A Spanner In The Works

And the spanner goes by the name of Mitchell Johnson. After all the big talk he finally re-found his mojo and produced a match-winning performance to boot. Delivering crucial first innings runs under the gun and then ripping apart England's once impregnable batting. The remedial work to his action in the nets clearly worked and the much-maligned selectors have to take a huge amount of credit for managing the situation so well. Shock horror, maybe they knew what they were doing all along. Not good news for Strauss' men after all the 'momentum' gained in Brisbane and Adelaide.

It was all looking so good after the first day. Admittedly the wagging Australian tail gave a far rosier complexion to the Australian total. But to bowl Ponting's men out for 268 on the first day of any test match has to be regarded as a success. Even the second innings bowling performance was highly commendable.

Tremlett was a more than adequate replacement for Broad on the bouncy WACA, Jimmy snared Ponting early on day one and looked pretty threatening throughout, Finn was expensive but chipped in with key wickets, Collingwood hastened the end of the second innings. Swann had a tough game but he produced the ball to remove Mr Cricket on day one. That man isn't giving many chances at the moment.

This time it was the batsmen who let the side down. Seems like it's all or nothing at the moment. 500-1 switfly becomes 123 all out. Where's the middle ground? Australia recovered from 69-5 to post 268 on day one whereas England plummeted to 187 after being 78-0 and 98-5. If England had got closer to Australia's first innnings total then that final run chase would have been far more 'gettable' in the players' minds. Even so to only make 123 was woeful. Losing is one thing, surrendering another.

After his heroics in the first two tests, Cook is of course immune from any blame. Strauss is looking a bit short of runs but the opening pair got England started before Cook became Johnson's first victim and the rapid slump beagn in earnest. KP did what only he can and followed up a career test best in Adelaide with a grand total of 3 runs in Perth. Bell continues to look the part but to he needs to prove his status as the best looking batsman in the side with big runs. A move up the order has been mooted to ensure he doesn't end up trying to force the issue when batting with the tail. A no-brainer at the moment.

The spotlight again falls on Collingwood before the 4th test. He had another poor match with the bat and can't hold down a place solely because of his excellent slip catching. The good news, apparently, is that when his position is under threat he tends to deliver. The bad news is that it seems to take a lot for his position to come under threat.

It was left to Alistair Cook to deliver the familiar Colly soundbite this week, "When his back is against the wall he plays his best cricket."

How many times have we heard this? Was the situation not perilous enough for him in Perth? Will the batsmen above him in the order have to deliberately lose their wickets to create the right environment for him to play himself back into form? He's not quite hanging on for dear life yet but he's close for the umpteenth time. England needs his fabled battling qualities, as well as his undisputed and continued prowess in the field, in Melbourne.

If he gets the expected nod, Collingwood can't fail to enjoy the atmosphere at the MCG on Boxing Day. The Aussies are scenting blood and after looking so dominant in Adleaide, England are in a right old scrap now.

This Ashes series is alive and kicking.

Now that's what we wanted.

WACA WACA WACA

Some snaps from the WACA before the start of the third Ashes test. Look out for the scouser...

Queen's Gardens



Split stumps to commemorate every test at the WACA. Last and only win for England was in 1978...the wait goes on





Last-minute fielding practice



Artist's impression of the future WACA post-rennovation..




View from the posh seats




Bradman Room




Strauss and co warm up in the nets




Here's Robbie

SOS@SKWarne

The Clamour and the Glamour

The Aussies really are in a right old pickle. Fair to say that consistency of selection has well and truly gone out of the window, particularly in the spinning department.

Let's have a quick recap.

Nathan Hauritz dropped for Brisbane, replaced by Xavier Doherty. Ricky Ponting liked the look of him during a rare outing for Tasmania. Hauritz responds by taking career-best figures for NSW and even throws in a century for good measure. Doherty shows some promise at the Gabba and is retained for Adelaide...where he has a bit of a meltdown. Ponting probably doesn't like the look of him now.

Ok so young Xavier has to be given a break for Perth. Back to Hauritz right? Er, no... time for a Beer. Well, he has played a grand total of five first-class matches. Did fairly well against England, but wasn't selected in the original 17-strong Australian Ashes squad. Or for Australia A come to think of it. But no matter, he’ll be right.

Just like many of the petty rules in Australia, the whole thing really does beggar belief. Beer could end up taking 10 wickets against England…he could also end up seeing his pies express delivered to all parts of the WACA.

Surely now is the time to put the call into Warney. Or maybe a text…a tweet even.

They say in sport you should always make the move that the opposition would like the least...and for an English cricket fan the sight of Shane Warne bounding into the middle, baggy green on head, cherry in hand is probably top of the list.

Picture the scene. The MCG. Boxing Day. Warney's home turf. Australia scraped home for an unconvincing draw in Perth. One down with two Tests to play.

England wins the toss in Melbourne, Cook and Strauss strap on the pads and head to the middle. For the first hour they make yet more hay as Johnson/ Bollinger/ Harris/ Siddle/ Hilfenhaus/ Cameron/ Lee/ McGrath/ Hughes/ Thomson/ Lillee/ A.N Other Aussie Quick steam in with bluster but little penetration.

Ponting has seen enough and tosses the ball to that man, to predictable raucous cheers from the stands. England's openers look at each other with something approaching minor panic. Is it going to be the flipper, the top spinner, the googly, the slider, or the tried and tested rippin' leg break...? Can he still bowl all these variations?

Captain Strauss walks down the track, dabs the hallowed turf with his trusted willow and glances up at the great man as he casually spins the ball from one hand to the other. Strauss takes guard and here comes the blonde bombshell with that familiar Sunday-stroll-to-the-beach gait. The action and accuracy haven’t changed a bit and the ball pitches outside Strauss' off stump. Two nations hold their breath.

It's the conventional leg spinner. It turns murderously and smashes into the middle stump of the England skipper.

Might have a game on here.

There are a few twists and turns to come but the headlines after the final day in Sydney reveal that Warne has defied age, common sense and skepticism to win back the Ashes for Australia. A nation salutes its conquering hero. Twitter goes into meltdown. Hugh Grant texts his congrats.

There's a simpler story which goes something like this: Warne watches Ashes from London hotel room (Liz has got filming commitments, it's just easier this way), clinical England retains Ashes in Perth, wins series at the MCG with another thumping victory and by the time the bandwagon rolls into Sydney the home support and the Barmy Army have forgotten the cricket and are chilling at Bondi by day and partying at King’s Cross by night.

But that's no fun is it?

Another 4? Must Be Time For A Delicious Chicken Bite

Chicken nuggests, Johnnie Walker, Gatorade and the Colonel: it must be the cricket season.

Two fantastic test so far in this Ashes series. No complaints about the events on the pitch but for the fans there are nuisances and irritants at every turn, as the rampant commercialisation of the game steps up a level.

In every conceivable gap in the action, whether watching live or on television, there is a barrage of advertising and ex-players lining up to offer their ringing endorsements to some product or other.

Hayden brings a beaming smile and a gushing, excited travel pitch to his 1 minute of fame, while Gilchrist is involved in a hilariously stilted conversation about youth cricket. However neither can match one of the chief sponsor's spots which involves the current, beleaguered team singing embarrassingly into the camera. Can't bat, can't bowl, can't field...add can't sing to that list.

Serious calls Down Under for Warney to be recalled but he's already making his presence felt, just unfortunately not with his sharply spinning, dipping leg breaks. Not only is he offering his pearls in the commentary box, he is also fronting a frankly ridiculous campaign for everyone's favourite fast-food chain.

Turn to the big screen after a ball whistles to the boundary and you will invariably see the great man's grinning face behind the latest poultry-based, nutritious sarnie.

Eventually you might get to see a replay of the shot.

Often he can be talking on the TV when the ad will be visible behind the action so you get to see and hear old Shane simultaneously. The tagline for the same company on the hoardings reads, 'So tasty it sells itself.' Why the need for Australia's favourite son then?

If it's a significant score for the batting team, hundred up for a batsman or a record partnership we must now accept that this is a Johnny Walker milestone. A drinks break is no longer simply a chance for the players to rehydrate, it's an excuse to bring a huge bottle of energy pop onto the ground. The 20 minute stoppage after the afternoon session has been re-named the Vodafone Tea Break. The stumps are similarly branded. If anything can be comandeered by the sponsors it will be.

What's next?

Is the sacred green, baggy cap safe? Or will we soon see that embossed with corporate logos and messages?

The promotion of children's cricket during the lunch interval at the Gabba or Adelaide Oval is of course commendable...but does it really need to be sponsored by a high calorie, chocolate milk drink? Clearly every sport needs its sponsors but fast food, whisky and energy drinks hardly seem ideal choices for the young cricketers watching on or indeed the active sportsman.

Advertising is taking over the television coverage, and no longer solely during the commercial breaks. We now have the Colonel's question thanks to Kid Friendly Chicken, Kangaroo Fried Chippy or whatever it is called. Or a trivia poser from that bottle of scotch.

But nothing is more shameful than when one of the commentators shifts seamlessly from an analysis of the game to plugging a mobile phone provider or another needy sponsor. Mute buttons have never been used so quickly around the country.

Can I heartily recommend ABC's radio coverage of the test matches which is thankfully still immune to this marketing blitz. It remains focused on insightful and entertaining commentary rather than all this hullabaloo which surrounds and invades the game.

A Good Old Aussie Style Hammering!

In the end any overnight concerns about inclement weather or the stoicism of Mr Cricket proved unnecessary as England romped to a huge innings victory in Adelaide before lunch on the final day. First such victory against the old enemy since 1986 at the MCG. That win in Melbourne was completed within 3 days and saw Gatt's men take the series and the Ashes.

Not quite there for Strauss and co but it's going to take something extraordinary to stop them now. Something like Warney being recalled. Now that would be some comeback and perhaps not quite as implausible as it sounds. His mere presence would be worth a few wickets and interest in the remaining tests would sky rocket. Has anyone asked him the question?? He's still twirling it in the IPL and even half a Warne is worth 10 of Doherty. Young Xavier isn't going to be playing any test matches for the foreseeable.

To today's action. Swann and Anderson did the main damage, Finn chipping in with the crucial wicket of Hussey. The image of Jimmy Anderson catching the ball and flinging it in the air with the Barmy Army going wild behind him will live long in the memory. Little over an hour was all it needed to clean up the remaining wickets.

Good job too as no play would have taken place this afternoon now that the thunderstorm has well and truly arrived. Bucketing down. Makes Pietersen's dismissal of Clarke with the final ball of the day yesterday even more important in retrospect. England has utterly dominated Australia but any team needs a bit of luck - the rain abating yesterday to allow England a final dart at Clarke and Hussey falls into that category.

A winning team makes any captain look good but Strauss is doing a sterling job at present. Many observers were calling for an overnight declaration after day 3 but those quick runs from Pietersen and Bell proved to be very handy in the final analysis.

Similarly today. The pundits thought England should persevere with the old ball to give Swann a better chance of running through them. But Strauss handed the new cherry to Anderson and Finn and promptly saw them pick up 3 wickets, including the form pair of Hussey and Haddin. Then Swann bowled with the new ball anyway and ended up with a 5-fer.

The skipper knows his own mind, has clear plans for each day and has built a great team spirit in the camp. Such a marked difference between his captaincy and Freddie in 2006. Freddie could change a game through his sheer force of personality, a la Warne or Botham, but Strauss is the one you want calling the shots. He's safely sunbathing on the beach while Ponting struggles in the water, all at sea. Freddie next to him on the pedalo.

It's been so long since an England win in a 'live' test in Australia that many at the Oval today weren't even alive when it happened. The celebrations were understandable. As the 7th and 8th wickets went down and victory became a matter of time, many fans left their seats in the Chappell Stand to join the Barmy Army, take photos of the scoreboard and relive the key moments on the big screen. Strauss and Pietersen both made sure to thank the travelling support in their post-match interviews and they were rewarded with raucous cheers from the hill.

Things are looking up. Onwards to Perth. Australia need to win two of the final three tests and draw the other to regain the Ashes. Well never say never but even so...

KP Leads Way From First Ball To Last

More records tumbling at the Adelaide Oval on day 4. KP notching up his highest test score with his thrill-a-minute 227; the biggest Ashes total ever at the Adelaide; the second highest total by England in Australia, only 16 short of the mark set in Sydney in 1928; the first time England have posted consecutive scores of over 500; only the second time England have managed four partnerships of 100 or more in one innings....the list goes on.

What a superb day of test cricket. The day started with Pietersen, Bell and then Prior given a licence to thrill by captain Strauss as they hurried to the declaration. 69 runs were added in only 9 overs. Nearly every ball was a boundary waiting to happen, particularly from the hapless Doherty. His first three overs went for 13, 11 and 14. First innings figures of 1-158 from 27 overs. Will the Aussies have to change their bowling line-up again for Perth and find another spinner? Hauritz back or a chance for leggy Steve Smith?

Bell played some wonderfully inventinve shots on his way to 68 not out and one could argue he has now missed out on two deserved test centuries. In Brisbane due to a lack of partners and here because of the declaration.

Then it was the turn of Ponting's men to show how they could bat on this wearing but still excellent pitch. Unscathed at lunch, they then lost three wickets in the afternoon session, Swann doing what Doherty couldn't by spinning the ball sharply out of the foot marks and grabbing the prize wickets of the skipper and a crocked Katich.

Meek surrender doesn't come naturally for Australia and it was no surprise to see a comeback mounted by Clarke and Hussey. Both had scares but it was Clarke who fell to the final ball of the day to the spinner...not Swann but Pietersen of all people. He's had some day.

Barmy Army in full cry once more. Vocal ringleader, Jimmy Saville, managed to last the whole day after being ejected from the ground yesterday (he was later allowed to return). Then there was a lovely banner unfurled by the English supporters in the new build, next to the Sir Donald Bradman Stand:. It read: Sir Alastair Cook Stand. Let's hope he goes on and on. Could he break another of the Don's records? He now has 450 runs in the series, at an everage of 225. Bradman scored 974 in England in 1930. Wally Hammond has the most by an Englishman in an Ashes series: 905, Down Under in 1928-9. Cook's nearly halfway there.

The day ended with the Aussies praying for plenty of the forecast rain on the final day. Talk about role reversals. England will be buoyed by that late wicket. A struggling North in next, then Haddin and a fairly long tail. It would be a crying shame if it was still all sqaure going into the third test. The weather is the chief barrier.

And, say it quietly, but England could retain the Ashes in Perth if it wins here and on the West coast. One step at a time. Much work to be done yet.

Let's Hope We Can Bowl...

...this was the front page headline this morning in the local rag, The Advertiser. Well two changes to the Aussie bowling attack but the same treatment from England's dominant batsmen. In the last two innings, Strauss' men have amassed 834 for the loss of only 3 wickets. What a transformation from 2006 when an England batting collapse was lurking around every Australian corner.

No doubting the tormenter-in-chief for England; Alastair Cook who has now scored over 400 runs and been unbeaten for over 1,000 minutes. He will be hard pressed to beat his double ton under pressure in Brisbane but in the sweltering conditions at the Adelaide Oval his concentration levels have been quite staggering. A 150 looms on day 3, and maybe more if his defence remains as strong and his square cutting as immaculate. 3 consecutive boundaries through point off the bowling of Doherty just one of many highlights in his flawless knock.

Trott again looked confident and untroubled before chipping a catch to Clarke. Any hopes that Ponting had that this would bring some respite for his team were rudely dashed when Pietersen came in and batted like a man who has been sitting with his pads on for hours, itching to get in and stamp his authority on proceedings. Looks like there's far more batting to come from Mr Twitter in this series.

All of this after losing the toss on day one, bringing a grin and, 'Well have a bat," from Punter. He certainly wasn't smiling after the first over which saw him follow Katich back into the pavillion without scoring. You wouldn't want to miss the first over of play in this series. A comical run-out and a beaut of a delivery from Anderson to get the Aussie captain were the treats this time round. This is maybe the one area the men in baggy greeen are matching England; snaring Strauss in the first over today to follow his duck in the opening over in Brisbane.

Anderson and Swann ensured that this rude awakening for Australia wasn't in vain. Ponting must have had 400+, even 450+ as a par score when batting first in the City of Churches. 245 was a world away.

Two days in and England really couldn't be in a more dominant position. A big total beckons. The pitch is starting to take spin. There may be some uneven bounce. Tails are up. A note of caution: this test is following a similar pattern to the first one where Australia bowled England out for less than 300 and ended up leading by over 200 after the first innings. Yet it still couldn't force a victory.

Strauss won't want to be declaring too early either, if he has the chance, after the debacle of 2006. Let Cook, Pietersen, Collingwood and Bell make a bit more hay yet.

Best case scenario: England rack up a monstrous 600+ score and win by an innings. Worst case Australia find some inspiration on day 3, manage to limit England to a lead of no more than 150 before piling on the runs in its second innings and bowling England out late on day 5. It's a measure of how far England has come that the first scenario sounds plausible while the second sounds fanciful.

We know what Australian sides of the past would do in England's present situation. It's pay-back time.