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Strauss century defies Australia

July 16th, 2009 | No Comments

Second Ashes Test, Lord’s: England v Australia
Date: 16-20 July
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

England captain Andrew Strauss believes Andrew Flintoff will play in the second Test at Lord’s starting on Thursday.

Flintoff, who is to retire from Tests after the Ashes, has knee trouble after last week’s drawn Test at Cardiff.

Asked whether Flintoff would be fit Strauss said: "The indications are that he will be. We’re hopeful."

Kevin Pietersen has overcome Achilles problems, while Australia are again without the injured Brett Lee and will delay naming their side until the toss.

Pietersen had an injection in his back before the Cardiff Test and has had another jab in his troublesome Achilles.

England called in Ian Bell as cover but are convinced Pietersen will be fit so have released the Warwickshire batsman.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting admitted Lee had not been in contention for Lord’s. "Brett didn’t train with us and that means he won’t be available for selection," he said.

Lee will step up his rehabilitation from a sore left side in the next few days and could return to the side for the third Test at Edgbaston on 30 July.

Paceman Steve Harmison will deputise for England if Flintoff misses out but may play anyway depending on the state of the pitch.

There were calls for 30-year-old Harmison to be recalled to the side after he impressed with six wickets against the Australians for the England Lions earlier this month, dismissing opener Phillip Hughes in both innings.

However, his Durham colleague Graham Onions, who took seven wickets on his debut against the West Indies at Lord’s in May, is also in the squad.

The 26-year-old would be sure to come into serious consideration if England decide as expected to dispense with either Graham Swann or Monty Panesar.

606: DEBATE
How important is Flintoff to England’s chances

Flintoff insists he will not be swayed by sentiment for his inclusion in the second Test and said: "Andrew Strauss is very supportive but I will make my decision on whether I will be fit enough to play and not because I want to play one last Test for England at Lord’s."

Strauss believes Flintoff can still play a key role for England this summer and said: "He is very much part of our strongest XI as long as he is fit.

"We’ve got every confidence he can put in some big performances with bat and ball."

Looking ahead to the Lord’s Test, the England skipper feels the team can benefit from the hard-fought draw in the tension-filled Cardiff Test.

"A lot of our individuals probably didn’t play as well as they should have done but we hope the momentum and impetus we got from getting out of jail in Cardiff will put us in good shape for Thursday."

Meanwhile, former captain Michael Vaughan expects the England bowling attack to change regardless of whether Flintoff is fit to play.

"Steve Harmison has been picked as a like-for-like replacement for Flintoff if he is not fit and Graham Onions will play for one of the spinners," Vaughan told BBC Sport.

"Monty Panesar has the best record but Graeme Swann has been great and I expect the selectors to stick with him but I wouldn’t rule out Monty at Lord’s."

England squad: AJ Strauss (capt), AN Cook (Essex), RS Bopara (Essex), KP Pietersen (Hampshire), PD Collingwood (Durham), MJ Prior (Sussex, wkt), A Flintoff (Lancashire), SCJ Broad (Nottinghamshire), GP Swann (Nottinghamshire), JM Anderson (Lancashire), MS Panesar (Northamptonshire), IR Bell (Warwickshire), G Onions (Durham), SJ Harmison (Durham)</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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Harmison called in to cover Flintoff

July 13th, 2009 | No Comments

• Harmison comes in amid concerns over Flintoff’s knee
• Monty Panesar remains in 14-man squad for Lord’s Test

England have made one change ahead of the second Ashes Test against Australia, with pace bowler Steve Harmison coming in to a 14-man squad. He is to provide cover for Andrew Flintoff, who injured his knee in Cardiff.

Monty Panesar, whose heroics with the bat drew attention away from figures of one for 115 on a spinner’s wicket, retains his place in the squad, as do Ian Bell and Graham Onions, both discarded for the first Test.

“We have added Stephen Harmison to our squad for the next Test match as Andrew Flintoff injured his right knee at Cardiff and will undergo a precautionary scan later today,” said national selector Geoff Miller.

“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 leading up to the Test match on Thursday.

“In the event of Andrew being unfit, we see Stephen as a like for like replacement in terms of the type of bowler he is and his ability to unsettle the opposition batsmen with pace and bounce.

“But we will need to consider all our options carefully when we come to determine the make-up of our bowling attack at Lord’s and the final decision will depend on our assessment of the pitch and the likely overhead conditions.”

Squad for the second Test

Andrew Strauss (capt), Middlesex; James Anderson, Lancashire; Ian Bell, Warwickshire; Ravi Bopara, Essex; Stuart Broad, Nottinghamshire; Paul Collingwood, Durham; Alastair Cook, Essex; Andrew Flintoff, Lancashire; Stephen Harmison, Durham; Graham Onions, Durham; Monty Panesar, Northamptonshire; Kevin Pietersen, Hampshire; Matt Prior, Sussex; Graeme Swann, Nottinghamshire

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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.”

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds


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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.”

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds


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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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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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Lee misses first two Ashes Tests

July 6th, 2009 | No Comments

• ‘This is a small obstacle’ says upbeat fast bowler
• ‘Huge, huge loss for Australia’ says Kevin Pietersen

Australia’s Ashes plans have been thrown into disarray less than 48 hours before the start of the series in Cardiff with the news that their fastest bowler, Brett Lee, is to miss the first Test – and in all probability the second – with a side strain.

Lee felt soreness in his left rib area following Australia’s four-day game in Worcester last week, and went for a scan this morning in Cardiff. The Cricket Australia physiotherapist, Alex Kountouris, said the scan “revealed he has a small strain in one of his abdominal muscles – the internal oblique muscle”.

“It is not as bad as it could have been, so we are going to monitor it over the next couple of weeks,” added Kountouris. Asked if Lee, 32, would be fit for next week’s second Test at Lord’s, the physio said: “He is not out but the chances are slim.”

Lee, who has not played Test cricket since December following ankle surgery, added: “This is only a small obstacle put in front of me. If it was my ankle and something of a structural thing I would be a lot more concerned.”

“Being a fast bowler, injuries are the nature of the beast and I will be working hard to look to bowl again around the two-week mark and reassess after that. For the first time in a number of years I have bowled totally pain-free in the ankle, so the surgery and rehabilitation has been a real success, which is great.

“When I first felt stiffness in my side, I thought it might have been getting back into the swing of things. I was going pretty much as hard as I could in that match last week and I suppose I had to prove to myself that I could still do it again.

“It was me showing I can get close to the 100mph mark again and take wickets, which I have done. I am proud about that. In 16 years it is only the second time I have pulled a muscle in my body, which is pretty unbelievable for a fast bowler.”

The absence of Lee, who has taken 310 wickets in 76 Tests and on Thursday touched 95mph as he ran through the England Lions top order with a superb spell of reverse swing, is a significant blow to Australia’s chances of defending the Ashes – especially after reverse swing played such a big role in England’s 2–1 series win four years ago.

The fast bowler’s absence means the tourists now have to make up their attack by choosing between the off-spinner Nathan Hauritz, who so far on this tour has been milked with embarrassing ease, and the seamer Ben Hilfenhaus, who appeared to drop out of the reckoning following second-innings figures of 11-1-70-2 during the draw with Sussex.

Lee’s outings against Sussex and the Lions had been his only non-Twenty20 appearances since the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Melbourne and it is understood he has paid the price for pushing himself too hard in those two matches.

“He’s been wanting to get back for ages in international cricket and it would be sad for him,” said Kevin Pietersen this morning. “I’m a good mate of Brett’s, and he’s a fantastic competitor, an amazing bowler. He’s fit, he’s strong and he’s a huge player for Australia, with the experience he brings and the intimidation factor. He’s the fastest bowler in the world. It’s a huge, huge loss for them if he doesn’t play.”

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