Australia defeat England in Ashes precursor
Australia v England has been the most anticipated match of the Champion's Trophy so far. Not to see who will win the trophy - nobody cares about that. We just want to whet our appetite for the Ashes next month. And Australian fans came away satisfied as the news was all good - Australia defeated England by six wickets.
I expected England to target McGrath and wasn't disappointed. They smelt blood in the water with Gillespie in 2005 and went after him, effectively ending his Test career (Bangladesh notwithstanding). McGrath is still shaking off the cobwebs after an 18 month break, offering an ideal opportunity for the English batsmen to notch a scar or two before the Ashes. So openers Bell and Strauss went after him, starting England's innings strongly with an 80 run partnership. In the psychological game that was the real contest of the match, it was round one to England.
Things went downhill from there for England. Mitchell Johnson took early wickets including over-rated Pietersen (there, I said it). All the buzz has been about Johnson lately and his performance today didn't hurt his chances of an Ashes berth as #3 seamer (sorry Dizzy). The next act would've had Aussie fans smiling as budding all-rounder Shane Watson (aka Flintoff wannabe) struck Flintoff in the visor and the two exchanged words. A few balls later, Watson bounced Flintoff out. Round two for Australia.
Australia only need to chase 170 yet their innings started poorly. Watson and Ponting were both dismissed cheaply. The experiment of Watson as opener is not panning out as the selector's expected and Ponting's poor form is getting close to alarming proportions. Round three for England.
But ultimately it's who wins the final round that matters. Damien Martyn carried Australia's batting home and opened up a scar or two on Harmison, tonking him in both spells. Martyn looks to be cementing his #4 spot in the Test side and he ensured round four went to Australia. After all the psychobabble spewed from John Buchanan's mouth when we lose a match, Flintoff's summation after the match was refreshingly candid: "We can't take any positives from the game."
In the end though, I wouldn't put too much meaning into Australia's victory. I'm just not convinced that England really want to win the Trophy. You almost imagine they wouldn't be too upset to be eliminated early and earn an extra week's rest before the Australian tour. Nevertheless, I will take a few moments to savour this victory and hope it's a foretaste of more to come.
| Posted by JC on Sun 22 Oct |  3 comments |
"You almost imagine they wouldn't be too upset to be eliminated early and earn an extra week's rest before the Australian tour."
If this is what England is thinking like, then Ashes 2025 will be a far dream.
http://cricketmaniacs.blogspot.com
Posted by Sisya on 2006-10-22 19:54:14
If this is what England is thinking like, then Ashes 2025 will be a far dream.
http://cricketmaniacs.blogspot.com
Posted by Sisya on 2006-10-22 19:54:14
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