Clearly I’ve been right all along. Of all the sports in the world it’s cricket that God has chosen for his own. As my wife Sue drily remarked afterwards, when there are so many prayers which need answering, why did this one get the vote? Leaving theology aside – and more than one clergyman has played for England, although none as far as I know for Australia - Panesar and Anderson did indeed end up saving the first Test for England, but they had to survive a full eleven overs to achieve it, and not the five I whimsically suggested yesterday. It was as good an afternoon’s cricket as anyone could have dreamed up, one which will be recalled in years to come, and a timely advertisement that Test cricket can provide more excitement than any other form of the game. Just exercise a bit of patience!
Half way through the day, yesterday’s more pessimistic prediction looked as if it might be nearer the mark. Hilfenhaus and Hauritz set problems from the start. When the ball is hard, spin bowlers can benefit as much as the quicks , and Hauritz’s height and ability to push the ball through meant that he could extract the bounce which Swann had earlier failed to find. Hilfenhaus was the best of the quicker bowlers in the England second innings: he was fulfilling the role which McGrath made his own in previous series – relentless in accuracy, aiming at or just outside the batsman’s off stump. His approach to the wicket and his method – even the moustache and beard – is so reminiscent of the great Ian Botham. Videos of Botham in his 1981 pomp must have been a staple diet of young Ben’s youth. Pietersen succumbed early on to him, clean bowled by a good ball. Strauss misjudged a cut shot at Hauritz because of the bounce, and so did Prior. Prior’s was a particularly ill-advised stroke: most schoolchildren would have been able to tell him why. If the ball is turning into you, it’s extremely hard to control a flat-batted cut, unless the ball is very short (bouncing a long way in front of you) and the bounce is low. England were 70 for 5, it wasn’t yet lunch, and no one was giving much for their chances. The weather, contrary to the forecast, seemed set absolutely fair.
Collingwood throughout was playing very well. He’s the one England batsman with the ability not to worry if he doesn’t score for a period of time. His slower natural tempo has caused him recent problems in one day cricket, but here it was crucial. He set himself to eliminate risk, and as coaches never tire of saying, to play one ball at a time and on its merits. Flintoff helped him add over fifty, although he never looked entirely secure. When finally the Australians managed to get Johnson bowling to Flintoff’s end, and when Johnson managed to locate the right line, moving the ball across the batsman from wide out, the end result was inevitable. Flintoff rather tamely steered a catch to Ponting in the slips. 127 for 6. Johnson has had a poor match, and his figures will flatter him at its end. He’s lacked rhythm and accuracy. Expect a different and more menacing bowler at Lords. He’ll like the extra pace in the pitch there.
Broad stayed a while without looking he belonged at a crease he was ironically reluctant to leave when a quicker, straighter ball for Hauritz had him lbw. It seemed a good decision by the umpire. 169 for 7 at tea. Swann had a bad time against Siddle after the break. The Australians are learning that he deals less effectively with the short ball than some, and he took several heavy and painful blows to the body. Nevertheless he hung in bravely, and there was a moment when it seemed he and Collingwood might do the job on their own. The equation was straightforward. If they could score enough runs to get ahead of the Australians, in terms of time each subsequent run would count double because the Australians themselves would need time to make the runs back and win. But at 221 Swann was the fourth lbw victim of the innings, this time to the excellent Hilfenhaus, and Anderson came out to join Collingwood.
Collingwood now had even more to think about, because whereas Swann and his predecessors could look after themselves, Anderson in theory needed protection and to face as few balls as possible from the most threatening of the bowlers. For seven overs or so, they just about managed to cope, although there was serial confusion as to whether Collingwood preferred Anderson to deal with Johnson (bowling very badly given the situation and spraying a lot of balls wide of the stumps) or Hauritz. A run out seemed on the cards. Maybe it was the added pressure which caused Collingwood to go hard at a short ball from Peter Siddle who’d been reintroduced in Johnson’s place. The ball bounced slightly more than Collingwood expected and caught the top half of the bat. Mortified, he watched the ball fly high to Hussey’s left in the gully. The fielder juggled with the ball, but held on.
Panesar and Anderson. Eleven overs to play out. England still a few short of the Australians in terms of runs. It seemed an unlikely proposition. But Hauritz was either tiring or losing his nerve. He seemed unable to apply as much spin to the ball as before, and both batsmen defended well. The occasional ball turned past the bat, but truthfully there weren’t as many dangerous moments as you would have thought. I expected Ponting to bring back Hilfenhaus, but instead he opted for the off-spin of Marcus North, and probably surrendered the chance of victory by so doing. North bowled too wide of the off-stump, even allowing Monty Panesar to chop one ball away to the boundary. Anderson squeezed a couple of balls from Siddle to the ropes as well, and eventually time was played out. Every ball that the two defended was greeted with a huge cheer from the stands. For sheer plastic-cup shredding excitement it was 2005 all over again. If the spectators had been wearing hats, they’d have been thrown in the air, as was the case after the victory which brought England the series win in 1953 at the Oval. How sartorial conventions have changed since then!
The England batting heroes were principally Collingwood and Anderson, although honourable mentions go to Flintoff, Swann and Panesar. Some of the other England team members need to review their part in proceedings. Stuart Broad had a particularly poor game, and will need to come back hard in the next one, or be written off as of dubious temperament. Cook looks out of sorts. Pietersen is still flaky. The Australians say they have the measure of Bopara, although I read that as saying they’re worried about him. The English batting needs to tighten, and their bowling needs to be more positive. The Australian batting looks fiercely competitive again, but their bowling still looks vulnerable, compared to former years.
I imagine Panesar will be omitted from the England team to be announced this afternoon, and the enigmatic quick bowler Steve Harmison will probably replace him. Whether that will turn out to be a good call, I’m unsure. Ironically Swann will perhaps be less effective than Panesar on the quicker pitch at Lords, where the left-armer has had some past success. But who could omit Swann after his courageous performance at Cardiff?
To move from the parochial, there are two other Test matches of significance being played elsewhere in the world. The West Indian team we saw here a couple of months ago has gone on strike. Consequently the West Indian board has sent a young untried team to Bangladesh, and says that unless the recalcitrant players repent it will use the new bunch of lads as the basis of a team for the Champions Trophy in the autumn. The youngsters are just about holding their own against the Bangladeshis, but it will be a steep learning curve for them. And in Colombo, the Sri Lankans are playing the Pakistanis. The civil difficulties in both countries, as so often, put a sunny Sunday afternoon in Cardiff in its proper context. The lengthening shadows of an early evening can be very evocative. We are very lucky.
Half way through the day, yesterday’s more pessimistic prediction looked as if it might be nearer the mark. Hilfenhaus and Hauritz set problems from the start. When the ball is hard, spin bowlers can benefit as much as the quicks , and Hauritz’s height and ability to push the ball through meant that he could extract the bounce which Swann had earlier failed to find. Hilfenhaus was the best of the quicker bowlers in the England second innings: he was fulfilling the role which McGrath made his own in previous series – relentless in accuracy, aiming at or just outside the batsman’s off stump. His approach to the wicket and his method – even the moustache and beard – is so reminiscent of the great Ian Botham. Videos of Botham in his 1981 pomp must have been a staple diet of young Ben’s youth. Pietersen succumbed early on to him, clean bowled by a good ball. Strauss misjudged a cut shot at Hauritz because of the bounce, and so did Prior. Prior’s was a particularly ill-advised stroke: most schoolchildren would have been able to tell him why. If the ball is turning into you, it’s extremely hard to control a flat-batted cut, unless the ball is very short (bouncing a long way in front of you) and the bounce is low. England were 70 for 5, it wasn’t yet lunch, and no one was giving much for their chances. The weather, contrary to the forecast, seemed set absolutely fair.
Collingwood throughout was playing very well. He’s the one England batsman with the ability not to worry if he doesn’t score for a period of time. His slower natural tempo has caused him recent problems in one day cricket, but here it was crucial. He set himself to eliminate risk, and as coaches never tire of saying, to play one ball at a time and on its merits. Flintoff helped him add over fifty, although he never looked entirely secure. When finally the Australians managed to get Johnson bowling to Flintoff’s end, and when Johnson managed to locate the right line, moving the ball across the batsman from wide out, the end result was inevitable. Flintoff rather tamely steered a catch to Ponting in the slips. 127 for 6. Johnson has had a poor match, and his figures will flatter him at its end. He’s lacked rhythm and accuracy. Expect a different and more menacing bowler at Lords. He’ll like the extra pace in the pitch there.
Broad stayed a while without looking he belonged at a crease he was ironically reluctant to leave when a quicker, straighter ball for Hauritz had him lbw. It seemed a good decision by the umpire. 169 for 7 at tea. Swann had a bad time against Siddle after the break. The Australians are learning that he deals less effectively with the short ball than some, and he took several heavy and painful blows to the body. Nevertheless he hung in bravely, and there was a moment when it seemed he and Collingwood might do the job on their own. The equation was straightforward. If they could score enough runs to get ahead of the Australians, in terms of time each subsequent run would count double because the Australians themselves would need time to make the runs back and win. But at 221 Swann was the fourth lbw victim of the innings, this time to the excellent Hilfenhaus, and Anderson came out to join Collingwood.
Collingwood now had even more to think about, because whereas Swann and his predecessors could look after themselves, Anderson in theory needed protection and to face as few balls as possible from the most threatening of the bowlers. For seven overs or so, they just about managed to cope, although there was serial confusion as to whether Collingwood preferred Anderson to deal with Johnson (bowling very badly given the situation and spraying a lot of balls wide of the stumps) or Hauritz. A run out seemed on the cards. Maybe it was the added pressure which caused Collingwood to go hard at a short ball from Peter Siddle who’d been reintroduced in Johnson’s place. The ball bounced slightly more than Collingwood expected and caught the top half of the bat. Mortified, he watched the ball fly high to Hussey’s left in the gully. The fielder juggled with the ball, but held on.
Panesar and Anderson. Eleven overs to play out. England still a few short of the Australians in terms of runs. It seemed an unlikely proposition. But Hauritz was either tiring or losing his nerve. He seemed unable to apply as much spin to the ball as before, and both batsmen defended well. The occasional ball turned past the bat, but truthfully there weren’t as many dangerous moments as you would have thought. I expected Ponting to bring back Hilfenhaus, but instead he opted for the off-spin of Marcus North, and probably surrendered the chance of victory by so doing. North bowled too wide of the off-stump, even allowing Monty Panesar to chop one ball away to the boundary. Anderson squeezed a couple of balls from Siddle to the ropes as well, and eventually time was played out. Every ball that the two defended was greeted with a huge cheer from the stands. For sheer plastic-cup shredding excitement it was 2005 all over again. If the spectators had been wearing hats, they’d have been thrown in the air, as was the case after the victory which brought England the series win in 1953 at the Oval. How sartorial conventions have changed since then!
The England batting heroes were principally Collingwood and Anderson, although honourable mentions go to Flintoff, Swann and Panesar. Some of the other England team members need to review their part in proceedings. Stuart Broad had a particularly poor game, and will need to come back hard in the next one, or be written off as of dubious temperament. Cook looks out of sorts. Pietersen is still flaky. The Australians say they have the measure of Bopara, although I read that as saying they’re worried about him. The English batting needs to tighten, and their bowling needs to be more positive. The Australian batting looks fiercely competitive again, but their bowling still looks vulnerable, compared to former years.
I imagine Panesar will be omitted from the England team to be announced this afternoon, and the enigmatic quick bowler Steve Harmison will probably replace him. Whether that will turn out to be a good call, I’m unsure. Ironically Swann will perhaps be less effective than Panesar on the quicker pitch at Lords, where the left-armer has had some past success. But who could omit Swann after his courageous performance at Cardiff?
To move from the parochial, there are two other Test matches of significance being played elsewhere in the world. The West Indian team we saw here a couple of months ago has gone on strike. Consequently the West Indian board has sent a young untried team to Bangladesh, and says that unless the recalcitrant players repent it will use the new bunch of lads as the basis of a team for the Champions Trophy in the autumn. The youngsters are just about holding their own against the Bangladeshis, but it will be a steep learning curve for them. And in Colombo, the Sri Lankans are playing the Pakistanis. The civil difficulties in both countries, as so often, put a sunny Sunday afternoon in Cardiff in its proper context. The lengthening shadows of an early evening can be very evocative. We are very lucky.
