“Many of life’s failures are experienced by people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
Thomas Edison
Monthly Archives: November 2013
The Ashes: First Test Day Four Preview
If you had have told me at the start of this test that by Day 4 of this first test Australia would be in an impregnable position and the knifes would already be out for the English in their press and on social media I would have told you to go and have a long hard think about it. The fact is that no one expected either the Australians to play so well or England to allow them to play do well with their lack of form.
The equation is simple now: England has to bat for 2 days (noting that there is some inclement weather on the horizon) whilst Australia needs to take 8 wickets.
For England much rests on the shoulders of the men at the crease, Cook and Pietersen, and Bell who present as the only batters left for England who can bat for two days. The question will be whether, mentally, the batters who will be at the other end of Cook have the patience to stay with him.
For Australia today is all about executing on the plans they have for each batter just like they did on day 2. Complacency and cockiness are not traits that one associates with Darren Lehmann teams but this is a young team in some respects so there is a danger of some in the team (Warner I am looking at you) getting too far ahead of themselves. The pundits and selectors continue to have a question mark over N Lyon, bizarrely in my view, and today presents another opportunity for him to bowl Australia to victory.
Having had a bone rattling storm last night in Brisbane, players fans and pundits alike will have one eye on the radar today to track incoming inclemency which one expects is the only thing that can save the English.
It will be another fascinating day of cricket at the Gabba!
The Ashes: First Test, Day Three Talking Points
It was another brilliant day of cricket at the Gabba today, particularly if you are a fan of the men in the baggy green. Australia have, since the final session of day 1, won every session of this test match and today was another clean sweep. With two days to go, there can only be one result in this game save that the rain bucketing down on my roof may still play a role on the ultimate outcome.
Having watched, again, every minute of day 3 live (but for 15 minutes after lunch) here are my talking points arising from the day:
The English are rattled: and it is showing!
A funny thing happened midway through this day of cricket: the Poms started barking at each other. First it was Prior at the Captain. Then it was Swann at Prior (after an errant throw). Then it was Broad at Prior (after he did not move quickly to intercept a 4). From a unit united only 36 hours before hand all of a sudden the wheels were falling off. Things did not improve after Australia declared: J Trott’s display with the willow was indicative of a muddled outlook and a rattled psyche.
D Warner: I salute you!
I have been a staunch critic of the selection of David Warner and that was before he tried to deck Joe Root and all of the other off field palaver that he went through this year. I was concerned about his temperament and about his technique standing up to the rigours of test match cricket. Today he proved me wrong. His innings today was one of both sound temperament and technique: it was almost like we were watching Warner mature on the spot. No longer was he wafting at balls outside off stump, no longer was he, from I was sitting, picking fights with the opposition. His driving was sublime, his defence solid and he set a solid, if not spectacular tempo. It might have been his 4th hundred but this one will be remembered as the one that won the diehards.
Cook v Clarke: stop the fight now!
I commented earlier in this test match that Michael Clarke has had an excellent tactical match. I will go further now, having seen Captain Cook seek to marshall his troops today, and say that Michael Clarke has metaphorically played Alastair Cook off the break in this game. Cook, again, today seemed bereft of ideas and was simply reactionary. I lost count of the number of times a ball was struck in the air to a particular part of the field that was unmanned only to see a fielder move there the very next ball. There seemed today to be no plans in the English arsenal to get the Australian batters out, other than the idiotic plan to milk the strike to Michael Clarke upon his arrival.
Absent a day of batting of Laxman / Dravid proportions from Cook and Pietersen tomorrow, I would not be blocking out my diary on Monday to watch to Day 5: Australia should finish of the English on Day 4 and post its most important victory of the Michael Clarke era.
Quote of the Day
“What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight–it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Shumpty’s Punt: Saturday Racing
The big racing this Saturday comes to us from Perth. I have done the form and whilst there is not a lot going around the country that I am keen on here are a couple of winners I am quietly confident about:
Perth:
Race 6: Number 13 Thunderclap Newman (e/w)
Race 7: Number 1 Buffering
Sydney:
Race 1: Number 6 Occitan
Race 5: Number 7 Terravista
Melbourne:
Race 4: Number 9 Xavi
As always: good luck and good punting. Please always gamble responsibly.
The Ashes: First Test Day Three Preview
After yesterday’s unbelievable scenes at the Gabba, Australian fans have woken to realize that yesterday did actually happen and it was not a dream. The sky’s are overcast in Brisbane and the forecast is for shower which present as an opportunity for the English to push for a draw.
Today is a big day for:
Alastair Cook
Michael Clarke has captained his side brilliantly so far, almost in spite of his bad back, whereas Cook seemed to let the game meander away from the English both on day 1 when Australia was 6/135 and even yesterday when he turned to Swann and Root in the shadows of stumps. The captain must find a way to extract 10 Australian wickets today for no more than 150 runs today to have a chance and can only do so with all out attack backed by quality plans.
Graeme Swann
While Nathan Lyon played a strangling role whilst Mitchell Johnson ran amok, Graeme Swann has thus far looked bereft of answers to the Australian’s attacking him. Wicketless to date and leaking runs like a sieve but now bowling on a wearing wicket today is the day that Swann must either return to his wicket taking ways or at least hold up an end whilst the Anderson and Broad attack.
David Warner
I have been one of the most negative about Warner’s place in the team and his need to score runs in first class cricket. I have also stated that Australia needs a long innings from him spread out over a day but not at a run a ball so that he can show his mettle under tough conditions. Today is the day for Warner: the conditions will be difficult today with much humidity in the air. If he is still in at tea he will be 150 and Australia will be in the box seat. Most importantly for Warner he will have gone a long way to gain the respect of those who historically have not rated him.
Brisbane fans
Thursday and Friday saw crowds at headquarters of 34,000 and 33,000. Today’s crowd needs to replicate those numbers to keep the naysayers, who posit that Brisbane did not deserve to keep the first test next year because of waning crowd numbers, quiet.
Day 3 is moving day in golf parlance but today at the Gabba it could either be the day England rest back the advantage from Australia or Australia makes its knockout blow. Either way it will be another fascinating day of cricket. Play commences at 10am.
Shumpty Speaks 