Identikit Cricket

Thursday 16 December 2010

Vic/Jimmy in full flow in Day 1

Perth Day 1: Australia 268 all out, England 29 for 0

England confounded my 'smart money' tip by selecting Chris Tremlett, not Tim Bresnan, to replace Stuart Broad. Possibly this was on the basis that the "better than his Dad" chant could be applied equally to him, given that his father Tim also played county cricket but never represented England. Or more likely it was because the 6' 7" (2.01m) Tremlett stands a whole foot higher than Australia's recalled opening batsman Phil Hughes and would therefore look really scary when running into bowl.

Apart from that, my prediction for the opening day of the 3rd Test proved pretty accurate. Andrew Strauss duly won an important toss and invited Australia to have first use of a bouncy pitch. I expected the Aussies to put up more of a fight this time and so it (sort of) proved. Here they took 45 minutes to lose their first three wickets compared to the 14 minutes they managed in Adelaide.

Australia in trouble again at 69 for 5

But here in Perth it got much worse before it got better. Shortly after lunch Australia slumped to 69 for 5, with the selection of Tremlett proving to be an inspired one as he contributed 3 wickets in two excellent spells. Yesterday's fielding practice also paid off, with Paul Collingwood taking an absolute blinder to catch Ponting (nothing seems to be going right for Ricky), then Strauss and later Swann snaffling sharp chances at slip.

From there things finally started to look up for Australia as usual suspects Hussey and Haddin again showed much more grit than their top order colleagues to give the home score a veneer of respectability. The surprise package was Mitchell Johnson, who batted astonishingly well to top score with 62, and the tail later wagged to good effect to drag Australia's total up to 268. England may well feel this was an opportunity missed to dismiss their opponents for under 200 but despite this the Australian score again looks below par, as emphasised by the largely untroubled progress of openers Cook and Strauss to 29 without loss by the close.

The bizarre thing is that today's play was virtually identical to the opening day at Adelaide - Australia bat first, the top order collapses, Hussey and Haddin partially recover the situation, then all out for a score which appears far too low. Even more oddly, the score today was almost exactly the same as the first day's score in Brisbane - only in reverse (England 260 all out, Australia 25-0). And there's me thinking that one of the joys of cricket is its unpredictability.

If this really is Identikit Cricket, then tomorrow's outcome should be easy to predict - a large England total which overtakes Australia's by around 80-100 runs by close of play. So that's what I'm going for. However, I still think it will be tougher going for England than in Adelaide and there will be a clatter of wickets at some point in the day.

[Original comments]

Glenn December 17, 2010 at 11:28 AM

Well, the evidence from today would suggest that lazy predictions should be avoided ;) Now, we all want to know if and how England are going to survive this one??.... and, no, we will not believe that we can muster another 2nd innings 500+ for 1!!

BJ December 17, 2010 at 1:53 PM

Indeed! Getting a bit cocky I think. Having said that Geoffrey said that Australia bowled well rather than England batted poorly. Well, if that's what Geoffrey thinks who are we to disagree?

Richard December 17, 2010 at 5:55 PM

BJ - I'm beginning to think you and Sir GB should get a room! But he is right - as usual. Glenn - How: bowl them out cheaply tomorrow (possible), then bat much better and hope Mitchell J can't be as good again (probable). If: no, not this time.

Back to the serious stuff

Wednesday 15 December 2010

The WACA at noon today

Less than 24 hours now until the start of the Third, and possibly decisive, Test match in Perth.

The possible outcomes are crystal clear: (1) If England win again, then they go 2-0 up in the series and the Ashes are retained. (2) If Australia win, then it's back to 1-1 and all to play for in Melbourne and Sydney. (3) If it's a draw, that would be a bit dull but still very much in England's favour, as the Aussies would then need to win both of the last Tests to win back the Ashes.

No wonder Ricky Ponting was talking up Australia's chances at yesterday's press conference. This could be his last chance. If England win here, he will have lost 3 out of 4 Ashes series to England as captain and one of the Barmy Army's favourite Punter taunts may well come true: "Sacked in the morning, you're getting sacked in the morning".

Down at the WACA today, the England squad again looked mean and focused as they took fielding practice very seriously in the heat of the noonday sun. By contrast, the Australian players were coming and going in dribs and drabs. Just a snapshot at a moment in time but maybe a telling one. A good smattering of England supporters were in the ground to soak up the pre-match atmosphere, among them current Perth Glory striker Robbie Fowler and famous ballroom dancer Darren Gough.

The smart money here is on Tim Bresnan to replace Stuart Broad as the one (enforced) change to England's line-up. Broad's injury is a shame in many ways, not least because his BA song was one of my favourites from Adelaide: "He's big, he's bad, he's better than his Dad*, Stuart Broad, Stuart Broad".

Wishful thinking from WACA scoreboard operators

Despite the chaos in which the Australian team and selection policies currently find themselves, I have a sneaking suspicion that they will put up a much better fight here in Perth. I also cannot see England playing quite as well as in Adelaide. I predict another low first innings score on a lively pitch on Day 1 - which makes winning the toss key

* Stuart Broad's Dad is of course Chris Broad, currently a Test match referee but formerly an England opening batsman who scored some big hundreds against Australia in the 1980s.

Of Kangaroos and Kalgoorlie

Tuesday 14 December 2010

After six days touring, I'm now back in the big city - specifically Perth, host to the Third Test starting on Thursday. Here's a brief run-down of my experiences in the meantime:

Kangaroo Island: some truly Remarkable Rocks

Kangaroo Island: Even if Oprah decided to give it a miss, a tour of this huge but unpopulated island is worth at least a day or two out of a largely city-based schedule. Approximately 3 hours by coach and ferry from the centre of Adelaide (or a very short flight), KI is easily accessible but far enough removed from mainland life to generate an inner calm as soon as you step onto its shores. As well as providing a home to some of the iconic species of Australian wildlife, the island also features some spectacular – but relatively little known – sights, such as the Remarkable Rocks and the Admiralty Arch.

Despite getting up close and personal with sea lions, seals, koalas, wallabies and an iguana during my guided tour of the island, I was beginning to think that the only kangaroo I was destined to see on Kangaroo Island would be a dead one in the middle of the road. But no – my guide Keith skilfully waited till the afternoon heat had dissipated before taking me to a deserted stretch of farmland which had been taken over by – quite literally – hundreds upon hundreds of kangaroos as far as the eye could see. Breath-taking stuff!

I stayed at the Kangaroo Island Seafront Resort at Penneshaw, a short hop from the ferry terminal. Straightforward comfortable accommodation with an ocean view, supplemented by an excellent restaurant managed by an exiled Brit called Richard, one of island's 4,500 residents. The hotel is also a stone's throw from one of the island's premier attractions – the "Little Penguins" which live on Penneshaw's beach and are best viewed after nightfall. Incidentally, their name until recently was "Fairy Penguins" but this was no longer deemed an acceptable name for modern times – now that really is political correctness gone mad.

Adelaide foothills and McLaren Vale: After returning from KI, I enjoyed a convivial weekend with Sally, Fiacre and Ronan at their home in the Adelaide foothills (thanks guys!). This included a tour of some of McLaren Vale's finest vineyards, a thoroughly agreeable way to spend a Saturday afternoon, followed by an informal neighbourhood party where I found the Adelaide people without exception warm and inviting (unlike the weather which had suddenly turned decidedly British). On the Sunday, we did a whistle stop tour of some of Adelaide's beaches. Turning off the main road towards Hallett Cove, we rather unexpectedly had to give way to a kangaroo hopping down the middle of the other carriageway, apparently on its way to a Christmas shopping outing in downtown Adelaide. If that's not quintessentially Australian, I don't know what is.

Nullarbor Plain: 2,000 kms of this view

Indian Pacific: The experience of travelling from Adelaide to Perth by train was both awe-inspiring and surreal. From the vastness of the Australian continent to the sheer desolation of the 2,000 kilometres across Nullarbor Plain, this was an unmissable travel experience. Nullarbor literally means "no tree" but in reality there was no tree, no water, no anything at all. At one point we passed a former prisoner of war camp - possibly one of a kind in that it had no fences to deter escape (the prospect of certain death on the Nullarbor Plain was deterrent enough).

Aside from several waits at a passing point to let a freight train go by in the other direction (the railway is single track only), the only two scheduled stops were at Cook and Kalgoorlie. Cook was once a thriving outback town with its own school and hospital, but today exists only to service the rail traffic – effectively a ghost town, with dire warnings issued against entering its motley collection of condemned buildings. By contrast, Kalgoorlie remains a hive of gold-mining activity despite being long past its heyday of the early 20th century. However, judging from the barmaids' outfits at one of the local hostelries, there must be a severe shortage of cotton and denim affecting the town.

Accommodation on the train ranges from "red" or economy seats (on which two nights need to be spent) to gold or platinum cabins with silver-service dining cars and lounge areas. I had the good fortune to be upgraded from a single to a double cabin all to myself. One cautionary note though – this is not a good option for anyone with the slightest hint of impatience to get to their final destination or who would rather not listen to serial life stories of elderly folk over breakfast, lunch and dinner. But overall, I would give the Indian Pacific experience a big thumbs up.

Now I have crossed half a continent to arrive in Perth, I feel ready for the comforts of a city hotel again. Since arriving I have learned that Perth is geographically closer to Singapore than it is to Sydney and that you could fit the equivalent of 13 United Kingdoms into the state of Western Australia alone. This is not a small country.

[Original comments]

Glenn December 14, 2010 at 4:59 PM

Strewth mate & that's a brief run-down!!!?? Must be that the Nullarbor Plain lived up to it's "Nullar-boring Plain" tag.... or maybe you ran into the "Nullabor Nymph" and thought you'd better write a good cover story :))

Anyway, looking forward to test match service resuming...

Richard December 15, 2010 at 12:20 AM

No worries Glenn - I'll email you the longer version - just for you!