The Ashes 2010: First Test Edgbaston 14th to 18th July 2010
Collingwood Gives England Hope As Aussie's Eye Lead
15th July 2010
From our Chief Cricket Correspondent Rick Adams
Australia 412 all out (Ponting 134*, Katich 89) Anderson 4/126, Collingwood 2/2 England 286 for 7 off 76 overs (Collingwood* 108, Bell 70, Prior 36) Johnson 3/51
If ever the saying "a game of two halves" was justified, then it was justified here today at Edgbaston. England left on the brink of disaster at 65 for 5 as Australia destroyed the English top-order with venomous pace and excellent cricket, lead by the tacticians tactician, Ricky Ponting.
England resumed on 36 for 1 after lunch, after Strauss had fallen in the morning session after a sharp catch by Katich. Obviously the lunch hadn't gone down to well as first Trott, caught by Watson trying to cut a Hauritz ball that went away from him and then Cook was adjudged lbw off the fiery pace of Johnson.
Replays suggested the ball was going over the stumps but umpire Saleem Dahl gave it out, to the utter horror of Cook, who needs to find some of his form quickly. In his last five outings in the test arena he has only managed 76 runs and this latest mishap will have tongues wagging again.
By now England were 43 for 3.
The sight of Pietersen walking to the crease is usually a sign that something is going to happen. Either a brilliant knock or an 18 ball 16, with 3 fours thrown in to satisfy his ego. Unfortunately for England fans it was the latter once again today. After hitting Johnson through cover for an exquisite boundary, he tried to repeat the shot the very next ball, only to see his off-stump cart wheel toward the slips as he failed to read Johnson's quickest delivery of the day: 92.3 mph
Australia were by now beyond themselves with joy and the cheery Australian smiles and laughter as Pietersen trudged back to the pavilion would have been more salt in the wounds leaving his partner Collingwood looking on in frustration. One has to hand it to Australia. They fight for every ball, constantly adjusting themsleves to the developing situation. There is no-one in the game who can read the state of lay like Ponting and he used his bowlers well and set attacking, clever fields that stifled and suffocated England.
In the mean time Collingwood was starting to show the top order how to dig in and with typical Durham grit set about trying to re-build something of the disaster happening around him.
An already stunned Edgbaston crowd was then stunned even more as Onions was sent out by Strauss to try and get through to tea without any more disasters. An extraordinary move by Strauss and like many things today it didn't pay off: he became Johnson's third wicket, and probably the easiest he has ever had to get in test cricket. Onions was totally out of his depth and the third ball that whizzed past his bat, took some glove with it and Haddin caught him. England were now in deep, deep trouble with only Collingwood offering some resistance.
Enter Ian Bell. Critics were already lining up. The usual comments about his character and his inability to put on a fight surfaced once again. However as the sun came out and made batting easier, so Bell and Collingwood went about their task, taking the attack to the Aussies.
The crowd gradually got behind them and as they both reached half centuries in quick succession, the mood started to swing back in England's favour.
Bell and Collingwood put on a wonderful 136 together that took England from a disastrous to a much more respectable 206. England will be bitterly disappointed at Bell's dismissal. Having run so well between the wickets all afternoon, he messed it up as Hussey, pouncing on a drive, threw down the stumps as Bell scrambled to get back in his crease. He was a cat's whisker away from being safe but unfortunately luck was against him.
Prior came in and played his usual aggressive innings, pushing the score along and helping Collingwood to move into the nineties in what had been an innings of pure class, determination and utmost concentration. When he smacked Bollinger over the cover boundary to reach his hundred, the whole ground shook as the crowd stood as one to applaud one of the finest English innings for a long time.
Collingwood was the difference between disaster and hope and his absolute conviction that he was up to the job gave those around him confidence.
Though England lost Prior, lbw of North, in the final over of the day, they will be happy to be in with a chance. What seemed unlikely at two o'clock is now a reality. England will continue to bat tomorrow morning. Hoping to edge closer to Australia's total. England are still 126 runs behind but if Collingwood and new man Broad can stay around for an hour tomorrow England will be back in match they surely thought they had lost as early as tea on the second day.
England should be in no doubt that they have gotten out of jail today. If Bell and Collingwood hadn't dug in England would have lost this match already. The pace of the Australian attack will have left deep scars and the top-order know's they will have to do much better in the second innings, although going by today there is no reason to hope too much
A wonderful game of cricket and hopefully a sign for the rest of series to come!
The facts that matter:
England First Innings
Strauss caught Katich bowled Bollinger
6 (23)
Cook lbw bowled Johnson
18 (53)
Trott caught Watson bowled Hauritz
11 (31)
Pietersen bowled Johnson
10 (13)
Collingwood not out
108 (172)
G. Onions (!) caught Haddin bowled Johnson
0 (3)
I Bell run out (Hussey)
70 (106)
Prior lbw bowled Johnosn
36 (56)
Broad not out
0 (1)
Australia Bowling Figures
Bollinger 19 overs 1 maiden 84 runs 1 wicket econ 4.42
Hilfenhaus 20 overs 1 maiden 60 runs econ 3.00
Hauritz 17overs 1 maiden 73 runs econ 4.29
Johnson 19 overs 4 maidens 51 runs 3 wickets econ 2.68
North 1 over 5 runs 1 wicket econ 5.00
Extras: 8NB 1WD 2B 13LB
FOW: 12 36 43 56 65 201 286
England trail by 126 runs
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