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England fear for Flintoff future

July 14th, 2009 | No Comments

• All-rounder a major doubt for Lord’s Test
• Flintoff awaiting results of scan on his right knee

England were last night fearful over Andrew Flintoff’s participation in the rest of the Ashes series as they awaited the results of a scan on his right knee that is likely to rule him out of this week’s Lord’s Test and possibly beyond.

Flintoff, who has been bowling only since 11 June after injuring the same knee playing in the Indian Premier League in April, twisted the joint in the field during the draw with Australia in Cardiff and now faces renewed speculation about his future as a Test force.

As England’s relief at saving the first Test last night gave way to a familiar sense of foreboding, team officials insisted the scan was merely precautionary but the addition of Steve Harmison to an enlarged 14-man squad did little to dampen fears that the latest in a long line of niggles could rule Flintoff out for the summer.

At 31 he boasts a list of career injuries that have already forced him to miss 62 of the 138 Tests England have played since he made his debut 11 years ago. Although an England spokesman said Flintoff would be given every chance to recover in time for Lord’s, sources close to the Lancashire all-rounder were pessimistic about his chances.

Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “Andrew is experiencing soreness and swelling in the knee which he twisted while in the field and he will be reassessed by the medical staff over the next 48 hours. It’s not the pain he had before when he had his real problems with the knee – it’s new pain. But if you have pain of any kind you find out the best remedy. We won’t rush it: we regard Andrew too highly to do that. We know how much passion he has to play for England and in the Ashes so we would not rush that situation. An Ashes series is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”

Exactly how Flintoff picked up his new affliction is not clear, although he twice slid heavily chasing balls to the boundary during Australia’s mammoth total of 674 for six at Sophia Gardens – at one stage berating his captain, Andrew Strauss, for failing to lend support to one of his boundary-saving tumbles. What does seem beyond doubt, though, is that Flintoff’s 35-over stint – his longest run-out in any cricket since he bowled 40 overs in the first innings against South Africa at Headingley a year ago – would have done nothing to ease the discomfort.

The likely absence of Flintoff for Lord’s would leave room in the line-up for another tall, bang-it-in bowler, and Miller duly described Harmison, who took five for 60 over the weekend for Durham in their county championship match against Yorkshire, as a “like-for-like replacement”.

Miller agreed that Harmison, who twice bounced out Australia’s opener Phil Hughes for single-figure scores while playing for England Lions in Worcester two weeks ago, loomed large in the Australian psyche – despite his disastrous wide to second slip to kickstart the 2006-7 Ashes in Brisbane. “Cricket is a game of mental toughness and psychology, as well as capability and technique, and they remember what he can do,” said Miller, who was at Headingley yesterday to follow Harmison’s progress. “It’s a case of him showing what he could do, he can still do now. If he can, then it’s game on.”

Miller said Harmison’s recall was a reward for his efforts since being dropped during the series in the West Indies earlier this year. “He knows what it’s all about, he’s a strong character, he knows what he has to do internationally, he knows the opposition, so I would have no worry if he did play at Lord’s.

“He didn’t sulk. He was given the reason why he wasn’t selected, and he’s gone away knowing what he had to do: show enthusiasm for Durham, get the results for Durham. When he got those results he was then selected for the Lions. He got the results for the Lions, and he’s come back in the next game here and done really well, so he’s justified his place in the squad.”

“I wouldn’t like to say we can cope without Andrew Flintoff, because that’s the wrong phrase, but we’ve got international quality players, and if he’s not fit we’ll pick 11 who are.” Miller added that Harmison and Flintoff could even play in the same side if conditions suited, but last night it was a scenario that felt far-fetched.

Mike Selvey, page 2

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England fear for Flintoff future

July 13th, 2009 | No Comments

• All-rounder a major doubt for Lord’s Test
• Flintoff awaiting results of scan on his right knee

England were last night fearful over Andrew Flintoff’s participation in the rest of the Ashes series as they awaited the results of a scan on his right knee that is likely to rule him out of this week’s Lord’s Test and possibly beyond.

Flintoff, who has been bowling only since 11 June after injuring the same knee playing in the Indian Premier League in April, twisted the joint in the field during the draw with Australia in Cardiff and now faces renewed speculation about his future as a Test force.

As England’s relief at saving the first Test last night gave way to a familiar sense of foreboding, team officials insisted the scan was merely precautionary but the addition of Steve Harmison to an enlarged 14-man squad did little to dampen fears that the latest in a long line of niggles could rule Flintoff out for the summer.

At 31 he boasts a list of career injuries that have already forced him to miss 62 of the 138 Tests England have played since he made his debut 11 years ago. Although an England spokesman said Flintoff would be given every chance to recover in time for Lord’s, sources close to the Lancashire all-rounder were pessimistic about his chances.

Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “Andrew is experiencing soreness and swelling in the knee which he twisted while in the field and he will be reassessed by the medical staff over the next 48 hours. It’s not the pain he had before when he had his real problems with the knee – it’s new pain. But if you have pain of any kind you find out the best remedy. We won’t rush it: we regard Andrew too highly to do that. We know how much passion he has to play for England and in the Ashes so we would not rush that situation. An Ashes series is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”

Exactly how Flintoff picked up his new affliction is not clear, although he twice slid heavily chasing balls to the boundary during Australia’s mammoth total of 674 for six at Sophia Gardens – at one stage berating his captain, Andrew Strauss, for failing to lend support to one of his boundary-saving tumbles. What does seem beyond doubt, though, is that Flintoff’s 35-over stint – his longest run-out in any cricket since he bowled 40 overs in the first innings against South Africa at Headingley a year ago – would have done nothing to ease the discomfort.

The likely absence of Flintoff for Lord’s would leave room in the line-up for another tall, bang-it-in bowler, and Miller duly described Harmison, who took five for 60 over the weekend for Durham in their county championship match against Yorkshire, as a “like-for-like replacement”.

Miller agreed that Harmison, who twice bounced out Australia’s opener Phil Hughes for single-figure scores while playing for England Lions in Worcester two weeks ago, loomed large in the Australian psyche – despite his disastrous wide to second slip to kickstart the 2006-7 Ashes in Brisbane. “Cricket is a game of mental toughness and psychology, as well as capability and technique, and they remember what he can do,” said Miller, who was at Headingley yesterday to follow Harmison’s progress. “It’s a case of him showing what he could do, he can still do now. If he can, then it’s game on.”

Miller said Harmison’s recall was a reward for his efforts since being dropped during the series in the West Indies earlier this year. “He knows what it’s all about, he’s a strong character, he knows what he has to do internationally, he knows the opposition, so I would have no worry if he did play at Lord’s.

“He didn’t sulk. He was given the reason why he wasn’t selected, and he’s gone away knowing what he had to do: show enthusiasm for Durham, get the results for Durham. When he got those results he was then selected for the Lions. He got the results for the Lions, and he’s come back in the next game here and done really well, so he’s justified his place in the squad.”

“I wouldn’t like to say we can cope without Andrew Flintoff, because that’s the wrong phrase, but we’ve got international quality players, and if he’s not fit we’ll pick 11 who are.” Miller added that Harmison and Flintoff could even play in the same side if conditions suited, but last night it was a scenario that felt far-fetched.

Mike Selvey, page 2

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England fear for Flintoff future

July 13th, 2009 | No Comments

• All-rounder a major doubt for Lord’s Test
• Flintoff awaiting results of scan on his right knee

England were last night fearful over Andrew Flintoff’s participation in the rest of the Ashes series as they awaited the results of a scan on his right knee that is likely to rule him out of this week’s Lord’s Test and possibly beyond.

Flintoff, who has been bowling only since 11 June after injuring the same knee playing in the Indian Premier League in April, twisted the joint in the field during the draw with Australia in Cardiff and now faces renewed speculation about his future as a Test force.

As England’s relief at saving the first Test last night gave way to a familiar sense of foreboding, team officials insisted the scan was merely precautionary but the addition of Steve Harmison to an enlarged 14-man squad did little to dampen fears that the latest in a long line of niggles could rule Flintoff out for the summer.

At 31 he boasts a list of career injuries that have already forced him to miss 62 of the 138 Tests England have played since he made his debut 11 years ago. Although an England spokesman said Flintoff would be given every chance to recover in time for Lord’s, sources close to the Lancashire all-rounder were pessimistic about his chances.

Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “Andrew is experiencing soreness and swelling in the knee which he twisted while in the field and he will be reassessed by the medical staff over the next 48 hours. It’s not the pain he had before when he had his real problems with the knee – it’s new pain. But if you have pain of any kind you find out the best remedy. We won’t rush it: we regard Andrew too highly to do that. We know how much passion he has to play for England and in the Ashes so we would not rush that situation. An Ashes series is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”

Exactly how Flintoff picked up his new affliction is not clear, although he twice slid heavily chasing balls to the boundary during Australia’s mammoth total of 674 for six at Sophia Gardens – at one stage berating his captain, Andrew Strauss, for failing to lend support to one of his boundary-saving tumbles. What does seem beyond doubt, though, is that Flintoff’s 35-over stint – his longest run-out in any cricket since he bowled 40 overs in the first innings against South Africa at Headingley a year ago – would have done nothing to ease the discomfort.

The likely absence of Flintoff for Lord’s would leave room in the line-up for another tall, bang-it-in bowler, and Miller duly described Harmison, who took five for 60 over the weekend for Durham in their county championship match against Yorkshire, as a “like-for-like replacement”.

Miller agreed that Harmison, who twice bounced out Australia’s opener Phil Hughes for single-figure scores while playing for England Lions in Worcester two weeks ago, loomed large in the Australian psyche – despite his disastrous wide to second slip to kickstart the 2006-7 Ashes in Brisbane. “Cricket is a game of mental toughness and psychology, as well as capability and technique, and they remember what he can do,” said Miller, who was at Headingley yesterday to follow Harmison’s progress. “It’s a case of him showing what he could do, he can still do now. If he can, then it’s game on.”

Miller said Harmison’s recall was a reward for his efforts since being dropped during the series in the West Indies earlier this year. “He knows what it’s all about, he’s a strong character, he knows what he has to do internationally, he knows the opposition, so I would have no worry if he did play at Lord’s.

“He didn’t sulk. He was given the reason why he wasn’t selected, and he’s gone away knowing what he had to do: show enthusiasm for Durham, get the results for Durham. When he got those results he was then selected for the Lions. He got the results for the Lions, and he’s come back in the next game here and done really well, so he’s justified his place in the squad.”

“I wouldn’t like to say we can cope without Andrew Flintoff, because that’s the wrong phrase, but we’ve got international quality players, and if he’s not fit we’ll pick 11 who are.” Miller added that Harmison and Flintoff could even play in the same side if conditions suited, but last night it was a scenario that felt far-fetched.

Mike Selvey, page 2

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Oz batsmen move up Reliance Mobile ICC player rankings

July 13th, 2009 | No Comments

Australia’s batsmen are on the move in the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen with three of them achieving career-best rankings after a nail-biting finish in the first Ashes Test against England at Cardiff.
Opener Simon Katich, middle-order batsmen Marcus North and wicket-keeper Brad Haddin all scored centuries to help Australia declare its first innings at [...]

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Strauss denies Ashes time-wasting

July 13th, 2009 | No Comments

• ‘If Ricky’s angry, that’s a shame,’ says England captain
• ‘They can play whatever way they want to play,’ says Ponting

Andrew Strauss last night denied his team had contravened the spirit of the game after the Australia captain, Ricky Ponting, accused England of “pretty ordinary” time-wasting tactics in the fraught final stages of the drawn first Test in Cardiff.

England sent on their 12th man, Bilal Shafayat, twice in the space of five minutes – the second time accompanied by their physio, Steve McCaig – as the last pair of Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar kept Australia’s bowlers at bay for 69 nerve-racking deliveries, prompting an irritated Ponting to declare the matter would be taken up with the England management.

But Strauss was unrepentant. “There was a lot of confusion to be fair,” he said. “We first sent the 12th man out to let Jimmy and Monty know there was a time issue rather than just overs. And then some drink was spilled on his gloves and, when Jimmy called up to the dressing room, we weren’t sure whether he needed the 12th man or the physio.

“If Ricky’s angry, that’s a shame. I don’t think we were deliberately trying to waste a huge amount of time. They weren’t our tactics, as both of the guys were playing pretty well in the middle. The reality of the situation is that Australia couldn’t take that final wicket and we got away with the draw.”

• Poll: Were England guilty of deliberate time-wasting?
• Mike Selvey: England cannot afford to gloat after draw
• It’s just part of the game, admits Australia’s Hauritz
• Relive the final day with our over-by-over account

Ponting saw the matter differently after his side failed to make the breakthrough that would have given Australia a 1-0 lead in the series going into Thursday’s second Test at Lord’s and a fifth-straight win in the opening match of an Ashes contest. “It was pretty ordinary,” he said of England’s tactics. “They can play whatever way they want to play. We will do everything we can to play by the rules and the spirit of the game. I don’t think it was required. They had changed gloves before, so I’m not sure they were going to be too sweaty after one over. I am not sure what the physio was doing out there. I think a few guys were questioning the umpires. I think a few guys were also questioning the 12th man. I am sure others will be taking it up with the England hierarchy as they should.”

Ponting did, however, play down a potential flashpoint before the start of play when Kevin Pietersen hit a practice ball towards the Australian contingent and was briefly confronted by Mitchell Johnson, only for Stuart Clark to step in and prevent further trouble.

Ultimately, though, Ponting was left to reflect on the one that got away. “I’m pretty disappointed we weren’t quite good enough to get over the line at the end,” he said. “We did everything in our power to get those wickets but stumbled at the last hurdle.”

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Strauss denies Ashes time-wasting

July 13th, 2009 | No Comments

• ‘If Ricky’s angry, that’s a shame,’ says England captain
• ‘They can play whatever way they want to play,’ says Ponting

Andrew Strauss last night denied his team had contravened the spirit of the game after the Australia captain, Ricky Ponting, accused England of “pretty ordinary” time-wasting tactics in the fraught final stages of the drawn first Test in Cardiff.

England sent on their 12th man, Bilal Shafayat, twice in the space of five minutes – the second time accompanied by their physio, Steve McCaig – as the last pair of Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar kept Australia’s bowlers at bay for 69 nerve-racking deliveries, prompting an irritated Ponting to declare the matter would be taken up with the England management.

But Strauss was unrepentant. “There was a lot of confusion to be fair,” he said. “We first sent the 12th man out to let Jimmy and Monty know there was a time issue rather than just overs. And then some drink was spilled on his gloves and, when Jimmy called up to the dressing room, we weren’t sure whether he needed the 12th man or the physio.

“If Ricky’s angry, that’s a shame. I don’t think we were deliberately trying to waste a huge amount of time. They weren’t our tactics, as both of the guys were playing pretty well in the middle. The reality of the situation is that Australia couldn’t take that final wicket and we got away with the draw.”

• Poll: Were England guilty of deliberate time-wasting?
• Mike Selvey: England cannot afford to gloat after draw
• It’s just part of the game, admits Australia’s Hauritz
• Relive the final day with our over-by-over account

Ponting saw the matter differently after his side failed to make the breakthrough that would have given Australia a 1-0 lead in the series going into Thursday’s second Test at Lord’s and a fifth-straight win in the opening match of an Ashes contest. “It was pretty ordinary,” he said of England’s tactics. “They can play whatever way they want to play. We will do everything we can to play by the rules and the spirit of the game. I don’t think it was required. They had changed gloves before, so I’m not sure they were going to be too sweaty after one over. I am not sure what the physio was doing out there. I think a few guys were questioning the umpires. I think a few guys were also questioning the 12th man. I am sure others will be taking it up with the England hierarchy as they should.”

Ponting did, however, play down a potential flashpoint before the start of play when Kevin Pietersen hit a practice ball towards the Australian contingent and was briefly confronted by Mitchell Johnson, only for Stuart Clark to step in and prevent further trouble.

Ultimately, though, Ponting was left to reflect on the one that got away. “I’m pretty disappointed we weren’t quite good enough to get over the line at the end,” he said. “We did everything in our power to get those wickets but stumbled at the last hurdle.”

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England tactics frustrate Ponting

July 12th, 2009 | No Comments

Australia captain Ricky Ponting criticised England’s delaying tactics after the hosts clung on for a draw in a thrilling end to the first Test.

England sent their 12th man and physio on to the field in the closing stages in an apparent attempt to waste time.

"I don’t think that was required," said Ponting. "I am not sure what the physio was doing out there – I didn’t see him call for any physio.

"I’m sure others will take it up with the England hierarchy as they should."

With Australia running out of time to claim their final wicket, England sent 12th man Bilal Shafayat down to the playing area to give batsman James Anderson some new gloves.

When he returned with England physio Steve McCaig after the next over they were swiftly ushered off by some angry Australian players.

"He had changed his gloves the over before and his glove is not going to be too sweaty in one over," added Ponting. "But it’s not the reason we didn’t win.

"There would have been a bit of celebrating and jumping up and down in the England room, I’m sure"

Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting

"They can play whatever way they want to play. We have come to play by the rules and the spirit of the game and it is up to them to do what they want to do."

Asked about Ponting’s comments, England captain Andrew Strauss stated: "There was a lot of confusion. We firstly sent the 12th man out to let Jimmy and Monty Panesar know there was time left and not just the overs.

"Then drinks spilt on his glove and Jimmy called up to the dressing room and we weren’t sure whether we needed the 12th man or the physio.

"Our intentions were good so we weren’t deliberately trying to waste a huge amount of time.

"That wasn’t our tactics, those two were playing pretty well so the reality of the situation is Australia didn’t take that final wicket and we got away with a draw.

"I personally thought the game was played in a pretty good spirit the whole way through.

"I didn’t feel there were lines crossed and I think we’d all like it to stay that way."

Ponting admitted his man-of-the-match award, for hitting 150, meant little after his side were held to a draw in a thrilling finale.

"I’d give it back straight away for one more wicket and 20 less runs!" he said.

"We haven’t really done anything wrong and we’ve got a lot to take out of this game. I’m disappointed we didn’t win, I thought we played well enough.

"There are four Tests to go in the series and we will have to play at this level if we want to win."

When Paul Collingwood’s heroic 74 came to an end, there were still more than 40 minutes of the match remaining for England’s final pair of Anderson and Panesar to negotiate.

606: DEBATE

"England had a ‘mare and Australia played out of their skins, and yet it was still a draw. "

Moutarde

Ponting offered no excuses and commented: "Our bowlers tried valiantly, right through the game there wasn’t much assistance in the wicket. Everyone tried their hardest but we just came up a little bit short.

"You’ve got to give England some credit for hanging in there and Paul Collingwood for the way he played.

"Losing the toss, it was always going to be really hard to win with the wicket the way it was but we did everything we needed to do to give ourselves a chance and unfortunately we were just that little bit short."

The Australia captain conceded the visiting dressing room was fairly sombre after the match but stressed that the tourists would come back strongly for the second Test at Lord’s on Thursday.

"It’s pretty quiet at the moment and there would have been a bit of celebrating and jumping up and down in the England room, I’m sure," he admitted.

"A lot of our boys will be disappointed for half an hour after the game and then we can reflect and talk about a lot of the good things that we did.

"That’s the important thing, we did so many things really well in this game and we’ve got to take the confidence from that down to Lord’s and make sure we start there on the same note."</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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Australia charge thwarted by rain

July 11th, 2009 | No Comments

First Ashes Test, Cardiff (day four, stumps):
England 435 & 20-2 v Australia 674-6d
Coverage: Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 Long Wave, Red Button and BBC Sport website, plus live text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles. Live on Sky Sports
Match scorecard

Ben Hilfenhaus celebrates the wicket of Ravi Bopara

By David Ornstein

England face a fight to save the first Ashes Test after being dominated by Australia on day four in Cardiff.

Marcus North (125no) and Brad Haddin (121) both crafted superb centuries as the tourists posted 674-6 declared – a first-innings lead of 239 runs.

England’s situation then worsened when Mitchell Johnson trapped Alastair Cook lbw for six and Ravi Bopara fell in the same manner to Ben Hilfenhaus for one.

The hosts were 20-2 – 219 runs behind – when rain forced an early finish.

Australia should be delighted with their position going into day five and will be confident of taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

While England would have been relieved to see the heavens open just as tea was taken, they still face an uphill battle to avoid defeat as the forecast for the final day is fair.

Captain Andrew Strauss (6no) and his predecessor Kevin Pietersen (3no) will return to the crease on Sunday morning hoping to build a solid partnership and help their side to safety.

The weather was always expected to play a part but, despite forecasts of morning showers, day four got under way as scheduled at 1100 BST.

606: DEBATE

"Placed a huge bet on Australia winning 5-0. I’m English myself – may as well make some cash out of this shambles"

mynameisjoshua

Conditions were fairly muggy with a heavy covering of cloud overhead, which should have enabled England to get the ball swinging as they went in search of early wickets.

But there seemed a general lack of urgency about the hosts and Australia, who resumed on 479-5, were able to ease through the opening exchanges.

Haddin, four not out overnight, would have expected an uncomfortable start, but he received nothing of the sort – clipping, hooking and driving Stuart Broad for three effortless boundaries to calm any nerves.

At the other end, North was allowed to get his eye in all too comfortably and, from an overnight score of 54, the left-hander pushed on towards three figures with little trouble.

Andrew Flintoff, England’s principal pace threat, was not introduced until the 11th over of the morning session but by that point the batsmen had settled into a nice rhythm.

The all-spin combination of Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann did cause problems – both beat the outside edge and Swann had a decent lbw shout against Haddin correctly rejected by Aleem Dar – yet they could not dissuade Strauss from taking the third new ball three overs before lunch.

Flintoff and Anderson were restored to the attack as England went in desperate search of a pre-interval breakthrough, but the move backfired as North and Haddin punished some wayward new-ball bowling.

Brad Haddin and Marcus North

North guided Anderson behind point to record a richly-deserved century – the Western Australia captain has now scored tons on both his Test and Ashes debuts – and Haddin took a quick single off Flintoff to pass 50.

Australia reached lunch on 577-5, a lead of 142 runs, and after the re-start they put England to the sword.

Haddin was their destroyer-in-chief and signalled his intent by hitting cutting, edging and flicking three successive Anderson deliveries to the rope.

The 31-year-old New South Wales wicketkeeper was treating England with utter disdain and closed in on his second Test century with towering sixes off Swann and Panesar.

When he flicked Paul Collingwood to fine leg to reach 100 it was the first time Australia had hit four tons in an Ashes innings.

Strauss must have been praying for rain but if anything the skies began to clear and Haddin’s assault continued as Collingwood was dispatched for a couple more leg side fours and another six.

He eventually holed out to Ravi Bopara at deep midwicket – ending a 200-run partnership with fellow Ashes debutant North – but the damage had already been done and Australia captain Ricky Ponting called his men in.

It was Australia’s highest total against England since being dismissed for 701 in 1934 at The Oval and their fourth highest ever in the Ashes.

Just 25 minutes remained before tea and it was critical for England to reach the break unscathed, but they failed miserably.

As the light deteriorated and the floodlights came on for the second time in the match, Cook played across a full-length delivery from Johnson and Bopara was trapped attempting to flick Hilfenhaus to leg.

Luckily for England the rain then arrived, but for a third day running the spoils belonged to Australia.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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Michael Clarke piles on the pain

July 10th, 2009 | No Comments

England 445; Australia 479-5

It was a silent crowd that wended its way along the banks of the Taff, through Sophia Gardens, thismorning. Gone, from those not sporting the green and gold favours of Australia, was the chatter and the anticipation of a good day to come, and it had been replaced by a sullen gloom. They might have been going to a wake.

For a brief while in the morning, while the second ball was new and there was something in the air and off the pitch, the spirits were lifted. Simon Katich went for 122 to end a second-wicket partnership of 239 with Ricky Ponting, and so too did Mike Hussey for a bargain-basement price. Both fell to James Anderson. And then Ponting went as well, for 150, chopping Monty Panesar on to his stumps with the only duff shot he played in five and a quarter hours. Three wickets for 32 runs in the space of 10 overs represented a fair return for a more spirited England effort and with Australia’s first-innings deficit still 104, there was a glimmer of hope for Andrew Strauss.

There, though, the feelgood factor ended. Michael Clarke and Marcus North, run-scorers in the warm-up match at Worcester and nicely in tune as a result, landed another right-left combination punch during the afternoon. They batted their way through to tea and beyond, until rain showers interrupted proceedings with the fifth-wicket stand worth 132. After the rain-break Clarke was caught behind by Matt Prior off Stuart Broad for 83 but Australia, 44 runs ahead when the teams finally trudged off , still have this match by the scruff.

If England were to force their way back into the match, it had to be with the advent of the second new ball, available to them after nine overs of the morning. For all the dominance of Ponting and Katich on day two, Australia were still 186 runs adrift when play began. Games can turn on a single, inspirational spell of bowling.

If Anderson’s first efforts with the new ball were off beam as he strained too hard, perhaps, then just as suddenly he began to find his rhythm. With it came movement. Katich, who could have claimed squatter’s rights on his off stump, so immovable did he seem from the vicinity, suddenly found a fast yorker swerving into him to elude his bat and strike him full on the toe. Billy Doctrove thought about it, as if to give a hint that the spirit of Steve Bucknor is dead, but raised his finger nonetheless.

The England celebrations were of relief as much as joy and in an instant there was a spring in the collective step that had not been evident before. At the other end, Andrew Flintoff had begun his day with a wide every bit as preposterous as that propelled so infamously by his best mate, Steve Harmison, in Australia last time out, but now he began to rumble in, five and a half ounces of ball hitting the bat as if five and a half pounds. Yet it was Anderson who took a second wicket, this time of Hussey, who like North came into the match with a confidence-boosting hundred to offset memories of a career that has plummeted since a prolific start. But he had made just three runs when he nibbled outside off stump as Anderson slanted the ball  across him and Prior took the low catch.

Four overs later, the prized wicket of Ponting went to Panesar. The second day had not seen a happy England return for the Northamptonshire spinner, who was unable to find the right pace for the pitch, too readily dragging the ball down to be cut to ribbons. Today Ponting recognised the need to unsettle him once more. Panesar’s fifth delivery was short, if only fractionally, but this time Ponting’s forcing shot was mistimed, the inside edge deflecting on to his stumps.

If the Australian captain was furious with himself for an indiscretion, then he had produced a batting master class – scarcely a sweep, no extravagance and just one shot lifted from the turf. That one, a hook as Flintoff dropped a no-ball short, flew over the head of Panesar at fine leg for six. It was the sort of display that should be compulsory viewing for all aspiring batsmen, even those in the England dressing room unable to grasp that the simple things often work best.

For England that was as good as it got. The ball got softer, movement ceased, the pitch reverted to a nature as sluggish as the river beyond the boundary and batting became easier once more. Clarke and North, in reaching 74 and 51 respectively by the time the rain came, played with a freedom that Katich and Ponting had denied themselves. Only one bowler, Paul Collingwood, threatened, his medium pace cutters gripping and ripping. Don Shepherd, the pride of Glamorgan, might have been unplayable.

There is some mystery surrounding the condition of Anderson, however. After lunch, he reappeared for five minutes and then left the field, not to return for a further half hour or more. Officially, there was nothing wrong with him, which begs the question of why the umpires allowed him off in the first place. Then it was said that he had been taking on fluids, as if this was Colombo and he a camel. You do not leave the field specifically to take on fluids and especially not after a 40-minute lunch break. If, as seems likely, he is carrying an injury, a bit more honesty would be helpful.

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Clarke & North make England toil

July 10th, 2009 | No Comments

First Ashes Test, Cardiff (day three, stumps):
England 435 v Australia 479-5
Coverage: Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 Long Wave, Red Button and BBC Sport website, plus live text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles. Live on Sky Sports
Match scorecard

Michael Clarke

By Oliver Brett

Australia maintained their solid position on day three in Cardiff, leading England by 44 runs with five wickets in hand in the first Test.

Rain knocked 22 overs off the day’s play, leaving the Aussies on 479-5 after an historic late-evening session played under floodlights.

Three wickets did fall in the morning, Australia going to lunch on 348-4 from an overnight position of 249-1.

But Michael Clarke (83) and Marcus North (54) then put on 143 in 42 overs.

The left-handed North batted calmly and patiently on his Ashes debut, and will be there again on Saturday morning after facing 131 balls thus far.

Clarke showed his acumen against spin and was generally unperturbed against the seamers too as he played a more positive role.

TOM FORDYCE BLOG

"Michael Clarke’s model girlfriend Lara Bingle has been in town to watch her man make afternoon Ashes hay"

Tom reports from Cardiff

But late in the day he was surprised by a Stuart Broad bouncer which he gloved behind as he attempted a pull, leaving him just shy of a first Test century in England in his sixth appearance.

While Friday’s rain was largely unexpected, further heavy showers are forecast from around noon on Saturday – so the odds favour a draw despite Australia’s dominant position.

However England, whose chances of going 1-0 up with four to play appear to have completely evaporated, may yet find themselves battling to avoid defeat on the final day.

Friday dawned brightly in south Wales, with Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich resuming their marathon partnership.

Aussie skipper Ponting soon advanced his score with two boundaries, flogging a Monty Panesar long-hop through the covers and driving a Graeme Swann full toss down the ground.

Katich leant into a cover-drive off Panesar for his first boundary of the morning, and followed up with a square-cut off Swann that sped to the ropes. Australia were quickly re-establishing their dominance.

Stuart Broad

Nine overs into the day the second new ball became available and the scoring remained rapid, although Ponting had a bit of good fortune when steering an Anderson ball just wide of Kevin Pietersen in the gully at catchable height.

Finally, the stand was ended by James Anderson, Katich falling lbw for 122 to a yorker-length ball from Anderson that actually swung, unlike anything sent down by England on day two. Katich and Ponting had been together for 70 overs, adding 239.

Flintoff was bowling extremely quickly and his bouncers were not played with any ease by either Ponting or the new man Michael Hussey. Ponting top-edged one hook just over Panesar at fine-leg for the first six of the series, though it was a no-ball, and both men received painful blows.

But it was Anderson who picked up the second wicket of the morning, persuading Hussey to drive outside off-stump, the left-hander tickling an easy catch to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

Skipper Ponting continued to make progress, until Panesar picked up his first Test wicket since the Trinidad Test in March, the slow left-armer’s fifth ball of a new spell providing the biggest prize of the day.

Ponting, on 150, could only get a bottom-edge to crash into his stumps as he attempted a cut shot, and at lunch Australia were still 87 runs behind and perhaps no longer targeting the sort of huge score that had been in their sights at the start of play.

But the session between lunch and tea in this Test has proved a graveyard shift for the bowlers – and so it proved once again with not a wicket to be had. In three days just one man has been dismissed in the middle session – Phillip Hughes on day two.

Two spectators

North got off the mark with a crisp on-drive for four off Broad, who was also cover-driven elegantly by Clarke. Frankly, Broad was not much of a threat but Andrew Strauss persisted with him.

At the other end Panesar had his moments, but Clarke hit him for an effortless straight six, and when Swann came on another fine drive, this time for four, brought Clarke his half-century.

North, patient against the seamers, started to play freely against the spinners and when Clarke pulled Flintoff powerly to the midwicket fence Australia moved into the lead.

At tea the Aussies were sitting very prettily indeed on 458-4, with Clarke on 70 and North on 50, but just three overs and five runs later the rain came down.

It took nearly two hours to get the players back out again, whereupon Clarke punched an exquisite back-foot drive off Flintoff to the extra-cover boundary.

Six overs were played under the Cardiff lights – it was the first time a Test match in Britain had been artificially lit – and while North continued to accumulate tidily, England had the consolation of removing a very dangerous-looking Clarke.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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Coolness the key, says Strauss

July 7th, 2009 | No Comments

• Strauss stresses test of courage and technique
• England expected to play Panesar and Swann

Andrew Strauss has emphasised to England the importance of staying calm as his team seek to start their Ashes campaign positively in the first Test in Cardiff.

“The key to the series is how you handle those pressure moments and there are going to be plenty of them,” said Strauss, who will captain England in an Ashes Test for the first time tomorrow. “That’s going to be a bit of a test of character and a bit of a test of courage and technique. You have to be prepared for that and be mentally switched on enough to come through that, come out the other side and then apply the pressure on the opposition.”

Four years ago Strauss, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen all made important contributions to the series triumph and England will rely on their experience again. There could be up to five players in England’s starting line-up – Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad and Graham Onions – who are yet to taste the unique atmosphere of the Ashes but Strauss insisted: “I’m very happy with the characters we’ve got in our side.

“All 11 of them have shown before that they can handle those situations. An Ashes series is slightly different and we’ve only got probably half our team that have played in an Ashes series before. But the guys that have come in have an opportunity to show they can do it in an Ashes series and I’ve got very few concerns in my own head that there are any weak links and that’s encouraging.”

England were due to train at Sophia Gardens for the final time this morning before they assess their options for the opening Test, but they are expected to go into the match with two spinners, Swann and Monty Panesar, leaving Onions out of the team.

England will wait until tomorrow morning before finalising their XI for the match in Cardiff, although they have reduced their squad to 12 by releasing Warwickshire batsman Ian Bell.

Fielding two spinners remains a possibility and Strauss spoke favourably of the Graeme Swann-Monty Panesar combination but wet weather in south Wales leaves the door open for Durham paceman Graham Onions.

“Two spinners gives you more balance,” Strauss admitted. “They can attack both left and right-handers differently and that will be an option for us.”

Unlike Australia, who will be without Brett Lee after his rib injury ruled him out of the opening Test, England have a clean bill of health.

“The guys are chomping at the bit to get out there and play now,” added Strauss. “There’s been a big build-up, but everything’s going exactly according to plan.

“The guys are all pretty confident and very excited about the prospect of going out there and representing their country in an Ashes series, which is a pretty big thing for any England cricketer.”

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Flintoff in trouble after missing bus

June 30th, 2009 | No Comments

• ‘He’s aware he stuffed up,’ says England captain
• Hugh Morris refuses to deny whether drinking was involved

Andrew Flintoff, whose post-Ashes celebrations in 2005 are remembered as vividly as his heroic deeds in the series itself, has been disciplined after missing England’s team bus at the weekend.

Flintoff, on his return to the squad almost five months after playing his last Test, attended a team dinner on Friday but failed to turn up for the 8.10 coach the next morning during the players’ weekend in Flanders to visit world war one sites. He failed to make the journey to the trenches near Ypres, an embarrassing oversight in view of the sensitive nature of the trip. “He’s very aware he’s stuffed up,” said the England captain, Andrew Strauss.

Hugh Morris, managing director of the England team, initially described the incident as “an alarm clock issue”. Later, though, he refused to deny that the incident was alcohol-related. When asked whether Flintoff had been drinking, he replied: “The issue is that he missed the bus on Saturday morning and that the issue has been dealt with.”

Earlier Strauss, said: “We had a team dinner the night before and alcohol wasn’t banned.” Asked specifically about Flintoff’s relationship with drink, he added: “I don’t know. That’s something for him to answer. I think it is something he has been working very hard on. I think he generally recognises when is the time to drink and the time not to drink; it is important career-wise he stays on the right side of that and the vast majority of the time I think he has done. As he has got older I think he has become increasingly aware when is the right and wrong time to drink.

“He’s very aware he’s stuffed up. He’s taken it on the chin and apologised sincerely. In fact, punctuality has been a bit of an issue recently with a few players, so it’s something we’re trying to iron out and we have taken steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Fred accepts he made a mistake, the appropriate action has been taken and we move forward.”

Flintoff, 31, was warned about his drinking during the last Ashes series, in 2006-07, when he was captain. He turned up for one practice session in Sydney looking the worse for wear. Most infamously, he was dropped for a game and stripped of the vice-captaincy after capsizing a pedalo in St Lucia following a defeat by New Zealand. Strauss added: “We don’t want to go into exactly what mechanisms we have in place because it is something internal. I think he knows he mustn’t do it again and as I said other players have been letting it slip in that respect and they know it is not acceptable going forward.”

The Australians acted quickly and more drastically when their star all-rounder, Andrew Symonds, was sent home after breaching team guidelines.

To add to the embarrassment of the England team and management, another player forgot his passport prior to the recent trip to Belgium. But for many people, the Ashes series next week will mark the return of Pedalo Man.

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