The Ashes, 2009

[ZenGum]

Day five started with England on 2 for 20. The first goal was to not get out, and thus achieve a draw. If they could score more than 239, they would force Australia to bat again, and the extra time this would take would make the draw easier.

England struggled early, losing three wickets for 70 runs in the morning session, with Pietersen absurdly bowled not offering a shot to one from Hilfenhaus that came back in and knocked the top of off stump, and captain Strauss and keeper Prior beaten by the spin of Hauritz. Australia looked on track to win.

After lunch Collingwood and Flintoff put on a determined stand, adding 57 very slow runs before Flintoff fell to the pace of Johnson, and Broad was plumb LBW to Hauritz. Swann joined Collingwood, and was met by a barrage of short, fast bowling from Siddle. Swann was struck on the fingers, then the elbow, and then the helmet, by Siddle's 90 mile per hour (145 kph) bowling, requiring treatment each time. He toughed it out until tea, but with just three wickets in hand and 38 overs to play, England still looked in trouble.

Swann finally fell after tea for a hard fought 31 runs. Collingwood had been the anchor of the innings, playing carefully with great concentration for five hours and 44 minutes, making just 74 runs off 245 balls, but when he was finally out caught, the score was 9 for 233, and it was left to England's worst two batsmen to see out the last 12 overs.

Somehow, they did it. The Australians threw everything at them, but to no avail. The English managed to erase the deficit and post a tiny lead - the runs were trivial, but it meant Australia would have to bat again, and every minute taken up would be precious. Very late in the day, with less time left on the clock than it would take to change innings, the Australians conceded the draw and England escaped.

It was not a dull draw. It went right down to the wire and required great character from the England tail-end batsmen to survive. The draw was an achievement to lift the spirits of the England players, after their poor bowling performance and lack of application with the bat.

The Australians will be disappointed by their inability to cut through the English line-up as they have in the past, and frustrated that the series score is 0-0 despite their excellent batting performance. Nevertheless, England took a mental beating, and the scars of this will still affect them in the next test starting on Thursday at Lords.

[casimendocina]

Cricket hasn't been so inspiring since the mid-80s.

[ZenGum]

The second test is being played at Lord's, which is regarded as the Home of Cricket. The ground drops more than eight feet from one edge to the other, and about two inches from one side of the pitch to the other. You'd expect England to have a home-ground advantage, but they haven't beaten Australia here since 1934. The pitch is flat and dry, and looks very favourable to the batting side.

England won the toss and began splendidly. Openers Strauss and Cook scored freely, going to lunch at no wicket for 126. Hilfenhaus was tight and occasionally threatening, but Johnson was untidy and very expensive for the Aussies.

After lunch the runs resumed, until Cook was out LBW to Johnson for 95 with 18 boundaries. England were 1 for 196, looking in control. Spin bowler Hauritz suffered a nasty injury attempting to catch a hard-struck drive, having his middle finger bent back and dislocated. Scans found no breaks, so he can still play but the injury is on his bowling hand. Australia fought back by taking the wicket of Bopara (LBW to Hilfenhaus for 18), but England still went to the tea break on 2 for 255.

Australias's bowlers lifted and things slid for England in the final session, as they lost the wickets of Pietersen (32), Collingwood (16), Prior (8), and Flintoff (4), thus demonstrating a grasp of reverse logarithms. Broad is not out on seven, and Strauss, the captain, is not out on 161, from 266 balls with 22 boundaries, having batted all day. Glory is his, for now. At the end of the day England were 6 for 364, a very good score so far, but they let slip the chance to make a huge total with their middle-order fade-away.

[ZenGum]

Australia began splendidly by bowling Strauss with the second ball of the day, and followed up with two more quick wickets to have England at 9 for 378. Then England's two worst batsmen - Anderson and Onions - again defied the Australian attack and put on 47 runs for the last wicket; England ended on 425. Hauritz could not yet bowl after his finger injury yesterday, Siddle seemed to have food poisoning; Johnson became frustrated and untidy, but got the last wicket in the end.

Under cloudy skies, with the ball moving and swinging in the humid conditions, Anderson dismissed Hughes for four and Ponting for two, and Australia were reeling at 2 for 10. Frequent rain interruptions made life difficult for the batsmen, but Katich and Hussey took the score to 103.

The evening session saw an Australian batting collapse.
Katich fell for 48 and Hussey for 52, soon followed by Clarke (1), North (0), Johnson (4), and Haddin (28); and when bad light stopped play the tourists were 8 for 156, still 269 runs behind England and in danger of being required to "follow on" [If a side is 200 runs behind on the first innings, the other side can require them to bat again immediately, creating the opportunity to press for the win]. Australia has tail-enders Siddle and Hauritz at the crease, both on three, with Hilfenhaus to come.

Tight, accurate bowling by the English, and ill-disciplined shot selection by the Australians, produced today's outcome; although Ponting was unlucky to be given out caught. Most Australians were out attempting to slog the ball through the on side and being beaten by movement. The turnaround from the first game is remarkable, and Australia's record at Lords may be under threat.

[DucksNuts]

[ZenGum]

Hauritz and Siddle put on a good fight for the ninth wicket, making 24 and 35 respectively, but Onions took both wickets and Australia were all out for a meager 215; 210 runs behind England.

Strauss chose not to enforce the follow-on; with two and a half days left, the pitch was still good and there was plenty of time to set an impossible target and then bowl Australia out on the wearing pitch.

Strauss and Cook took the score to 61 without loss, before Hauritz dismissed both. Then, strangely, he was taken out of the attack and Australia stumbled. Ponting missed a gettable run-out, then dropped a catch; close decisions went in England's favour, and although wickets fell regularly through the day, the Englishmen were scoring runs and scoring them quickly. Most batsmen made between 25 and 60, and when rain stopped play England were 6 for 311, a massive 521 runs in front.

England is totally on top. The highest successful run chase in history is 418, and the highest at Lords, 329. 521?

[ZenGum]

Yeah, sorry, I fell asleep there too so I missed a day.

[monster]

Uh Ohs!

[ZenGum]

Oh and I love this thread!

Well if you'd said that earlier I might have kept at it.

For the rest of you, England won game two, game three was a draw, Australia posted a strong win in game four, and in the fifth and final game, England recorded a very solid victory!

The Ashes belong again to England, and Ricky Ponting is now the first Australian captain ever to lose two ashes series in England.

Oh woe is us. It would be ashes and sack-cloth for a month, except that we don't even have the ashes anymore.

AND we lost to New Zealand in a rugby game, 18-17, after a final minute penalty goal.

I'm going to sulk now.