Strauss leads way but England fail to take full advantage

CRICKET ASHES SERIES, SECOND TEST:A POSITION of strength, a chance to nail Australia with the game still in its infancy, was squandered wantonly by the fragile England middle order. An opening partnership of 196 between Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, the highest England have made against Australia at Lord's, had the shirt-sleeved crowd bubbling. England were romping, Australia a rabble.

But this is England and it had to be too good to last. Cook, five short of a third century at Lord’s, became an unexpected victim for Mitchell Johnson, whose bowling had been so inept, such utter garbage, that doubts were being cast on whether his South African heroics were a myth, concocted in the same studio in which conspiracy theorists insist the moon landings were fabricated.

The wicket set in motion a change in fortune in which Australia, held together by the excellent swing bowling of Ben Hilfenhaus, regained their composure as a drunk might sober up. By the time Andrew Flintoff – greeted rapturously as he bounded helmetless down the pavilion steps – edged him to second slip, six wickets had tumbled in the afternoon for 137 runs, bringing Australia back into the game without the benefit of the new ball.

Captain Ricky Ponting took it with four overs left, to no further avail, and England must attempt to capitalise this morning.

Much will depend on Strauss, who, leading magnificently, batted all day in reaching an unbeaten 161, 16 short of his Test best and his fourth and highest Test hundred here. Shortly before stumps he reached 5,000 Test runs.

On Tuesday evening, at a dinner in the Long Room for his benefit, footage of Strauss’s career had been played. It had reminded the viewer that the 2005 Ashes success was not all about Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, and that at Old Trafford and The Oval Strauss had made centuries. There was no reference, though, to the tribulations that followed in Australia in 2006-07, when brilliant planning and execution deprived him of his square cut and pulls. It took him a year to recover.

Yesterday, as if in an act of benevolence, he was fed once more, a mere handful of his runs coming in areas other than the segment between midwicket and extra cover. One on-drive apart, late on in the piece, his 22 boundaries were carved away square of the wicket, clipped, angled to third man or, twice, slog-swept to midwicket.

While Cook was there, swatting boundaries across an outfield as fast as Turnberry’s greens, the sky had seemed the limit, although the Essex opener will play better for less reward. He was spoon-fed mediocre long-hops by Johnson.

The pitch was good – not fast as had been seen earlier in the summer against West Indies but not sluggish like Cardiff last week either – but had Australians other than Hilfenhaus had the capacity to exploit it there was movement in the air and a little off the seam down the slope. Top bowling all round would have had its reward.

Instead, galacticos from the great Australian sides sat in their commentary positions and hospitality boxes and saw, Hilfenhaus excepted, a display of shambolic incompetence.

Perhaps the Lord’s experience proved overwhelming for those on their first trip. Bowling was off target, fielding ponderous and wicketkeeping comedic (although the ball dipping and swinging after it had passed the batsman did not help).

A blow was suffered shortly after lunch when Nathan Hauritz dislocated the middle finger of his bowling hand in attempting to catch a straight drive from Strauss, then on 52. It was the only real chance he was to offer in more than six hours, although four runs previously Brad Haddin had dropped him from a no-ball.

Cook’s dismissal brought in Ravi Bopara, who played with panache for 20 minutes or so, as if trying to prove a point. If he is to survive at number three he has to learn, fast, about substance over style. A three-card trick from Hilfenhaus, the oldest of ploys on this ground, saw Bopara middle a couple of away-swingers, only to play outside the sucker ball that shaded down the slope.

A frenetic effort followed from Pietersen, either side of tea. It was the sort of innings that would be played by someone overdosing on SunnyD and it ended when he feathered an away-swinger from Peter Siddle, who had begun to find his feet after a shaky start.

Paul Collingwood’s insipid chip to mid-on and Matt Prior’s extravagant drive, beaten and bowled by Johnson’s in-swing – rare as hens’ teeth this summer – brought the only head-shaking emotion from Strauss.

Much today will depend on the fortunes of the lower order against the new ball, and the weather. Heavy rain was due to pass through in the night but England, having included Graham Onions in their side at the expense of Monty Panesar, and sent Steve Harmison to Trent Bridge to rejoin Durham, will want to see the ball swing.

If they can harness that, and Jimmy Anderson and Onions can flourish, then they can put Australia under real pressure. If not, there could be some long hours in the field once more.

GuardianService

Lord’s Scoreboard

England won toss

ENGLAND– First Innings

A Strauss not out 161

A Cook lbw b Johnson 95

R Bopara lbw b Hilfenhaus 18

K Pietersen c Haddin b Siddle 32

P Collingwood c Siddle b Clarke 16

M Prior b Johnson 8

A Flintoff c Ponting b Hilfenhaus 4

S Broad not out 7

Extras (b15 lb2 nb6) 23

–––––

Total 6 wkts (90 overs) 364

Fall of wickets:1 196, 2 222, 3 267, 4 302, 5 317, 6 333.

To bat:G Swann, J Anderson, G Onions.

Bowling:Hilfenhaus 25-10-77-2, Johnson 19-2-107-2, Siddle 17-1-66-1, Hauritz 8.3-1-26-0, North 16.3-4-59-0, Clarke 4-1-12-1.