Left field

Defiant England escape with draw in first Ashes Test

I’m still not quite sure how, but somehow England escaped with a draw from the first Ashes Test against Australia, closing out the fifth day on 252-9, 13 runs ahead of the Aussie total and with no time left for the tourists to bat.

Talk about getting out of jail. Ricky Ponting must have thought he had the match won when England were five wickets down and still facing a massive 137-run deficit in the morning sessions.

Make no mistake about it, England were outplayed comprehensively but Paul Collingwood led a memorable  rearguard action and when he was gone, the rest of the tailenders finished the job.

The key now for England will be to learn from the mistakes that got them into this mess. Australia, while they’ll be devastated at not winning this, must surely go into the second Test believing that they are the better side.

What’s your prediction now? Can England still win this Ashes series?

PHOTO: England’s Graeme Swann is hit by a bouncer bowled by Australia’s Peter Siddle during the first Ashes cricket test in Cardiff, Wales July 12, 2009. REUTERS/Andrew Winning

Ashes day 4: England had no luck, and nor did they deserve it

For a third day in row England’s demoralised bowlers wheeled away with all the luck of someone who’s just walked across the path a black cat and smashed a mirror while walking under a ladder.

In all honesty they didn’t deserve any fortune after another day’s abject bowling display and signs from Strauss early on that it was a damage limitation exercise by time wasting with field placings and underbowling key bowlers.

Australia eventually put England out of their own misery, a cricketing version of shooting a lame horse if you like, by declaring on 674 for 6, once wicket keeper Brad Haddin completed his balmy century and holed out on the attack to Ravi Bopara in the deep.

Marcus North by that point had already joined Ponting, Katich and Haddin on the Cardiff honours board, further undermining pre-series reports that he was no more than a solid county professional, much like the much maligned spinner Nathan Hauritz who took more wickets in England’s first innings than Swann and Panesar combined in Australia’s.

The declaration, which gave Australia a 239 -run first innings lead, was inspired from Ponting, leaving England a tricky 30 minute period to negotiate before tea or as it happened before the rains came.

England’s frail top order failed to repel the burning heat emanating from the Australian fast bowlers as both Alistair Cook and Ravi Bopara missed straight deliveries and succumbed lbw to Johnson and Hilfenhaus respectively, leaving England teetering on 20 for 2 before play was finally suspended for the day.

England will need to regroup overnight and come again in the morning, but we’ve been saying that for the last three days.

England need the new ball to swing like the Sixties

End of day two: Australia 249 for one in reply to England’s 435 all out.

What a difference a day makes. If Wednesday’s cricket was a breathtaking rollercoaster ride then day 2 was more like a gentle twirl on the teacups followed by a night in reading War and Peace.

All credit to the Australians who were magnificent in making England’s bowling look impotent and the pitch benign.

Praise in particular to centurions Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting who played with poise and vigilance, and refused to be drawn into playing false shots, showing their strength of mind and powers of concentration.

The pair shared an almost chanceless, unbeaten stand of 189 for the second wicket, highlighting to England’s batsmen the value of safeguarding your wicket.

How England must be ruing not going on to make a big score having had so many of their batsmen make good starts. A score of 600 on this pitch looks feasible and would have left Australia with a first innings headache.