The Ashes Blog

England: 8/246
Australia: 8/152 (D/L target was 186)

Well, England’s tour has finished on a high with a 34 run victory over the Australians in Sydney. The local boys bowled OK and fielded brilliantly, and Glenn McGrath’s one day international career in Australia finished with a wicket off his final ball, just like he did in the Sydney Test. Unfortunately, when it came time for the Aussies to bat the combination of rain interruptions and some beautiful swing bowling from Liam Plunkett was too much to handle. It’s always tough batting second at the SCG, and England’s bowlers didn’t make it any easier by bowling some pretty good lines to the Australians under ideal conditions. Rain swept through all evening, and the storms caused some pretty severe damage around the state. But the real damage was done out on the field by Paul Collingwood … again. (I know, it’s a pretty cheesy quote, but it just had to be said.)

So, the Australians have now lost three games in a row to England, and look to be just a shadow of the team they were a few weeks ago. Where did it all go wrong? Did the loss of Andrew Symonds and the constant team changes have a negative effect on the team? Have they been training too hard for their own good? Or has England simply stepped up a level, thus showing the Australians to be just an ordinary side that has been lucky enough to face poor opposition?

Glenn McGrath won’t be playing any international cricket after the World Cup, but his recent form has been less than impressive and there is some talk that a guy like Stuart Clark might be a more suitable option for the contest in the Caribbean:

“I just don’t think you can fit Stuey and Glenn in the same squad. I might be tempted to go for Stuey.
Shaun Tait has to be in there – he’s lethal and can rip through the tailenders. I’d have Stuey and Shaun in there together and, if that happens, you can’t fit in Glenn.”
- Michael Slater

On the day that Glenn McGrath dropped a crucial catch and went wicketless, Stuart Clark took a hat trick for New South Wales and finished the innings with 8 for 58.

Perhaps McGrath will turn it all around in the 2nd Final against England today, as he often performs at his best when it’s really needed. The Australians were badly hurt by the loss on Friday night, so in today’s second final I’m expecting to see a turn around as significant as we saw after the Ashes loss in 2005. Australia should be at their dominant best, but then again …

England: 147
Australia: 0/46
Australia wins by 10 wickets

It is finished. Australia has won the Ashes in the most convincing fashion possible, with a 5-0 rout of what really is a pretty decent England team.

I previously mentioned the need for KP to bat through to the end of the England innings. Well, he lasted 3 balls, and with England’s leading batsman back in the pavilion, the match was all but over. Chris Read looked out of his depth, scoring just the one boundary before being beautifully caught by Ponting in the slips.

Harmison and Anderson delayed the inevitable with some solid defensive work, but a lead of just 45 was never going to provide a challenge for the opposition. Appropriately, it was Glenn McGrath who took the 10th wicket with his final ball in Test match cricket.

When the Australians came out to bat, the England team admirably formed a guard of honour for the retiring Langer. Ironically, the English bowling to the Australians in the second innings was amongst the finest we’ve seen all summer. Anderson and Harmison were bowling well, and Hayden and Langer had to tread carefully to avoid some good line and length stuff. They survived, and the emotion of the occasion was almost becoming too much for Langer. With 7 runs needed, he asked Haydos for a quick finish. His good mate obliged, hitting a mammoth six over mid-on to bring the scores level. The two batsmen had another brief chat in the middle of the pitch, with the Queenslander perhaps asking the retiring Langer if he would like to hit the winning runs. Langer obviously wasn’t too fussed, as Hayden flicked the next ball for four and Australia had won by 10 wickets.

For Ponting, this was a significant and emotional time:

“Even when we took the last wicket, to think that would be the last time we’d be walking off with Glenn and Shane …
I was hoping to get a chance to bat with Lang. To realise that was the last opportunity I was going to have, it’s a pretty emotional time.

I grabbed hold of Michael Clarke on the way around the ground and had a word about the next era. For the next few years, hopefully it’s he and I and Michael Hussey being able to be the leaders and win games for our country.

I told him to sit back and have a look around. It’s 80-something years since its happened and it’s a moment we should all savour.”
- Ricky Ponting

1. Australia regains the Ashes
It was only 15 months ago that England was celebrating, but the Aussies took just 1 ball from Steve Harmison to get the Ashes back.

2. England’s injuries
Several of England’s top players were injured during the year, including Michael Vaughan, Simon Jones, Freddie Flintoff, Ashley Giles, and James Anderson. In a double blow for England, Giles and Anderson recovered in time for the first Test in Brisbane.

3. Shane Warne bags 700
The world’s greatest leg spinner finally made it to 700. He also took his 700th wicket.

4. England crumble in Adelaide
The England team declared at 6 for 551 in the first innings, the entire cricket world was anticipating a draw, but mighty England managed to pull off an unlikely loss.

5. Monty Panesar takes 8 on debut
English spinning sensation Monty Panesar grabbed 8 wickets in his first Test against Australia, prompting Ian Thorpe to say that “Monty is fully Sikh!”
(Local Aussie humour … click here for an explanation, or just move on to the next one.)

6. Australia wins 10 out 10
In stark contrast to last year’s Ashes result, Australia won all 10 Tests this year, whilst England won just 4 out of 14 (it becomes 5 out of 14 if you include the match Darrell Hair forfeited on Pakistan’s behalf).

7. The defection of Troy
When Troy Cooley moved back to Australia, England’s bowling squad promptly fell to pieces, Australia benefited, and there was something about a big wooden horse. Or maybe that was just in the movie.

8. The blame game
Apparently England’s poor form was due to Duncan Fletcher, the ECB, the wives and girlfriends of the England players, and David Beckham. The players themselves had nothing to do with it.

9. The end of an era
Cricket legends Warne and McGrath announced their retirement from Test Match cricket, prompting wild celebrations from England fans and Stuart MacGill.

10. Australia’s one-day win at the Champions Trophy
It was only a one-dayer, but Australia’s 6 wicket win over England in October gave the Australians extra confidence, and planted the seeds of doubt in the minds of the England players, especially Mr Harmison.

Are there any other big Ashes moments that you’d like to add to this list?

England captain Andrew Flintoff won the toss for the second time this series, and as has been the norm, decided to bat first. The pitch looked a little green, but there was a fair bit of rain around, so the bowlers would find the going tough. He probably thought it would be best to get in there, and get a few runs on the board.

Things didn’t quite go to plan.

Glenn McGrath’s first delivery pitched on a good length, and then turned sideways. That obviously put some doubt into the minds of England’s players, because from then on they played tentatively to pretty much everything. The Cricinfo commentary team noted that McGrath was bowling at just 127kph, but “that’s still a pretty tidy pace for an offbreak”. Indeed.

England was eventually knocked over for just 159, and Freddie must regret winning the toss. The pitch is expected to become easier to bat on today and tomorrow, so if Australia can survive the first half hour, they might be able to establish an insurmountable lead.

England: 159
Australia: 2/48

The series is all over as far as a final result is concerned, but the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne is always special, and with the forthcoming retirements of a couple of old Aussies this one’s particularly ’shuper’ (thank you, Richie). Around 4 million fans turned up at the ‘G today, and although not quite a ground record, it certainly added a bit of atmosphere to the place.

England batted first on what turned out to be a bowlers wicket. They started off ok, although the scoring rate was dreadfully slow, chugging along at just 2 runs an over. It looked like Adelaide all over again, especially once the wickets started to fall. Warnie picked up his 700th with a ripper of a delivery to clean bowl Andrew Strauss for 50, and from there it was all Australia. Pietersen continues to impress with the bat, leaving most people wondering why he doesn’t come in at number 3 or 4. Glenn McGrath didn’t get amongst the wickets today, but his solitary dismissal of Mahmood gave him 150 wickets against England. Well done, Ooh Aah!

Chris Read came into the squad as replacement for Geraint Jones, and immediately had an impact. He made just 3 runs, but that’s, like, 300% more runs than Jones made in two innings at Perth. Someone has mentioned that the England bowlers don’t really like the new guy, so we’ll have to watch out for any signs of team disharmony over the coming days.

The Australians started off really well, but with the late dismissal of Langer and nightwatchman Lee, England were able to get some positives out of the day. If the tourists can grab a few quick ones tomorrow morning then they might be a chance. But, as seems more likely, Australia put on a bit of a run feast, then it’s pretty much all over.

Glenn McGrath, the man known for his metronomic ability with the ball, has decided to call it quits. The Sydney Test will be his 124th, and with somewhere in excess of 560 wickets, he will end his career as the most successful fast bowler in cricket history.

He started off at New South Wales in 1992/93, but I think it was the following year, when he took 4 for 17 against Queensland, that he got the attention of the national selectors. I must admit that I hadn’t really heard much about him when he debuted against New Zealand in Perth. After all, he was just another New South Welshman who, because of where he was born, was now playing for Australia. But in 1994 McGrath went to the West Indies and blew ‘em away with 17 wickets for the series, helping Australia win back the Frank Worrell Trophy from the Caribbean superstars for the first time in 16 years. Ooh, aah, a champion was born.

Since then, he has been Australia’s rock. We got to the point where we were no longer surprised if he picked up 3 wickets in the first hour of play. After all, that’s what Glenn McGrath does. It’s going to be near impossible to fill that gap, but that’s ok. Someone else can now rise up to be Australia’s premier fast bowler. Ricky Ponting is hoping that Brett Lee can do it, although I think someone like Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson or perhaps Ben Hilfenhaus, is far more likely. Lee is good, but he hasn’t really shown that he can be the leading bowler. Hopefully he can prove me wrong.

What are others saying?

“He’s a fine bowler. He’s always there and he’s always testing you. He’s always on his line and length and he’s a fantastic cricketer.”
- Andrew Flintoff

“He is the meanest of opponents, seeks to dismiss batsmen without cost, or at worst for a few runs apiece. In truth he is more accountant than murderer.

Yet he is feared because he lures batsmen into unanticipated self-examination. They walk to the crease as accomplished players and are suddenly made aware of cracks in the facade.”
- Peter Roebuck

“No Warne and no McGrath. Who will shower the opposition with verbal abuse and unplayable deliveries now?”
- Scott at The Corridor blog

Australian cricket legends Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath are to retire from Test Match cricket at the end of the fifth Test in Sydney. A formal announcement is expected from Warne today, and McGrath is set to do the same next week.

I think the two of them have timed their retirements perfectly. They have just regained the Ashes on home turf, with the prospect of a 5-0 result possible. Following the Sydney Tests, the Australians don’t play any Test Match cricket until the following November, allowing an unusually long time for the selectors, and new players, to adjust. Although one would expect the two of them to be replaced by a pair of Stuarts – Warne by Stuart MacGill, and McGrath by Stuart Clark – that period of adjustment will be a huge benefit to Australian cricket.

The retirement of these two cricketing greats will add further incentive to the Aussie dream of a 5-0 whitewash. Those two blokes will be giving their all in Melbourne and Sydney, and I’d reckon the rest of the Australian team will be doing the same. Warne and McGrath were special players, and they deserve a very special ending.

So Australia won the first Test in Brissie by scoring a lot of runs, and Glenn McGrath came in and knocked over England cheaply. Now we’re heading into the second Test, and McGrath is in doubt with a foot injury. Hmmm … haven’t we been here before? Damn that Michael J. Fox and his Delorean.

The similarities between this year and those of 2005 are obvious. If Ricky Ponting once again wins the toss and sends England in to bat, then that’s it. It’s all over. Welcome to Edgbaston … in Adelaide.

There are, however, a few differences this time. Firstly, the games are being played in Australia. Secondly, England’s bowlers were actually competitive in the first Test last year. This year, in Brisbane, they were really, really, really bad. Thirdly, the Aussie “support bowlers” look pretty good at the moment, and if Glenn McGrath is unable to play, his replacement – either Johnson or Tait – is in fantastic form.

Australia wins by 277 runs

It took just 19 overs this morning for Australia to wrap things up in Brisbane and go to a 1-0 lead (click here for the scorecard). England offered surprisingly little resistance, with Kevin Pietersen gone in the first over, Jones bowled by McGrath 7 overs later, and the rest did their bit as lower order batsmen … a few swipes, and then back to the pavilion before causing too much trouble.

Australia reviewed:
For Australia, there were plenty of positives to come out of this game. Stuart Clark’s rise continues, the batting from the top six was awesome, and Glenn McGrath showed us that he still has the magic.

On the negative side, there’s the batting of Gilchrist, the impenetrable bowling from Brett Lee, and the way in which everyone allowed things to get a little out of hand when Pietersen and Collingwood went on the attack.

England reviewed:
For England, well, at least there weren’t any major injuries. The few positives include the guts and fight shown by the middle order on the fourth day, the bowling of Flintoff, and Kevin Pietersen’s haircut (no more Skunk Boy!).

The negatives are many and obvious. Stephen Harmison’s bowling improved from utterly woeful to barely Test standard, the batting and overall captaincy shown by Flintoff, the bowling from Anderson, the batting from Strauss, the presence of Duncan Fletcher, and the absence of Troy Cooley.

What lies ahead?
Australia has a few big selection issues, but they are all good decisions. Shane Watson’s not yet ready, which helps a little, but then if they want to bring in leggie Stuart MacGill, who do they get rid of? Stuart Clark, who took 7 wickets for the match? Brett Lee, Australia’s stump-destroying speedster? It’s going to be a tough call.

England probably couldn’t play any worse than they did in Brisbane, but then we were probably saying the same thing in 2002, 1999, and beyond. England will certainly improve, but whether it will be enough to get them a win in Adelaide is difficult to tell. At this stage I’d say an Adelaide win is unlikely, but then look what happened last year! Freddie Flintoff has told his bowlers to look to Glenn McGrath for an example of bowling perfection, and his batsmen have to show a bit of the determination shown by Collingwood and ‘Hollywood’. Harmy will need to get back to his best, and I just can’t see that happening, and Ashley Giles will need Panesar to keep him company, at the expense of James Anderson.

I know Flintoff is using 2005 as a source of hope, but the circumstances are quite different. If England are still lapping up past successes then they will need to quickly move on. Facing Australia in 2006 is a very, very different scenario.