CRICKET:By no means were England at their best with bat or ball yesterday. Another lower-order collapse, held together only by some sterling stuff from Andrew Flintoff, was followed by shoddy bowling that let the Australian batsmen romp along at their customary four runs and more per over. So far so dismal. It was a surprise, then, and yet another indication that in cricket it is always wise to expect the unexpected, that in spite of everything it was England who by the close of a second day interrupted by the weather held the upper hand, if precariously.
How much of this has been down to the distraction of all the hoopla about the impending retirements of Australian greats is hard to say. But it is not likely to lessen over the remaining days. Perhaps, beneath the overwhelming desire to ensure a whitewash, they had been so certain England were a spent force that they had taken their eyes off the ball. If complacency takes over from total confidence, only a short journey, then any sportsperson at the top level will be found out.
Whatever the reason, it was England who left the sunlit field feeling in the ascendant with Australia 188 for four in reply to England's 291. A further wicket would have sealed the day for them, and indeed it almost came from some reckless cricket from Andrew Symonds in the final over, a bit of machismo against Monty Panesar that, had the ball skewed to a fielder on the off side instead of coming safely to ground there, would have had precipitated an inquiry into his state of mind. The season of goodwill clearly has not yet passed entirely. Instead Symonds, a centurion from Melbourne, finished on 22 and he and Mike Hussey, with 37, were left to resume their fifth-wicket stand, which has already produced 33.
Still, there were promising signs that, too late as it may be, Steve Harmison is finally starting to show the sort of form England needed in Brisbane at the start of the campaign rather than in Melbourne and Sydney with the series gone. At the MCG, as Australia galloped away, he was the one bowler who held things in check and now, after an indifferent spell from the Paddington End which somehow produced the wicket of Matthew Hayden he discovered his rhythm from the Randwick End and with it the pace and bounce that make him such a fearsome proposition.
Michael Clarke had no answer on the back foot, forcing and conceding the edge for his pains. Harmison, coming to the boil slowly, may yet have an impact on the series.
By the time Hayden departed, England, in the person of James Anderson, accorded the new ball yesterday along with the captain, had already seen the back of Justin Langer, who had got the innings rolling in exuberant fashion.
How odd the role reversal of this superb opening pair: the clumping strokemaker Hayden retreating into self-denial, as if entering a monastery; Langer throwing the bat with the abandon of a prisoner on day release.
Langer can consider himself unfortunate to have received among much dross a delivery which, in attempting to work it behind square on the leg side, he succeeded only in helping round the corner into the hands of Chris Read. The tentative nature of Anderson's early overs show how hard it is for a bowler without competitive overs behind him to step up and play a match of such intensity.
The contribution he made later was inestimable, however, for Ricky Ponting had positively crackled with intent as he made his way to the crease and proceeded to play with such fluency and certainty for the next 90 minutes for his 45 that his first century of 2007 seemed less a probability than a certainty. His shot to mid-on from Panesar was crisply struck, too firm perhaps, and too late he realised Anderson had attacked the ball hard and well. The throw was direct and took middle stump with Ponting a foot short of the crease.
There had been a predictability to how the England innings folded against the second new ball in the morning session, for the Australian bowling, especially that of Glenn McGrath, had been so demanding that the visitors had done well to squeeze into the second day with only four wickets down.
As it was, Brett Lee came hard at England from the off, having Collingwood dropped at slip by Langer in his first over, one of three catches that Langer was to drop in the innings, but later ripping out Read in undignified fashion and then brushing Sajid Mahmood aside first ball, as if he was a fruit fly.
Earlier, Collingwood had become the latest batsman to find the nagging length and line of McGrath and the movement he gets from the pitch too much, the edge giving Adam Gilchrist one of five catches in the innings.
Of the 50 runs added for the last five wickets after Collingwood's dismissal Flintoff made 39. He can still play a bit.
Guardian Service
