Ashes 2013
The Root Less Trodden
July 1st
A ghost is appearing. People are starting to whisper “1989”
and it is not hard to see where they are coming from. When Australia toured in
1989, England had won the Ashes with surprising ease at home in 1985 and then
in Australia in 1986/87 and had had much the better of the one-off Bicentennial
Test in 1988, forcing Australia to follow on in that match. All this had served
to cover-up a series of results that were ranging from poor to downright
humiliating: defeat at home to Pakistan in 1987 (including a small matter of
following-on 476 behind in the 1st Test), defeat in Pakistan and a
drawn series in New Zealand on tour in 1987/88, a 5-0 home defeat to the West
Indies in 1988, in the summer of four captains, followed by a consolation win
against Sri Lanka. All through, the one side that England were beating with
ease was Australia, inducing a false sense of well-being and security.
When the Ashes came up in 1989 England were convinced that
normal service would be resumed. With Australia 57-2 on the first morning of
the series there was no reason to believe otherwise. By lunch on Day 4 England
were comfortably placed to pass 400 and save the follow-on with something to
spare and a draw seemed assured. When England were finally all out, Australia
then proceeded to hit out to set up what was a seemingly token declaration with
a lead of 401. England we left just 5 hours to bat out for a draw. At 67-1 and
134-3 a dead afternoon seemed certain but, somehow, England contrived to fall
short even of taking the match into the last hour, losing by 210 runs. It set
the tone for the series. To be honest, the final margin of 4-0 to Australia
flattered England: it was never that close.
No one is saying that the situation of England is as bad as
it was back in 1989. Despite a disappointing eighteen months the side is a lot
better than the one that was mercilessly and ruthlessly torn apart by Graeme
Marsh, Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh, Allan Border, Terry Alderman, Merv Hughes and
Graham Lawson and is unbeaten in its last three series and its seven Tests, with
a P8, W4, D3, L1 record over those series [the equivalent record for Australia
in the same period is P10, W3, D2, L5, with a 3-0 win over Sri Lanka sandwiched
between losses to South Africa and India]. However, it is a warning that
England cannot take things lightly, nor assume that victory is going to be
theirs if they do not perform at 100%.
There is an alternative omen. That is 1985, when there was
behind the scenes instability in the Australian camp too at the start of a
tour, as well as an England captain still new to the job, who had just won in
India. In that Ashes tour Australia gave Somerset the most almighty beating in
a match before the 1st Test, with scribes pointing out that they
would enter the Test series with possibly the four fastest bowlers on either
side: Australia lost that series 3-1, finishing with two innings defeats.
Read the runes as you will…
What is certain is that Darren Lehman’s initial decisions
are finding favour with the British press, who are beginning to realise that,
suddenly, Australia have a helmsman who is making alarmingly sensible choices.
Today one fundamental one was announced: no messing around with maybe putting
David Warner straight back in to open; Chris Rogers, experienced and who has
made huge numbers of runs in England for Middlesex and Shane Watson, solid and
unspectacular, but absolutely reliable, will open in the 1st Test.
Watson may not get many centuries, but he will score 30, 40, 50 runs time and
again: if Australia do not get solid starts, it will almost certainly not be
his fault.
Back to the Essex game. At the start of play you would have
imagined that the aim was to get to 400 and declare, hopefully with either
Swann or Bresnan reaching their century. Swann fell for 94 with the score on
399, Finn went next ball (the only batsman not to make double figures),
whereupon Tim Bresnan clubbed 14 off Tom Westley’s next over, reaching his
century with a six, to bring about the declaration. If you had offered Alistair
Cook 413-9d at the Toss he would probably have accepted it, but he wouldn’t
have expected his number 8 to make the only century of that total.
At 65-1, with Essex cruising at four and a half runs per
over, a friendly pitch, England’s four-man attack a bowler short due to the
blow on the arm that Graeme Swann had received from Tymal Mills in the morning and
the Essex numbers 3, 4 & 5 all with Test experience and a point to prove, things
did not look too good. England needed someone to be a hero to avoid talk of a
crisis and up stepped Joe Root. As Finn, Bresnan and Onions rotated at one end,
winkling-out Rutherford and Bopara, Joe Root scythed through the batting at the
other end, collecting his best ever First Class bowling figures of 4-55, taking
ten off his bowling average and ending with every chance of a 5-for tomorrow. Given
that he only has only taken 10 wickets previously in his First Class career, he
could be forgiven thinking that it had to be his birthday (it wasn’t). Given
that the previously useful bowling of Bell, Pietersen and Trott is becoming
increasingly infrequently seen, having a batsmen who can deliver ten to fifteen
overs and take the occasional wicket to help out, will be a valuable weapon in
the Tests; Joe Root may be developing into just that weapon.
With Steve Finn taking a wicket off the last ball of the day
– despite Kevin Pietersen dropping a sitter, Ashes 2005-style, in his previous
over – Essex are nine down, well short of the follow-on and ripe for the taking
tomorrow. It is the scenario that most England fans would have expected,
although the route – or Root – to get there has not been the one that they
would have expected. It will be an interesting test of Alistair Cook’s
captaincy to see whether he elects batting practice in the morning, or enforces
the follow-on, as the fans would like and goes hard for the win. Winning Tests
is about finding ways to extract batsmen on friendly pitches, when your attack
is tired and things are not in your favour: tomorrow will be an excellent
opportunity to rehearse this. The alternative is to bat again, rack up an
enormous lead – because there is no point sending the batsmen out for a slog if
you feel that they need proper middle practice – and hope that there is enough
time for force a win on the final afternoon when your top seven have all batted,
had their share of middle time and, hopefully, filled their boots.
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