Oh no, not again...
With the weary resignation of being doomed to witness another inevitable humiliation, I drag my weary bones back towards the keyboard at another ungodly hour in the certain knowledge that, once again, it's unlikely to be good news awaiting me coming out of yet another bloody test match, this time coming from the S.C.G. in Sydney.
It was four o'clock in the morning and, for whatever reasons, I'd not slept well again and decided that I might as well get up, and arrived at the keyboard just as a blistering afternoon session was coming to a close with Geoffrey Boycott fretting over Brad Haddin leading another astonishing Australian recovery from a tricky situation at the SCG, being 201 for 5 at tea having been 97 for five at one point during the day having been put in to bat, yet another example of England (and Wales) having been in a strong position only to let it slip away...
Again, I start to believe that it's my own arrival at the earphones with my own lack of belief in my country's side which somehow influences events half a world away and makes them play far worse the minute that they have my attention...
Not only that, one of the four bowlers in the England (and Wales) seam "attack", Boyd Rankin, was injured.
During the tea interval, Jonathan Agnew on T.M.S. was chatting to Ed Cowan, who was in the throes of telling us what a lovely chap Brad Haddin actually is, which is, of course, quite right too, given that many Englishmen now abed (or not...) would have been desperate to dislike the chap who had put their team to the sword.
Play resumes at 4.30am local time, and it's pretty much more of the same with the ball being clobbered all around the park and Aggers and Michael Vaughn are reduced to telling us what a nice day it is in the absence of any other good news... and finding fault with the local taxi drivers in order to just have anything to criticise about something Australian...
But then, Brad Haddin's wicket did fall in the half hour after tea, and, despite having pills to take and sandwiches to make, I did actually hear it happen, so another of my pet theories is proved wrong, although not as wrong as all that as I also get to hear Steve Smith smash his way to a century and suddenly it's 290 for 7...
Strangely, though, Australia are suddenly all out for 326, with Ben Stokes getting six wickets for 99... and England, having finally found a way to get the last few wickets in an innings at precisely the worst possible moment, suddenly facing the negotiation of a tricky half an hour with the prospect of managing to lose several wickets before the close.
The day finishes as I'm driving to work with England 8 for 1 (Carberry 0) and 318 runs behind Australia… so it could have been a lot, lot worse at the end of what sounded like - no matter which side you choose to support - was a pretty phen-nom-en-al day of Test cricket…
It was four o'clock in the morning and, for whatever reasons, I'd not slept well again and decided that I might as well get up, and arrived at the keyboard just as a blistering afternoon session was coming to a close with Geoffrey Boycott fretting over Brad Haddin leading another astonishing Australian recovery from a tricky situation at the SCG, being 201 for 5 at tea having been 97 for five at one point during the day having been put in to bat, yet another example of England (and Wales) having been in a strong position only to let it slip away...
Again, I start to believe that it's my own arrival at the earphones with my own lack of belief in my country's side which somehow influences events half a world away and makes them play far worse the minute that they have my attention...
Not only that, one of the four bowlers in the England (and Wales) seam "attack", Boyd Rankin, was injured.
During the tea interval, Jonathan Agnew on T.M.S. was chatting to Ed Cowan, who was in the throes of telling us what a lovely chap Brad Haddin actually is, which is, of course, quite right too, given that many Englishmen now abed (or not...) would have been desperate to dislike the chap who had put their team to the sword.
Play resumes at 4.30am local time, and it's pretty much more of the same with the ball being clobbered all around the park and Aggers and Michael Vaughn are reduced to telling us what a nice day it is in the absence of any other good news... and finding fault with the local taxi drivers in order to just have anything to criticise about something Australian...
But then, Brad Haddin's wicket did fall in the half hour after tea, and, despite having pills to take and sandwiches to make, I did actually hear it happen, so another of my pet theories is proved wrong, although not as wrong as all that as I also get to hear Steve Smith smash his way to a century and suddenly it's 290 for 7...
Strangely, though, Australia are suddenly all out for 326, with Ben Stokes getting six wickets for 99... and England, having finally found a way to get the last few wickets in an innings at precisely the worst possible moment, suddenly facing the negotiation of a tricky half an hour with the prospect of managing to lose several wickets before the close.
The day finishes as I'm driving to work with England 8 for 1 (Carberry 0) and 318 runs behind Australia… so it could have been a lot, lot worse at the end of what sounded like - no matter which side you choose to support - was a pretty phen-nom-en-al day of Test cricket…
Day Two close: Eng 155 ao; Aus 140 - 4 (Aus lead by 311)
ReplyDeleteDay Three close: Aus 276 ao; Eng 166 ao. Aus win by 281 runs and win series five-nil.
ReplyDelete