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171-4: 6 wickets to win.
Runs needed no longer in the equation. The balance of the game strongly and surely in England's favour.
Australia playing this out for the draw.
Having looked at the replays
of the previous wickets, Martyn's LBW was not an error, but a disaster
due to a monstrous lack of judgement from Bucknor. Obviously the ball
went the bat - pad route, even without the sounds. One of those
'oops-a-daisy-i-made-a-mistake-sorry-we-are-humans-doing-a-tough-job-Mon!!'
decisions. Atrocious.
Ponting finally getting things
together and playing a much needed and required captain's knock. A 100
if scored, should be a much satisfying and confidence and belief
boosting. These runs under pressure and , if, a draw being squeezed
out, will add a bit of belief back into the Oz.
212/5: 5 wickets to win
Close LBW shout against called
not-out by Bowden. This brought on a deluge of acidic,
charachteristically Boycott, remarks in the ears of Greig. Surely,
Greig must wish as times that Boycott teamed up with someone else. Tea
called. Just one more session to play out. Just one more session to get
5 wickets.
Last session in play:
Clarke playing positively, but
just a tad more casual than he should be. As he plays more, hope he
settles down and not play airy fairy shot like he did in 1st innings
which lost him his wicket.
Ponting on 91. Nine huge runs to his well deserved, well earned 100.
225/5; 198 to win; 5 wickets to win; 8 runs to 100
There it is. Ponting's 100. A
timely, much deserved, much needed performance from the Oz captain.
Ably, tad casually, supported by Clarke.
260/5: 5 wickets to win
Clarke gone to a brilliant
inswing. Tad too casual. The arrogance of youth. Clarke needs a few
more matches to settle into a groove where he can be judicial in the
the style he adopts to that any situation warrants.
Gillespie gone. Trying too
hard to play the the trademark Gillespie 'forward plop'. Warne in. Talk
of a rift between Ponting and Warne. Seems that has been left back in
the dressing room. The bigger fight to win, be that in a draw.
Pietersen diving totally
unnecessarily to stop a cracking four by Warne. Diving, sliding
straight into the advert boards on the boundary. So what if it is a
four. At this stage just not worth the risk of an injury.
309/7: 3 wickets to win: 17 overs to draw
Ponting going well. Warne
playing as Warne. Riding Lady luck - (he is known for his riding -
albeit off the cricket field!). Two brilliant boundaries off Giles. A
Square cut and a sweep, consecutive. Showing the top order bats a thing
or two. Need the OZ grit and determination, exemplified by Ponting and
Warne, during this particular stage of the game. Half chances which
were taken, tend to become no chances - dropped. This one by Pietersen
off Warne. Pietersen not having a good test.
The England fight losing momentum. Crown tiring. Bowlers blaming the pitch. Catches downed.
314/7: 3 wickets to win; 15overs to draw. Final hour now. Let the nail biting commence!
Warne gone. Flintoff > Warne > 2nd slip Strauss > bounces out > Jones catches one handed. Good catch.
340/8: 2 wickets to win; 54 balls to a draw
The spirit in the crowd and the players back up. Fighting.
Ponting will do the Dravid
'Wall' bit now. The door to a possible, amazing, unthinkable win surely
and firmly shut. England in the meantime, doing a West Indies bit with
4 slips, gully. Last ball of the 100th over, Lee to play it out,
got it away to slip, just short. Rooooooooar and a huge sigh of relief.
341/8: 2 wickets to win, 47 balls to draw
This has been one roller
coaster of an Ashes Test match. This is the benchmark that all other
tests played all over the globe should be measured to. One week we have
a test match which ends within 2 days - Zim v NZ - making a mockery of
the very essence of Test Cricket. The next we have the Ashes Test
matches 2 and 3 which restores all belief in Test Cricket. This surely
proves yet again, that real cricket, if fought well and hard, has to be
Test Cricket.
Australia forced out a draw
off the very last ball. But it has to be considered a magnificent win
for the Australians. The Australian grit and determination came through
again. Yet another match which went down to the wire, to the very last
ball. Nail biting, hair raising, heart thumping.
Ashes 2005. T3.
England 1 - 1 Australia
Two to go.
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Simon Jones
cleaned up the tail. Gillie did well with 26, good support to Warne,
sadly out on 90. The nature of the way Warne plays the game, deserves
him a 100! Australia just might find Warne as that elusive all rounder!
Expected Lee to do more than the solitary run. Either less application
or Jones was on fire.
123/2; 265 ahead.
Strass and Bell taking Warne on. Warne seems to be tiring. Too much
bowling on D1, without a break. Warne seems to be bowling without his
normal rhythm. Add Strauss' new found confidence and aggression, and we
have Warne, a pedestrian leg spinner. This is where McGill would have
made a difference. Into Tea 270 runs ahead. Post tea England will
probably up the ante and play a 20/20 game and get the lead up to
around 400 - 450. Australia would do well in expecting the same of
England and sharpen up the bowling and creating a bit of pressure on
the batsmen, not being able to do what they came out to do. Pressure
causes mistakes, brings wickets.
Going back to D3 - [Langer gives a bit of insight] into what some of the Aussie players did during the long rain interruption.
Langer close's his D3 report with: '..we will keep fighting as you might expect from Australia in an Ashes series.'
Gillie's bowling a lot more controlled now. Gillchrist sharper too.
Made a nice stop down the leg side, full stretch off Gillie's ball
pitching on the off. Good stop.
Strauss' performance this 2nd innings probably will seal his opening
spot for some time, providing the Oz bowlers don't get the better of
him in remaining tests.
This bowling performance by Gillespie is surely going to catalyse his
replacement in T4 and T5. 3 No-balls on the trot. Few good balls in
between run-of-the-mill-club-level bowling. Lee or McGrath needs to be
brought back. Ponting's dilemma: Destroy Gillie's belief and take him
off, bring back Lee or McGrath and tire them.
160/2: Brilliant ball by Warne. Batsman missed the leg to off spin;
Gillchrist missed it, 1st slip missed it, goes on for four. Half chance which England
converted and the Aussies have failed to convert.
McGrath brought back just as the run onslaught is about to begin. Will
the bat turn out to be better than the ball or vice versa? Probably the
bat, since McGrath is half the normal bowler. Being hit around the
park, at will and with ease. Aussies visibly shaken. Mini conferences
going on all over the ground. Gillchrist with Ponting, followed by
Warne with Ponting. Hayden with McGrath at the other end. 180/2;
322 ahead.
Warne just not getting that bit of help from lady luck. Come to think
of it, the Australian team seems to have fallen out of favour of Lady
Luck. Nothing seems to be going their way today. They, the OZ, would be
glad to see the back of this particular day and regroup for the last
time for T3. Serious thinktank sessions are due. 204/2; 345 ahead
What is a safe declaration figure? 98 overs tomorrow x 4 runs per over
= 392runs. Australia have the potential to make this figure. So a safe
pressurising total for Australia to chase would be around 5/over = 490
runs. So anything around 450 would be what England will be hoping for,
providing for individual batsmen's milestones: Strauss' 100 and Bell's
50 and/or 100.
Strauss' 100. Opening slot sealer performance. Well played. Looks even
better with Strauss' left ear all bandaged up after Lee's ball hit him
on the helmet!! Well played. 220/2; 362 ahead.
The stage of the game and the run of 'non-luck' reminds me of Alec
Stewarts shouts to the bowlers from behind the stumps when things are
not going right. 'One gets us two. C'mon. One gets two'. Getting that
ONE seems to be pretty far off for Australia right now. The OZ just
need that ONE to turn the tide of luck in their favour.
There's the ONE! Strauss gone off McGrath, holes out to Martyn. 106.
Good catch eventually. Does the tide turn now?? Peitersen comes in at a
stage and time, just right for his style and tempo of batting.
Interesting battle within a battle.
224/3: 366 ahead
There you go: ONE gets TWO. Pietersen gone. LBW 0, off McGrath.
225/4: 367 ahead.
Flintoff in. Standing about 2ft in front of the crease to McGrath.
Intention telegrahed. Bell's well deserved steady 50. Milestones
done. Flintoff on the off now, I presume. Warne>Flintoff, bat, pad,
shoot up, reaching Gillchrist fails to keep the ball in his glove.
Life. Will calm Flintoff down for an over.
226/4; 368 ahead.
The number of words I have
written about today's proceedings can only show how engrossing a day's
play this has been. This is what Test matches are about. True test of
Cricketing skills.
Bell
on 61. Does Flintoff allow Bell more of the strike to get his 100,
negating his (Flintoff's) role and purpose in pushing the score along??
Bell being given a shot at his 100. Flintoff locking one end up for
Bell to push forward. Making Freddie play his unnatural game. McGrath
sees that and as Mark Nichols says: 'That is that'!! Freddie's castle
knocked over by a well deserving McGrath. The tide of luck turned?
248/5: 390 ahead
Bell's gone. Didnt get his 100. Holed out to Katich off McGrath.
England's purpose pushed them into all these mistakes, and will make
McGrath's figures look good.
264/6: 406 ahead
McGrath to Jones: 6, 4, 6!!! England declares. A shade too few runs to declare on. Aussies playing for draw or push for a win???
280/6; 422 ahead
McGrath: 5/115, off 20.5 overs
Australia need 423 runs to win. England need 10 wickets!
423 runs, 10 wickets, ~ 98 overs, ~ 4.31/over required.
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