Cricket Tournaments

Ashes 2010 – Test 1 Day 1

Ashes - 2010 - Peter Siddle lead the Australian's off the field after leaving the English in dire straits.

With the Ashes underway, the Australians and Englishmen have nothing more important and rightly so. As the teams began training early in the morning one wondered would happen once the English team walked down the dressing room to defend the urn and look to win it after nearly two decades in Australia. As far as the home team is concerned, the Australian’s had a lot more at stake.
When I say that I mean, a loss for the English would account for far lesser repercussions in comparison to what stick the Australians would be offered. Ricky Ponting has a lot to look forward to as the Australian cricket team is about to set foot into perhaps the toughest phase the team has come across in the last 20 years.

After the national teams had their preverbial national anthem done with, it was all set for the action to begin. Andrew Strauss won the toss and the English decided to bat first in what looked to be a belter of a wicket. As it turned out, the wicket was slow with some spungy bounce up at offer. Australia had what they could describe as a perfect start as Strauss cut straight to gully of the 3rd ball of the test match leaving Trott who was playing his first test down under, to face the music. Trott was naturally aggressive throughout his brief knock before Shane Watson did for him in his first over. Trott was fortunate earlier as he edged one to Haddin with no one really appealing. The Umpiring Decision Review System was used for the first time in an Ashes series and Jonathan Trott was the first under the scanner.

Kevin Pietersen was greeted with a huge round of boos as he walked in. He looked pretty comfortable against the seamers and unexpectedly against the left arm orthodox of debutant Xavier Doherty as well.

It was pretty much even-stevens at lunch with the Poms having fought back after the Australians dismissed Strauss and Trott earlier. Ponting came up with a master class after lunch as he unleashed Peter Siddle who was playing a test match after 10 months. Siddle struck immediately with 2 huge wickets of Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood in quick succession. Alistair Cook and Ian bell looked to steady the ship and took England to a steady position of 172-4 at the tea break. The Australians had missed their chance with Doherty having dropped Cook at point or so at least the English thought. However, that was not to be and the Australians came back stronger in the last session of the day with Peter Siddle ripping the heart out of the lower middle order with a Hat trick leaving the visitors in dire straits. This was only the eleventh hat trick by an Australian in test match history. Siddle first got Cook edging then Prior bowled and Broad trapped right in front of the wickets. The visitors were soon bundled out for a mere 260 with the Australians ending at 25 for no loss at the end of the day’s play.

The Ashes result could determine Ricky Ponting’s future as captain of Australia. Ponting by his own admission hasn’t been in the best of form. Things need to turn around and the Gabba is the place for him to do it.

Peter Siddle stole the limelight but one must not forget the inform Andrew Strauss was dismissed by Hilfenhaus. Doherty had a decent debut and the Australians looked a professional outfit like always. Looking ahead, having put in the hard yards, Australia must see of the new ball and ensure they get a huge lead in order to have their noses in front. How the home side plays Graeme Swann will be the key as his counterpart, inexperienced Doherty seemed to extract a lot from the wicket. Ricky Ponting would have to set the trend as he has done on so many previous occasions getting into the series. There’s a fair few things been said about Ponting and his play against the short ball and the off spinners. The visitors are sure to try both and you wouldn’t put it past Ponting to come up on top.

Nevertheless, an enthralling day lies ahead and one wouldn’t be surprised if the match sways towards the Poms tomorrow knowing what these two teams are capable of.

Monty Panesar

The selection of paceman Chris Tremlett and Monty Panesar for the upcoming Ashes series in Australia may surprise a few, but it must be viewed as a fair reward for consistent performances at the domestic level by both. Tremlett had a wonderful time with Surrey this season, capturing 48 wickets at just a tad over 20.18. On the other hand, Panesar scalped 52 wickets for Sussex at an impressive average of just over 25. Also, both have achieved success at the international level previously, which would stand them in good stead in such a big series, which England are expected to win for a change. True it can be said that Ajmal Shahzad and Adil Rashid were unfortunate to miss out to the two. However, the decisions seem to be in the best interest of the team.

Tremlett’s inclusion must have been made easier considering the fact that with his height and pace he could trouble the Australian batsman in seaming conditions. Of course, that is only if he gets a chance. The starting spots are already reserved for James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn. There might have been question marks over Bresnan’s place. However, his all-round prowess means, he retains his place. Also, it would be interesting to see how far the predictions on Finn’s success down under prove to be correct.

Apart from the abovementioned couple of surprises, there were not too many other revelations. The rest of the players pretty much pick themselves. It is good to see Steve Davies retained in the squad as the reserve wicket-keeper. He has done well enough to warrant that spot and could be utilized to give some well-deserved rest to Matt Prior, who has truly come of age lately. Amongst the others, Kevin Pietersen has retained his place despite his wretched form in the last year. The swashbuckling batsman needs to get his bearings right very soon, and what better setting that the Ashes where he announced himself on the big stage with a series-winning hundred during the historic summer of 2005.

Skipper Andrew Strauss also has fond memories of the Ashes, having played a major hand in both of England’s triumphs in the last five years. However, it has to be remembered that both the wins came at home, and that in between they were blanked 5-0 under the raw leadership of Andrew Flintoff. This series is expected to be a lot more closely fought and rightly so since England have a genuinely strong side.

In Strauss, they have a no-nonsense leader, who has handled the team professionally in a crisis situation on more than one occasion, the series against Pakistan being the latest. Then, there are likes of Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan, who have come up exceedingly well under pressure in the last year. A lot would be expected of the inspiring duo during this Ashes. Former captain Paul Collingwood has been having a rough time of it with the bat. Even so, one can be assured of his tenacity every time he goes out to bat. And finally, as has been the norm in English cricket in the last year, how Graeme Swann performs will go a long way in determining the result of the Ashes.

All said and done, a fascinating contest is on the cards since Australia are still among the best, if not the best.

Andrew Strauss

England’s victory in the second ODI against Pakistan lifted them to the No.2 spot in the one-day international ranking. Whether they stay up for there for long is another matter altogether, but for a team considered as perennial underachievers, this is quite a high. Having said that their steady climb shouldn’t surprise any cricket loyalist since this team had left behind the baggage of the 90s — when they were publicly mortified time and again for underperforming — and renewed itself in recent times. With West Indies showing no signs of improvement and Bangladesh and Zimbabwe still languishing at the bottom of the pool, England’s resurgence should see a rise in the number of competitive games.

The most significant change for the English side has come at the top of the pecking order. With two wise men as captain and coach in the form of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower, the team is in safe hands for a start. And so the turbulent phase that preceded it during the Pietersen-Moores era must be viewed as a blessing in disguise. Both Andrew and Andy are no-nonsense men, a quality evident in their approach to the game, which is slowly but surely gripping the other members of the side as well.

Things haven’t come easy for either Strauss or Flower, which is all the more reason why they are so resolute to their cause. Till a couple of seasons back the England skipper was unsure of his place in the squad. But, he has risen like a Phoenix from the Ashes and now commands the respect of most. Until very recently, the left-hander’s slot in the ODI side too was under question. There were doubts as to whether he would indeed be a part of the World Cup squad. However, Strauss has more than answered his critics, with two match-winning hundreds in three games. His play may not be ideally suited to the shorter format, but the improvements he has made in his game have been proficient.

On the other hand, Flower would have been desperate for something competitive following his county stint, which wouldn’t have presented him with much of a challenge as compared to his international experience. As so, ever since taking over the reigns of England coach, he has looked every inch the proper man for the task. What further binds Strauss and Flower is the fact that they have similar approaches, both to the game and as individuals – that of keeping it basic and simple. And this work ethic has been rewarded by some memorable victories in recent times.

Also unlike Pietersen, Strauss isn’t a charismatic figure and so the others also get their fair share of limelight. This is not to say that the former was a bad captain. However, things can work both ways. In England’s, they needed a steady hand to guide them and, other than Paul Collingwood, he was the best man for the job. Pietersen could lead from the front, but his flamboyance was fraught with risks, which has culminated in him being left out of the side.

Even as the Strauss-Flower partnership has had a major hand in the resurgence of England, there have been a number of others who have played their part too – be it Eoin Morgan as the finisher in the middle, James Anderson as the strike bowler or Jonathan Trott as the calming influence at the top. On current form, this bunch of united men led by Strauss-Flower seems destined for great things. Of course, their biggest test is yet to come – The Ashes. Until then, let them enjoy the winning feeling.

England celebrates their win

The second Test at Manchester promised to provide great entertainment after the outcome of the first Test at Lords. England was expected to win, and they did. However, the victory was very tricky for England as it had to overcome some very solid batting by Bangladesh in both the innings.

Hence, this test was a good chance for England to show that they were the same dangerous side which won the Ashes last summer at home, and would go on to defend it in Australia this year.

Under sunny conditions, Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to bat first on a slow pitch. Strauss and his opening partner, Alastair Cook gave England a good start. Cook was not amongst the runs, after his exploits as captain in Bangladesh in March.

He looked settled, until Strauss got out to a good delivery by the young Shaiful Islam, giving a regulation catch to a waiting Imrul Kayes at third slip. The score was 44/1 when the double-centurion of the last Test, Jonathan Trott came out to bat. However, it wasn’t long until Shaiful came up with another peach of a delivery which angled into Trott and bowled him comprehensively.

Why wasn’t Shaiful picked for the Lords Test? This must have been the question in every Bangladeshi fan’s mind, after the wicket of Trott. Kevin Pietersen, at No.4, joined Cook. Both of them wanted to build a huge partnership, but were prevented from doing so thanks to Cook falling to spinner Abdur Razzak, off his very first ball of the series.

At lunch, England was tottering at 92/3 with wickets belonging to the two changes that Shakib al Hasan had brought into the team for the Test. Could this session have an impact on the course of the match? It didn’t prove to be, as England showed that winning a session doesn’t necessarily mean that a team has the momentum to do well later in a Test match.

Kevin Pietersen was batting like a free bird, especially attacking the left-arm spinners. He scored 64 runs off just 81 balls, until it was Shakib al Hasan who got him out again!

A very rash shot ended Pietersen’s innings and England were in a Catch-22 situation at 153/4 when the 1-Test old Eoin Morgan came out to bat. It was a good opportunity for him to prove his worth as a Test player.

Morgan took the responsibility to attack, while Bell was quietly at the other end scoring runs by taking the ones and twos time and again. At tea, Bell reached his fifty and he looked to score a lot more.

Morgan was dismissed by an erratic Shahadat Hossain, giving him his first wicket of the match. However, that didn’t stop Bell as he had an able partner in Matt Prior. The duo batted right till the end of the first day putting England in a much better position at 275/5 in 83 overs.

One of the highlights of the second day was Ian Bell reaching a well-deserved hundred. Prior also made a half-century, which was crucial for England to build a challenging first-innings total. However, England suffered a setback with the wicket of Bell, leaving England at 399/7 at lunch.

The last three wickets fell quickly as England were bowled out for 416, just after lunch. The Bangladeshi skipper ended once again as his team’s best bowler with figures of 5/121 in 37.3 overs which included four maidens. Shakib al Hasan’s proved that the Old Trafford was a spinner’s paradise.

In 2006, Muttiah Muralitharan took 10 wickets in the match to lead Sri Lanka to a win against England. In 2008, Daniel Vettori picked five wickets in the first innings, although England went on to win. So it was a good sign for spinners to have a good game altogether.

Tamim Iqbal in my book, is definitely a prime candidate for winning the ICC’s Emerging Player of the Year award this year. And his 108 runs off just 114 balls is justification of my belief. A strike rate of 94.73 only goes to show the mess that he got England into, and what a Sehwag-like impact he can make.

He is proving to be an asset for Bangladesh and his growing maturity was shown even as wickets fell at the other end, with Swann doing good business with the old ball.

The next highest score was 36, by his opening partner Imrul Kayes! Bangladesh were cruising at 126/0, until it was time to watch the Swann show. Quick wickets of Junaid Siddique and Jahurul Islam alongwith Anderson picking Tamim Iqbal reduced Bangladesh to a treacherous 169/4, when Shakib joined Mohammad Ashraful at the crease.

Bangladesh’s two best batsmen also struggled as Shakib fell to Swann’s brilliant flighted delivery outside the off-stump, giving Swann his fourth wicket of the match. Ashraful became the young Ajmal Shahzad’s first Test victim, leaving Bangladesh at 200/6.

From here on, there is nothing much for Bangladeshi fans to even watch, let alone rejoice. Swann ended the Bangladeshi innings in style, with a five-wicket haul as Bangladesh was all out for 216 at the end of the second days play.

It was proved that Swann is extremely effective on a turning track as he went wicketless on a much grassier Lords surface. So Swann would have to improve a lot as Australia isn’t too far away. He needs to recreate the magic that he had displayed in South Africa, if England has to do well to retain the Ashes and rise in the ICC Test rankings.

However, the match was not over by any means even as the end was hasty. Bangladesh was trailing by 203 runs in the first innings, very similar to the situation they were in at Lords.

Strauss had no hesitation in asking Bangladesh to bat again. It was a good chance for Bangladesh to bat better as they would be rejuvenated enough after a demoralizing second day.

However, England’s bowlers were much fresher than Bangladesh’s batsmen because cloudy skies dominated the start of the third day’s play. England took full advantage of the poor weather conditions as they showed that they are very much the dangerous home team that they traditionally have been.

Bangladesh’s second innings was dominated by the English pace duo of James Anderson and Steven Finn. Tamim Iqbal, who had so far scored 266 runs in 3 innings in the series so far, fell of the second ball of the innings to a short-pitched ball from Anderson. Anderson was at his best, as he picked Iqbal both the times in the match.

It didn’t take long for Kayes, Siddique and Jahurul Islam to fall as Bangladesh were left reeling at 21/4 in 8 overs only. Ashraful tried to put up a fight but was dismissed on 14, giving Anderson his third wicket of the innings. The other formalities were completed by the rest of the crop, especially Finn who picked up another five-wicket haul in the series.

Mahmudullah delayed the inevitable by scoring a sedate 38, but these individual performances haven’t allowed Bangladesh to play as a team. And the result was a loss to Bangladesh by an innings and 80 runs. It just took one session for Bangladesh to be bowled out on Day 3.

Shakib al Hasan had every right to be disappointed with the batting, which failed miserably in swinging conditions. The team could be consoled with Tamim Iqbal’s performances which won him the man of the series award. Andrew Strauss was a happier man and rated this victory a lot higher than that at Lords, for obvious reasons.

England have also benefited with Steven Finn sharing the man-of-the-series award with Iqbal for picking 15 wickets in the series. It is good to see Finn coming off age and he could be the next Harmison for England, with the build that he has. However there are still concerns for the team. They need to enhance their game in such a way that they are unbeatable.

Under cloudy skies, England are unbeatable but in sunny conditions, the same cannot be said. Australia would have hard, bouncy pitches and sunny conditions.

The bowling, in particular has to be worked upon as if Bangladesh can win sessions easily, why can’t teams like Australia do so? And if the immediate future is concerned, why can’t a new-look Pakistan team look to win a Test series in England for the first time since 1992?

Post achieving Test status over a decade back, there has been a significant improvement in Bangladesh’s cricket. However, following yet another Test defeat, the latest against England at Lord’s, one is forced to believe that they still have miles to go before being seen as a force to reckon with at an international level.

The major issue with Bangladesh’s cricket has been their inept bowling, which was exposed once again. While the spinners can come in handy on home pitches, the bowling doesn’t really make much of an impression when they go abroad.

And, this one area the Asian minnows would really have to work hard upon in the years to come, if they aim to be consistent in the longer version of the game. In both the innings at Lord’s, the English batsmen looked in no trouble at all, and eventually romped home to victory, which should worry Bangladesh no end.

Of course, when a side amasses 700 plus, they must have played some exceptional cricket. Jonathan Trott’s double hundred was a classic Test match innings, and the Bangladesh batsmen can learn a lot from his knock.

In contrast, Andrew Strauss’ trouble-free half-century in the second innings only reaffirmed what the opposition’s weak link was.

Bangladesh’s bowling effort stuck out like a sore thumb more so since their batting was equally praiseworthy. Tamim Iqbal, in particular, registered an outstanding century, which clearly frustrated the English bowlers.

There were moments when Iqbal looked in total command of the innings and literally toyed with a bowling, which was more than decent by international standards. Again, like their bowling, Bangladesh have plenty of scope for improvement in their batting.

When the conditions were bright and sunny, Bangladesh’s batsmen were on top, but when the sun hid behind the clouds they were miserable, which was primarily responsible for their loss. Their batsmen thus need to be physically as well as mentally tough to cope with varying situations.

Despite the impressive eight-wicket victory margin, England also had their share of troubles amidst the glory, not least of was their inability of make an impression on the batsmen when there wasn’t must assistance from the pitch. If they can be torn apart by an average side like Bangladesh, imagine the havoc that Australia can cause on batsman-friendly pitches.

This should be a strong cause of worry for Andrew Strauss and his men as they head into the second Test. The think-tank of Andy Flower and co need to sit down and analyze how they can improve on this aspect in the coming games.

Graeme Swann had an off game, failing to pick up a single wicket. But, one shouldn’t read too much into it as there was hardly anything on offer for the spinners, as the pacers made merry.

Among the positives for the home team, there were quite a few, expectedly considering the opposition was Bangladesh. Even so, Steven Finn’s nine-wicket effort on debut has to rated as a top-notch performance.

Demonstrating a Glenn McGrath-like accuracy in his first Test, Finn was unplayable under cloudy conditions, an effort reminiscent of Graham Onions during his debut last year.

While he was lethal under helpful conditions, his real test would come when the circumstances get tougher, and there isn’t enough on offer from the surface. For now though, he can enjoy his moment in the sun whilst preparing for the bigger battles ahead.

England would undoubtedly take the momentum from the win into the second Test. And, while Bangladesh can pat themselves on the back for putting up a tough fight, sooner or later, they need to realize that the transition from being brave losers to becoming competitive to the extent of winning needs to take place soon.

Else, the frustration levels of not only the cricketers, but those of the country’s fans, as well as the ICC will be tested.

Kevin Petersen celebrates with his teammates

The time is ripe for Test cricket to take centre-stage after a T-20 extravaganza which involved the IPL and the World T-20. And what better advertisement can Test cricket get, than the start of the traditional English summer. The hosts, England are on a roll after winning the World T-20 in the West Indies, beating Australia emphatically in the final.

They were flawless throughout the tournament, which made many believe that the team can go the distance by winning not just the Ashes in Australia this year, but also the 50-over World Cup in the Indian subcontinent next year. Thus, England begins their preparations of the upcoming tough winter season, by facing Bangladesh at home first up in 2 Tests.

On the other hand, Bangladesh had a poor World T-20 as they were knocked out in the first round itself. And on this tour, they even lost their warm-up match against the England Lions, making their job of competing against a confident English team, even more difficult. However, Bangladesh is improving for certain and with a top-quality player like Shakib al Hasan as their captain, they stand a chance of at least a fighting draw, if not a win at Lords, where the first test is being played.

Playing at Lords in London, is a dream for any cricketer in the world. After all, it is the ‘Home of Cricket’. However, at the same time, it can build up pressure to those same excited cricketers who are looking forward to make an impact at the venue. And that exactly sums up the first day of the first Test for Bangladesh.

Shakib al Hasan won the toss and made a baffling decision to bowl first in good batting conditions. This was a perfect opportunity for England to put up a huge score against a Bangladesh side whose average age is just 22. And England did exactly that.

The skipper Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott, batting at No.3, put up a 181-run partnership for the 2nd wicket after Alastair Cook fell early for just 7 runs, being lbw to Shahadat Hossain, perhaps the spearhead of the Bangladesh attack in the absence of the experienced Mashrafe Mortaza.

Strauss didn’t look like he had taken a break for 4 months as he batted like the way he does, that too at his home ground and by far his favourite, Lords. The England captain scored 83 runs of 129 balls until he played a lackluster shot to get clean bowled of Bangladesh off-spinner Mahmudullah.

Trott hung on the other end as he saw the wickets of an in-form Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell falling. Pietersen, who won the man-of-the-tournament award in a successful World T-20 campaign, was expected to make a big score again, even if Test cricket is a different ball game.

He was looking in great touch until it was Shakib al Hasan, who once again dismissed him. It was great captaincy as he took advantage of Pietersen’s weakness against left-arm spin, which was evident in Bangladesh as well.

England was perhaps missing the ‘rested’ World T-20 winning captain, Paul Collingwood as his solidarity would have helped in the situation. But Trott continued to bat till the end of the day, scoring a brilliant 175 not out at the end of the first day’s play, his first Test hundred at Lords and the second of his career, after the Ashes-winning hundred at The Oval in the same city on his debut last year. He looked so comfortable at the crease that it was a complete contrast of his woeful batting in South Africa last season.

Trott’s batting also helped the debutant, Eoin Morgan play his natural game. Morgan wasn’t nervous on his debut at Lords and he carried his good form in the West Indies in this game. He was on the verge of getting a half-century as he was stranded on 40 not out at the end of the day with England at 362/4 in 90 overs. Bangladesh didn’t bowl exceptionally well, and it was more of the mistakes committed by the English batsman rather than the brilliance of their bowlers that got them the four wickets.

After a poor first day, the visitors had a better second day. Even as Trott completed a glorious double-hundred, Bangladesh was able to pick up wickets regularly. Morgan missed out on a half-century by adding just 4 runs from his overnight score of 40. Tim Bresnan, who is a Freddie in the making, showed that he can bat well.

Unfortunately though, he was adjudged out on 25 of a good Shahadat delivery and an exceptional catch by Junaid Siddique at first slip. Graeme Swann was in an attacking mode, like he usually is in when he bats, but it didn’t help his team much as he took a risk of the bowling of Shakib, giving the skipper his second wicket.

By then, Bangladesh was confident enough to bowl out England as Trott too departed after an outstanding 226, batting for nearly 11 hours. And they did so successfully as Shahadat Hossain as his name was ready to be put up on the famous Lords honours board for picking up five wickets in an innings, in the process being the first Bangladeshi player to achieve this feat. It was a decent comeback from Bangladesh but there was more to come.

Bangladesh’s openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes must have been told by their skipper to go out hard at the English bowlers. And that’s exactly what they did. James Anderson, by far England’s top pace bowler, was rusty on his return. He didn’t play a single game in the World T-20 in the West Indies.

This cost England dearly as his bowling made Andrew Strauss run out of ideas. England were also missing Graham Onions, who is out for three months due to a knee injury and has been the ideal for opening the bowling with Anderson in Tests over the last year or so. Stuart Broad has been rested, and arguably he is England’s in-form bowler at the moment.

Hence England’s bowling attack in this match lacks the potency which was so much in abundance as seen in the Ashes series and in South Africa last season. However, these can’t be excuses as Tamim Iqbal batted really well and was set for a huge score until he went for a risky single and was run out by Kevin Pietersen for a quick-fire 55 runs of just 62 balls. The first-wicket partnership itself was of 88, and Iqbal was supported well by Kayes who scored a well-deserved 43.

At the end of the second day’s play, both the openers fell, leaving both a confident Junaid Siddique, who also scored a fifty and a sedate Jaharul Islam unbeaten at the crease with the score being a surprising 172/2 in 53 overs. If the weather doesn’t play truant in the next three days of the test, this could turn out to be a cracking contest.

Something which even the most ardent Bangladeshi supporter wouldn’t have hoped for against England in England after a disappointing series the last time around, in 2005!

Graeme Smith’s statement that, with a little bit of luck and better application, they could have won the Test series against England 3-1 is a fair assessment. However, it wouldn’t also be wrong to say that the visitors battled mighty hard to save the two Tests and as such the end result 1-1 can be seen as a rather just one.

The series will, in particular, be remembered for Graham Onions’ two-match saving efforts with the bat, wherein he played out the final over of the game in a composed manner to peeve the Proteas. It epitomized the English fightback, though they collapsed in the final Test.

South Africa had just one atrocious innings with the bat, and it pretty much cost them a series victory. However, one still has to credit them for the way they fought back in the final Test and demolished the Englishmen. Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn bowled splendidly and the batting was led admirably by skipper Smith. Even with an in-form batting line-up, England could do little and Andrew Strauss had to end up sharing the series trophy with Graeme Smith.

Throughout the four Tests, there were exceptional performances from either sides. Graeme Swann was without an iota of doubt the star of the series from the English point of view. Rarely have spinners done well in South Africa and rarely have England produced quality spinners in recent years.

But, Swann is different and his success story on this tour is ample proof of it. An off-spinner in the traditional mould, his capability of beating the batsman in the flight was a sight for cricket lovers, who are fans of the aesthetic components of the game.

Add to it, the valuable contributions he made with the willow throughout the series, which benefited England in a major way and you have a sureshot match-winner. If the visitors still struggled in the bowling department, it was because the others like James Anderson and Graeme Swann weren’t as consistently effective.

England did rediscover a few batting heroes though, none bigger that Paul Collingwood. He was the man who stood between South Africa and victory in thorn and flesh. Not the most artistic of players. Collingwood did his job of staying at the crease for long durations, blocking deliveries using all his batting resources.

It was his undying efforts that went a long way in ensuring that England saved two Tests. Ian Bell was another grafter who rose to the occasion, with a match-winning hundred and a match-saving half-century in consecutive Tests. Opener Alastair Cook also made vital contributions at different points in the series.

South Africa, on the other hand, owe a lot to Steyn and Morkel, who won them the final Test. That said, the contributions of Mark Boucher as both keeper and batsman as well as those of Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis cannot be overlooked. The captain Smith himself showed the team the way forward in crunch situations. At the end of the day, it was only just that the teams shared the spoils.

Stuart Broad of England takes a catch of Australia's Simon Katich in 2009 Ashes npower Test Series Second Test Second Day

England dominated day 2 of the second NPower Ashes Test match, with a strong bowling performance that has left them well placed with Australia needing 79 runs to avoid the follow on with only two first innings wickets in hand.

Andrew Strauss failed to add to his overnight score – and England as a team didn’t look like adding many more after losing 3 wickets in three consecutive overs. A near half century partnership from no 10 and 11 James Anderson and Graham Onions saw England move well past 400.

After that the day was England’s. Poor batting cost the tourists dear, and England will move into day 3 well on top with the possibility of winning their first Ashes test at Lords since 1934.

Strauss’ resistance didn’t last much longer into day two, bowled leaving a ball off Ben Hilfenhaus – not adding to his overnight score of 161. Graham Swann came and went in the blink of an eye – edging the ball straight to Ricky Ponting in the slips, the Australian captain taking the easiest catch you’re ever going to see in the slips, Siddle picking up his second wicket of the innings.

As if things couldn’t get any worse for England – they did. After previously edging a ball just past the stumps, Broad then chopped on the following ball – England had lost 3 wickets in 3 overs, and were now in danger of not making 400 – despite Andrew Strauss targeting a “minimum” of 450 on the eve of Day 2.

England’s innings wasn’t over yet though, James Anderson partnered by Graham Onions frustrated the Australian attack, passing the 400 mark with a relative amount of ease. Mitchell Johnson’s boundary problems weren’t confined to day 1 either – Anderson striking him for successive fours. The partnership fell just shy of 50 – but it was much needed after a disastrous start to day 2 for England, all out for 425.

England got off to the best possible start, after previously crashing Anderson to the cover boundary – Phillip Hughes gloved the ball off an attempted hook to keeper Matt Prior. England’s start got even better when Ponting inside edged the ball onto his pad, that carried to Andrew Strauss in the slips – Australia slipping to 10/2. Ponting was unhappy with the decision, the bat appear to hit the boot – rather than the ball. However, hawkeye suggested that the ball would’ve been crashing into leg stump – the wrong method to the right decision.

Australia survived the rest of the morning session, and a 4 over stint after lunch before a short burst of rain came. Another short burst of overs was followed by another shower. The teams came back out again at 3:40pm. Australia’s Simon Katich and Michael Hussey worked on building Australia’s score. Although Hussey can count himself lucky that a mis-timed hook shot landed wide at deep backward square. Australia entered tea on 87/2.

After a slow period after tea, Simon Katich miss-pulled Graham Onions to fine leg, Stuart Broad running around took a superb diving catch to dismiss the Australian – Katich falling two short of a half century.

Andrew Flintoff removed Michael Hussey with a 95 mph delivery that Hussey left, the ball did very little – maybe bouncing a little less than Mr Cricket was expecting – but nonetheless – a superb delivery – Hussey going for 51. England’s day got better when – the following ball – Michael Clarke flicked a delivery from James Anderson to Alastair Cook at short mid wicket. With that, both batsmen at the crease hadn’t faced the ball.

And things went from bad – to worse, for the tourists. Marcus North chopping James Anderson onto his stumps, Australia floundering at 139/6. A procession became a rout when Mitchell Johnson hooked Stuart Broad down to Alastair Cook at deep backward square.

Another one – this time Haddin. Australia still needing 78 to avoid the follow on, Brad Haddin pulling the ball to mid wicket. The floodlights – causing shadows – we enough for the umpires to offer the batsmen the light, and Australia naturally took it.

The visitors end day two in deep trouble, the first three overs of the day aside – its been all England. An ill-disciplined batting performance has left their tail needing to do some serious work on just saving the follow on. England will look to skittle Australia out tomorrow, and then hammer home their advantage with possibly enforcing the follow on.