Tea and Biscuits at The Ashes
SCG, Sydney, Day 5: England’s walking wounded claim a famous draw from an incredible game. Who says Test Match cricket is boring?
SCG, Sydney, Day 5: England’s walking wounded claim a famous draw from an incredible game. Who says Test Match cricket is boring?
Before we delve into the nitty gritty of the day’s play, can I direct you to (1) the reason why I’m sitting up through the night watching Test Match cricket and (2) my blogs from the first 4 days of this intriguing Test Match:
A cricketing journey
Why I’m going to Australia at 2am this winter for lunch and why cricket memories never fail to make me smile.medium.com
Tea and Biscuits at The Ashes
SCG, Sydney, Day 1: Australia make progress in the Sydney rain whilst in the New Zealand sunshine, Bangladesh beat the…medium.com
Tea and Biscuits at The Ashes
SCG, Sydney, Day 2: Deja Vu as Australia bat all day and England are snookered and behind the 8 Ball. Again.medium.com
Tea and Biscuits at The Ashes
SCG, Sydney, Day 3: Stokes and Bairstow arrest the English slide but the Aussies remain fully in control of the 4th…medium.com
Tea and Biscuits at The Ashes
SCG, Sydney, Day 4: Usman Khawaja brilliantly bats England into a corner. Can the walking wounded save the Test Match…medium.com
Regular readers of my blogs will be aware that I ended yesterday’s with a rare prediction: England will bat all day, confound both their critics and recent experiences and eke out a draw with their Skipper, Joe Root, at the forefront, and scoring a hundred. The romantic in me sees in my mind’s eye Jack Leach, leaning on his bat and cleaning his glasses at the opposite end as his Skipper completes a century! Rain showers are predicted. The Aussies need 10 wickets. And England need another of those “miracles” to even secure a draw.
Here’s today’s action, minute by minute as they happened here in a cold UK:
MORNING SESSION: England 122–3 (Australia need 7 wickets to win).
11.27pm England opener Haseeb Hameed receives a cricketing “life” as Alex Carey drops a simple chance behind the stumps off the bowling of his Skipper Pat Cummins. With the score at 37–0 England have added just 7 runs this morning, mainly via Zak Crawley, and Hameed looks decidedly uncomfortable.
11.37pm HASEEB HAMEED caught Carey bowled Boland (9).
Hameed’s extra life lasts just 10 minutes as he falls to an almost exact replica of the delivery above. However, this time it’s “Golden Arm” Scott Boland who get’s his man and Hameed departs for 9 runs with England now 46–1.
11.59pm Zak Crawley has been incredibly impressive this morning and has scored the overwhelming majority of England’s runs on his way to a well deserved half century. Crawley has played with intent, purpose and positivity and all the while has played correct and traditional cricket strokes on his way to 50 runs. Well batted kid.
12.16am DAWID MALAN bowled Lyon (4).
Quite simply, Malan played a nothing shot and got stuck on the crease and Lyon slipped a quicker delivery crashing into his stumps. The wicket leaves England on 74–2 and a long way from batting all day to save this Test Match and Australia need 8 more wickets for victory. What was impressive both here and throughout the morning session was Aussie Skipper Pat Cummins rotating his bowlers and seemingly getting a wicket every time he made a major change of bowler. A drinks break was taken at the fall of this wicket and hence far England have scored 44 runs this morning for the fall of 2 wickets and Zak Crawley has still scored the vast majority of all English runs this morning.
12.43am ZAK CRAWLEY lbw bowled Green (77).
Yet another bowling change and yet another wicket for the Aussies and whilst it was a brilliant “yorker” of a delivery from Cameron Green it was still cruel on the youngster Crawley who had batted so well this morning. As is so often the case, the “Commentator’s Curse” struck as during the previous delivery ex England Captain Michael Vaughan said on Fox Sports Australia’s commentary that if Crawley was still batting at the Tea Break he’d get excited about an English victory. Next ball Crawley was trapped in front of his stumps and was gone for a brilliantly played 77.
Australia need 7 wickets for victory.
1.29am and right on the cusp of the Lunch Break Ben Stokes is the recipient of a cricketing “life” as he’s dropped by Marcus Harris at the short leg position and again the Aussie Skipper Pat Cummins is the unlucky bowler.
England were 121–3 when this catch was dropped and Ben Stokes on 16 runs. Skipper Joe Root would score a single to take his runs total to 13 and the players retreated for lunch with England 122–3 and Australia needing 7 more wickets for victory.
AFTERNOON SESSION: England 174–4 (Australia need 6 wickets to win).
3.10am and after a 30 minute enforced break after lunch due to rain we’re back underway at the SCG.
3.44am 50 Partnership is accomplished between England’s two Premier batsmen with Stokes the heavier scorer on 34 runs and Skipper Root on 20. Stokes is courageously batting through the pain of a side injury and Root has been unhurried and unrushed in his company.
4.08am JOE ROOT caught Carey bowled Boland (24).
Disaster strikes for England and my bold pre day prediction of a hundred for the Skipper is scuppered as that man again, Scott Boland, strikes with a beauty of a delivery that Root had to play and he got the finest of edges through to wicket keeper Carey who made no mistake. England are 156–4 and in trouble.
4.41am Ben Stokes (46) and Jonny Bairstow (10) steer England through to the Tea Break with the score standing at 174–4. 52 runs were scored in this shortened middle session but the important number is the wickets column and only 1 further wicket has been added in the session, that of Skipper Root. Provided there are no further interruptions from the weather, there are 4 important numbers from hereon in:
(1) There are a maximum of 35 overs remaining to be bowled.
(2) A new ball is available in 13 overs.
(3) Australia will have 22 overs with a new ball with which to secure the final 6 wickets for victory.
Final Stumps on Day 5: England 270–9. MATCH DRAWN.
5.11am Ben Stokes reaches a very bravely and very well played 50 from 107 balls and his second half century of the Test Match. A brilliantly gutsy effort from the all-rounder.
5.36am BEN STOKES caught Smith bowled Lyon (60).
Stokes’ resistance is broken with a spitting delivery from “The Goat”, Nathan Lyon, and England are 193–5. Australia need 5 wickets for victory.
5.56am With 22 official overs remaining in the Test Match the Aussies claim the final new ball of the match and the obvious cliché fits immediately:
Game on.
England are 207–5 with Bairstow (damaged thumb) and Buttler (damaged hand) clinging onto a partnership of 14 runs whilst a chirping and excitable Australian team are desperate for the last 5 wickets and victory.
6.22am JOS BUTTLER lbw bowled Cummins (11).
The Aussie Skipper returns with the ball and delivers a brute of a delivery that crashed into Buttler’s pads and on review the England batsman is on his way and England are teetering on the brink, again, at 218–6. 3 minutes later, and England are staring into the abyss and an impending defeat.
6.25am MARK WOOD lbw bowled Cummins (0).
Wood faces just two balls and the second of which is an absolute cricketing “Jaffa” (unplayable) as Cummins swung the ball a metaphorical mile before crashing into his pads for an easy Leg Before Wicket decision. It was an absolute gem of a delivery from the Aussie Skipper and his team need just 3 wickets for victory.
6.30am and Jonny Bairstow (on 28 runs) is given a “life” as Steve Smith shells a relatively simple catch off the bowling of a fired up Mitchell Starc. Bairstow survives and so do England.
6.37am Drinks Break. The refreshment break heralds the final hour of play and the final 15 minimum overs to be bowled. Bairstow (29 runs) has been joined by Jack Leach (1 run) and England’s irrelevant total stands on 224–7.
Australia have 90 balls with which to snag 3 English wickets for victory.
7.03am JONNY BAIRSTOW caught Labuschagne bowled Boland (41).
Disaster strikes for England with just 10 overs left of the entire Test Match and Bairstow’s resistance comes to an end as he edges firmly into his pads before that chirping pest Marnus Labuschagne grasped a quick and smart catch at the bat and pad position. Bairstow had been so resilient and so determined as he faced over 100 balls for his 41 but he’s gone and Australia now need just 2 wickets for victory.
7.24am 7 Overs Remain. 42 Balls Minimum. England stand on 257–8 with Jack Leach scoring a well played 14 runs hence far and Stuart Broad with 7.
7.33am 5 Overs Remain. 30 Balls Minimum. England stand on 260–8 with Leach on 17 and Broad still on 7. We now have a ridiculous field for both the bowling of the Skipper Cummins and his “Goat” Nathan Lyon. For Lyon in particular and his skiddy spinners, he has 3 slips, a leg slip, a short leg and a bat pad. All very reminiscent of Under 10’s colt cricket with a ring of close catchers and two batsmen desperate just to keep their wicket intact. All of this is pleasing the cricket purist in me immensely!
7.40am 3 Overs Remain. 18 Balls Minimum. England’s score is irrelevant (Leach has 24 and Broad 8) but Aussie Skipper Pat Cummins cannot bowl any longer and due to the worsening light at the SCG has to finish the match with only his spin bowlers. He turns to his Vice Captain Steve Smith, and disaster strikes for England.
7.44am JACK LEACH caught Warner bowled Smith (26).
With 14 minimum balls to be bowled left in the entire Test Match Steve Smith, with an unbelievable field of 4 slips, 2 leg gully’s, and even more close in catchers at both “bat/pad” and “silly mid off” positions snags an edge from the plucky Leach which ricochets off wicket keeper Carey’s knee and into the grasping hands of David Warner. Smith is hoisted high in the air by his jubilant team mates and there’s a crescendo of noise swirling around the Sydney Cricket Ground. Australia have 14 balls with which to take the final English wicket.
Who said Test Match cricket was boring?
7.50am and Jimmy Anderson, nearing 40 years of age and greying of scalp fends off the best Steve Smith can muster and the Test Match goes all the way to the final ball, a ball pushed away by the veteran, and a breathless Test Match is drawn.
Wow!
The “Pink Test”. “Jane McGrath Day”. Rain and weather interruptions. Centuries in both innings from Usman Khawaja. A century from an emotional Jonny Bairstow. 50’s in each innings from an injured Ben Stokes. Mark Wood bowling his heart out. Jack Leach getting his deserved wickets. The bowling spell tonight from Aussie Skipper Pat Cummins. The inspired bowling of new cult hero Scott Boland. I could go on.
Who says Test Match cricket is boring?
I have no idea how often a Test Match goes down to the final ball of the match but it must be an infinitesimal percentage. This was pure sporting drama and it’s been many, many hours since I last slept and despite the fact I’m far too tired for words I’m also wired too. This was sporting theatre of the greatest kind and another of those Ashes Test Matches in years to come that will be fondly remembered as one of the very best.
Who says Test Match cricket is boring?