England Crumble On Big Day

England stumbled to 307 for 8 on the first day of the fifth test at The Oval after winning the toss, and subsequently began by slowly but surely gifting Australia the initiative in this decisive final test.

On a pitch that is already beginning to disintegrate, Ian Bell was England’s top scorer with 72, and put on a 102 run partnership with captain Andrew Strauss who made 55.

The rest of England’s batting line-up yet again flattered to deceive with Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior and Andrew Flintoff all failing to surpass 30.

Debutant Jonathan Trott made 41 after being run out brilliantly by Simon Katich, in an impressive first test start.

Australia’s unusual decision to not choose a front-line spinner on an already crumbling pitch at The Oval would have been eased after taking eight England wickets on the first day.

Peter Siddle orchestrated the fight back after a morning session dominated by England, with four wickets, including the scalp of Alistair Cook who yet again failed with the bat.

The form of Cook in this series so far went slightly under the radar over the past week, but that’s probably down to the lack of competition around the county circuit.

Joe Denly who was recently called into the one-day squad for the up-coming series against Australia might get a chance to stake his claim.

England may also be rueing the decision not to pick an additional spinner on a pitch that looks like becoming more like a sandpit by day three.

Part-timer Marcus North excelled with the old ball after around 70 overs, and who knows what turmoil Graeme Swann, a front-line spinner, can cause.

Ponting decided to go unchanged into this final test so therefore declined to included Nathan Hauritz, a crafty move considering the shift in momentum in the series, but maybe a naïve one given the dryness of the batting surface.

Time will tell whether Ponting’s decision was a shrewd one or not, but England have given the Australian captain plenty of encouragement that he can proved right even after just a single day.

Experience Shunned as Trott gets the Nod

England’s desperation to revive their Ashes hopes in the fifth and final Ashes test has forced them into the rash call-up of un-tried Warwickshire batsman Jonathan Trott.

The 28-year old was an un-used member of the last test squad at Headingley, but after the poor form of Ravi Bopara, whose been dropped from the squad for this final test, and Trott’s own impressive county form in which he averages over 90 he was given the call up ahead of Mark Ramprakash and Robert Key.

However the selector’s desperation, and the scant replacements for the struggling Essex batsman has been highlighted by this call up, which considering Trott has no test match experience is massive gamble.

As if giving Trott his debut in an Ashes test isn’t enough, giving him his first run-out in this critical fifth test, one that England have to win is a call that the selectors might live to regret.

There’s no doubt that Trott has the pedigree in first class Cricket, and he couldn’t be entering the test match arena at a better stage of his career.

The experienced Ramprakash and Key were overlooked for Trott and these snubs for the duo confirms the ECB’s mindset on closing the door firmly in the face of former England players.

It’s encouraging that they’re keen to bring players through, but with it being a one off test match, there would have been no harm in introducing one of those batsmen, or even Somerset’s Marcus Trescothick.

Trott’s experience, one sure to be daunting for the Warwickshire man might scar him for the remainder of his international career, if all goes badly.

His team-mate Ian Bell has been retained after his mid-week hundred, and the England batting line-up will mirror the one at the pairs county with Bell coming in at three and Trott at four.

Elsewhere England are yet again considering the choice of two spinners, with Monty Panesar re-called for the fifth test.

Steve Harmison and Graeme Onions will now compete for the final birth in the England bowling line-up with Ryan Sidebottom, who impressed the selectors with a fine return to form at Trent Bridge last week.

However the trio are sure to be competing for only one place with the expected return of Andrew Flintoff, but if a second spinner is preferred all three bowlers will have to watch from the sideline.

Australia warmed up for the fifth test by scoring 340 for 9 in their tour match at Canterbury against the England Lions, with Shane Watson yet again missing out on a century.

The opener scored 95 off 85 balls in truly blistering style while Michael Hussy made a credible 65.

Sunday will be vital for Australia in terms of their selection for the final test, with Brett Lee returning with the ball for the first time on the tour.

His lack of cricket may well work against him when selection is finally discussed, but his hostile treatment of batsman with the ball, and his experience in the lower order could be priceless in this pressure filled test match.

But with four days till the beginning of the final test match, England have all but revealed their team with Australia seemingly keeping their cards close to their chest.

England Consider Changes As Series Hangs In the Balance

England’s humiliating innings defeat at the hands of a revitalised Australia brings to the fore a number of issues ahead of the series decider at the Oval, but more than anything else the swing of momentum in favour of the tourists might make any changes England make in both their performance and their team irrelevant.

This convincing victory for the Aussies gives them the impetus going into the final test, knowing a draw will gift them the Ashes for another eighteen months.

Andrew Strauss’ side gave the same anonymous performance that their opponents had showed in the two tests at both Lord’s and Edgbaston, but his side’s failure to convert their chance in Birmingham, when Australia were on the back-foot could end up being the teams downfall.

Selection dilemmas will dominate both teams in the following nine days before the fifth and final test, but after a pitiful performance in Leeds plenty of the England middle-order in-particular will fear for their place.

Ravi Bopars will surely be dropped in favour of an out and out number three, possibly Robert Key whose been much talked of for a possible recall.

The Kent skipper has been in the international wilderness for nearly four years, and with a highest score of just 52 against Australia in the 2002/03 series his pedigree isn’t much to shout about.

Key would bring some much-needed experience, but it’s unlikely his call up would strike fear into the Aussies, or more importantly be the catalyst for an England win.

Obviously the concerns over Andrew Flintoff’s fitness will hit the back pages for the next week or so but you have to think that after a convincing defeat without him, the all-rounder’s inclusion is pivotal in England’s Ashes hopes.

It will be Flintoff’s bow in test match cricket, and despite his injury you would expect that he’d be given every chance of playing.

If fit, for me he should replace Bopara in the side, while retaining his batting position at seven.

Matt Prior, consistently one of England’s highest scorers should start to take more responsibility and therefore be moved up to five, with Stuart Broad coming in at six.

Andy Flower seemed particularly cynical about the struggling middle-order and hinted that changes would be made, especially to Bopara’s place in the team, whether it be lower down the order or out of the team altogether.

Changes do have to be made, but everyone must remember, especially the supporters who stayed behind to boo captain Andrew Strauss during the post-match presentations, that this is the same team that had Australia on the back foot, a test down and on the final day at Edgbaston staring down the barrel of going two tests down.

While it may seem that I’m requesting wholesale changes, England haven’t become a bad side overnight, they were simply outplayed for the first three days of a test.

The bowling attack might need a re-shuffle, but not through loss of form like the batsman, but because of the state of the wicket at the Oval, which might be conducive for spin bowling, and therefore a second spinner.

Steve Harmison and Graham Onions will fight to not be dropped for the final test, but James Anderson is no certainly either with issues surrounding his fitness.

Calls have also been made for the batsman, hopelessly out of form, to play for their counties in preparation for that final test and give a chance for the likes of Paul Collingwood, Alistair Cook and Ian Bell to go away and rid themselves of the demons of Leeds.

However the overriding feeling of this match is that its no coincidence that England, without their premier players Flintoff and Pietersen, have been thrashed in this forth test.

It’s an issue that’s been lost upon most of the media and the ECB, and shows the frailties of England without their two main talisman.

Pietersen and Flintoff’s Injuries expose England's Frailties

England have been left chasing the 4th test after just the first day at Headingley after being bowled out for just 102 in their first innings.

The hosts were shocked by the news that Andrew Flintoff will miss the match with his knee injury, and then by a back injury to Matt Prior in the warm up.

It was thought the Sussex keeper would miss out, but a fitness test revealed he’d be fine to take to the field, and it’s just as well he did as he top scored for the team with an unbeaten 37.

Peter Siddle who was under pressure for his place from Brett Lee and Stuart Clark took 5 for 21 as all four Australian strike bowlers struck in England’s innings.

England’s bowling was then taken apart with some short and wide stuff that was dispatched by Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting.

Ponting made a brilliant 78 with some typically expansive shots, while Watson firmly staked his claim to open the batting beyond this series with his third successive half-century.

England look obviously weakened by the loss of Flintoff, and when it’s compounded with Pietersen’s injury as well they look a far cry from the side who won the Ashes four years ago.

Any team that lose their best two players is going to struggle, and expecting England to play with the same intensity without them is ambitious.

Today showed how weakened they are in both batting and bowling departments without them, and how the players remaining aren’t stepping up to the mark.

Australia on the other hand have seen their bowlers step in for the injury Brett Lee, and Clark, who probably would have missed out if Lee had been fit, came back and bowled beautifully first up this morning.

He took 3 for 10 in a great spell, and although Siddle will get plenty of the plaudits for his five-wicket haul, Clark should not be forgotten for his important contribution.

Contributions will have to improve for England themselves tomorrow, and with a struggling James Anderson to deal with England will look towards Stuart Broad for answers on day two.

Clarke's Class a Sign of Things To Come

Moments in the evening of the 22nd July 2005 used to haunt Michael Clarke to his very core.

In the 1st Ashes test at Lord’s, while on 91, Clarke swiped at a delivery by Mathew Hoggard, the ball found his inside edge, hit the back of his heel and rattled the bails off the stumps.

It was a disappointing end for the youngster, but his innings left Australia in a strong position in the match and despite further wickets falling before dusk, his side recorded an emphatic 239 run victory with a day still to play.

To win a game in such style in the first match of a series was unprecedented, but in the first match of an Ashes series it was largely unfounded, many had the Aussies down as clear favourites for the rest of the series.

As for Clarke, in spite of his match winning display he’d blown the chance of having his name written on the famous honours board at the home of cricket.

Not many players have the chance to achieve such a feat, and for one so young it was hard to take to come so close.

In truth Clarke struggled for the reminder of the series, never once hitting the heights he did on that fateful evening at Lord’s.

Ever since the dismissal Clarke rued his decision to open his blade and chase down that most illustrious of scores, and he was confident the next time he closed in on the score he wouldn’t make sure a mistake.

"I can't wait to get back ... and I guarantee if I get to 91 this time, I won't be playing the shot I did in 2005."

Four years on and he’s gone not one but two better, with two centuries in three Ashes test matches this summer, scores which included him banishing his nightmares of four years ago with a breathtaking innings at Lord’s.

On Monday, on the firth day at Edgbaston the pressure really was on ‘pup’, but an 185-run partnership with Marcus North calmed any nerves in the Australian dressing room, and then with the precision he lacked in 2005, he went on to record his fourth century against England, the twelfth of his career.

It’s rare in any sport that you can take pleasure out of your own sides misery, but watching Clarke batting this afternoon was one of the greatest sights I’ve seen on a cricket square, a joy to watch.

If you think it’s taken this long for Clarke to mature as a cricketer you’d be wrong, as his career best score was recorded in the early stages of his calling, his debut test match in-fact, as he fired 151 in Bangalore against India.

Now for many batsmen, especially for those from alternative continents, scoring runs in Asia is the biggest challenge of all; Clarke completed this challenge at the first time of asking.

As his series in this country four year ago showed, he was far from the finished article but now 50 test matches on he’s heading towards becoming one of the countries greats.

He averages fifty in tests, a figure that he’s improve since the beginning of this tour and can debatably be called Australia best player right now.

Ponting recently became the countries highest runs scorer, but with Clarke having over 3,500 runs already to his name and at the beginning of his ‘peak’ years; the coming of age could yet see that record conquered.

For most Australia fans it might be an irony that Clarke’s 91 guided the side to a convincing victory at Lord’s, whereas his two scores on this tour have yet to see the side record a win, something that Clarke I’m sure is keen to set straight.