The Hindu : Sport : Australia haunts England

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 25, 2005

Sport

Sport

Australia haunts England

Ted Corbett

CHESTER-le-STREET: Australia discovered the ghost of times past on Thursday night within sight of the castle-cum-hotel in which the more gullible of their number imagined they saw apparitions this week. But for an innings full of bustle and bravado from Darren Gough, who has also brought back memories of his history in the last two weeks, the visitors would have beaten England by at least 100 runs at the Riverside ground in the fifth match of the NatWest one-day tri-series.

Instead, Australia will be happy enough to have shrugged off the horrors of the past 10 days with a victory by 57 runs. It should beat Bangladesh at Old Trafford on Saturday and set up the form final against England at

Lord's on July 2.

The castle stands at the top of a hill overlooking this bonny town; the ground is immediately underneath. Just what happened to make things go bump in the night is still obscured by many myths and legends but we suspect a tabloid newspaper and naïve public relations.

Gough signalled his contempt for such goings-on by imitating a ghost in his final over to Shane Watson, the all-rounder whose fears received the widest publicity, but in the end Australia had the biggest laugh although it should remember Gough's top score and wonder if there is a final victory left in his 35-year-old limbs.

Key wicket

All-rounder Andrew Symonds, who once had ambitions to play for England, was the chief architect of Australia's success. His top score and the way he both kept England on a leash and captured the wicket of Kevin

Pietersen means the Australians have forgiven him for going on the town and inviting them to join his party.

Only the intervention of Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, stopped him being sent home and he should still count himself lucky not to be back in Queensland ducking embarrassing questions.

His desire to be back in the fold could not have been more obvious. His usual method of defence is gung-ho attack, but on Thursday he gathered his runs carefully, did not attempt to launch the ball over the ropes until the 40th over and looked crestfallen when he was out.

It was also noticeable that he did not salute the dressing room for more than a fraction of a second when he reached fifty. His red face has been obvious to all.

Damien Martyn, the classiest of the Australian batsman, backed Symonds so that 267 was the England target and once Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath had shot out Andrew Strauss, Marcus Trescothick and Paul Collingwood — whose aggregate score against Bangladesh 48 hours earlier brought 349 of

England's 391 — for just three runs, the match was gone.

Vikram Solanki and Andrew Flintoff added 79 but when an indecisive shot by Flintoff — has he been unbalanced by the arrival of Pietersen I wonder — claimed his wicket at 94, it was beyond even Pietersen to blast out a victory.

Last ditch effort

The Aussies have clearly found a better length to bowl to him, which is not to say his big scores are finished. Appropriately it was Symonds who had him caught on the boundary, leaving only the flurry from Gough and Steve Harmison, who added 50 for the last wicket. England was three short to the 212 it needed for a bonus point.

Australia was clearly geed up by its improved display. Runs from Ponting, the restoration of energy and morale now that the Symonds affair is gone, the laying of the Lumley Castle ghost, high speeds from Lee and clever bowling by McGrath are more like the old Aussie world champion style.

England found problems. Flintoff looks distracted, Geraint Jones had a poor night as wicket-keeper, and what on earth was Trescothick thinking of when he sent the Australians in to bat? England was impressive in the field, but on such a lovely pitch it must have been better to defend a total than chase one. Michael Vaughan will not be absent long from his duties as England captain and an innings like the fifty he scored against Australia at Bristol might have changed the course of this match and sent England straight into the final.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport