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At the start of the series, many people who wanted to see a great series would have dreamed of having a 5th test that were not meaningless in terms of the series. Not only has this happened, but it is whom many considered the underdogs holding the best hand. It does not necessarily mean though that they are guaranteed victory.
Before I go on to the final test, I can’t let this opportunity go without mentioning the substitute furore. Personally it’s not the fact that the substitute is allowed. The problem is both the frequency of interchange and the number of substitutes. Let it be known that whilst there should have been a replacement allowed for Simon Jones (his injury is genuine) letting players be replaced for a change of shirt or boots is NOT what is known as in the spirit of the game.
I think that the ICC (gutless in their own right over the Zimbabwe issue) should implement a regulation stating that substitute fieldsmen should only be allowed for players with genuine injuries. Any substitute request for changing of clothing should be denied. If players want to change their clothing, then they can leave the field, but no substitute is permitted.
Anyway, back to the present. England know that they are that close to their holy grail that it smells like the 11 secret herbs and spices when driving past KFC. But that’s all they are, close enough to smell it. Whilst the squad is largely unchanged (James Anderson and Paul Collingwood added with S.Jones and Bell in doubt with injury) the belief may be rattled after a less than convincing chase of 129 at Trent Bridge. They won’t want to bat last here either, despite a huge mental win by enforcing the follow-on against Australia for their first time in nearly 20 years.
Mental preparation is indeed a buzzword in the series. The Australian batsmen are having similar problems. The selectors won’t make changes apart from McGrath’s immanent return from an elbow injury. I’m sure that all realise how big an inclusion he is to the side, given that they could have stolen the game if he was there in Nottingham (no offence to Kasprowicz and Tait). It’s also fair to say that the Australian confidence is there as well, something that they could have been forgiven for either losing throughout the last couple of months.
There’s also been talk of having a fifth bowler for this test, with names like Shane Watson, a player who is not and will never be test standard, being bandied around. Doing this undoubtedly will be a sign of weakness. We’ve tried 5 bowlers before (in the Caribbean) and it has not proven to be as effective. And why the FFUK should we bow to pressure from those who really should have better things to do anyway? Personally, just have 4 bowlers, and if we need a 5th there’s already enough part-timers in the side to do it anyway.
One final sidenote to this test match is the end of an era in the commentary box. I’m sure many would have been watching the Sky Sports coverage this series as indeed they will be in the future after winning the rights late last year. But for those with the Channel 4 telecast, you will be saddened to hear that Richie Benaud will be retiring from TV coverage in England at the conclusion of this test match. It has been a long innings (all 40 years of it) and he will be still doing work in Australia for the next couple of seasons, but the landscape of cricket commentary will not be the same as the series is decided one way or the other.
UNTIL WE SPEAK AGAIN
YOU KNOW I’M A GOOD BLOKE
MOOKS