Dave Bracegirdle
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3rd Test: England v Australia at Nottingham, 2-6 Aug 2001 Dave Bracegirdle |
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Australia 2nd innings:
England 2nd innings: Australia 1st innings: |
Having bowled England out for just 162 during the morning session the tourists overcame the loss of the top three batsmen in their order and then saw their captain, Steve Waugh, retire hurt with a calf injury before racing to a convincing seven wicket win.
England began the day on 144-6 but lost Ian Ward in Jason Gillespie's first over. Robert Croft and Andy Caddick also fell to Gillespie, giving the pace bowler his 100th wicket in Tests and Shane Warne collected his sixth wicket of the innings when Alex Tudor's leading edge found Ricky Ponting at point.
Defending such a meagre total England needed to make quick inroads into the Australia top order. They felt that they should have had Matthew Hayden out lbw in the first over, but umpire Venkataraghavan turned down Darren Gough's vociferous appeal.
The breakthrough came when Michael Slater, who'd only made 12, edged Andy Caddick to Marcus Trescothick at third slip. The same combination almost accounted for Hayden but the fielder couldn't hold the sharp chance high to his left.
Frequent interruptions for rain disrupted the day but straight after lunch England gave themselves a glimmer of a chance as Croft dismissed Ricky Ponting in his only over of the innings. Ponting had crashed the first ball after lunch through extra cover for four but then tickled a thin edge to 'keeper Stewart.
Hayden moved swiftly to 42 but then seemed to get a raw deal from umpire Venkataraghavan, who gave him out to a Tudor delivery that appeared to pitch outside leg and also looked like going over the top.
A further blow for Australia came when their skipper pulled up sharply going for his first run. Steve Waugh had turned Tudor to leg but then had to be stretchered from the ground in obvious discomfort.
Mark Waugh and Damien Martyn denied England any further successes with a high-quality partnership which brought the scores level. England's misery was compounded when the Ashes were lost on an Andy Caddick no-ball.
Australia, set 158 for victory and with it the retention of the Ashes, had reached 97-3 when the players accepted the offer of bad light and left the field. Within five minutes a heavy down pour had justified their decision.
Having reached lunch on 68-1 the tourists were rocked in the first over of the resumption. Robert Croft, in his first over of the innings, saw Ricky Ponting crash his first ball to the extra cover boundary. The next delivery, however, found a thin outside edge and Alec Stewart claimed the catch.
With heavy cloud cover over Trent Bridge, Croft was swiftly moved out of the attack in favour of Andy Caddick but the next wicket fell at the other end, to Alex Tudor.
Matthew Hayden had played purposefully and with exquisite timing to reach 42 but was then sent on his way by umpire Venkat. Tudor's delivery not only pitched outside the leg stump but also would have missed the stumps. The tourists were 88-3, still 70 away from their target.
With the addition of just one more run they were further rocked. Steve Waugh, their captain, turned Tudor to leg but then pulled up sharply with what looked like a calf pull. The batsman was clearly in pain and had to retire hurt on a stretcher.
Mark Waugh and Damien Martyn thwarted the England attack until the stoppage.
The one wicket to fall was that of Michael Slater, who'd made just 12 when he snicked Andy Caddick to third slip where Marcus Trescothick took a fine catch.
Matthew Hayden had a couple of slices of good fortune but reached the interval unbeaten on 35. During Darren Gough's first over he was rapped on the pads and replays seemed to indicate that he probably should have been given out lbw but umpire Venkat turned down the appeal.
Then, on 23, he was dropped by Trescothick, again at slip, although it was a difficult chance high to his left.
Ricky Ponting looked in better form than of late as he helped his partner add a comfortable 32 in the half hour before the interval.
Even with a 15minute stoppage for rain England had been dismissed comfortably inside the first hour of the third day, for just 162.
Resuming at 144-6 there were no alarms as Alex Tudor allowed the final ball of Shane Warne's unfinished over to go through to 'keeper Adam Gilchrist. The first full over of the day was bowled by Jason Gillespie from the Radcliffe Road End and it took him just four balls to snare his first wicket of the innings. Ian Ward had again disappointed in making only 13 and he found himself stuck in his crease as Gillespie trapped him lbw with a pacy, full-pitched delivery which John Hampshire decided was going on to hit the stumps.
Robert Croft's dismal return to the Test arena continued with a duck to add to his first innings score of 3. Gillespie’s full pitched delivery was wide enough to leave alone but the batsman flailed at it and inside edged onto his stumps.
Andy Caddick hit a confident looking boundary through point but bowler Gillespie responded by picking up his third wicket of the morning as the Somerset seamer followed an away swinger and gave Gilchrist his seventh dismissal of the match and brought the bowler his 100th Test wicket.
Rain, rather than England's batsmen, then frustrated the Aussies for 15 minutes but soon after the resumption Tudor, in trying to turn the ball to leg, spooned a catch to Ricky Ponting in the covers to give Warne figures of 6-33.
England, all out for 162, managed to gain a lead of just 157.
Resuming at the overnight score of 144-6 there were no alarms as Alex Tudor allowed the final ball of Shane Warne's unfinished over to go through to 'keeper Adam Gilchrist. The first full over of the day was bowled by Jason Gillespie from the Radcliffe Road End and it took him just four balls to snare his first wicket of the innings. Ian Ward had again disappointed in making only 13 and he found himself stuck in his crease as Gillespie trapped him lbw with a pacy, full-pitched delivery that John Hampshire decided was going on to hit the stumps.
Robert Croft's disappointing return to the Test arena continued with a duck to add to his first innings score of three. Gillespie's full-pitched delivery was wide enough to leave alone but the batsman flailed at it and inside edged onto his stumps.
Andy Caddick hit a confident looking boundary through point but bowler Gillespie responded by picking up his third wicket of the morning as the Somerset seamer followed an away swinger and gave Gilchrist his seventh dismissal of the match and brought the bowler his 100th Test wicket.
Rain, rather than England's batsmen, then frustrated Australia for 15 minutes but soon after the resumption Tudor, in trying to turn the ball to leg, spooned a catch to Ricky Ponting in the covers to give Warne figures of 6-33.
England, all out for 162, managed to gain a lead of just 157.
Five wickets for Warne, four of them late in the day, plus another high-quality all-round performance from Adam Gilchrist ensured that the Australians weren't about to surrender their initiative in the series without a fight.
At the close of the second day the home side, in their second innings, were on 144-6, leading overall by 139 runs, with 4 wickets in hand.
Marcus Trescothick and Michael Atherton gave their side a solid platform by putting together a stand of 57 at the start of England's second innings but then Warne struck in unusual fashion. Trescothick, on 31, struck the spinner firmly to leg but unluckily saw it rebound off the shin-pads of the close-in fielder Matthew Hayden. 'Keeper Gilchrist threw himself forward to scoop up the catch.
Mark Butcher made only one before Brett Lee trapped him lbw and the same bowler then had Mark Ramprakash caught behind off a no-ball. Lee, in a fiery burst, had earlier struck the grille on Atherton's helmet with a delivery clocked at 91.8mph. Atherton also looked fortunate to survive a shout for lbw from Glenn McGrath, whose premature celebration took him beyond the striker.
In the evening gloom Atherton and Ramprakash took their stand to 50, from 93 balls, with both batsmen hammering delightful shots through the offside from the bowling of Jason Gillespie. Atherton's own half-century came with a push through the covers off Warne. On 51, though, it appeared as if he was given out incorrectly for the second time in the match. Replays seemed to indicate that he clipped his pad as he pushed forward to Warne but umpire Venkat gave him out caught behind.
Having been very much on the ropes Australia bounced back with another wicket in Warne's next over, as Alec Stewart chopped his second delivery onto his stumps.
Ramprakash, still with something to prove at this level, had moved competently to 26 but then a rush of blood persuaded him to charge at Warne and Gilchrist completed the most routine of stumpings. The leggie had picked up 3-5 in nine balls and he collected yet another five-wicket haul in the final over as Steve Waugh dived to hold a bat-pad catch off Craig White.
During the morning session Australia were again indebted to Adam Gilchrist, whose 54 ensured that the visitors picked up a narrow first innings lead. Bowling honours went to Alex Tudor who collected the last three wickets to fall, to finish with figures of 5-44, his first five-wicket haul in Tests.
Mark Butcher had scored just a single, from nine deliveries faced, when he played around a straight delivery from Brett Lee and was given out leg before by umpire John Hampshire. England had lost two wickets for just two runs, either side of the interruption following the controversial dismissal of Marcus Trescothick for 32.
Michael Atherton then played a delightful late cut to guide Shane Warne to the ropes as he and Mark Ramprakash looked to re-build in poor light.
Brett Lee generated a good head of steam from the Radcliffe Road End, hitting Atherton in the grille with a delivery clocked at 91.8mph so it was with understandable relief when rain again swept across the ground and sent the players scurrying for the pavilion.
England, at 74-2, had an overall lead of 69.
The one wicket to go fell in highly unusual circumstances just before the rains came.
Marcus Trescothick swept Shane Warne but the ball struck the shin-pads of Matthew Hayden at short leg and rebounded far enough forward for 'keeper Adam Gilchrist to throw himself forward to scoop up the catch.
The decision was referred to David Constant, the third umpire, who confirmed the validity of the dismissal but replays showed that the bowler may have over-stepped the crease at the point of delivery.
Trescothick had compiled a fine 31 to supplement his first innings 69 and his stand of 57 with Atherton was England's largest of the match so far.
Earlier in the day Alex Tudor picked up the final three wickets to fall, to finish with figures of 5-44, his best in Test matches, as Australia reached 190 all out. Adam Gilchrist made 54 for the tourists.
A brief, heavy shower during the interval delayed the resumption by only nine minutes but it was a further 15 before England added to their lunchtime score of 11-0.
Trescothick turned McGrath into one of the vacant leg side spaces in the fourth over of the re-start but then the tempo increased. Atherton pulled the same bowler viciously for four and then his partner sliced Gillespie through the slip cordon, also to the boards.
The only slight alarm for either batsman came when Atherton was on 12. Electing not to play a shot at McGrath, the England skipper was given the benefit of the doubt by umpire Venkat as the ball crashed into his pads. McGrath's celebratory follow-through took him all the way past the stumps before the reality of the decision hit him.
As the sun reappeared England's lead began to multiply rapidly. Both batsmen added further boundaries as their partnership reached 50 by the 14th over.
Brett Lee and Shane Warne were both brought into the attack but neither could prevent the opener's putting on England's largest stand of the match so far.
Alex Tudor took the bowling honours for the home side, taking all of the wickets to fall on the second morning to finish with 5-44, his first five-wicket haul in Tests.
Following scores of 152 and 90 already in the series Adam Gilchrist again proved his worth to the Australians as a high quality number seven. Starved of the bowling for long periods he still managed to mercilessly punish anything resembling a poor ball to cruise to another half-century from just 47 balls.
His overnight partner Brett Lee made just one of the first 17 runs scored during the morning before becoming Alex Tudor's third victim of the innings. The ball rose sharply to fly off the shoulder of Lee's bat and flew low down to second slip, where Mark Butcher took a sharp catch.
England's hopes of polishing off the tail quickly were dashed as Jason Gillespie dominated the strike without appearing in any trouble. His first boundary came with a deliberate steer to third man off Tudor and was followed by careful accumulation as the perils of the opening day were forgotten.
The 50 partnership was posted in just 63 balls, with Gilchrist facing only 18 of them. Robert Croft's first bowl of the match came at the start of the 52nd over, with the scores level and Gilchrist immediately clipped him for two for a lead that had seemed unlikely at the start of the session.
Just three overs later, with the lead only at three, Tudor struck again – this time getting the prize wicket of the Australian 'keeper. Gilchrist flailed at a widish ball and Michael Atherton pouched his third catch of the innings.
Glenn McGrath straight drove his first delivery for two but later in the same over he nibbled at a wide one and Tudor celebrated in style as Butcher took a spectacular one-handed catch to end the innings.
Tudor lay flat on his back before being engulfed by his team-mates prior to receiving a standing ovation from the appreciative full house.
Resuming from their precarious overnight position of 105-7 the tourists added a further 17 runs before Alex Tudor picked up his third wicket of the match.
Brett Lee had added just one more single, to move on to four, when Tudor found the shoulder of his bat and Mark Butcher took a high-quality catch low down at second slip.
Australia's other overnight batsman, the hard-hitting Adam Gilchrist, had begun with a well-timed boundary through point off Andy Caddick and then repeated the shot off Tudor. A pull to the midwicket boards then took him to 19.
His new partner Jason Gillespie was peppered with a number of short-pitched deliveries but he endured an untroubled half hour, moving cautiously into double figures in the process.
England did well to deny Gilchrist the strike – the left-hander facing only six balls in eight overs but in the 47th over of the innings he brought up the 150 and later in the same over he crashed a tiring Caddick through the covers for four.
After the first hour of the day Australia had reached 163-8, just 22 runs adrift of England.
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Date-stamped : 04 Aug2001 - 22:28