Australia Come Good

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

A Great Day for Australia. A Bad Day for Cricket.

 

August 2^nd

 

[09:00 CEST] Yesterday I asked the real Australia to stand up and pointed out the similarities to the 1988/89 Ashes series, which England won 5-1, but not before Australia came roaring back into a series that looked dead and buried with a big win in the 3^rd Test. The bad news for Australia in that series was that, having built a position of strength in the 4^th Test with a substantial first innings lead, that should have seen them level the series at 2-2, they proceeded to suffer a massive second innings collapse that let England back in. If you are an Australian you may prefer to ignore such omens.

Before discussing yesterday, it is as well to remember that people looked at the first day of both Tests so far, jumped to a lot of conclusions and then watched as Test and series failed to unfold as they had concluded that it should. You should never judge a Test until both sides have batted and, sometimes, as in Adelaide 2006, not even then do reality and punditry coincide.

One thing though is clear: this was just the day that Australia needed and the day that England fans knew had to happen sooner or later. At 129-3, shortly after lunch, Australia seemed in danger of slipping to an inadequate first innings total… again. That they did not was down to two factors: Aussie grit and a huge slice of luck.

It has been distressingly obvious during the first two Tests that the umpires in this series have been having a poor series. It does not help that the ICC has almost no choice. Of the elite panel of twelve umpires, eight are English or Australian and this excluded from standing in the series. There is also the increasing suspicion that the scrutiny of DRS is affecting the decision making of the umpires in this series. Unfortunately, DRS had the sort of day that is turning even its most fervent advocates against it.

By the end of the day it was evident that something was seriously wrong with the set-up of the technology. Snicko was showing signals when the ball was nowhere near bat, pad or stumps and the camera showed it flying through empty air. Even when Snicko showed an obvious sound from something – correctly synchronised or not – HotSpot was showing no mark. If you were the third umpire you had little to help you and plenty to muddy the waters. What is the third umpire supposed to do when there is a review, he can hear a loud sound – on one occasion loud enough that the radio commentators could hear it over their effects microphone – yet HotSpot shows nothing and Snicko only registers a sound a metre after passing the bat?

In such a situation there were going to be winners and losers. Usman Khawaja was, most definitely, a loser: his bat was nowhere near the ball, yet he was given out and, somehow, the third umpire decided that there was no conclusive evidence to overrule the decision. In contrast. Steve Smith was out three times before reaching 25, most notoriously when Broad trapped him in front with a ball that would have hit middle stump half way up: that England could not review it was down to two previous escapes, one when Hawkeye showed that the ball would have hit fractionally (perhaps 2-3mm) off centre of leg stump, making it an umpire’s call and another when there was a loud sound as the ball passed the edge, but Hotspot showed nothing and Snicko showed a clear signal with the ball well past the bat in no man’s land.

To his credit, Smith took his luck in both hands and made it count for 70 not out, accompanying Michael Clarke to a deserved century. The partnership is worth 174 so far and has put Australia into a position where they are getting close to the point of not being able to lose. The new ball has come and gone and this morning, its remaining shine is England’s last chance to get back into this match.

After Shane Watson had thrown away yet another start and Khawaja’s innings was ended prematurely, Rogers, knowing that he was getting close to the last chance saloon in the current Australian revolving door selection policy made 84. Rogers was unfortunate to fall victim to the distraction caused by constant hold-ups due to movement behind the bowler’s arm. However, he has now made his place safe for the time being with a wonderful attacking knock. Michael Clarke though showed the skill and application that shows why people quote the phrase “form is temporary, class is permanent”.

England know that this was definitely a pitch where losing the toss would be a huge disadvantage. There was some big turn already and there is a real danger that they could find themselves batting last in very difficult conditions. If Australia can get to 450 they know that they can apply huge pressure.