The Ashes Blog

Kevin Pietersen has had surgery on his dodgy Achilles tendon, and is out for the rest of the 2009 Ashes series.

So we say goodbye to KP, and England will miss him greatly. Australian fans like myself, on the other hand, are delighted! We won’t miss him at all!  He’s easily England’s best, most dangerous batsman, and for him to be out for the final three Tests is a little bit of luck in an otherwise unlucky series. Granted, it is unfortunate that England can’t be at full strength, as it’s always better to defeat a side that is offering its best players. But I won’t be losing sleep over that one.

KP is to be replaced by Ian Bell, a guy who is potentially very good but who just can’t seem to get it right when he plays against Australia. Apparently he’s been in reasonable touch for his county, and he’s always looked like a very classy player, but he’s no Kevin Pietersen. However, it’ll be interesting to see how he goes.

If you’re an England fan, do you think KP’s absence will be a significant loss?

And if you’re an Australian fan, do you think this helps our chances of winning the 2009 Ashes?

Note: Original painting: “Fury of Achilles” by Coypel. Digitally altered by The Ashes Blog

Preview: Australia is going with the same squad that dominated most of the Cardiff Test. England has made just one change, with quickie Graham Onions playing in place of Monty Panesar. England could have brought in Harmison, and frankly I think they’re nuts for not playing Harmy. The Aussies are a little scared of Harmison, and that’s a big thing. Don’t underestimate the relief this gives to the Australians.

So, this should be a fascinating Test. Australia seem to have the better squad, but that doesn’t always matter.  This game will be close.

As always, I hope you enjoy these exclusive Ashes photos.

Day 1: England 364 for 6 (Strauss 161*)

A big century from Captain Strauss was the highlight on day 1 at Lord’s, and it looked like England was going to post a massive total.  I made a prediction on Twitter that they would finish the day with over 300 runs on the board for the loss of about 3 wickets, but as so often happens after a big partnership the rest of the side crumbled.

Ravi Bopara showed he could score quickly, but I think the number 3 batting position isn’t right for him, at least not at Test level. Collingwood showed that England needs to be in a hole before he can do anything useful, and Kevin Pietersen can’t shake the “lone wolf” accusations.

Day 2: Australia 156 for 8 (Anderson 4-36) trail England 425 (Strauss 161, Cook 95, Hilfenhaus 4-103) by 269 runs

All I’ve got to say is this: Australia’s batting was woeful. For further information try these links:

“No sympathy for careless Australia” – Cricinfo

“Aussies as Rick as a parrot” – The Sun

“Jittery Mitchell Johnson tests Ricky Ponting’s patience” – Times Online

So, now what?  Well, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Australia’s final three batsmen will not, I repeat – not – add another 270 runs to the scorecard. So, if Australia is dismissed for under 225, should Andrew Strauss enforce the follow-0n?  As an Aussie fan, I hope it does, as I think that’s Australia’s only chance at getting back into the game. If England bats again, they’ll completely put Australia out of the match. Which way will Straussy go?

Update on Ponting’s wicket: No wonder Ponting was surprised when he was given out. It turns out that he knew the rules of the game better than the TV umpire did:

Ponting was given out caught at second slip off the bowling of Jimmy Anderson after a long-winded process that saw umpire Rudi Koertzen refer the matter to TV umpire Nigel Llong to check whether the ball had carried.

By the time Ponting had reached the dressing room it was clear the ball had come off his pad, but the assumption was that Llong did not have the authority to overturn the decision.

Australia’s captain and best batsman knew differently and the International Cricket Council has since explained that Llong should in fact have informed Koertzen that the television replays had revealed Ponting did not hit the ball.

Rule 3.2.3 governing clean catches reads, in part: “The third umpire has to determine whether the batsman has been caught. But when reviewing the television replay(s), if it is clear to the third umpire that the batsman did not hit the ball, he shall indicate that the batsman is not out.”
- “Umpires fluff Ponting wicket”: The Age

Day 3: England 425 and 311 for 6 (Prior 61, Collingwood 54) lead Australia 215 (Hussey 51, Anderson 4-55) by 521 runs

Things just keep going wrong for the Australians. On day three at Lord’s, Ponting missed a simple opportunity to run out Kevin Pietersen, Ponting also dropped a simple catch at second slip, Hauritz was ruled to have not taken a low catch at mid-on, and Mitchell Johnson continued to bowl all over the place. Johnson’s place is definitely in doubt for the next Test. I’d love to see him return to the form he showed in South Africa, but if that doesn’t happen then I think a change in the bowling lineup would be a positive step.

In other news, according to Dean Jones Kevin Pietersen will be unavailable for the rest of this Ashes series due to problems with his Achilles heel. Apparently KP’s only just hanging in there for this game, which might explain his placid scoring in the 2nd innings. Now Deano correctly called Flintoff’s retirement, so I reckon he could be right on this one too. That’s going to be a big loss for England. With Lee possibly coming back for Australia for the next Test, and KP, we could see Australia really come back well (if they do eventually lose this Test at Lord’s).

Day 4: Australia 215 and 313 for 5 (Clarke 125*, Haddin 80*) need another 209 runs to beat England 425 and 311 for 6 dec

Five Australian wickets fell today, and three of them were not out. Now, I understand umpires can make mistakes – I spent a season working as a cricket umpire when I was younger and it’s hard work. But three big whoppers in one day is terrible. Here they are:

• Simon Katich caught in the gully, but it was a no-ball from Andrew Flintoff
• Phil Hughes caught at slip by Andrew Strauss, but it may have hit the ground as Strauss grabbed it, and the benefit of the doubt should go to the batsman
• Mike Hussey caught at slip but he didn’t actually hit the ball – there was daylight between his bat and the ball

However, Australia’s still fighting hard, and I reckon they still have a chance to pull off a remarkable victory against the odds. I for one hope they have some better luck on day five.

So, what are their chances?  Here’s my odds:

• A 50% chance that Australia will fall short by 50 to 100 runs, and England win
• A 30% chance that Australia will be 1 to 49 runs short, and England win
• A 19% chance that Australia wins
• And finally, a 1% chance of a tie.

It really is set up to be a fantastic final day at Lord’s, which is exactly what we want. Good quality cricket, with both sides in with a chance at victory. I just hope that the side that plays the better cricket actually wins, rather than the side that is the recipient of fewer mistakes by umpires Koertzen and Doctrove.

Day 5: England 425 and 311 for 6 dec beat Australia 215 and 406 (Clarke 136, Haddin 80, Johnson 63, Flintoff 5-92, Swann 4-87) by 115 runs

Congratulations to the England cricket team, who were the better side in this game. Australia lost this Test due to their poor first innings effort in the face of some brilliant James Anderson bowling, and some wayward bowling by the Australians over the first couple of days. Did those poor umpiring efforts on day 4 have an impact? Australia lost this Test by 115 runs, and three batsmen were given out when they shouldn’t have been. If Hughes, Katich and Hussey had been able to add another 39 runs each then Australia would have won. Ok, so that’s a bit of a stretch, because you don’t know what else might have happened (they could have been bowled the very next ball, after all), but it does show that Australia wasn’t all that far behind. A bit of luck, some better decision making, and this Test would have been much closer.

To sum it up, I think there are some positive signs for Australia. I think Johnson – if he gets another chance – could be about to discover his lost form.  He has been woeful at times, but with a break, a practice game, and some confidence from his 63 run innings on day 5 at Lord’s I think things might start to come together for him. He’ll need to perform well in the game against Northants to ensure his spot at Edgbaston. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Brett Lee or possibly Stuart Clark come back into the side, possibly as a replacement for Peter Siddle.

So, I expect Australia to improve significantly at Edgbaston, and to win the 3rd Test. I know, it’s a big call, but I sense a change in fortune for the tourists.

Kevin Pietersen is living on the edge. He should take 3 months off from playing cricket to allow his achilles heel injury to recover, but he’s not going to do that because he’s got an Ashes series to win. The problem, however, is that he could break down at any time. He could potentially wake up on the 3rd morning of a Test and be unable to walk down the stairs. And there’ll be no warning.

KP is England’s most dangerous batsman. He has to play, and he’s worth the risk. However, the potential is there for him to cause some serious problems for the England team should he break down at an inopportune time.

“I’m taking the best medical advice and I’m doing everything I can to be fit to face Australia.
But if my injury flares up just before a Test, I won’t be able to take part. But I promise you I will be doing everything in my power to make sure that I am OK.
I’ve got one more injection I can have before I’m not allowed any more. That would be a cortisone epidural into the spinal cord.”
- Kevin Pietersen in News Of The World

Do you think Pietersen will make it through all five Tests? Will he have to pull out unexpectedly either before or during a Test?

I’ve done a stats analysis before, at the start of the last series, so I thought I’d do one again for the 2009 Ashes.

I wanted to compare player averages to see which side was statistically more likely to win. I could just add up the batting averages for the eleven players in each side, but that doesn’t take into account the quality of the bowling of the other side. So what I’ve done is add up the batting averages for each team, and then add to that total the bowling averages for the opposition, to give me a total team score (ie. add up the batting averages for England’s eleven batsmen, and then add to that total the combined bowling average for Australia’s five bowlers). So if a side has a very good, and therefore low, bowling average then they won’t be adding too many runs to the oppositions total batting average, so it seems to me like a fair comparison. When I do this, I get the following result:

Australia: 594
England: 510

This would suggest a comfortable Australia win, with the Aussies ahead in both the batting and bowling averages.

You can also have a bit of fun with this concept. For example, a team of eleven Simon Katichs would defeat a standard England XI with Strauss, Pietersen, Flintoff and Co. Don’t believe me? I’ll show you how you can try it out for yourself, using any combination of players on both sides. Read the rest of this entry »

Kevin Pietersen has resigned as captain of the England cricket team, and the coach Peter Moores as gone as well. Clearly an act of compassion on the part of the English – as Australia transitions through a tough period, England has kindly placed themselves into a similar position of utter chaos. Good job, chaps!

This is not the first time KP’s loyalty to the team has been questioned. Back in December 2006 I put the question out there: Is KP bigger than the team?

There’s been a lot of talk in the Australian press over the past couple of days about Kevin Pietersen, and some comments by Australian coach John Buchanan:

“Pietersen certainly talks about himself as a team player and I don’t personally see any evidence of that … He’s somebody who seems to be distanced from the rest of the group.”

Where to from here? Nobody knows. KP has seemingly lost the respect of some of his fellow players and the ECB, but I would expect him to remain in the team. He’s a quality player, and England need him like Dr Who needs a Tardis. Although if things are more bumpy behind the scenes than they appear to be in public, then it might be better if he took his double sided bat and moved on … back to South Africa, or perhaps the lucrative Indian circus.

England: 4/234

Neither side can really claim victory after the first day at the SCG. England won the toss, but they lost Matthew Hoggard with a side strain. He was replaced by the once rejected James Anderson, and the Aussie batsmen were smiling.

The Australians were led out onto the field by their 3 retirees – Warne, McGrath, and Langer. McGrath bowled the first over of the day, but Strauss and Cook survived to put on their most successful opening partnership of the summer. It didn’t last long, as they were both out caught behind.

In stepped Bell and Pietersen and they put on a useful 108 run partnership. Pietersen was trying all sorts of fancy footwork as he waltzed his way down the pitch to the bowlers, and looks a strong contender for the next season of Dancing With The Stars. Perhaps he had Skyhooks on his mind, because that’s exactly what happened when he didn’t quite get onto one and a nice catch was taken by Mr Cricket at midwicket.

Ian Bell followed KP back to the pavilion a few minutes later, but then Captain Freddie came in and whacked the ball around, taking England safely through to stumps. England will be hoping for more of the same this morning, and would be disappointed with anything less than 400. It’s a pretty decent batting strip, and I reckon the locals will be confident of putting on a large total themselves, so England will need to perform well. However, the Australians will have the new ball this morning and, if Clark and McGrath can get it to move around, they might pick up a couple of early wickets and then they can have a crack at this long England tail.

There’s been a lot of talk in the Australian press over the past couple of days about Kevin Pietersen, and some comments by Australian coach John Buchanan:

“Pietersen certainly talks about himself as a team player and I don’t personally see any evidence of that …
He’s somebody who seems to be distanced from the rest of the group.”

This might just be another swipe at a struggling England team, but he does make a valid point.

Apparently KP has shown similar bigger-than-the-team tendencies whilst playing county cricket with Notts and Hampshire, and I would suggest that his much publicised defection from South Africa to England is another example of him being more concerned about himself than his team. He made the move to further himself, not because he thought it was in the best interests of South African cricket or English cricket.

To an extent, a player’s attitude shouldn’t matter all that much if, as KP is doing, they are making runs or taking wickets. Pietersen has been England’s best batsman on tour, and good on him for that. But a cricket match is all about one team competing against another, and a player should be willing to do what is best for the team, as exemplified by Paul Collingwood:

“You ask about team spirit and Colly said he would do what is best for the team. He appreciates that Kevin is a better batter.”
- Duncan Fletcher

Paul Collingwood was batting at 4, but was happy to drop down because it was best for the team. In the world of Kevin Pietersen, is he bigger than the team?

Australia: 419
England: 161
Australia wins by an innings and 99 runs

It was yet another comfortable win for the Australians, with all of the bowlers contributing in another standout performance. Brett Lee’s 4 wickets were just reward for the way he bowled … he obviously had plenty of Weet-Bix for breakfast. Stuart Clark also bowled beautifully, and together with Lee’s bag of 4, there weren’t too many left for Messrs Warne and McGrath.

For the English, Chris Read did really well behind the stumps, taking 6 catches, and making 26no with the bat. It was to be expected, after all, for once again England has brought a capable player into the side too late for him to have any positive impact on the series.

The Australian and English media have been calling for Kevin Pietersen’s elevation to number 4, and finally the England management gave in, though one wonders whether the timing was appropriate. England were struggling at 2 for 48 when ‘The Ego’ surprisingly came out to bat one spot higher than he has all summer. The experiment was allegedly KP’s suggestion, though it didn’t work out with the former South African adding just 1 run to the England total before being bowled by a delicious Stuart Clark off cutter.

Aside from that the only other real talking point was the poor umpiring from Rudi Koertzen, who seemed intent on not giving any LBW decisions for the entire match. I remember when I did a season as a professional umpire. In one game I was far too generous with my LBW dismissals, raising the finger for just about anything. The day after the game I received a call from the cricket association’s umpiring chief, who, in a very kind way, reminded me that I should be a little more judicious in my decision making. I’d reckon Rudi Koertzen might be receiving a similar phone call.

So now we head off to Sydney for the fifth Test. The Australians are red hot favourites to win the final Test in the harbour city, with England looking about as demoralised as they have all tour. We all scoffed at Glenn McGrath’s predictions that Australia would win 5-0, and now he gets the chance to prove us all wrong in his final Test.

Presents. Food. Family. Fun.

Yes, they are all a part of our Christmas celebration, one that for my wife and I has only just started. It’s our first Christmas with our little 5 month old boy, and it looks like being a fun day. It’s getting close to 7:30am, and he’s back in bed already. We’ve opened our gifts, which he smiled at, and then went back to sucking the life out of the wrapping paper. Maybe, instead of spending the big bucks on those toys, we should have just wrapped up a crumpled ball of paper and said, “Go crazy, kid.”

Later on this morning we’ll all head over to my parents-in-law for a big roast lunch, and then this evening we’ll drive out to my uncle’s acreage property almost an hour out of Brisbane. As usual, it’s going to be a hot and humid Christmas Day – 32 deg. C. with a late thunderstorm sweeping through. Still, we’ll stay inside when the rains come, and we’ll joke and laugh and eat fresh prawns and salad (an Aussie tradition).

But there’s more to it than that. Christmas is the day we give thanks for the birth of the Christ Child – the day when God came down to earth in human form. A day that changed history.

But that’s not the whole story either. Christmas is also a day of rest … before the Boxing Day Test starts up in Melbourne!! Let’s face it, mate, all this food and gift-giving is great, but it’s all just a prelude for The Big One. The Boxing Day Test. Australia v England. Shane Warne’s final Test in front of his adoring home crowd.

It may not be all that Christmas is about, but without the cricket, Christmas Day would be just another significant religious holiday.

In the Book of Matthew, Jesus Christ outlined a form of prayer that we know as The Lord’s Prayer. He said that this was a good place to start as a model for how we should pray. Here, then, is a Prayer for England:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Duncan came, his will was done,
Getting Giles and Jones in the team.
Give us this day our daily rumour about Michael Vaughan returning soon,
And lead KP not into temptation,
But deliver him from Warnie.
For Pietersen thinks he is the greatest player who has ever lived,
And Simon Jones seems to be injured for ever and ever.
Amen.