An Australian Win Lends Credibility To Their Narrative

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

Australia have their piece of silver

 

September 16^th

[23:00 CEST] Just over two weeks ago a brilliant individual performance earned Australia their first international win of the summer at the Ageas Bowl – the Rose Bowl to you and I. There was something singularly appropriate in the fact that another brilliant individual performance would seal the ODI series.

England paid the price for allowing 20 overs of utter mayhem when comfortably on top. It is no consolation that for 75 overs the inexperienced line up competed and was as good as Australia: those 20 overs in the middle of Australia’s innings in which Tredwell and Root went for 96 from their combined 10 overs, killed the game. With Steve Finn withdrawing before the match with a side strain and Jonathon Trott pulling out moments before the toss with a back spasm, Ravi Bopara was by far the most experienced member of England’s attack. On the radio the TMS team were prophesising doom and predicting that it would all end in tears and, for once, they were right.

Boyd Rankin, cast in the role of senior bowler, was miserly. At the other end, Chris Jordan was fast, but expensive, but did Phil Hughes for pace, suggesting that when he got it right he could be a handful. Having gone for a lot of runs – 1-28 – in his first four overs, Jordan came back in mid-innings and produced 6-0-23-2 on his return. There was enough to suggest that he could be a force in international cricket. Jordan is another product of an international heritage: he has an English grandmother and, although born in Barbados, developed his cricket at the famous Dulwich College in south London and settled in the country. When the West Indies failed to show an interest in him, he accepted a Lions invite and the rest is history. Clocking around 90mph on the speed gun, he is fast enough that he can unsettle some Australian batsmen if they decide to produce pacey pitches this winter.

There is something a little Bothamesque about Ben Stokes. First change in only the fourth ODI that he has bowled in, he was bowling to Finch and Watson as they started to flex their muscles. Rain break. Two wickets in two balls. Suddenly the match was turned on its head. Sounds familiar? He was expensive, far too expensive, but came away with 5 wickets in what was pure ITB style.

At 48-3 at the end of the tenth over England just needed one more wicket. It took 22 overs to arrive. Michael Clarke was not very mobile with his bad back, but marmalised the bowling, while Watson butchered the support bowling with such brutality that Ed Smith was predicting a total of over 400.

With Australia though a collapse is always on the cards and 211-3 at the end of the 32^nd over became a disappointing 282-6 in the 45^th and 298 all out with five balls left unused. It was the sort of total that England should have been able to chase given a decent start. After Carberry was run out by Pietersen in the previous match, it was almost predictable that Carberry would run out Pietersen. Every time England looked like getting level, wickets fell: 50-1, England doing OK; 68-4, it was all over. Morgan could not work a miracle this time but England still had Bopara and Buttler who consolidated and then, gradually accelerated. 195-5 with 12 overs to go and, suddenly, although the odds were favouring Australia still, the momentum was shifting. Both fell quickly and, again, it looked all over. It is the hope that kills and, as Stokes and Jordan hung in adding runs just fast enough to keep England in the hunt, a tiny bubble of hope started to grow again. Could England keep it up? Could they hell! Jordan and Stokes went in the space of six balls and it was “good night and thanks for the game”.

Australia have their silverware and can go home feeling that the momentum was with them in the second half of the tour. Certainly the games were closer but, with England 3-0 up in the Tests, maintaining the intensity was always going to be hard and, tradition states that the Ashes winner loses the ODIs. However, Australia desperately needed this win to support their narrative that they were unlucky to lose. As only Pietersen and Root are likely starters in the Ashes this winter, the relevance of the ODI series win is limited. For England it was more about identifying potential reserves and it looks as if Boyd Rankin has worked his way onto the tour, with Chris Jordan throwing his hat into the ring as a possible if Tim Bresnan is not fit. Whatever conclusions you take from the series, England have learnt some useful things about the abilities, capacity and relative merits of Stokes, Rankin, Tredwell and Jordan.