Day 3
Lord’s
18/7/09
By Andrew Starkie
Overnight details:
England 425
Strauss 161
Hilfenhaus 4/103
Australia 8/156
Hussey 51
Anderson 4/26
First session:
Play started under light clouds with Australia needing 70 runs to avoid the follow-on.
Broad opened with a handful of bouncers. Hauritz and Sidds ignored them or edged and sliced boundaries through the fortunately empty third man area. Broad looks like a public school toff, or Julian from the Famous Five (‘Come on Dick, let’s have a yummy picnic in the castle!’).
Onions, who would look at home playing the spoons in an Irish pub, replaced Anderson after forty minutes and was immediately driven through point for four by Hauritz. Two balls later he slashed outside off and was caught smartly by Collingwood at third slip. Hauritz was out for 24 and Australia was 9/169.
Australia still needed 30 to avoid the follow-on when Hilfenhaus walked to the crease. The responsibility lay with Sidds who continued to cut and hook Broad whose bottom lip started to quiver. Onions pitched up to Sidds who edged to Strauss at first slip. Sidds’ 35 is his highest Test score. Australia were all out for 215, a deficit of 210.
Perhaps to rest Freddy who didn’t bowl this morning, or maybe because he liked the look of the flattening pitch, Strauss didn’t enforce the follow-on. He and Cook strode back out under a warm sun. Strauss immediately pulled Hilfy for four and England looked set for a big day at the crease.
Punter’s patience with Johnson lasted three overs. He was cut and pulled everywhere and after Strauss swatted a full toss off his pads for another four, Sidds replaced him.
Things didn’t improve. Strauss and Cook plundered 50 from their first ten overs. England were 0/57 at Lunch and the overall lead, 267.
Tiredness crept in during the break. I had to keep busy, so I put on a load of dirty washing, cleaned the kitchen and gulped down some strong coffee.
Second session:
I settled in for the start of the middle session expecting to witness an English run feast. When Strauss flicked Sidds off his pads for four, dread filled me. Here we go, I thought.
Suddenly, funny things started happening. Hauritz came on - sore finger and all - and trapped Cook plum in front with his first ball. In his next over, he tossed one up to Strauss who edged to Clarke. Both batsmen made 32. Pietersen opened his scoring by waltzing down the pitch and lifting the off-spinner over mid-wicket.
Hilfenhaus replaced Hauritz to have a go at Pietersen who survived an LBW appeal and runout chance – all in the same ball. Hilfy twice whistled his outswinger past Pietersen’s bat. An uncontrolled off-drive caught his inside edge and almost the off-stump.
Ponting, at second slip, dropped a simple chance off Bopara. Punter looked at the ground like someone who had farted loudly in church. Sidds crouched mid-pitch with his head in his hands.
Normalcy returned when Haddin gave away four more byes.
The hour after drinks saw Australia produce their best spell of bowling for the Test. Hilfenhaus dominated Pietersen with his outswingers and even Johnson found a better line. Our fielding was sharp and pressure was maintained on the English.
England managed only fifteen runs in a ten over period.
England were edging towards Tea when Bopara pulled Johnson to mid-on and Hauritz claimed a tumbling catch. Rudi Koertzen referred to his colleague in the grandstand and Bopara was given the benefit of the doubt.
England went to Tea at 2/130 with Bopara on 19 and Pietersen 28. It had been Australia’s session, yet England’s overall lead was 340 and growing.
Third session:
Punter employed go-slow tactics after Tea. He found it necessary to speak to his bowlers – and anyone else for that matter – whenever possible in an attempt to hinder England’s momentum.
The plan worked. Bopara and turned Hauritz off his thigh pad and into Katich’s hands at short leg. He never looked comfortable and made 27 from 93 balls. Pietersen edged Sidds to Haddin on 44 from 101. England had strolled to 4/174.
Punter’s tactics worked on me as well. He obviously didn’t have sympathy for sleep deprived cricket watchers at home. The tough grind set in and I was doing it tough with about 30 overs left in the day’s play (and it was about 2am Reservoir time). I had to step outside into the cold night air to wake up.
Prior emerged with instructions and he and Collingwood lifted the scoring rate. Hauritz came in for punishment as drives and cheeky sweeps found the boundary. The 50 partnership came up in 49 balls. Prior took just 37 balls to score his half-century and looked destined for a brilliant century until, on 61, North ran him out with a direct hit from the outfield. England were 5/260.
Freddy came out to huge applause and Punter discussed his dinner plans with Johnson. I folded towels and prayed for rain. Collingwood carried on and brought up his 50 from 72 balls and the lead was 500. Party time
Things became embarrassing when Freddy got going. The field retreated and runs were easy. Our quicks were plastered everywhere. Dark clouds drew in and the umpires discussed the light. Rain stopped play as Collingwood fell for 54.
No further play was possible and the day closed with England 6/311 and with an overall lead of 521. As I fall into deliriously bed, I’m struck by the realization that only rain can save Australia’s beloved Lord’s record.
Close of play details:
England 425 and 6/311
Prior 61
Flintoff 30*
Broad 0*
Hauritz 3/80
Australia 215
Hussey 51
Anderson 4/55
Well. It's 48 overs through the highly anticipated 1st 2009 Ashes test! So far not much to write about some people think. But I believe their is a bucket load to write about. Mostly pre-match stuff e.g Hiflenhaus and Haurtiz selection over Stuart Clark. Are the selectors serious?!?! Okay credit where it is due, Hilfenhaus hasn't bowled too badly up until now, taking the pretty valuable wicket of Cook. (with immense assistance from Hussey at gully!) But he is not a test match bowler! In my opinion it's a joke he is playing, sorry Ben, but Stuart Clark should easily pull rank over an amature such as Hilfenhaus. Clark has far more experience and far more test attributes to offer as opposed to Hilfenhaus. But! Hauritz is horrible. They already have part-time spin bowlers, Clarke, North, Katich, I don't think they need Haurtiz. Something is appealing Ponting and the selectors that I obviously can't see. So with the whinging out of the way, back to the cricket! I feel England has a superior side, both experience and talent wise, but Australia has that knack to never sod off. Kevin Pietersen has the ability to take the game away from you in a heartbeat (speak of the devil just brought up his half century) and I feel he will do that. One of the Australian bowlers needs to step up and show the way and Brett Lee would of been perfect for that, had he not bruised a leg hair. Sorry side strain. Poor bugger! Anyway, cmon the Poms and cmon K.P!! BJ.
A maiden career century from Mitchell Johnson was little consolation for Australia as Paul Harris grabbed six wickets to help South Africa wrap up the third Test by an innings and 20 runs in Cape Town.
The tourists, who won the opening two matches of the three-Test series, were all out for 422 on the fourth afternoon at Newlands to lose by an innings for the first time in exactly 11 years.
Harris, the slow left-armer, was the Proteas' star man in notching his best-Test haul of six for 127, but the day undoubtedly belonged to Johnson after he slammed an unbeaten 123 in just 103 balls to help his side go down fighting.
He was given superb support from Andrew McDonald, who made 68 to share a 163-run partnership for the seventh wicket, as the visitors tried their best to make the home side bat again.
But the dismissal of the Victorian all-rounder spelt the beginning of the end, which came when Harris sent Ben Hilfenhaus on his way to hand the Australians a first innings defeat since they lost to India at Calcutta in 1998.
The day began with Ricky Ponting's men playing a game of patience, which saw them score a mere 40 runs in the morning session.
They had to wait until the sixth over of the day for their first run, which came courtesy of a fine cover drive by Michael Hussey off Makhaya Ntini for four.
Simon Katich had a real let-off in claiming his first run - Dale Steyn sent in a full delivery outside off stump that was chased after by the left-hander with the ball flying straight to Harris, who failed to hold on to a simple chance at gully.
The New South Wales batsman then brought up his half-century by walking across his stumps and swatting Albie Morkel down to the fine leg boundary for four.
But he was out for 54 not long after, playing a wide and tossed up delivery off Harris straight to JP Duminy at mid-off to end a 159-ball stay.
There was still time for another scare for the tourists, which came in the final over before lunch when Michael Clarke was given out caught behind by umpire Steve Bucknor - who was standing in his last-ever Test match.
Mark Boucher took a simple catch, but the batsman referred the decision on the grounds that he failed to get an edge on the Jacques Kallis delivery and replays revealed he was correct.
Australia headed into lunch at 142 for three.
Resuming after the break, Hussey's determined innings of 39 soon came to an end when he was surprised by a Steyn ball that kicked up off the pitch and succeeded only in finding Duminy at gully.
Brad Haddin came in with a little more intent and was handed a lifeline when he was put down in a Harris over by close fielder AB de Villiers in what was a tough chance that took the bat and pad along the way.
However, the bowler had his revenge in his next over when he tempted the Australian wicketkeeper to come down the track and attempt to lift him for four.
The ball only ended up being chipped into the air and Duminy ran back from mid-on to take a fine diving catch with Haddin gone for 18.
And Steyn then removed the last of the recognised batsmen, when he sent in a full length ball that Clarke tried to play through the covers, but the ball was played on to his stumps for 47 as the visitors reached tea at 231 for six.
But any hopes by the home side had of immediately wrapping up the Australia tail were thrown out the window by McDonald and Johnson's free-flowing stand.
The pair scored 116 runs in the first hour after tea, including raising the 50 partnership in just over nine overs.
McDonald brought up his first half-century off 56 balls when he drove Kallis for a single, which was followed by Johnson bludgeoning Morkel square of the wicket for four to raise his fourth Test fifty and third against South Africa that came from 51 balls.
The hundred partnership came from 91 balls, before Harris finally managed to put the brakes on when he claimed two wickets in two balls.
The first was that of McDonald, who was caught by the close in fielder De Villiers.
However, he was not convinced and went upstairs, with TV umpire Billy Bowden confirming his fate.
The very next ball, Harris forced Peter Siddle to try and defend and he too succumbed to the same man at silly point as the hosts sensed victory.
But Johnson, who made 96 not out in the first Test at the Wanderers, kept them waiting and brought up his maiden first-class hundred by pulling Steyn for a massive six over mid-wicket reaching his ton in just 86 balls.
In the next over though, he ran out new man Bryce McGain for a duck while attempting to retain the strike - substitute Sybrand Engelbrecht the fielder.
And with the light quickly fading, Hilfenhaus was last man out when he edged Harris to Ashwell Prince at first slip for 12 leaving South Africa to cherish a consolation victory.
Harris was the pick of the bowlers with his six wickets, while Steyn claimed three for 96.
Oracle of Delphi
Arnold
Paladin
Shan Jayaweera
KC Hill
Cibbuano
Craig Hill
Add Comments
