CRICKET ASHES SERIES – FINAL TEST, SECOND DAY:THERE HAVE been too many twists and turns in this series for chickens to be counted. It is premature. The beauty of Test cricket is the way in which fortunes can swing. But in one stupendous session of play yesterday, young Stuart Broad bowled England into a position from which, if they can keep their heads, they ought to go on and win the final Test and in so doing regain the Ashes they relinquished so abjectly in Australia.
At lunch yesterday there was no hint of what might follow. Having seen England bowled out for 332 inside the first 25 minutes of play, Shane Watson and Simon Katich weathered some testing new ball bowling and were firmly ensconced, with the scoreboard reading 61 without loss.
By the time England trooped happily from the field at the end of an elongated afternoon, the match had been transformed.
Incredibly, the board now read 133 for eight, all wickets falling for 58 runs in a madcap couple of hours that held the packed house enthralled.
Of these, Broad, bowling a dozen overs from the Vauxhall End off the reel, wrote his place into the Ashes book of legends with a brilliant five-wicket burst, the final one of which saw him stand mid-pitch, ball held triumphantly aloft in the manner of the great Glenn McGrath, whose style, if not his deeds, he may aspire to emulate.
It was immaculate fast-medium bowling, as disciplined as it was unruly at Headingley where his six-wicket haul flattered him like a royal sycophant.
In the nick of time, Graeme Swann came to the party too, wheedling out three wickets before tea and another after the interval, going some way to compensating for a series that with the exception of one performance at Lord’s has been dismal.
Australia rallied a little in the twilight of the innings, with Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus adding 17 for the last wicket before Andrew Flintoff finished things off with his only wicket.
All out for 160, all 10 wickets falling for 87, Australia then trailed England by 172 runs, significant in any circumstance but on a pitch that, totally to order, is deteriorating by the hour.
England were left 28 overs to bat into the evening, knowing that with a combination of diligence and luck, the game was there to put beyond Australia. Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, game-chasers no longer but playmakers instead, gave them a bright start, adding 27 before Cook edged a Marcus North off-break to slip, the lead already 199.
Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood came and went quickly, in much the same manner, Mitchell Johnson’s short balls proving difficult to avoid.
Earlier, Broad further enhanced his all-round credentials, making 37 before edging to second slip. With Anderson collecting his first duck in Test cricket, the 24 added with Steve Harmison at the end were worth double.
If this was meant to be Flintoff’s grand signing off, then so far it has been more a case of handing over the baton. Broad’s five for 37 is his third five-wicket haul in Tests, as many as Flintoff.
Swann managed four for 38 and will be expected to do further damage to the Australia second innings if England, as they should, are to go on and win.
If Australia suspect complicity in the preparation of the pitch then it would be hard to disabuse them of the idea. This has been a massive toss to win for Strauss, not quite gambling the Ashes on the flip of a coin, but not far off. The ball was misbehaving on the first day and by yesterday was offering erratic bounce and some movement off the seam, the ball puffing up a small dust cloud on landing.
When Swann bowled, it gripped and ripped, so much at times that at some stage, to the right-hander he is going to have to go against convention and bowl round the wicket.
Beware though: such pitches can outgrow their fractiousness and calm down.
Being presented with a helpful pitch and having the resource to make use of it are two different things, however.
At Headingley, England broke ranks and threw away a wonderful bowling opportunity. Yesterday, after Anderson and Flintoff had failed to make a breakthrough, Broad, from his first over, homed in on the right length and line to bowl – better at right hander than left – and ran in with real urgency.
If it remains a game of patience then he did not have to wait long. Watson, Ricky Ponting (cheers and a standing ovation drowning the few pathetic boos) and Mike Hussey all departed bowled or lbw, and Michael Clarke flicked a drive low to Jonathan Trott at short extra cover, early reward for some excellent captaincy by Strauss, who got most things right.
The introduction of Swann from the Pavilion End in tandem with Broad also brought immediate dividends as North was adjudged lbw by Asad Rauf despite a thin inside edge (one of a number of poor decisions in the match), and Katich, having completed an industrious and well-earned half-century, was taken easily at short leg from bat and pad.
When Broad found the full length and suspicion of away movement to defeat and spectacularly bowl Brad Haddin, and Swann had Mitchell Johnson caught at the wicket by Matt Prior – whose keeping in this series has progressed hugely – Australia, so overwhelmingly dominant at Leeds, were mortal once more.
ENGLAND – First innings (overnight 307 for -8)
A Strauss c Haddin b Hilfenhaus 55
A Cook c Ponting b Siddle 10
I Bell b Siddle 72
P Collingwood c Hussey b Siddle 24
J Trott run out 41
M Prior c Watson b Johnson 18
A Flintoff c Haddin b Johnson 7
S Broad c Ponting b Hilfenhaus 37
G Swann c Haddin b Siddle 18
J Anderson lbw b Hilfenhaus 0
S Harmison not out 12
Extras: (b-12, lb-5, w-3, nb-18) 38
Total: (all out; 90.5 overs) 332
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-114, 3-176, 4-181, 5-229, 6-247, 7-268, 8-307, 9-308.
Bowling: Hilfenhaus: 21.5-5-71-3 (5nb), Siddle 21-6-75-4 (4nb), Clark 14-5-41-0, Johnson 15-0-69-2 (8nb, 3w), North 14-3-33-0 (1nb), Watson 5-0-26-0.
AUSTRALIA – First innings
S Watson lbw b Broad 34
S Katich c Cook b Swann 50
R Ponting b Broad 8
M Hussey lbw b Broad 0
M Clarke c Trott b Broad 3
M North lbw b Swann 8
B Haddin b Broad 1
M Johnson c Prior b Swann 11
P Siddle not out 26
S Clark c Cook b Swann 6
B Hilfenhaus b Flintoff 6
Extras: (lb-5, nb-1, b-1) 7
Total: (all out; 52.5 overs) 160
Fall of wickets: 1-73, 2-85, 3-89, 4-93, 5-108, 6-109, 7-111, 8-131, 9-143.
Bowling: Anderson 9-3-29-0, Flintoff 13.5-4-35-1, Swann 14-3-38-4, Harmison 4-1-15-0 (1nb), Broad 12-1-37-5
ENGLAND – Second innings
A Strauss not out 32
A Cook c Clarke b North 9
I Bell c Katich b Johnson 4
P Collingwood c Katich b Johnson 1
J Trott not out 8
Extras: (lb1, w1, nb2) 4
Total: (three wickets; 28 overs) 58
Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-34, 3-39.
To bat: M Prior, A Flintoff, S Broad, G Swann, J Anderson, S Harmison.
Bowling (to date): Hilfenhaus 5-1-9-0 (2nb), Siddle 6-1-15-0, North 9-2-15-1, Johnson 4-0-12-2 (1w), Katich 4-2-6-0
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