Once Again, Rain Is The Only Winner

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

Rain Saves England

 

September 12^th

 

 

[10:00 CEST] As predicted yesterday, the only winner was the weather. Just 15 overs of play were possible and, in that time, England struggled to 59-3. With predictions suggesting that the rain would clear around 1930, allowing a 20 over match to go ahead, England were in the standard nightmare situation in ODIs of knowing that even if they hammered 70 runs from their last 29 balls without losing a wicket, Australia would be left with little more than a token target to chase. The extreme shortening of a game after one side has batted, but not quite reached 20 overs, almost always favours the side batting second and, in this case, would have reduced the match to a farce. Most neutrals would probably be happy that this did not happen, although Australian fans will see this as yet another injustice in a summer where everything and everyone has conspired against them and, as a result, neither the Champions Trophy, nor the Ashes, have reflected the true level of Australian performance.

What would have happened if rain had not intervened is uncertain. Certainly, conditions were not in favour of the batsmen and this could well have resulted in a low-scoring game, which was always likely to be more in England’s favour than a match played on a benign strip on which England’s fourth and fifth bowlers would again, almost certainly be found wanting.

Eoin Morgan said that no thought had been given to changing the side, which was probably true given the conditions. The reasoning was probably that Ravi Bopara’s gentle medium pace could turn out to be a real handful in these conditions, as it has proved to be on previous occasions. Australia seemed to be suggesting something similar by dropping Fawad Ahmed to add an extra seamer although, when the rain came, Voges and Clarke were bowling their occasional slow left arm in tandem and tying the batsmen in knots.

The day started badly for England. Michael Carberry seems to have been paralysed by the decision to recall him. It is hard to see any other reason why such a talented batsman who has been in superb form all summer in on a decreasing spiral with a sequence of scores that now reads 146, 16, 10, 4, 1 in his last 5 Lions and England innings. At least there is not too much further that the sequence can go before looking up. Whether it is nerves or just a fear of failure, his failure to respond to Kevin Pietersen’s call for a sharp, but perfectly acceptable single in the first over left both batsmen at the same end made one wonder how tuned-in he was. Carberry started, stopped and only started again as Pietersen reached him. Had he continued running it was a perfectly safe single. In ODIs, rotating the strike with quick singles and pressuring the fielders by turning ones into twos is a basic factor in success, but Carberry did not seem aware that his partner had called and was bearing down on him. His three ODIs have now produced just 15 runs and he is running out of time to make the sort of telling contribution that will keep his name in the frame. His supporters will point to the score of 146 for the Lions against Bangladesh A, but that score has to be seen in the context of a series in which the Lions batsmen ran riot against weak opposition.

The series now moves on to Cardiff on Saturday with Australia needing the win to seal victory and England needing now to win both remaining games. With more bad weather forecast over the next two days, which is likely to wash out most of the County Championship fixtures, the two sides will probably be grateful just to get on the field of play and finish a match.