flintoff and an in-form Steve Harmison bring to the line-up.
Monty Panesar is likely to rejoin a 14-man squad as back-up for Graeme Swann, although he is not expected to play as part of a two-spin attack. Surrey's former captain, Mark Butcher, who knows the conditions well, told Cricinfo that while the surface was likely to be responsive to spin, it made more sense for England to stick to what they know best. "If you've got two world-class spinners, you play them both," he said. "But we don't really have them, and the England are much more comfortable with a four-pace and one-spin attack."
The Oval wicket has been the subject of much scrutiny this week, in the wake of comments from the Surrey CEO, Paul Sheldon, saying that they would not be "cooking the books" to create a surface to suit England's requirements. Butcher, however, came to his club's defence. "The pitch will be as they always are at The Oval," he said. "It'll have decent bounce, decent carry and it'll turn as the game goes on. That's what they are like, and that's what they are always like.
"They can't change the character of the pitch, it's not that they won't or they refuse to, it's because they can't," he added. "They are what they are. The Test match pitch always goes through quicker than the county pitches, and England have bowled there well in the past. Harmison and Flintoff bowled South Africa out twice last year."
Probable squad: 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Jonathan Trott, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steve Harmison, 12 Monty Panesar, 13 Graeme Onions, 14 Ryan Sidebottom.
Hussey warns Trott of tough reception
Mike Hussey has warned Jonathan Trott that the step-up in class that he faces at The Oval on Thursday will be like nothing he has ever experienced before in his career, after the ECB dropped a massive hint about Trott's impending selection for this week's Ashes decider by withdrawing him from the England Lions team that started their two-day game against the Australians at Canterbury today.
In a week in which they have been tight-lipped about their intentions, the ECB said more in 25 words that they could have possibly have revealed in a ten-page dossier. Ten minutes before the toss, an email arrived from their communications department stating baldly that "Joe Sayers of Yorkshire has been called up to replace Warwickshire's Jonathan Trott in the England Lions team to face Australia at Canterbury starting today." And the rest was left to assumption.
And should the assumptions turn out to be correct, then Trott's Test debut, at the age of 28, will coincide with England's most eagerly anticipated fixture for four years. After 131 first-class matches spanning the best part of a decade, and with 8419 runs already to his name, he comes into the game with a pedigree that speaks for itself. But as Hussey himself knows from experience, you can go round the block as many times as you like. Nothing can prepare you for the pressures of top-level Test cricket.
"It is a huge step-up from first-class to Test, no question," he said. "Everyone feels pressure in Test match cricket, no matter whether you've been playing for ten years or two games. Particularly in an Ashes series, and particularly coming into a very, very important fifth Test. He'll certainly know all about it if he's makes his Test debut in that game."
Hussey certainly found out what he was getting into when he made his debut at the Gabba in November 2005, at the age of 30, and with the small matter of 15,313 first-class runs in the bank, many of them gleaned in a prolific stint as Northamptonshire's overseas player. His maiden Test innings was a tortuous 1 from 14 balls which ended with an ungainly top-edged swish, and afterwards he complained that hearing that "bloody national anthem" had reduced him to a bag of nerves.
"I tried not to change too much about my game," Hussey recalled. "I wanted to stick to what had made me successful before, but certainly the lift in intensity of the game, and the lift of pressure and expectation among the fans and media around you, was pretty extreme and that's very, very hard to deal with as an international player. From my point of view it's important to block out as much external distraction as you can, and focus on your own game and hope that's good enough to get you through."
Hussey recovered his poise swiftly of course, with three centuries in his next four Tests. But Trott does not have that luxury. In a situation akin to Alan Wells' belated debut against West Indies at The Oval in 1995, everything hinges on this solitary opportunity, not just personally but from the national point of view as well. It would be unkind to recall what happened to Wells on debut, but as Hussey was implying, it's a curious moment to take a punt on a rookie.
"We've not seen a hell of a lot of him," said Hussey. "A couple of us have played a bit of county cricket against him, and seen him on TV, but he looks a pretty good player to me. He's got a lot of confidence, and it looks like he's been around for a while so he understands his game well. But there is more pressure on England because they have to win that Test match, whereas we can win the Test, which we'll be trying to do, but if we can't win it we'll do everything we can do draw it."
Hussey admitted he had been surprised at England's decision to withdraw Trott from the Lions team at Canterbury, but didn't believe it had been done to shield him from the Australian bowlers. "We were expecting to see him play against us, but you can look at it both ways," he said. "It would have been a good chance for us to have a look at him, but also a good chance for him to have a look at our bowlers, and see where he can score some runs against us. It could have been helpful for both."
An ECB spokesman declined to offer a direct explanation for the decision, and simply pointed out that, with a century in his most recent match for Warwickshire, he was clearly in form and did not need the time in the middle. The reading-between-the-lines explanation, therefore, was that Trott had more to fear from media hype than from anything the Australian bowlers will throw at him on Thursday.
"I haven't been following what the press have been saying about their team, I don't even know when they name their squad for the last Test," said Hussey (it's on Sunday at 9.30am, for his information). "Whatever way they go, we've got to concentrate on our job. We've got to concentrate on playing hard, tough, disciplined Test cricket for long, long periods of time. If we can do that we're going to be competitive against whoever we're playing in this last Test.
"I'm sure the powers-that-be will be working closely to get some good plans on him, but to be honest the game doesn't change too much," he said. "We've got to keep it simple, keep the disciplines of the game pretty much the same as we bowl to most batsmen. Whether we're playing against Andrew Flintoff, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, David Gower, whoever it is, we've got to keep doing our things well for long periods of time."
Given the disaster that befell England at Headingley, and the frantic speculation that has followed, it is self-evident that Australia have enjoyed by far the better build-up to Thursday's pivotal contest. But Hussey was adamant that nothing that goes before the match is of any relevance. "All that matters is the first session of that fifth Test match," he said. "You can prepare as well as you possibly can, do as much as you can and send players off here, there and everywhere, but what actually matters is that first hour, and that's all we can focus on."
Mike Hussey has warned Jonathan Trott that the step-up in class that he faces at The Oval on Thursday will be like nothing he has ever experienced before in his career, after the ECB dropped a massive hint about Trott's impending selection for this week's Ashes decider by withdrawing him from the England Lions team that started their two-day game against the Australians at Canterbury today.
In a week in which they have been tight-lipped about their intentions, the ECB said more in 25 words that they could have possibly have revealed in a ten-page dossier. Ten minutes before the toss, an email arrived from their communications department stating baldly that "Joe Sayers of Yorkshire has been called up to replace Warwickshire's Jonathan Trott in the England Lions team to face Australia at Canterbury starting today." And the rest was left to assumption.
And should the assumptions turn out to be correct, then Trott's Test debut, at the age of 28, will coincide with England's most eagerly anticipated fixture for four years. After 131 first-class matches spanning the best part of a decade, and with 8419 runs already to his name, he comes into the game with a pedigree that speaks for itself. But as Hussey himself knows from experience, you can go round the block as many times as you like. Nothing can prepare you for the pressures of top-level Test cricket.
"It is a huge step-up from first-class to Test, no question," he said. "Everyone feels pressure in Test match cricket, no matter whether you've been playing for ten years or two games. Particularly in an Ashes series, and particularly coming into a very, very important fifth Test. He'll certainly know all about it if he's makes his Test debut in that game."
Hussey certainly found out what he was getting into when he made his debut at the Gabba in November 2005, at the age of 30, and with the small matter of 15,313 first-class runs in the bank, many of them gleaned in a prolific stint as Northamptonshire's overseas player. His maiden Test innings was a tortuous 1 from 14 balls which ended with an ungainly top-edged swish, and afterwards he complained that hearing that "bloody national anthem" had reduced him to a bag of nerves.
"I tried not to change too much about my game," Hussey recalled. "I wanted to stick to what had made me successful before, but certainly the lift in intensity of the game, and the lift of pressure and expectation among the fans and media around you, was pretty extreme and that's very, very hard to deal with as an international player. From my point of view it's important to block out as much external distraction as you can, and focus on your own game and hope that's good enough to get you through."
Hussey recovered his poise swiftly of course, with three centuries in his next four Tests. But Trott does not have that luxury. In a situation akin to Alan Wells' belated debut against West Indies at The Oval in 1995, everything hinges on this solitary opportunity, not just personally but from the national point of view as well. It would be unkind to recall what happened to Wells on debut, but as Hussey was implying, it's a curious moment to take a punt on a rookie.
"We've not seen a hell of a lot of him," said Hussey. "A couple of us have played a bit of county cricket against him, and seen him on TV, but he looks a pretty good player to me. He's got a lot of confidence, and it looks like he's been around for a while so he understands his game well. But there is more pressure on England because they have to win that Test match, whereas we can win the Test, which we'll be trying to do, but if we can't win it we'll do everything we can do draw it."
Hussey admitted he had been surprised at England's decision to withdraw Trott from the Lions team at Canterbury, but didn't believe it had been done to shield him from the Australian bowlers. "We were expecting to see him play against us, but you can look at it both ways," he said. "It would have been a good chance for us to have a look at him, but also a good chance for him to have a look at our bowlers, and see where he can score some runs against us. It could have been helpful for both."
An ECB spokesman declined to offer a direct explanation for the decision, and simply pointed out that, with a century in his most recent match for Warwickshire, he was clearly in form and did not need the time in the middle. The reading-between-the-lines explanation, therefore, was that Trott had more to fear from media hype than from anything the Australian bowlers will throw at him on Thursday.
"I haven't been following what the press have been saying about their team, I don't even know when they name their squad for the last Test," said Hussey (it's on Sunday at 9.30am, for his information). "Whatever way they go, we've got to concentrate on our job. We've got to concentrate on playing hard, tough, disciplined Test cricket for long, long periods of time. If we can do that we're going to be competitive against whoever we're playing in this last Test.
"I'm sure the powers-that-be will be working closely to get some good plans on him, but to be honest the game doesn't change too much," he said. "We've got to keep it simple, keep the disciplines of the game pretty much the same as we bowl to most batsmen. Whether we're playing against Andrew Flintoff, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, David Gower, whoever it is, we've got to keep doing our things well for long periods of time."
Given the disaster that befell England at Headingley, and the frantic speculation that has followed, it is self-evident that Australia have enjoyed by far the better build-up to Thursday's pivotal contest. But Hussey was adamant that nothing that goes before the match is of any relevance. "All that matters is the first session of that fifth Test match," he said. "You can prepare as well as you possibly can, do as much as you can and send players off here, there and everywhere, but what actually matters is that first hour, and that's all we can focus on."
Trott confirmed for Oval debut
Warwickshire's Jonathan Trott will make his Test debut in the Ashes decider at The Oval on Thursday, after being confirmed as Ravi Bopara's replacement in a 14-man squad for the crucial fifth Test. Trott is expected to slot into the middle order, with his county team-mate, Ian Bell, promoted to No. 3. Monty Panesar also returns to the reckoning as a potential partner for Graeme Swann if England choose to go in with two spinners.
"It's been a good few days for me, and I've picked a good one [to make my debut]," Trott told Sky Sports. "I went into the changing room last week [at Headingley] and I felt really welcome and comfortable, so I've just got to make sure my own mind and game is in order, and make sure I take my opportunity."
England's four-man selection panel - Geoff Miller, James Whitaker, Ashley Giles and Andy Flower, plus the captain, Andrew Strauss - met for five hours on Friday at Trent Bridge, where both Bell and Trott scored second-innings hundreds to secure a draw for Warwickshire against Nottinghamshire. Those performances were enough to convince them that wholesale changes were not required, despite the humiliation of England's innings-and-80-run defeat in the fourth Test at Headingley, meaning that the prospects of recalls for Mark Ramprakash and Robert Key receded.
"The final Test match is an absolutely vital game for the team with so much at stake and we have had to make some difficult selection decisions in choosing our squad for The Oval," said the national selector, Geoff Miller. "Jonathan Trott will make his Test debut. Having been part of the squad at Headingley, he was the next batsman in line in our view and this rewards him for the excellent form he has shown in county cricket both this summer and with England Lions over the winter.
"Ian Bell will bat at No. 3 next week which is a position he has occupied for England before and we were delighted to see both him and Jonathan make centuries for Warwickshire this week."
The selectors have shown an admirable determination not to be hustled into "panic" measures after a week of intense media speculation. Strauss and Flower were understood to be particularly keen not to jettison their entire Ashes strategy after one poor game. Nevertheless, the decision to pitch a Test debutant into England's most eagerly anticipated fixture for four years, alongside Bell, who bagged a pair in the corresponding match in 2005 and whose temperament in pressure situations has often been shown to be suspect, will undoubtedly leave them open to further scrutiny.
Bell's average at No. 3 is a lowly 31.00, set against an overall figure of 39.84, suggesting he is a player who prefers to react to events on the pitch rather than set the agenda. Trott, meanwhile, was withdrawn from the England Lions team to face the Australians in a two-day match at Canterbury on Saturday, a sign that the selectors didn't want to give the tourists an early look at him. Either way, both men undoubtedly benefited from the presence on the selection panel of Giles, who serves a dual role as Warwickshire's director of cricket.
Trott's century on Thursday was his fourth of a season in which he currently averages more than 80 in the County Championship, and at the age of 28 and after a decade in first-class cricket, he is clearly as ready as he could ever be to play in such a high-profile fixture. However, as his Australian counterpart, Mike Hussey, warned at Canterbury on Saturday: "It is a huge step-up from first-class to Test."
"I look forward to finding out," said Trott. "It should be a little bit [of a step-up], because that's why Test cricket is the ultimate. But I mustn't worry about that, I'll just worry about my game. When I go out to bat I'm a lot calmer than I am before I bat, so I'm sure I'll be fine. I felt pretty good against Nottinghamshire. It was a tough situation as we were following on, but it was very pleasing [to make a hundred] and I'll take a lot of confidence from that game, so will Bell."
The Headingley fall guy is Bopara, who has managed 105 runs in seven innings this series, having recorded three Test centuries in succession against West Indies earlier in the year. The selectors took soundings from within the Essex dressing-room to assess Bopara's frame of mind, and a morale-boosting 52 not out for Essex at Lord's on Friday wasn't enough to earn a reprieve.
"Ravi Bopara has been going through a tough time with the bat in this series and we have decided to leave him out of the squad for this game," said Miller. "He will be extremely disappointed but remains very much part of our plans for the future and I am sure that he has the talent and temperament to regain his place in the side."
"Every batsman has been through a run of low scores and he hasn't managed to really get in and show what he is made of in this series," said Flower, Bopara's former Essex team-mate, after the Headingley defeat. "It's a tough situation for him but he is a pretty calm bloke, so he's keeping it in perspective." There is no question that he will be an integral part of the Test and ODI parties to South Africa this winter, which were also discussed at Trent Bridge.
England's other change for The Oval will be the welcome return of Andrew Flintoff, whose damaged right knee was given a positive verdict by his specialist, Andy Williams, last week, and who can be guaranteed to bowl until he drops in what will be his final Test before retirement. He is likely to come in for Graham Onions, who has performed impressively since joining the side in the second Test, but who lacks the outright swinging skills of James Anderson, or the presence that Flintoff and an in-form Steve Harmison bring to the line-up.
Anderson emerged from the Headingley Test with a slight hamstring strain, sustained while sprinting for a quick single, but Miller reported a clean bill of health for both England's injury concerns. "Andrew Flintoff and James Anderson's injuries are much improved with rest and treatment," he said, "and we anticipate that both players will be fit and available for selection next Thursday."
England squad: 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Jonathan Trott, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steve Harmison, 12 Monty Panesar, 13 Graham Onions, 14 Ryan Sidebottom.
Warwickshire's Jonathan Trott will make his Test debut in the Ashes decider at The Oval on Thursday, after being confirmed as Ravi Bopara's replacement in a 14-man squad for the crucial fifth Test. Trott is expected to slot into the middle order, with his county team-mate, Ian Bell, promoted to No. 3. Monty Panesar also returns to the reckoning as a potential partner for Graeme Swann if England choose to go in with two spinners.
"It's been a good few days for me, and I've picked a good one [to make my debut]," Trott told Sky Sports. "I went into the changing room last week [at Headingley] and I felt really welcome and comfortable, so I've just got to make sure my own mind and game is in order, and make sure I take my opportunity."
England's four-man selection panel - Geoff Miller, James Whitaker, Ashley Giles and Andy Flower, plus the captain, Andrew Strauss - met for five hours on Friday at Trent Bridge, where both Bell and Trott scored second-innings hundreds to secure a draw for Warwickshire against Nottinghamshire. Those performances were enough to convince them that wholesale changes were not required, despite the humiliation of England's innings-and-80-run defeat in the fourth Test at Headingley, meaning that the prospects of recalls for Mark Ramprakash and Robert Key receded.
"The final Test match is an absolutely vital game for the team with so much at stake and we have had to make some difficult selection decisions in choosing our squad for The Oval," said the national selector, Geoff Miller. "Jonathan Trott will make his Test debut. Having been part of the squad at Headingley, he was the next batsman in line in our view and this rewards him for the excellent form he has shown in county cricket both this summer and with England Lions over the winter.
"Ian Bell will bat at No. 3 next week which is a position he has occupied for England before and we were delighted to see both him and Jonathan make centuries for Warwickshire this week."
The selectors have shown an admirable determination not to be hustled into "panic" measures after a week of intense media speculation. Strauss and Flower were understood to be particularly keen not to jettison their entire Ashes strategy after one poor game. Nevertheless, the decision to pitch a Test debutant into England's most eagerly anticipated fixture for four years, alongside Bell, who bagged a pair in the corresponding match in 2005 and whose temperament in pressure situations has often been shown to be suspect, will undoubtedly leave them open to further scrutiny.
Bell's average at No. 3 is a lowly 31.00, set against an overall figure of 39.84, suggesting he is a player who prefers to react to events on the pitch rather than set the agenda. Trott, meanwhile, was withdrawn from the England Lions team to face the Australians in a two-day match at Canterbury on Saturday, a sign that the selectors didn't want to give the tourists an early look at him. Either way, both men undoubtedly benefited from the presence on the selection panel of Giles, who serves a dual role as Warwickshire's director of cricket.
Trott's century on Thursday was his fourth of a season in which he currently averages more than 80 in the County Championship, and at the age of 28 and after a decade in first-class cricket, he is clearly as ready as he could ever be to play in such a high-profile fixture. However, as his Australian counterpart, Mike Hussey, warned at Canterbury on Saturday: "It is a huge step-up from first-class to Test."
"I look forward to finding out," said Trott. "It should be a little bit [of a step-up], because that's why Test cricket is the ultimate. But I mustn't worry about that, I'll just worry about my game. When I go out to bat I'm a lot calmer than I am before I bat, so I'm sure I'll be fine. I felt pretty good against Nottinghamshire. It was a tough situation as we were following on, but it was very pleasing [to make a hundred] and I'll take a lot of confidence from that game, so will Bell."
The Headingley fall guy is Bopara, who has managed 105 runs in seven innings this series, having recorded three Test centuries in succession against West Indies earlier in the year. The selectors took soundings from within the Essex dressing-room to assess Bopara's frame of mind, and a morale-boosting 52 not out for Essex at Lord's on Friday wasn't enough to earn a reprieve.
"Ravi Bopara has been going through a tough time with the bat in this series and we have decided to leave him out of the squad for this game," said Miller. "He will be extremely disappointed but remains very much part of our plans for the future and I am sure that he has the talent and temperament to regain his place in the side."
"Every batsman has been through a run of low scores and he hasn't managed to really get in and show what he is made of in this series," said Flower, Bopara's former Essex team-mate, after the Headingley defeat. "It's a tough situation for him but he is a pretty calm bloke, so he's keeping it in perspective." There is no question that he will be an integral part of the Test and ODI parties to South Africa this winter, which were also discussed at Trent Bridge.
England's other change for The Oval will be the welcome return of Andrew Flintoff, whose damaged right knee was given a positive verdict by his specialist, Andy Williams, last week, and who can be guaranteed to bowl until he drops in what will be his final Test before retirement. He is likely to come in for Graham Onions, who has performed impressively since joining the side in the second Test, but who lacks the outright swinging skills of James Anderson, or the presence that Flintoff and an in-form Steve Harmison bring to the line-up.
Anderson emerged from the Headingley Test with a slight hamstring strain, sustained while sprinting for a quick single, but Miller reported a clean bill of health for both England's injury concerns. "Andrew Flintoff and James Anderson's injuries are much improved with rest and treatment," he said, "and we anticipate that both players will be fit and available for selection next Thursday."
England squad: 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Jonathan Trott, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steve Harmison, 12 Monty Panesar, 13 Graham Onions, 14 Ryan Sidebottom.
Ponting labels The Oval his biggest Test
Ricky Ponting is not given to hyperbole, so when he declares this week's Ashes finale the most important match of his 135-Test career, it is worth taking note. In a revealing column in the Daily Telegraph, the Australian captain predicted the pain of England's 2005 Ashes victory would prove a motivating factor for his side entering The Oval Test, and hinted reverse swing could play a role in determining the outcome of the match.
But by far Ponting's most eye-catching statement was that regarding the personal significance the fifth and final Ashes Test holds for him. In a career that has spanned 14 years, four continents and every major trophy, Ponting insisted his 136th Test would be the preeminent match of his career.
"I have played in 135 Test matches but never played in a match as big as this one," Ponting wrote. "There is nothing bigger than playing a deciding Test in an Ashes series, and you have to grab these moments when they present themselves because you may never experience such a match ever again.
"That kind of excitement adds a bit of zip to your training and when that starts happening it generally spills over into the week of the game. There has been a very positive feel about our training during the last couple of days. We enjoyed a few days of rest in Leeds but since arriving in Canterbury we have trained very hard and I'm happy with where we are at the moment."
Ponting has previously denied any lingering disappointment from the 2005 Ashes defeat but, since Australia's series-leveling triumph at Headingley last week, has been more forthcoming in discussing the topic. Immediately after the fourth Test, Ponting conceded redemption in England was "a chance I've been waiting this whole tour for", and has since gone on to discuss the pain of watching Michael Vaughan hold hold aloft the urn at The Oval.
"The only motivation I need this week is the memory of having to search out Michael Vaughan, congratulate him and shake hands at the end of the Ashes series of four years ago," he wrote. "We were off the field when we lost the match due to bad light and the fact that we never had a chance to have a crack at chasing down our target left a bitter taste in the mouth.
"I also remember we made sure we stood outside and watched the ticker tape, the popping of champagne corks and the fireworks. We made sure we took it all in to make us better and stronger for the next time we played in 2006-07. But heading to The Oval this week it is clear that roles have been reversed completely since 2005.
"Then we were the team facing questions over selection. They had a settled line-up and just come off a victory in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge. Now it is us who have the momentum gained from comprehensively winning at Headingley. We are comfortable with what we have achieved in the last Test-and-a-half."
Most pundits have given Brett Lee little chance of breaking into the Australian XI at The Oval, but Ponting has kept the door ajar for his most senior paceman to make an improbable comeback. The Australian captain suggested reverse swing could play a role in deciding the outcome of the final Test; an art at which Lee has proven particularly adept in recent years, never more so than when he claimed 6 for 76 against England Lions at Worcester six weeks ago.
"Brett Lee is jumping out of his skin to get involved," he wrote. "It was very exciting watching him bowl with reverse swing in the match at Worcester, and if he had not been injured he would have played in the first Test.
"In 2005 reverse swing dominated the series. This year it has probably been a damper summer and we have only seen conventional swing. The Oval is the one ground where that may change, especially if we have a dry, hot week."
Ricky Ponting is not given to hyperbole, so when he declares this week's Ashes finale the most important match of his 135-Test career, it is worth taking note. In a revealing column in the Daily Telegraph, the Australian captain predicted the pain of England's 2005 Ashes victory would prove a motivating factor for his side entering The Oval Test, and hinted reverse swing could play a role in determining the outcome of the match.
But by far Ponting's most eye-catching statement was that regarding the personal significance the fifth and final Ashes Test holds for him. In a career that has spanned 14 years, four continents and every major trophy, Ponting insisted his 136th Test would be the preeminent match of his career.
"I have played in 135 Test matches but never played in a match as big as this one," Ponting wrote. "There is nothing bigger than playing a deciding Test in an Ashes series, and you have to grab these moments when they present themselves because you may never experience such a match ever again.
"That kind of excitement adds a bit of zip to your training and when that starts happening it generally spills over into the week of the game. There has been a very positive feel about our training during the last couple of days. We enjoyed a few days of rest in Leeds but since arriving in Canterbury we have trained very hard and I'm happy with where we are at the moment."
Ponting has previously denied any lingering disappointment from the 2005 Ashes defeat but, since Australia's series-leveling triumph at Headingley last week, has been more forthcoming in discussing the topic. Immediately after the fourth Test, Ponting conceded redemption in England was "a chance I've been waiting this whole tour for", and has since gone on to discuss the pain of watching Michael Vaughan hold hold aloft the urn at The Oval.
"The only motivation I need this week is the memory of having to search out Michael Vaughan, congratulate him and shake hands at the end of the Ashes series of four years ago," he wrote. "We were off the field when we lost the match due to bad light and the fact that we never had a chance to have a crack at chasing down our target left a bitter taste in the mouth.
"I also remember we made sure we stood outside and watched the ticker tape, the popping of champagne corks and the fireworks. We made sure we took it all in to make us better and stronger for the next time we played in 2006-07. But heading to The Oval this week it is clear that roles have been reversed completely since 2005.
"Then we were the team facing questions over selection. They had a settled line-up and just come off a victory in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge. Now it is us who have the momentum gained from comprehensively winning at Headingley. We are comfortable with what we have achieved in the last Test-and-a-half."
Most pundits have given Brett Lee little chance of breaking into the Australian XI at The Oval, but Ponting has kept the door ajar for his most senior paceman to make an improbable comeback. The Australian captain suggested reverse swing could play a role in deciding the outcome of the final Test; an art at which Lee has proven particularly adept in recent years, never more so than when he claimed 6 for 76 against England Lions at Worcester six weeks ago.
"Brett Lee is jumping out of his skin to get involved," he wrote. "It was very exciting watching him bowl with reverse swing in the match at Worcester, and if he had not been injured he would have played in the first Test.
"In 2005 reverse swing dominated the series. This year it has probably been a damper summer and we have only seen conventional swing. The Oval is the one ground where that may change, especially if we have a dry, hot week."
Saqlain helps Hauritz prepare for The Oval
Australia have drafted in Saqlain Mushtaq, the former Pakistan and Surrey off spinner, to work with Nathan Hauritz in the build-up to the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval. Saqlain attended Australia's training session at The Oval on Monday where he is understood to have imparted advice on local conditions and the art of slow bowling.
Saqlain was recently recruited on a short-term basis to work with New Zealand's spinners ahead of their tour of Sri Lanka, and has previously expressed an interest in working with first-class and international teams in a consultancy capacity. He is widely credited with developing and perfecting the doosra; a delivery Hauritz has experimented with in the nets in recent seasons.
Hauritz is considered the front-runner for Australia's final bowling berth in the Ashes decider, with Clive Stephens, Surrey's operations director, predicting turn for the last two days of the Test. Hauritz claimed wickets with successive deliveries during a practice match against England Lions in Canterbury on Sunday, and is showing few ill-effects from the finger dislocation he suffered at Lord's last month.
Australia have drafted in Saqlain Mushtaq, the former Pakistan and Surrey off spinner, to work with Nathan Hauritz in the build-up to the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval. Saqlain attended Australia's training session at The Oval on Monday where he is understood to have imparted advice on local conditions and the art of slow bowling.
Saqlain was recently recruited on a short-term basis to work with New Zealand's spinners ahead of their tour of Sri Lanka, and has previously expressed an interest in working with first-class and international teams in a consultancy capacity. He is widely credited with developing and perfecting the doosra; a delivery Hauritz has experimented with in the nets in recent seasons.
Hauritz is considered the front-runner for Australia's final bowling berth in the Ashes decider, with Clive Stephens, Surrey's operations director, predicting turn for the last two days of the Test. Hauritz claimed wickets with successive deliveries during a practice match against England Lions in Canterbury on Sunday, and is showing few ill-effects from the finger dislocation he suffered at Lord's last month.
Australia report bookie approach to ICC
The Australian team management has filed a report with the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit after a player was approached by a man suspected of links to illegal bookmaking. The approach was made in the bar of the team's London hotel, the Royal Kensington Garden, following Australia's Ashes defeat at Lord's in July.
The player alerted senior officials immediately and, following ICC protocol, team manager Steve Bernard filed a report with the ACSU. The matter is currently under investigation. The player is not suspected of wrongdoing, and has been praised by a senior ICC official for his prompt reporting of the approach in line with the ACSU's player education programme.
Sources within the ICC and the Australian team, when contacted by Cricinfo, described the approach as "concerning" and part of a worrying resurgence in the presence of illegal bookmakers around major events. Sir Paul Condon, the chairman of the ACSU, told ICC meetings in Dubai and London over the past year that Twenty20 cricket posed the greatest corruption threat to the game since the dark days of Sharjah in the 1990s; a notion supported by recent media and anecdotal reports.
ACSU is investigating additional approaches made to players by illegal bookmakers, or conduits acting on their behalf, during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in England earlier this summer. One source said the ACSU was "well advanced" in several lines of inquiry, at least one of which also involved approaches made to players at a team hotel.
Senior officials are concerned that illegal bookmakers, emboldened by the new betting possibilities opened up by the Twenty20 game, are becoming increasingly prevalent around match venues and team hotels. After the inception of the ACSU in 2000 - in direct response to the match-fixing scandals involving international captains Hansie Cronje, Mohammed Azharuddin and Salim Malik - barriers were established to block bookmakers and their intermediaries from direct contact with players. But the approach to an Australian player during an Ashes series, coupled with those allegedly made to other international cricketers at the World Twenty20, have raised concerns that a new wave of corrupting influences is attempting to infiltrate the game.
A report in the Sunday Telegraph earlier this week, quoting an anonymous ICC source, warned that cricket was under renewed threat from illegal bookmakers. "Those in charge in the ICC understand that Twenty20 cricket has the danger of going back to the bad old days," the source said.
The report suggested that the apparent resurgence in contact from illegal bookmakers was in part attributable to the second IPL, a tournament at which the ACSU was not in operation, reportedly due to its $1.2 million operational bill. Lalit Modi, the IPL's commissioner, told Cricinfo last month the ACSU would be involved in future IPL tournaments, although it has yet to be confirmed whether they will police the Champions League Twenty20, scheduled to be played in India this October. "They have expanded their services and going ahead, all the tournaments, including Champions League and the IPL would have the presence of ICC's anti-corruption unit," Modi said, in a move welcomed by the ICC's chief executive Haroon Lorgat.
Lorgat last week announced there was "absolutely no substance" to reports that Pakistan players had been approached by illegal bookmakers at their team hotel in Colombo during the recent series against Sri Lanka. The matter was investigated by the ACSU.
"The ICC and its members have a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and rightly so because the integrity of our sport with its spirit is one of its greatest assets," Lorgat said. "On that basis it is entirely appropriate that any suggestions in relation to that subject are always reported to and properly investigated by the ACSU. I am pleased those investigations have indicated nothing untoward has taken place on this occasion but it is a reminder that all of us - players, officials and supporters - must maintain our vigilance to ensure we remain on top of the issue of corruption."
The Australian team management has filed a report with the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit after a player was approached by a man suspected of links to illegal bookmaking. The approach was made in the bar of the team's London hotel, the Royal Kensington Garden, following Australia's Ashes defeat at Lord's in July.
The player alerted senior officials immediately and, following ICC protocol, team manager Steve Bernard filed a report with the ACSU. The matter is currently under investigation. The player is not suspected of wrongdoing, and has been praised by a senior ICC official for his prompt reporting of the approach in line with the ACSU's player education programme.
Sources within the ICC and the Australian team, when contacted by Cricinfo, described the approach as "concerning" and part of a worrying resurgence in the presence of illegal bookmakers around major events. Sir Paul Condon, the chairman of the ACSU, told ICC meetings in Dubai and London over the past year that Twenty20 cricket posed the greatest corruption threat to the game since the dark days of Sharjah in the 1990s; a notion supported by recent media and anecdotal reports.
ACSU is investigating additional approaches made to players by illegal bookmakers, or conduits acting on their behalf, during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in England earlier this summer. One source said the ACSU was "well advanced" in several lines of inquiry, at least one of which also involved approaches made to players at a team hotel.
Senior officials are concerned that illegal bookmakers, emboldened by the new betting possibilities opened up by the Twenty20 game, are becoming increasingly prevalent around match venues and team hotels. After the inception of the ACSU in 2000 - in direct response to the match-fixing scandals involving international captains Hansie Cronje, Mohammed Azharuddin and Salim Malik - barriers were established to block bookmakers and their intermediaries from direct contact with players. But the approach to an Australian player during an Ashes series, coupled with those allegedly made to other international cricketers at the World Twenty20, have raised concerns that a new wave of corrupting influences is attempting to infiltrate the game.
A report in the Sunday Telegraph earlier this week, quoting an anonymous ICC source, warned that cricket was under renewed threat from illegal bookmakers. "Those in charge in the ICC understand that Twenty20 cricket has the danger of going back to the bad old days," the source said.
The report suggested that the apparent resurgence in contact from illegal bookmakers was in part attributable to the second IPL, a tournament at which the ACSU was not in operation, reportedly due to its $1.2 million operational bill. Lalit Modi, the IPL's commissioner, told Cricinfo last month the ACSU would be involved in future IPL tournaments, although it has yet to be confirmed whether they will police the Champions League Twenty20, scheduled to be played in India this October. "They have expanded their services and going ahead, all the tournaments, including Champions League and the IPL would have the presence of ICC's anti-corruption unit," Modi said, in a move welcomed by the ICC's chief executive Haroon Lorgat.
Lorgat last week announced there was "absolutely no substance" to reports that Pakistan players had been approached by illegal bookmakers at their team hotel in Colombo during the recent series against Sri Lanka. The matter was investigated by the ACSU.
"The ICC and its members have a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and rightly so because the integrity of our sport with its spirit is one of its greatest assets," Lorgat said. "On that basis it is entirely appropriate that any suggestions in relation to that subject are always reported to and properly investigated by the ACSU. I am pleased those investigations have indicated nothing untoward has taken place on this occasion but it is a reminder that all of us - players, officials and supporters - must maintain our vigilance to ensure we remain on top of the issue of corruption."
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