CRICKET/One-Day International: A red-blooded contest was ruined by the storms that hit Birmingham around seven o'clock last evening. England had come back strongly to restrict Australia at a time when a hatful more had threatened.
Set a target of 262, there was just time for Marcus Trescothick to cuff Brett Lee to the point boundary before the lightning flashed, the floodlights were withdrawn and the players trooped from the field, and the match was abandoned later.
For almost the first time this summer there was some real heat to the exchanges, not least when Simon Jones, disarmingly genial off the field but fiery on it, precipitated a spat with the Australian opener Matthew Hayden by hurling the ball at him after it had been played back to the bowler.
Hayden appeared less than chuffed as it hit him full under the left armpit and vented his feelings on the bowler, who was merely trying to apologise.
On the rugby field it might have been the prelude to a fracas, with Andy Flintoff and Steve Harmison perhaps spearing Hayden into the popping crease. As it was Paul Collingwood said his piece - a translation probably needed from the original Geordie - Andrew Strauss uttered a few well-modulated words, and Flintoff added some pithy asides for good measure. Hayden failed to add to his score.
Later, when Damien Martyn upper-cut Harmison to third man he saw Kevin Pietersen pouch the catch. The fielder's dive forward saw him, without question, slip his fingers under the ball before it could hit the ground but then, perhaps inadvertently - it was hard to tell - brush the grass with it as he rolled over.
England, led astutely by Michael Vaughan, showed real character in prising their way back into a game that the Australians had appeared to have sealed off with a burgeoning fifth-wicket stand of 101 between Andrew Symonds and Mike Hussey.
AUSTRALIA
A C Gilchrist c G O Jones b S P Jones 19
M L Hayden lbw b S P Jones 14
R T Ponting c G O Jones b Flintoff 34
D R Martyn c Pietersen b Harmison 36
A Symonds run out 74
M E K Hussey c G O Jones b Harmison 45
M J Clarke c G O Jones b Gough 3
G B Hogg c G O Jones b Gough 2
B Lee not out 21
J N Gillespie c Pietersen b Gough 1
G D McGrath not out 2
Extras (b1, lb4, w4, nb1) 10
Total (for 9, 50 overs) 261
Bowling: Gough 9-0-70-3; S P Jones 10-2-53-2; Harmison 10-1-38-2; Flintoff 10-0-38-1; Giles 10-1-44-0; Vaughan 1-0-13-0.
ENGLAND (rain stopped play)
M E Trescothick not out 6
A J Strauss not out 2
Extras 0
Total (for 0, 3 overs) 8
To bat: M P Vaughan, P D Collingwood, A Flintoff, K P Pietersen, G O Jones, A F Giles, D Gough, S J Harmison, S P Jones.
