Story The Ashes 2009: Australia in England [Day 3: 1st Ashes Test Posted]

[treva]

Mongrel, you edited it to 23 now I think you then got confused with Haddin's score...

 

[The Mongrel]

Haha! Thankyou.

Will attempt to have Day 2 up tonight some time.

 

[Pakistani Army]

I love this presentation. Keep it up The Mongrel.

 

[Animator!]

I had a look through all of this today, when I was bored, and frankly this has been brilliant. Absolutely superb presentation.

 

[evertonfan]

This is bloody legendary. Shows you don't need to over emphasize on the photoshop stuff (which seems to be the norm around here) to create a good story. This is the best there is on PC at the moment and probably the best there ever has been.

 

[The Mongrel]

England v Australia, 1st Test, Lord's
MacGill snares late 200th wicket as England falter
The Bulletin by Andrew Miller
July 17, 2009

Close England 240 for 8 (Collingwood 63, Flintoff 56, Clark 2-48) trail Australia 310 all out (Ponting 68, Anderson 4-85) by 70 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

MaGic: Stuart MacGill celebrates his 200th test wicket as Andrew Flintoff departs with the second last ball of the day

The wicket of Andrew Flintoff with the second last ball of the day handed Stuart MacGill his 200th test wicket and Australia a dominant position at the close of play of the second day at Lord's. After being dismissed for 310 early in the day - three quick wickets around lunchtime by the Australian openers crippled the English innings; leaving Paul Collingwood, Flintoff and captain Kevin Pietersen to pick up the pieces in the middle order.

Resuming at 248-6 overnight, Australia added another 64 runs largely to some handed double-digit scores by the lower order. They suffered a pair of early blows, however, as Brett Lee became James Anderson's fourth victim as he nicked one through to the wicketkeeper Steve Davies for nine. The English threatened to roll the Aussies for less then 300 as Michael Clarke finally departed after a long innings of 48 in 174 deliveries as Stuart Broad ran him out attempting a second run to reduce Australia to 280-8.

But some resistance from Shaun Tait (14), Stuart Clark (11*) and Stuart MacGill (10) helped propel the Australian score innings over 300 - Tait and MacGill falling to some tight bowling from Matthew Hoggard who picked up his first two wickets for the innings. Needing to survive just seven overs before the luncheon interval, England did their level best to cripple their innings as Marcus Trescothick fell sixth ball of the innings as Brett Lee swung a ball back to the left handed taking out his off-stump despite a lazy defensive shot from the Somerset opener. A score of 3-1 became 14-2 with the last ball of the session as Ian Bell and Alastair Cook engaged in a monumental mix-up; resulting in Bell being run out by the demon arm of Mike Hussey for 9.

Joined by captain Pietersen following lunch, Alastair Cook had a torrid time against Clark and Lee as the two gave the Essex left-hander no width as he was left to grind away against the perfect lines of the Aussie openers. Frustrated by his inability to score runs (6 runs in 51 balls), Cook soon fell victim a surprise shorter ball from Clark - top edging him to the safe hands of Phil Jaques at square leg.

However, Pietersen and Collingwood were able to lead the English fightback as they recovered from 28-3 with a 92-run stand to put England right back into the match. In his first outing in test cricket since 2006 - Stuart MacGill struggled early against Pietersen who seemed eager to take control before he managed to surprise the South African with a big turner from outside leg-stump; shocking everyone as he sent Pietersen on his way for 48 as Mike Hussey snaffled the leading edge.

The innings from Collingwood and Flintoff proved to be a saving grace for the English as both men scored prolific half-centuries. But the crowd were again surprised with a wicket as the ever steady Paul Collingwood was castled by an absolute gem from Shaun Tait which pitched on middle and took out his off-stump at searing pace send the Durham batsman back to the shed for 63. Needing to establish partnerships in the lower order, Flintoff and Steve Davies added 34 runs and looked confident - Davies looking particularly adept against the spin of Stuart MacGill. On 13, though, Davies inability to find runs saw him search outside off-stump for a wide ball from Shane Watson, edging it through to Mike Hussey at second slip. A promising innings of 19 from Stuart Broad coincided with Flintoff passing his 32nd test half century. Broad, the tall Leicestershire seamer, would depart with just four overs to go before stumps as he nicked Stuart Clark to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.

But the big blow for England was to come soon as the second last ball of the day saw Flintoff have a brain fade and attempt to play an awkward slog-sweep to Stuart MacGill, only to be struck on the pads by a perfect wrong'un from the veteran and be sent on his way for 56. The stunned silence of the England faithful in the crowd was only countered by the hysterical celebrations of the touring Australian supporters and the celebrations on the pitch as the Aussie players mobbed MacGill as he enjoyed his 200th test wicket. Flintoff's dismissal was particularly devastating for the English as it leaves them at 240-8 and trailing Australia by 70 runs.

"We just didn't play as well as we could have today," Pietersen said at the conclusion of the day's play. "We let the Aussie bottom order get a few too many runs - and then lost early wickets at really bad times. At times we looked good against Australia's bowlers; but they stuck to their lines and got too us through their pressure."

The man of the moment MacGill remained confident in Australia's position. "I thought we batted really well this morning and then to get some early wickets and then Freddie (Flintoff) just before stumps was a huge positive.

"It was just great to get out there again and bowl for my country - and hopefully a few more wickets might come my way this summer."

How they were out

Australia

Brett Lee c Davies b Anderson 9 (265 for 7)
Backs away looking to play through the off-side, ball strikes the outside edge and flies through to the keeper

Michael Clarke run out (Broad) 48 (280 for 8)
Run out by a direct hit from mid-wicket attempting to come back for a second

Shaun Tait c Trescothick b Hoggard 14 (290 for 9)
Ugly swipe outside off-stump - edged to first slip

Stuart MacGill c Flintoff b Hoggard 10 (310 all out)
Squared up with a brilliant short ball which is steered to second slip

England

Marcus Trescothick b Lee 2 (3 for 1)
Fast inswinger strikes inside edge of a defensive shot and cannons into leg stump

Ian Bell run out (Hussey) 9 (14 for 2)
Terrible mix-up as Bell hesitates in taking a second run and is dismissed by Mike Hussey's demon arm

Alastair Cook c Jaques b Clark 6 (28 for 3)
Frustrated into going after a bouncer from Clark - top edged down to fine leg where an easy catch is taken

Kevin Pietersen c Hussey b MacGill 48 (116 for 4)
Looks to come down the crease to MacGill; extra bounce causes trouble as ball balloons off his gloves and to bat-pad

Paul Collingwood b Tait 63 (158 for 5)
Unplayable ball which pitches on middle stump and darts away at pace to knock off-stump out of the ground

Steve Davies c Hussey b Watson 13 (192 for 6)
Stock delivery on a length which moves a fraction away from the batsman and flies off the edge to second slip

Stuart Broad c Haddin b Clark 19 (221 for 7)
Typical Clark delivery pitching on off-stump and drawing the outside edge

Andrew Flintoff lbw b MacGill 56 (236 for 8)
Devastation of Flintoff as he attempts to sweep a wrong'un from MacGill which crashes into his pads into his pads to be given LBW

Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo

? Cricinfo

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[The Mongrel]

The Ashes 2009
The understudy moves to 200
George Binoy
July 17, 2009

There are two balls before stumps of day two of the first test at Lord's as Stuart MacGill comes into bowl to Andrew Flintoff who is unbeaten on 56 and looking to play out until stumps. MacGill and his captain Ricky Ponting make a change to the field by bringing deep square leg in to tempt Flintoff into sweeping. MacGill darts this one into Flintoff; a little straighter this time. Flintoff can't help himself as he attempts to hit MacGill for a maximum - a dull thud is followed closely by a raucous appeal and the finger is raised by umpire Aleem Dar.

It has been dismissals such as these that have made MacGill such a weapon for the Australians over his 41-test match career. Forever playing the understudy to the great Shane Warne; MacGill finally got his chance to take the number onespin mantle following the failure of Dan Cullen to hold a spot. And for MacGill, his 200th wicket could not be sweeter as it potentially puts Australia in a very dominant position.

Normally a man of many words - much like his counterpart Warne - MacGill was somewhat soft-spoken upon his interview following the day. "It was just great to get out there again and bowl for my country - and hopefully a few more wickets might come my way this summer," and that was all she wrote as a man with a renewed focus on his career walked off the field.

Having to play as understudy for so long under Warne has no doubt been a frustration for MacGill as he would have easily made it into any other test team in the world. However, it seems that a recurring trend of Australian cricketers haven't been given the same opportunities to forge successful careers on the international stage - names such as Jimmer Maher, Matthew Elliott, Darren Lehmann, Darren Berry, Jamie Cox and Jamie Siddons all come to mind.

He's often not compared anywhere near to Shane Warne in terms of ability - Warne being the 'king of spin' whilst MacGill lurked in the shadows, only playing either when Warne was injured, the pitch was really turning or when Warne was serving out his one year drugs ban - such was the hesistancy for the Australian selectors to play two spinners. But a look at the statistics where both men play in the same match shows MacGill has outperformed his more decorated contempary - and significantly so.

However, one can accuse MacGill of being somewhat inconsistent throughout his career as he has gone from stages of sublime to stages of underachievement. The very great bowlers maintain their averages throughout their careers - but MacGill struggled at periods; namely between wickets 51-100 and wickets 101-150 where his average was significatly higher than the rest of his career.

One noticeable aspect of his record has been the vast range of wickets he picks up. Only Wavell Hinds stands out as a regular victim of MacGill (six times); whilst quality batsmen such as Brian Lara (3), Mohammed Yousuf (3), Alec Stewart (4) and Nasser Hussain (3) have fallen to him on more than one occasion.

It is indeed great to see such a class player finally make it to the 200 wicket milestone - and on the biggest stage of them all no less; at Lord's. His ability to spin the ball so prolifically even at the tender age of 38 shows his durability and possibly extend his stay in the Australian test side until his 40s.

Never-the-less, the understudy to Shane Warne has now finally taken the mantle of number one spinner - and a regular spot for the first time; the role he would have claimed in any other test team throughout his career. And if his performance on day two of the first test is anything to go by - the next chapter of MacGill's career is to be just as much a roller coaster as the previous era.

© Cricinfo

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[treva]

Australia bowled fantastically and look to have England under control. If Australia get the two early wickets England could be chasing 400+ in they're final innings. MacGill getting 200 is fantastic. I'm sure he'll take quite a few more wickets in this series...

 

[The Mongrel]

England v Australia, 1st Test, Lord's
Ponting and Jaques squash injury-hit English
The Bulletin by Andrew Miller
July 18, 2009

Close Australia 343 for 3 (Ponting 144*, Jaques 106) & 310 all out lead England 242 all out (Collingwood 63, MacGill 4-50) by 411 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Punterrific: Ricky Ponting was brilliant on his was to an unbeaten 144 as Australia took control at Lord's


Centuries to Ricky Ponting and Phil Jaques and a thigh strain to James Anderson summed up a terrible day of test cricket for an English side who slumped to the verge of an embarassing first test defeat at the close of play on day three at Lord's. Resuming at 240-8, England managed to add just two runs before being dismissed for 242 before Australia piled on 343-3 before stumps to take a commanding 411 run lead.

Needing something special from the tail to close in on the Australian total, England's day could not have started more poorly as both Monty Panesar and James Anderson fell to Stuart MacGill's wrong'un as Brad Haddin wrapped up two stumpings. MacGill's figures of 4-50 completed a great return to international cricket for the veteran after almost three years on the outer.

In search of early wickets England struggled to trouble the Australian openers as Phil Jaques attacked early - managing to hit three boundaries off one Matthew Hoggard over. The pair passed a partnership of fifty in just 15 overs before an injury struck England as James Anderson strained a thigh muscle with the last ball of his ninth over. Reports say that he will be fit for the second test with his injury only to keep him out for two weeks at the very most.

As Jaques pushed towards a half-century, Chris Rogers was more conservative as he moved to an innings of 32 in 76 deliveries. Where Jaques had played and missed on a few occasions in his innings - Rogers looked solid which made his dismissal even more of a surprise as the extra bounce of big man Stuart Broad found the inside edge of a hopping Chris Rogers and flew back onto his stumps.

However, if England thought Jaques' dismissal was to be any resbite they were sorely mistaken as the best batsman in the world came to the crease and looked to stamp his authority on the bowlers. Though England looked certain that they had Ponting for no score as Stuart Broad struck him on the pads in front of off-stump, but Hawkeye showed that Aleem Dar's decision to give Ponting not out was correct as the ball was destined to go over the stumps.

The second wicket stand passed fifty in just 65 balls as Ponting raced to 34, whilst Ponting moved to his 51st test half-century Jaques pressed towards his second test century - finally bringing it up 190 balls with a glorious drive off Paul Collingwood through cover. England continued to struggle to make a breakthrough - captain Kevin Pietersen resorting to bowling himself as all else failed. The gamble didn't pay off, though it was unsurprising considering Pietersen's unflattering test bowling average of 151. But after 145-run stand between Jaques and Ponting, the former finally departed for a brilliant 106 as he played all around a swinging yorker from Andrew Flintoff who had had a torrid time going for over five-an-over.

But such is the strength of the Australian batting order, that when a quality player is dismissed it is likely that he will be replaced by another quality player - and this was no exception as Mike Hussey made his way to the crease. A trademark pull by Ponting off Flintoff brought up the captain's 46th test century and he celebrated in style as the English morale sank further. Mike Hussey joined in on the fun with a spectacular lofted drive over cover which travelled into the Lord's crowd who were becoming increasingly disenchanted with the English efforts. Their 4th wicket stand reached 100 in just 143 balls soon after the new ball was taken as Matthew Hoggard and Broad toiled with the new ball. Finally, in the last over of the day England picked up their third wicket as Hussey fended at a moving ball from Matthew Hoggard, departing for 43 as Steve Davies snaffled an easy chance.

As nightwatchsman Brett Lee played out the last five balls of the day, Australia ended up in a dominant position at 343-3 with two days to play - Ponting unbeaten on 144. The most worrying thing for England outside of Anderson's injury was the state of the Lord's pitch which should have caused all sorts of problems for the Aussie batsmen - yet Panesar struggled to turn the ball like he did on day one whilst MacGill extracted prodigious turn in his short spell earlier in the morning. With the game well out of their reach - England's best chance is batting for the draw and having serious second thoughts on the composition of their team when the England Lions play a three-day tour match against the Australians before the second test - particularly if the best performed bowler of the first innings James Anderson is not fit to play.

Ponting was thrilled with the Australian performance as he was interviewed following the close of play. "Everything went right for us today - we knocked them over cheaply and then piled the runs on the board," he said. "We have got ourselves into a really strong position to win this match and hopefully we can make real inroads into the English batting lineup tomorrow."

English captain Kevin Pietersen was understandably disappointed with the days play - "we were terrible today," he said. "The pitch should have provided some real help, but it seemed nothing went right for us today. Tomorrow is another chance to make up for the mistakes of today...the match isn't out of our reach.

"We have a lot of work to do, but our bowlers were able to get movement but struggled for areas, Jimmy's [Anderson] injury didn't help us either."

How they were out

England

Monty Panesar st Haddin b MacGill 4 (240 for 9)
Super wrong'un draws Panesar out of the crease - turned past the edge and Haddin whips off the bails with ease

James Anderson st Haddin b MacGill 0 (242 all out)
Identical dismissal to Panesar, though a much worse shot with an ugly swing and a miss hands MacGill a fourth wicket

Australia

Chris Rogers b Broad 32 (92 for 1)
Short of a length delivery strikes the inside edge of the angled Chris Rogers bat and strikes the stumps - too much bounce for the West Aussie

Phil Jaques b Flintoff 106 (237 for 2)
Tame end to a great innings as a Flintoff yorker is missed by Jaques and hits his middle stump

Mike Hussey c Davies b Hoggard 43 (343 for 3)
Good length ball which prompts just a tentative prod outside off-stump - easy catch for the wicketkeeper

Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo

? Cricinfo

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[RoboRocks]

Big trouble for England.
Aussies have this one now.
Great story mate.

 

[treva]

Australia really pounding England now. Should be a mammoth lead and England can only hope for some fantastic batting to draw the game...

 

[Collywobblers]

Same as 2005. Aussies dominate first test. But England can come back again!

 

[Left_Hander]

Really good lead for Australia. All of those stats you have there is amazing. Excellent work!

 

[smith_007]

Great work so far mate hope to hear more.

 

[Griffo]

hoping for another update