Ashes 2017/18: 4th Test Day - Whinging Australians Struggle To Come To Terms With Not Winning

 

Ashes 2017/18: 4^th Test Day 4

Whinging Australians Struggle To Come To Terms With Not Winning

December 29^th 2017

I had enjoyed these last two days *so* much. Bat on. Farm strike. Aim for 180 lead?

Not a bit of it! Jimmy Anderson lasted just one ball. On a day of depressing squelches, it was but one more. Rain and Australian negativity combined to produce one of the most tedious days of the series and, as it became increasingly obvious that a 5-0 result was going out of the window, the Australian media decided to liven things up their own way, by accusing England of cheating. Simple reasoning: we cannot be losing by fair means, thus we are losing by foul. Jimmy Anderson smooths down a loose piece of leather on the shiny side to help the swing and all hell breaks loose.

It is not as if the media even gave the whole story. We then heard that England had been cautioned for throwing the ball in on the bounce to roughen it up. What was not reported was that the umpires had also spoken to Steve Smith about the Australians also doing it. It seems that the same action is only sharp practice when convenient.

Australia’s go-slow means that they are still a fair way behind with two good wickets down. If either Warner or Smith were to go early on Day 5 the Australians could well start sweating. However, what is genuinely a flat pitch that is getting slower and slower seems to be killing chances of a result.

In the absence of anything of any real interest on the field of play, a couple of numbers caught my eye. It is interesting that, despite all the stick that he has got, all lot of it from England fans, both Stuart Broad's  bowling and batting averages against Australia are actually better than his career averages, even if only by small amount. It does rather tend to give the lie to the suggestion that he does not perform regularly against the old enemy. Wouldn't he just love to be a match-winner for England on the 5^th day.

A better weather forecast and an extra eight overs will help to force a result, but the basic time equation is that England will have to bowl out Australia in about 65 overs in the day if they are to win. Someone is going to have to bowl very well, chances need to be taken and the bowlers will need a little luck.