Ashes 2017/18: 2nd Test, Day 5 - The Bowlers Save Steve Smith’s Embarrassment

 

Ashes 2017/18: 2^nd Test, Day 5

The Bowlers Save Steve Smith’s Embarrassment

December 11^th 2017

Here we go again. Probably the turning point of the 2^nd Test was the fall of Dawid Malan just before the Close of the 4^th Day. At that point the Australians were visibly cracking under the strain. Smith himself has admitted that he needed a sleeping pill to rest that night because even he started to have horrible imaginings of England escaping from a seemingly impossible position after 8 sessions of the Test and getting the win that they so desperately needed.

At 169-3, just before the Close on Day 4, England were almost half way to their target and almost cruising.  Pat Cummins produced a wicket from nothing and, in just 30 balls, England went from a position of comfort to 177-6 and on the point of defeat. In his first two overs of Day 5, Josh Hazlewood kicked open the door that Pat Cummins had burst off its hinges. You thought that if England could see off the first hour and remove the shine from the new ball, Australia could really start to sweat. With the fall of Joe Root and Chris Woakes within twenty minutes, all that was left was a rearguard operation and, to be honest, it was never going to happen once the Australian bowlers had their tails up. Whatever Steve Smith is paying his bowlers, it is probably not enough because, this time, they really have saved his bacon when the chips were down.

It was the story of the series so far. All the wonderful work of the previous day completely wasted in thirty minutes of surrender. Each time England have got level, they have been unable to sustain the effort for the extra hour that might have made all the difference.

What have been two, close-fought Tests against surprisingly well-matched sides, have ended up being one-sided wins. Australia are 2-0 up. And with a Test at Perth to come, there is no confidence at all that England will not surrender the Ashes in under three days of the 3^rd Test.

England have shown that they can compete. The Australians have shown that they are nowhere near the 2013/14 side in talent and far from as good as they like to think that they are. Unfortunately, that is still too good for England unless they can start to believe in their own ability and put in a complete Test rather than a half good, half bad performance.