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3 FFUKing runs. Just 3 FFUKing runs. That’s all that the Australians needed to complete the biggest choke in sporting history. Everyone knew that the game was done before the end of the 4th day, it’s just that not a person could anticipate what could happen.
If I were the English coach Duncan Fletcher, I would have given my players a major serve. With the game seemingly won, they took the foot off the pedal, bowled too many no-balls and spilt chances that allowed the Aussies back into the fight. Whilst Andrew Flintoff was the hero with his hard hitting batting and the wicket that saved their skins, he would have been my first target for bowling 12 no-balls in the 2nd innings. Whilst he may get away with it against Zimbabwe (another story altogether), that’s 12 too many against a side of this quality.
Some critics argue that Australian captain Ricky Ponting made a blunder when bowling first after winning the toss. Before I saw the pitch I would have sent in the opposition anyway. Maybe his mind was already made up when his #1 paceman did his ankle in the warm-up. We’ll probably never know what happened in team meetings and discussions between senior players, but the fact that they got within a couple of runs of pulling of a freakish win would give him ammunition that he made a wise choice. Knowing Ponting, he always sticks to his guns.
Much has been made of the pitch at Old Trafford, the venue for the next chapter in the series that stops 2 nations (well over 1.5 million watched the drama on Sunday night in Australia). Rather than a traditional wicket which does do some favours for spinners, it looks as though it will be flat and quick for the 1st 3 days of the match. It won’t be until later where the spinners come into their own, and based on the previous 2 test matches it will mean nothing unless there’s a bit of rain. It could well be a historic test, for a certain leg spinner named Warne could take wicket #600 in his career. Of course, Old Trafford is the ground where he bowled THAT ball that will forever link Mike Gatting (the last English captain to win a series against Australia) to the Ashes.
As far as team news is concerned, England not surprisingly are unchanged. It seems that they are happy with their line-up, and I can’t really see any backup players anyway. The Australians may have had some injury concerns with Lee and McGrath, but Lee is certain to play after a knee infection and McGrath is an outside chance of appearing, but I’ll believe it when I see it. There was some talk of 2 spinners, but the pitch will scupper any hope that Stuart MacGill had of playing.
UNTIL THE NEXT TEST
YOU KNOW I’M A GOOD BLOKE
MOOKS