Cricket Tournaments

Andrew Strauss

The tied game at Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy Staudim on Sunday between India and England left both teams with more questions than answers. Like in their opening encounter, both India and England struggled with the ball as well as in the field. And if not for their superlative batting efforts, neither team would have had much to take away from this game. And so, it was probably fair that two teams struggling to ball and field well were involved in a tied encounter. It was really difficult to figure out who was worse. What this game has done is make both teams realise that it won’t be enough to put up a mammoth score on the board and relax. MS Dhoni, at the post match conference, said that he was confident they would defend the big score their batsmen had put up. However, following this shoddy performance it is clear that will far from be the case.

If not for Zaheer Khan, India might well have been left licking their wounds. And had that happened it would have been extremely difficult for India to recover from the setback as the game would have drained them mentally more than physically. They could have recovered in the latter aspect considering the long gap between matches. However, the scars of that defeat would have remained in the minds. This is why the Indian left-arm seamer’s inspirational spell was so very crucial. This is not the first time Zaheer has pulled India out of trouble and won’t be the last. But to do so when all seemed lost and that too on the biggest scale only reiterates his standing as one of the great Indian bowlers. Following Zaheer’s spell India were back as favourites to clinch the game. However, all credit to England’s lower order batsmen, whose big hits ensured the match ended even-stevens. In the end, it was a fair result.

As with a match so closely contested, there were a number of memorable performances. But, on a pitch where bowlers were being butchered left right and centre, it was England medium pacer Tim Bresnan’s five-wicket spell that stood out. Not only did Bresnan bowl straight, but he also mixed up deliveries cleverly, making it extremely difficult to get him away. True, his wickets were aided by the fact that the batsmen were going on an all out attack. Yet, he deserves all the credit for the manner in which he bowled, and that too at a time when there was no pressure at all on the Indian midde-order, following the excellent start they were off too. At the end of the day, it was Bresnan’s effort that ensured England had the momentum going into the second innings of the match. And even though India had managed to put up a mammoth score, Bresnan’s bowling gave them confidence that they could compete with India. Until then, they were clearly on the back foot. But post Bresnan’s magic, the Englishmen’s belief had changed, and it was evident in the way they came out to chase.

Andrew Strauss was absolutely immaculate in the way he planned the chase. Not only did he find the gaps with ease, but ensured that there was at least a boundary every over while he was at the crease. This meant that India never managed to build any pressure on the batsmen at all. Dhoni looked totally clueless as Strauss went about his merry ways. The most striking aspect of his ‘best’ knock, which he himself acknowledged, was that the England captain kept his side up with the required rate without taking any risks. And this something which should worry Dhoni no end. As the Indian skipper himself admitted at the end of the game, if they can’t defend Sunday’s score they soon they will find themselves in a highly precarious situation. And while Strauss was flawless, he got excellent support from a couple of others. Kevin Pietersen once again came good opening the innings which augurs very well for England as the tournament progresses. Pietersen looked in no trouble at all as he and Strauss got England off to a flyer. They were finding the gaps with such ease that Dhoni’s field placings went for a toss very early in the innings.

If the opening stand gave England a solid foot start, it was Strauss’ partnership with Ian Bell that gave England the confidence and, more importantly, the platform that they could achieve what seemed the undoable. While Strauss kept a cool head throughout the chase, Bell took off any pressure there would have been on the England skipper following the early exit of Johanthan Trott. Among the best players of spin in the England team, Bell made sure that the side did not miss the services of Eoin Morgan. Bell handled Piyush Chawla and Harbhajan Singh exceedingly well. Some of the strokes he played against the leg spinner were, in particular, a treat to watch. Bell’s innings nullified whatever advantage India were supposed to have, playing the additional spinner against England, who traditionally have struggled against leg-spinners. If India managed to save some face in spite of this it was only due to Zaheer’s extraordinary comeback.

A tie would have been the last things on India’s mind (only an Australian – Shane Warne could have predicted that) when they were off to another flier courtesy Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. While the former was edgy, the latter took his time to get set. Yet, India recovered well thanks to steady partnerships between Sachin and Gautam Gambhir and later Sachin and Yuvraj Singh. Even as Sachin’s ton was the highlight of the innings — his hitting against Graeme Swann reminded one of his assault on Warne in 1998 – it was Yuvraj’s return to form with a hard-fought half-century that would have gladdened the Indian camp. However, they still have plenty to work upon. Gambhir falling to similar strokes in both matches is something that needs to be looked at closely. Further, the running between the wickets can improve, if only marginally, considering the number of slow movers in the playing eleven. Also, the lower-order batting wasn’t smart at all despite the fact that they had the license to thrill.

Both teams would be relieved in a sense not to have ended up on the losing side. However, the real challenge for them would be to figure out how to join the missing dots.

Zaheer Khan appealing for an LBW

It was India versus England. The passion for the 50-over game is back. It was a nail biter, a teeth clincher; it had blown 1.2 billion in India and billions around the world off their seats. It had the stars of the games performing to take the game to a higher level. It was a spectacle and slap on face of those who said 50 over cricket is dying. It ended with best possible result and both teams though would have wanted it in their favour but also be contented with what happened. It took them 100 overs and still no one could win, it was the first tie of the Cricket World Cup 2011.  Andrew Strauss was man of the match for his 158 of 145 balls.

Earlier in the day, India won the toss and did what they do best. India chose to bat and the fire power of Sehwag and Sachin opened the innings. Sehwag in his own uninhibited style cracked some lusty blows to the English pacemen but soon got out at 36 to Bresnan. Sachin took time to settle down and played at a very slow pace; once he got in he smashed Brits to all parts of the ground and added another crown to his Himalaya of records. Sachin eventually got out at 120 in a process to up the ante. All Indian batsmen showed their class today and is a pleasing take away for the men in blue. Gambhir and Yuvraj both got half centuries while Dhoni and Pathan chipped in with cameos. India lost momentum in the batting power play as they lost too many wickets. Once they were looking to cross 350 but had to contend with 338 all out with one ball to spare. English bowling was lacklustre to say least but Bresnan was pick of their bowlers and got a five wicket haul and gave less than five an over of his 10.

At the start of English innings, very few would have placed their money on them but the confident captain in Strauss lead from the front and played risk free, sensible cricket and played out his skin. Strauss almost literally scored one four of every over throughout the innings keeping his side close to the asking rate. Petersen started firing all cylinders from the start before he unfortunately got out to an uppish straight drive of Munaf Patel, who took a splendid catch of his own bowling. Jonathan Trott came and went quickly but Strauss never allowed Indians to build the pressure and kept the asking rate in control. Ian Bell started creaming the bowlers stylishly without taking risk but playing conventional cricket shots, he was lucky to sustain a review for an lbw which looked like a dead duck in front of the stumps. Both of them carried the ship to the 42^nd over before Strauss took a debatable decision to call the batting power play and brining the downfall of 4 wickets and arising hope for India. Zaheer Khan clinched 3 important wickets in 2 overs by sending Bell, Strauss, with a power Yorker, and Collingwood back in the pavilion. Swann, Bresnan and Sehzad hit a maximum each a piece resulting the match to tie of the last ball. Indian bowling effort was ordinary and so was the fielding.

It was a victory for the 50 over cricket and initial success script for CWC 2011. Watch out for some more fun in the matches to come.

Virender Sehwag

It’s the big Sunday at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 as hosts India take on England at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. There has been a lot of hype as well as controversy surrounding the game. How can one forget the last game India played here in the 1996 World Cup quarter final against Pakistan? Undoubtedly, the fans would be hoping for an encore on Sunday. However, the ticket fiasco, which led to the lathi charge on fans a couple of days back, was the last thing that the already under fire tournament needed. And if things need to be set straight then the two teams will have to put up a really solid showing, better than all the previous games in the tournament so far. In short, the game needs to live up to the hype.

Sehwag scare

For India to do well in the clash, they will need Virender Sehwag to be in fine form. Unfortunately, the Indian opener was hit in the ribcage during practice. And though, he is expected to be take the field for Sunday’s clash against England, India will only hope that he is cent per cent fit for the match. The kind of form he has been in, India will be mightily handicapped if he is unable to play his natural game in the match against the Englishmen.

Key Clashes

Indian top three vs England pacers

In the last two T20 World Cups, the Indian batsmen were massively bruised by the short-pitched stuff delivered by the opposition pacers. And England were one of the teams that exploited this predictable weakness to the hilt. Of course, those tournaments were held on foreign soil, where the bounce is much more pronounced. Even so, the English medium pacers would make a conscious effort to bounce out the Indian batsmen yet again. This is where the performances of Sachin Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir would be extremely essential. If they can unsettle the English pacers early on, it would give them a great advantage over their opponents. Both the Indian openers would fancy their chances considering that both Stuart Broad and James Anderson struggled against the so-called minnows Netherlands. It was an extremely inexplicable performance by the hapless pace duo, who not so long ago, were at the top of their game in the Ashes, more so from Broad, who picked up five-fors in both the warm-up games. Both Broad and Anderson will need to pick up their game by quite a few notches if they need to upset the Indian applecart at home.

Yuvraj Singh vs Graeme Swann

This clash might well decide which way the game heads. Swann is undoubtedly the best off spinner in the world today. And, even as India are rated amongst the best against the slow bowlers, the current reality is not all that healthy. Yuvraj Singh, in particular, has often struggled against spinners, and he would have it really tough against Swann. To add to his woes, he hasn’t been in the best of form either and his fitness too has been a great concern. India will need Yuvraj to rise above all his problems and perform like the man we have come to know of him over the years. When on song, the lanky left-hander can upset any opposition calculations. Even while he has been performing below par with the bat, Yuvraj has been extremely handy with the ball which means that if he can lift his game with the bat, he will be nothing short of an all-rounder for India. But with Swann in such great form, it will be a real challenge for Yuvraj.

The slog overs

England were miserable in the final overs against Netherlands and were penalised in an abysmal manner. They still managed to get home thanks to some inexperience among the Dutch bowlers in crunch situations. However, if they get it wrong against India, irreparable damage could be done. This is because in Yusuf Pathan and MS Dhoni, India have two of the most dangerous hitters in world cricket. And, on their day, they could tear apart any opposition in the world. Thus, England will have to be extremely smart in the way they handle the slog-over situation.

Pietersen vs Zaheer

The flamboyant Kevin Pietersen, shouldering the new responsibility of opening the innings, will be expected to get the team off to a flyer. However, in Zaheer Khan India have a vastly experienced bowler, who can pin him down. Depending on who wins the battle, the momentum will switch to the respective side. And in a crucial game such as this, both sides would want it to swing their way. It is extremely tough to predict a winner in this contest since both are class acts and marvel under challenging situations. Better to just wait and watch on this.

Harbhajan vs England middle-order

In recent years, Harbhajan Singh hasn’t been the match-winning Turbanator that took flight in 2001. Even so, he has adapted to his new role, that of strangulating the opposition, very smartly. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that, over the years, the Englishmen haven’t been the best players of spin bowling. And while they have improved by leaps and bounds, playing against the likes of Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann on the domestic circuit, Harbhajan would still fancy his chances of succeeding against England. The fact that Eoin Morgan, one if their better players, isn’t here would be a definite handicap for England. But the rest will need to rise up to the occasion and make up for it. In Paul Collingwood and Matt Prior, they have two very smart cricketers and, if they get settled, they can pose problems to the Indian spinners.

The final word

The analysis and recent history (India beat England in 1999 and 2003) point towards an Indian victory. However, games are not decided on numbers. India will need to back them with a solid performance while England must focus on getting their basics right and take things from there onwards.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Group B, Nagpur:  England Defeated the Netherlands by six wickets
Score: England 296-4 (48.4 overs), Netherlands 292-6 (50 overs)

Andrew Strauss

It was orange city of Nagpur, India which almost proved to be the one for the men in orange, atleast till the 45^th over of the second innings in a battle of a touted minnow Netherlands, who played like champions and England, who looked like a minnow.  However, eventually it was the Englishmen who held their nerves till the end and crossed the line with 6 wickets in hand.

Ryan ten Doeschate, a name which was only popular in the county cricket in England advertised itself at the biggest stage of the world cup 2011. The Dutch started off their campaign with Alexei Kervezee and Wesley Barresi. Netherlands got a decent start before English got their first reward with score at 36 in the 7^th over in Kervezee. The other opener fell soon after 20 odd runs were added to the tally.

Then came the man of the day, ten Doeschate in the 12^th over, who stormed England all over the park with some spanking hits over the cow corner scoring a ton and ending his innings at 119 of just 110 balls. ten Doeschate and Cooper held the innings and gave it some substance before Copper was caught by Jamie Anderson, who had a horrid day with the ball, of the bowling of Paul Collingwood. de Grooth and captain Peter Borren chipped in with cameos of 28 and 35 respectively, in quick time. Dutch finished their innings at a mammoth 292 for the loss 6 wickets in their allotted 50 overs.

English fielding and bowling was all over the place with some school grade errors. England also missed simple catches and was sloppy in the field. The highlight of the England attack was Swan, who unlike the other bowlers, was immaculate in his line and length and kept things tight and finished with 2 wickets in his 10 over spell. Stuart Broad also pitched in with a couple of wickets but was a touch expensive.

England in their reply was steady from the start with the captain leading from the front. Andrew Strauss played some delicate glances and deft touches sending the white leather to all parts of the park. On the other end was the best batsman of the England line up, Kevin Petersen, playing second fiddle to Strauss, compiling a slow 39 of 61 deliveries faced, and falling with score at 105 in the 17^th over. Strauss on the other hand was milking the Dutch attack to all sides before he was caught in the deep by Cooper of the bowling of Bukhari. Trott was brilliantly stumped by Baressi of the bowling of ten Doeschate, who later claimed Ian bell, who made 33, on the last ball of his spell. Paul Collingwood then sailed England through with all his experience while Bopara nicely supported him with his 30 of 20 balls. Although England sealed the deal today, they would want to regroup as a unit and work on their fielding and mediocre bowling. ten Doeschate was judged man of the match for his exemplary performance with bat and ball.

England was looking to wrap up this year’s Ashes after a comprehensive display in the Second test match, which saw them reign supreme over Australia. However, the Australians had something different in store for them in the Fourth test match played at Headingley, Leeds. An excellent all round display saw the Aussies triumph over the Englishmen by outplaying them in all aspects of the game. The match lasted for just three days as the Aussies won by an innings and 80 runs to tie the series before the last test match.

England started the day one of the test match with a comprehensive performance over Australia in their previous meetings. However, a forgetful batting display saw them tottering at 72 runs for the loss of six wickets at lunch. The Australian bowling attack ripped open the English top order as they closed out the first innings for 102 runs only. A Cook and MJ Prior where the only Englishmen to have reached the double figure mark on this eventful day as the Australian bowlers took control. PM Siddle was the chief destroyer for Australia picking up five wickets in the England innings. The Aussies began the run chase with a positive frame of mind as S Watson and R Pointing played crucial knocks of 51 and 78 runs each. Australia ended the day on 196 runs for the loss of four wickets.

Australia began day two of the test match with the intention of taking a huge lead over the Englishmen. They succeed in their ambitions as MJ Clarke and MJ North hammered the England bowlers all round the park with knocks of 93 and 110 runs. The English bowling attack lacked the edge as Australia continued piling runs to end up with massive 445 runs. This gave the Australians a lead of 334 runs to put the Englishmen on the back foot right from the start of their second innings. The Englishmen started the chase with a deficit and played cautiously to avoid any hiccups along the way.

The third day of the test match saw the same old story repeated once again as the Australian bowlers took charge of the situation. Except for the opening partnership between Strauss and Cook, the rest of the English batsman lacked the appetite to stay on the wicket and face the Aussie music. Significant knocks from Broad and Swann ensured that the Englishmen put up a decent 263 runs in the second innings of the test match. However, that was not enough as the Australians recorded a comfortable victory in the fourth test match. Hilfenhaus and Johnson were the chief destroyers for Australia as the series was tied before the start of the last test match.

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.

England's Andrew Strauss in action against Australia 2009 Ashes npower Test Series Second Test First Day

After a nail-biting first test match the Ashes Series travels to Lord’s for the Second test match between England and Australia. Some of the key factors before the start of this match include the time wasting tactics used by the Englishmen in the first test match and Andrew Flintoff’s decision to retire from test cricket after the Ashes Series. The Australians will be aware of both these factors when they taken on England in this match to get the upper hand in the series. The pre match hype if not serious will play a key role in the outcome of this match as neither team will take each other lightly.

The Australians will know that they had England pinned right on the mat and missed securing victory by a narrow margin in Cardiff. They might go into the match a little disappointed with England happy to be on level terms. Only time will tell if these factors play a key role in the match. The conditions on field are excellent for the bowlers from both the teams as the wicket at Lord’s will offer the required pace and bounce. However, Lord’s has been a special place for the Aussies since the Englishmen have never got the better of them in this venue for the last 75 years of the Ashes series. Perhaps it is time to add a new chapter to the history of Lord’s this time round or will it be the same story as heard often while going through the pages of history.

Lord’s might be the venue where the English captain Andrew Strauss can get a huge score after missing out in the First test match. This is the ground where Strauss plays county cricket for Middlesex, so nothing is unknown to him regarding this venue. However, the Australians should not sleep on their record in this venue. The Englishmen have not fared badly on this wicket. Strauss himself has got an average of over 50 in his last few innings on this ground. The Australians will need to show similar kind of form as in the first test match to ensure that their record remains intact in this venue. The England squad will have five bowlers with a slight concern regarding Flintoff’s knee injury. Steve Harmison is there to make the squad incase Flintoff pulls out. Graham Onions might get a look in as the wicket of Lord’s might not be suitable for two spinners. The Australians are likely to send out the same squad into the field to get the better of England this time round.

Though drawn test matches happen more frequently in Lord’s but the bowlers should be happy that this pitch has a bit of juice in it to help the bowlers. The Cardiff wicket was a nightmarish situation for the English bowlers as they did not get any kind of assistance from the wicket. Neither did the Australian batsman lower their guard. In a match held in 2005, 17 wickets tumbled on the opening day on this wicket. Therefore, one should expect a lot of lively bounce and movement for the faster men in this match.

England manage to draw the first test against Australia in Ashes Series 2009

One can simply say that it was an amazing test match that just concluded between England and Australia at Cardiff. There could not have been a more perfect beginning to the Ashes series as Australia pushed hard for victory in the first test match and England managed to hold on to salvage a draw in spite of some very ordinary bowling performance in the test match by its bowlers. The Englishmen were totally outplayed in all the departments whether it be bowling, batting, or fielding. England narrowly managed to get a draw out of this test match due to some determined and courageous batting by Paul Collingwood, James Anderson, and the English spinning wizard Monty Panesar. With this result England managed to head for the second test of the Ashes series with everything to play for in the upcoming matches.

If one looks at the closing stages of the test match then it was a huge task for both Monty Panesar and James Anderson to save the game for England. However, both these English knights showed enough courage and determination to hold fort in the final overs of the day and help England escape with a draw. Both these players played solid cricket to stop the Aussie bowlers from getting the last wicket, thereby denying Australia victory in the first test match. Panesar saw off 35 balls and Anderson saw off 53 balls in the closing stages of the match to make sure that England could snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat staring right into their face. In this course of time England tried out various tactics by calling the 12th man and Physio on several occasions to make sure that the game slowed down. However, it was grit and determination of the last pair that saw England sail through to salvage this draw.

England started the first innings of the match by handing over the advantage to the Australian bowlers as they were reduced to 97 for 3 at lunch on the first day. However, some solid batting performances from thereon by Kevin Pietersen (52 runs) and Paul Collingwood (50 runs) ensured that England were going smoothly till the final session of the day. Australia struck back in the final session of day one to reduce England to 336 for 7 with just the tail left in the England first innings. The second day started off well as Graham Swann and James Anderson played with a positive frame of mind to ensure that the English tail wagged a little longer so that England could put a decent first innings score of 435 runs on board.

However, the best part of the match had ended for the Englishmen as the Australians took control. The match from Day 2 afternoon session onwards till Day 5 afternoon session belonged to the Aussies as they outplayed the Englishmen in all departments of the game. The Australian batsman butchered the English bowler as they hit them to all parts of the ground. There was arrogance in the way the Aussies played and scored runs freely as the English bowlers toiled hard to get them out. Without any major contributions from the spinning duo of Panesar and Swann, the English pace attack looked toothless on an excellent batting strip laid out in Cardiff.

The Australian batsman dictated terms to the English bowlers and showed their batsman the way to get big scores in test matches as they pilled up a huge total. The major contributions came from Katich, Pointing, North, Clarke, and Haddin as the Aussie run machine feasted on the lackluster English bowling attack.  The Aussie captain was simply outstanding in the match as he scored 150 runs to ensure that the Australians did not need to bat again. Notable contributions from Katich (122 runs), Clarke (83 runs), North (125 runs) and Haddin (121 runs) ensured that the Australians put up a mammoth 674 runs in the first innings before declaring on Day 4 with an overall lead of 239 runs. The Australian bowlers were warmed up to hit form in the second innings as the English batsman faltered on Day 5 of the test match. Had it not been for Collingwood, Panesar and Anderson, it would have been a sure shot victory for the Australians. However, the end result is that both the teams are tied at 0-0 for the series and would hope to turn the tables in the next test match.