A mad mad mad mad day

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

Crazy Cricket

 

July 11^th

 

If you have predicted today’s action you deserve to be locked up as a sorcerer. The day started even, with England knowing that a quick breakthrough could see their disappointing innings of 215 turned into an unexpected 1^st innings lead. They did not get one, they took five wickets for nine runs after Australia had negotiated the first seven overs of the day and passed one hundred, seemingly climbing towards a position of solidity, if not superiority. At 117-9 England were surely thinking of a lead close to one hundred, but with Stuart Broad so impeded in his movement after the blow from James Pattison yesterday that he was not risked, the Australian last wicket pair first wore down the attack and then started to dismember it. Finally, it was Stuart Broad who finally removed the #11, but only after a healthy lead of 65 had been established; by that time people were wondering if, after Lunch was delayed half an hour as nine wickets were down, Tea would be similarly delayed.

Even many England fans would not have begrudged Ashton Agar the extra two runs that he needed to become the first centurion at #11. Thrilling stuff, scored at almost a run a ball and with genuine strokeplay. There were multiple “what ifs”: what if Alistair Cook had set more attacking fields (at least one edge went straight to the inexistent second slip)? What if England had had Stuart Broad fit to spell Finn and Anderson earlier? What if Steve Finn had pitched the ball up a bit instead of trying to bounce out the debutant? What if Marais Erasmus had given Agar out, stumped, on 6 to leave Australia 131 all out?

Australian fans will – and have – pointed out that England have conceded two record scores to #11 bats in little more than a year, which puts their much-vaunted attack in context. However, this begs the question of how it is that Australia came to depend on a #11 to bail them out and top score in the first place: the Australian top four contributed just 29 runs between them. The truth is that neither side can be too satisfied with events.

England had even less cause to be satisfied when, having got themselves into a mess, they suffered one of those accidents that always seem to happen to sides that have got themselves into a mess. After Joe Root got a fine deflection behind – would Nick Compton have managed more than his 30 and 5 as an opener? – Jonathon Trott was given out LBW first ball, after a review, when the umpire and batsman were convinced that there had been a large inside edge and the TV images showed a big deflection. However, in yet another episode that will (unfairly) give DRS a bad name, the side on HotSpot had no image because Sky had held over the image of the previous ball of Root’s dismissal. Having given Agar the benefit of the doubt – no one can have any real complaints because it was so close that there was doubt – Erasmus overruled Aleem Dar’s not-out decision when one could easily argue that there was as much doubt as in the Agar decision. Aleem Dar’s reaction was eloquent – he could not believe the overrule – but England should know by now that when it is not your day, rough decisions can and will happen; they should never have allowed Australia to get to 150, let alone to 280 and left themselves exposed to such a risk.

Incidents like this make people state, totally incorrectly, that they show how unreliable DRS is. It is a specious argument. DRS is far more reliable than any human umpire and far less susceptible to influence, but it needs to be used properly: unfortunately, often it is not. It is supposed to correct serious errors, not to scrutinise marginal decisions.

However, Alistair Cook and Kevin Pietersen have held firm up to the Close from a decidedly unpleasant 11-2 and, at 80-2, England are effectively 15-2 and know that if this partnership can prosper in the morning, they could turn the screw against tiring bowlers. Although the runrate was low, it was to a large degree determined by the fact that a lot of the bowling was very wide and could be left with impunity. With Graeme Swann managing big turn with the ball that bowled Haddin and Australia full of left-handers, a chase of 250 may turn into an extremely tough ask on a pitch that is beginning to deteriorate. They also know that despite the last wicket partnership, their top seven hardly filled themselves with glory in the 1^st innings.

Australia’s day, but by a very odd route.