Wow. At last these two sides are playing out a tight match. After two days we don’t really know who’s ahead and a good finish is in prospect.
You might expect that to be the norm given the on paper abilities of the two sets of players, but over the last three Ashes series one team has tended to trounce the other in alternate displays of ruthless domination.
The day began with the suspicion that the Aussies had underperformed on day one. All their batsmen had got themselves out to poor shots and the England bowlers had simply to place the ball on a length to choke the scoring rate.
The pattern continued through the morning session. Haddin’s atrocious flat footed dabble at a rank, wide half tracker from Anderson provided an early breakthrough and the spectre of the 307 run Hussey-Haddin partnership at Brisbane was banished.
Hussey was predictably earnest but even more becalmed than usual. In combination with Smith he added 28 runs in the last 17 overs before the new ball was due. True, wickets were not coming, but the lack of runs meant the hosts never got on top.
When Collingwood came on to fiddle a couple of overs before the new ball, Hussey looked to cash in, but comically hammered four consecutive half volleys to fielders in the off side ring and then contrived to inside edge the last ball of the 80th over on to pad and the top of middle stump. It could be Collingwood’s last test wicket. It may be his most important.
Strauss instantly took the new ball. Anderson let a couple of balls hang temptingly outside the off stump. Smith and Siddle obliged by nicking off to the slips.
At 189-8 England were rampant without having bowled a single unplayable wicket taking delivery.
Thereafter things all went a bit Perth-shaped. Strauss inexplicably shoved his fielders back to the boundary, Johnson and Hilfenhaus slogged for all their worth and a potentially match winning partnership of 76 ensued. There was obviously a fair dollop of luck involved. Hilfenhaus in particular adopted an eyes closed agricultural approach, but the England bowlers stopped bowling at the stumps, failed to deliver any slower balls or yorkers and the hosts got away.
In the end a 1st innings total of 280 having won the toss is no great shakes and England’s bowlers will be happy to have dismissed the Aussies for under 300 for the 4th time in five 1st innings. But you don’t want to give the prodigiously fragile Johnson any encouragement, and his 53, top score of the innings, is the sort of contribution that routinely assists his bowling.
England’s response was frenetic. Strauss seemed determined to make amends for his flaccid captaincy in the latter stages of Australia’s innings and raced to a run a ball fifty. Johnson was nearly good, by which I mean only three balls an over would have disgraced a club 2nd XI bowler. Hilfenhaus was woeful, dropping short and being pulled for six by Strauss. Siddle was anonymous.
Then came the double breakthrough. Hilfenhaus bowled his best ball of the series, Strauss played all round it and an end was open. When Trott dragged on for a duck off Johnson the Perth style collapse was on the cards.
But Pietersen joined Cook and whilst looking likely to get out every other ball, he did begin to find his touch. It took a Johnson bouncer late in the day to induce the kind of fatal idiocy that usually accompanies KP’s demise and by then England had moved to 165. The collapse, at least, had been averted.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of the day’s play was the performance of debutant Michael Beer. He began badly, floating up a half volley which Pietersen dispatched for four, but thereafter showed decent composure and control. He induced a dismal shot from Cook which was easily caught at mid on only to discover that he’d overstepped (at least he’s learning how to fit into this Aussie bowling attack), and towards the end of the day began to get sharp-ish turn.
That alone will give great heart to Swann and England. If they can guts out the morning session and move into a lead of 80-100 Swann could be a handful later on days 3 and 4.
But Pietersen’s dismissal has put the Aussies right back in it, assisted by England’s absurd use of the nightwatchman which in effect relegates Prior to number 8 and Swann to 10. A couple of quick breakthroughs, and after all, the walking wicket Paul Collingwood is due in next, could see this game advance significantly on day three.
With the Ashes in the bag, I am a little more relaxed about this situation than I might otherwise have been, but to draw the series would be a travesty.
However it pans out, I’m expecting a seriously close finish in a tight run chase late on day four or early on day five. And we haven’t had one of those since Trent Bridge in 2005. Bring it on.