The Ashes – First Test, Day 2: England needs a Plan B

 

 

 

by Dan Lonergan

 

England coach, Brendon McCullum might want his team to play entertaining cricket and take the game on and score quickly, but they are not winning enough Test matches after being blown away in the last session on Day Two of the first Ashes Test as Australia chased down 205 to win for the loss of two wickets.

This Test in Perth unbelievably finished inside two days, the 26th in Test match history and the first since 2002, with Australia also being the last side to win a Test, which didn’t last two days against Pakistan.

In that match, Australia won by routing Pakistan for less than 60 in both innings and dominated the entire game.

The question will be asked for days, especially by the English Media, how did they let this game slip so quickly and allow Australia to make the runs required in less than 30 overs?

The tourists were on top for large portions in a Test played a breakneck speed and were in positions at various stages of winning the game, but they can’t or won’t change the way they play. It’s Bazball or bust.

As Citrus Bob wrote yesterday, an incredible 19 wickets fell for 295 runs and today, it was 13 for 378.

England in the 20th century was renowned, and at times widely criticised, for playing defensive cricket with Geoff Boycott a star at it and another opener, Chris Tavare, in the First Test of the 82/83 Ashes series, also in Perth, taking 93 balls to score.

Since then they have turned their playing mantra 360 degrees and then some.

England in it’s two innings at the Optus Stadium, which was full to capacity for both days, lasted less than 68 overs in total, determined to play bazball and score quickly.

However, like yesterday when they had a first innings advantage of 40 after Australia resumed at 9/123 and then lost their final wicket after adding nine runs, their batting imploded.

England got off to a poor start again with inconsistent opener, Zac Crawley, whose Test average is only over 30 after playing more than 60 Tests, was out for a pair being caught and bowled magnificently by Mitch Starc who stuck his left hand out in a reflex manner to catch a drive by Crawley played on the up.

McCullum loves Crawley, but he is all duck or no dinner and generally only produces one great innings in every Test he plays even if he and the more accomplished Ben Duckett tend to get England away to a good start.

They have not selected a third specialist opener for this tour, so it makes it tough to replace Crawley after a pair but, in my opinion, he has had more than enough chances and not taken them.

England was cruising at lunch at 1 for 59, after Ben Duckett was given out LBW just before lunch but referred it and the DRS adjudged it was sliding down leg and he survived.

It was one of five decisions the two umpires Adrian Holdstock of South Africa and Menon of India had overturned by the third umpire in this match.

A lead of 99 would have ensured a comfortable lunch break for England but, like Day One, their batting collapsed in the second session with some reckless shot making as Scott Boland, after being taken for 63 off 10 overs on Day One, bowled a much better line and length,

He, along with Mitch Starc, bowled wide of the off stump and the English batters with their attacking mindset fell for the three card trick playing with hard hands and losing their wickets with Duckett, Pope and Brook all giving the slips catching practice and Root playing on as England lost 4 for 17 just after lunch and three wickets on 76.

Stokes followed shortly after leaving Jamie Smith plenty of work to do to give England something decent to defend which at that stage was only 116.

Smith looked settled and then swatted at one down the leg side off Doggett, with Head the only Australian sure Smith had got a feather through to Alex Carey. The Umpire gave it not out, But Steve Smith took it upstairs.

The snicko showed there was a noise and Jamie Smith left thinking he was out before the third umpire Sharfuddoula of Bangladesh elected to have a forensic look as he wasn’t 100 percent sure the mark on snicko was off the bat.

My view on this is if you are looking for something numerous times on the DRS and you are not sure if anything is there, the batter needs to be given the benefit of the doubt.

However, after about a thousand looks which took four minutes but seemed four hours, Jamie Smith was given out and Australia firmly in the box seat.

However, the Aussies started bowling short and Gus Atkinson, a bowling all rounder, already in his brief Test career with a century to his name, began hitting out and clearing the boundary with Brydon Carse continuing his solid performance in this Test. They added England’s second 50 run partnership of the match before Australia winkled them out for 164 in just 35 overs, leaving the hosts three days and one session to make 205.

Boland hit back beautifully with four wickets and Starc and Doggett 3 each, who on debut finished with an impressive 5 wickets for the game.

England had taken the gas with their recklessness and attack at all costs, losing a staggering 9 for 105 between lunch and tea.

Once again due to back spasms, which had forced him off the ground, Usman Khawaja, in the second session and you wonder whether we may have seen the last of him after a stellar career as he approaches 39, could not open.

I know Uzzie wants to make his own decision about his playing future and he has said it would be at the end of this summer, but the selectors probably need to bring it forward. He also dropped the only catch in the slips to add insult to injury.

Nathan Lyon didn’t bowl and wasn’t needed but if he was might have struggled as he was hit while batting and looked sore.

The chat in the tea break was who would join Jake Weatherald at the top of the order, who was trying to avoid joining good players like Graham Gooch, Dean Elgar, Marvin Atapattu and Saeed Anwar in making a pair on debut.

Australia settled on Travis Head, who opens in the one dayers, and it was an inspired choice because he plays his own form of bazball and he has played plenty of cricket with Weatherald and could help him settle.

Weatherald got off the mark and the relief was palpable, especially for him as he gave Head a cheeky little grin.

However, on seven he flashed at one and was given out caught behind but quickly referred it to the third umpire saying he didn’t hit it and he was right.

The decision went his way this time after England referred a not out LBW against him yesterday, which he lost.

He batted nicely as Head took on the English bowlers who were well below their dominant form of Day One and bowled well too short as Head played with flair and outright unorthodoxy going over, under and through the field, putting on 75 with Weatherald.

The former South Australian, now Tasmanian, looked composed getting to 23 before hooking another short ball from Carse, who was taking loads of punishment with Mark Wood from Head, into his helmet and it ballooned to Duckett.

Weatherald didn’t set the world on fire in this Test but showed enough I reckon in the second innings that he might belong eventually at Test level.

With Weatherald gone, Head if possible went into another gear with the support of Labuschagne and blitzed a dispirited English attack with many of the bowlers, even Stokes who took five wickets on the opening day, being very expensive and bowling poorly.

Head even hit four 4s off the English skipper in one over and after he hit three in a row we were thinking of the Centenary Test in 1977 when the late David Hookes flayed the late Tony Greig for five boundaries on the trot.

Head could not be stopped and was getting close to overtaking Adam Gilchrist for the fastest 100, delivery wise, for Australia in Test cricket.

He eventually achieved this magnificent milestone with some of the best controlled hitting, smashing and shots you have ever seen off 69 balls, the equal third least number of deliveries to make it to a ton in Australian Test cricket history with Dave Warner.

With Head tearing England apart and Marnus playing his role, it became a distinct possibility and then reality that Australia was going to run down the total on Day Two.

Head eventually perished just before the end after 123 from only 83 balls, his 10th Test century and arguably his best in what might become his new permanent position as opener, which needs to be considered after how well he played in this innings.

Labuschagne deserves credit for being 51 not out and Mitch Starc after 10 wicket haul for the game, the third time in his stellar Test career was rightfully named Man of the Match.

This was an incredible Test match, with England effectively 1 for 99 at lunch on Day Two but four hours later had been humbled.

What’s the rush England? A Test match as we know can go five days if required. Yes! Entertainment is important but winning, especially this being the Ashes, has to be the number one priority. A change in game style in my humble opinion has to be looked at.

The tourists, after two irresponsible batting displays on the back of a lack of preparation and match simulation and practice, are already chasing the series and in 12 days time have the Gabba and the day/night Test to contend with.

The pink ball is where Mitch Starc really shines after taking 10 poles with the red rock in Perth and Pat Cummins a good chance to return, and maybe Josh Hazlewood. Good Luck!

 

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