2015 Cricket World Cup Champs!

When I started the Baggy Green Blog in 2007, we had the Ashes urn, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, number 1 ranks in Test and ODI cricket, and of course the glorious World Cup Trophy backed by a monster team of greats.

Things were good, but then a lot of dark times in Australian cricket plagued us as die-hard supporters as we lost them all. Through all the turmoil and challenges (which I documented over the years) I can now proudly write that we've won back the World Cup title and done so in Australia, for the first time, and I have been here to experience it (witnessed us beating Pakistan in the quarter-final at the Adelaide Oval), along with regaining the urn, beating South Africa in South Africa, and winning back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy!

I am so damn proud of Michael Clarke on a fantastic ODI career, our tenacious coach, Darren Lehmann, and our boys who worked so hard to ensure they'd the trophy on home soil. We are the World Champs again. Great to win it in Hughesy's memory too.

Live it and embrace it. Australia, you bloody beauty. Stats from the Facebook page below.
Until another few months this is Ian signing off again, as my Australian cricket world makes sense again.

Michael Clarke's ODI career wrap-up:

Batting: 223 innings, 7981 runs, HS 130, Avg 44.58, 8 (100s), 58 (50s), final innings 74 runs.
Bowling: 105 bowling innings, 57 wickets @ 37.64. BBI 5/35

Top 3 bowlers:
1 - Mitchell Starc (Player of the tournament - incredible stats): 22 wickets @ *10.18. BBI 6/28, SR 17.4
2 - Mitchell Johnson: 15 wickets @ 21.73, SR 25.4
3 - James Faulkner (Player of the Match in the final): 10 wickets @ 19.70, SR 25.1

*Starc's career average is now 18.33 with 83 wickets. Tight!

Top 3 batsmen:
1 - Steven Smith: 402 runs @ 67.00, HS 105, SR 91.57
2 - David Warner: 345 runs @ 49.28, HS 178, SR 120.20
3 - Glenn Maxwell: 324 runs @ 64.80, HS 102, SR 182.02 (Big Show!)

Most tournament catches: Brad Haddin with 16 topped the list.

Final scorecard: Australia win by 7 wickets at the MCG vs New Zealand

#GoGold

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An Australian summary - The Ashes 5th Test, day 5, The Oval

Australia: 9/492 dec. from 128.5 overs
Shane Watson 176, Steven Smith 138*
James Anderson 4-95

England: 377 all out from 144.4 overs
Joe Root 68, Kevin Pietersen 50, Matt Prior 47
James Faulkner 4-51, Mitchell Starc 3-92, Ryan Harris 2-64

Australia: 6/111 from 23 overs 
Michael Clarke 28*, Shane Watson 26
Stuart Broad 4-43

England: 5/206 chasing 227 runs for victory 
Kevin Pietersen 62, Jonathan Trott 59
Ryan Harris 2-21, James Faulkner 2-47

I am happy to eat my words written after day four was washed out. I wrote, "even if there is play tomorrow it will be a deflating display of defensive batting and tiresome bowling, with a few possible moments of excitement to play out for a drawn result."

We ended up getting quite a bizarre play of events in the end as England, probably reflecting on their batting on day three, came out with a more attacking attitude and we ended up seeing a game of it all. However, it was still a drawn result but it could have gone either way with England looking like favourites in the end until the umpires called for bad light. Worrying but exciting.

Michael Clarke's declaration was well timed in the sense that this game would have come down to the wire. England had to attack, they had to play out of their shells and we were tested in a limited overs sense prior to the limited series being just around the corner. Good on Clarke for making a match of it in the end, even if it was a nail-biting scenario and he opted for more conservative tactics after Kevin Pietersen's assault. Not sure of the crowds reasons for booing him though. Poor show after the crowd surely got a great days entertainment? Most puzzling indeed. 

Brydon Coverdale of ESPN summarised the tactics of Clarke really well on the final days play. In a way it highlights the slight confusion amidst our cricket ranks at present. Have a read at his article via this link.

This series will go down as one where the scoreline showed complete and utter dominance by a relatively stable English team. However, if you watched as much of the action as possible you will see it all came down to England's experience as a unit to win Test matches and having certain individuals stand up to the challenge having known how to do this from previous scenarios. It pays to stick with a side and show belief in the men who wear your teams caps, doesn't it?

Yesterday I summed it up, "the English team have been together a lot longer now and experienced winning Test matches. They know how to win those small passage of play which - ultimately - brings about the main result in the bigger scheme of things.

As a result the selectors will hopefully realise that the players who showed strong performances or indications of their true skill need to be retained for the home Ashes series - they must not chop and change. The players who didn't step up will need to play out of their socks come the Sheffield Shield. They will need to fight for the right to put their Baggy Green caps back on, while I am certain other players will be as keen to bag lots of wickets or pocket plenty of runs to get their opportunity. "

There will always be the bitterness regarding the Stuart Broad incident, which I prefer to put down to blind umpiring rather than Broad being a cheat. Andrew Symonds didn't walk against India in 2007/08 after a generous edge to MS Dhoni, so I'd be hypocritical to call him (Broad) a cheat even if he uses stall tactics too. Many players don't walk, period. They don't have to if the umpire doesn't raise his finger. It came down to the umpiring and it was a pretty bloody obvious edge too which made it infuriating and humiliating.

It has been a shocking series for the umpires and that decision ultimately changed many things regarding this series. The DRS came under scrutiny and the umpires have now become far more vulnerable to couch-umpire criticism. It could have been very different had their standards been better and had Michael Clarke been more strategic with his reviews, so bad luck has to come into it for The Baggy Greens.

Here's a look at the Tests. We fell 14 runs short in the first Test, just 14 runs after being down and out after a top order collapse - one of many. The second Test we were outplayed and I owe this to the manner in which we lost the first Test. I do believe this affected the teams confidence and self-belief immensely, whereas England just took the momentum home. We also have to wonder what if we'd caught Joe Root when he edged a delivery on just 8 runs and the slip cordon just watched it sail on by? He went on to score 180 runs.

The third Test was ours. I have seen enough cricket to know that any play that goes away due to rain or bad light cannot see potential results brought about my assumption. Anything could have happened had play resumed that day but yes, it looked like we had it in the bag. It was a bitter pill to swallow as I wrote at the conclusion of the Old Trafford Test.

The fourth Test we had it in the bag after Ryan Harris delivered another sensational spell of high performance fast bowling. Yet after a solid foundation set by Chris Rogers and David Warner it imploded and once again that lack of belief we saw after the first Test came out again. It was a humiliating loss which we threw away. It was once again a small passage of play which England just stamped with total dominance and authority.

We also had a first innings lead in four of the Tests but still didn't secure a victory. Further highlighting batting inconsistencies for a balance between good performances and shocking ones.

We could then perform an autopsy looking into the other aspects within each Test which brought about an English victory and further doom and gloom reports over the decline of Australian cricket. I can understand the pessimistic attitudes out there. We tossed many golden moments away, but I think we had many positives to take away from this series and if those can materialise with stability and consistency (along with selection consistencies - same old song) we have a massive chance to win back the urn next series and hang onto it for some time.

Chris Rogers was outstanding in my opinion. He came into this side with immense pressure as he would have been expected to perform from innings one given his county form and the circumstances surrounding his selection. He brought up his maiden Test century this series and even gave us solid platforms to work from, but our fragile middle order made his efforts seem lost at sea.

Ryan Harris was my Player of the Series for us and his delivery to remove Ian Bell at Old Trafford on day three was a beauty! He bowled his heart out and it kind of makes me sad to know that had his body been better equipped for Test cricket he'd be right up there with Dale Steyn. I spare a few thoughts for Ryano. He gave it his best and that isn't easy for a bloke whose endured so many injury setbacks. It must have been hard on his body to bowl as he did and with the success he had.

I wrote this about Ryano after the thumping at Lords:
"...Ryan Harris' body language was both sad and real. He worked bloody hard to grab a five wicket haul upon his return to the team. He made the Lord's bowling honours board and showed how proud he was to be back in the team. It was all in vain though as the batsmen burnt his efforts and you could sense his despair and sheer heartache. He was just going through the motions. That is the true frustration of the series thus far. We haven't secured vital passages of play, England has. Our batsmen haven't backed the decent performances of our bowlers, England has even if luck has been a major player in their fortunes."

Shane Watson finally scored a long awaited century which ended up being his highest Test score (176) and his first since 2010in Mohali, India. Watson is a frustrating cricketer because his ability is world-class but his application from a mental stand point is inconsistent. No one can pinpoint what it is but it was a relief to see him secure a massive score in the number three position. It came too late for us after he'd been disappointing with the bat but at least he did something a number three had not done since Shaun Marsh's century on debut against Sri Lanka in 2011.

Prior to Watson's century and since Ricky Ponting stepped out of the number three role (and ultimately retiring) we have used the following men at number three: Shaun Marsh, Ed Cowan, Rob Quiney, Phillip Hughes, David Warner Usman Khawaja and Michael Clarke. Took long enough. Watson also averages over 40 in the position.

Michael Clarke had to have an average series by his standards at some point. He couldn't continue to be the savior for our team. When he didn't perform with sublime output we saw how we desperately need guys to step up. Rogers did but ultimately it all came too late. Clarke's back will hopefully be ready for the home Ashes series. That is his biggest worry and could effectively end his career sooner than expected.

Steven Smith's century in the final Test was an important one. Like Khawaja he didn't really assert himself as a batsman making the position in the batting order his own and imposing himself as the man for the future to secure a middle order role for Australia. Yet one cannot deny it was a big moment for him to score a maiden Test century in circumstances where our team could have quite easily lost their fight and just handed England the match. He fought hard, batted with confidence and showed another sign he is slowly coming of age. I wrote my thoughts regarding Smith's turn of events on day two of the recently concluded Oval Test.

Nathan Lyon bowled with an attitude I have never sensed. He had a hop in his step and was really turning on the revolutions with his deliveries, foxing a few of England's best batsmen. His battle with Kevin Pietersen was fantastic to watch and, like Smith, this series gave an indication of Lyon coming of age. Perseverance with him will only benefit him as the Warne-days are now long, long gone and there will never be a spinner of that class again, even if Warnie was a leg spinner.

James Faulkner one and only appearance added a good dynamic to this side. His selection may have put some pressure on Shane Watson to perform, despite Watson having stacked experience in all forms of the game. Faulkner grabbed 6 wickets on debut and 45 runs. Nothing spectacular but a fairly good start compared some of the other Baggy Greens handed out like candy to a bunch of kids at party.

Ashton Agar's 98 on debut was awesome. "Awesome" is the perfect word for that display. He helped us stay in the game and showcased his abilities with the blade in hand, something I saw a bit of at The Adelaide Oval between Western Australia and South Australia in March. He was selected though as a spin bowler. Nathan Lyon is still our best and will be for some time. Agar will come around, he is just 19 but will need the correct mentorship and career management. I am not talking about "career management" as Cricket Australia markets it. I just mean I hope the selectors don't stuff up another young spin bowlers career by throwing him in to soon, making him suffer only to then pull him out for good.

Questions will be asked though.

Was this Brad Haddin's final Test for Australia? What if Matt Wade and Tim Paine get off to solid Shield starts? Haddin kept wicket extremely well this Ashes series, a big turn around for him if you think a few summers back. He's endured a tough run as a family fan off the cricket field so it was a big achievement for him to make this trip but is he too inconsistent now? He has yet to taste an Ashes victory as a member of the starting XI.

Is Mitchell Starc going to remain and pitch and match player? He continues to show poor discipline with his bowling and just cannot seem to build sufficient pressure from his end. On one hand I defend him because he is always in and out of the side so how can he build a solid game plan to match his abilities. Yet one has to ask is the reason behind his pitch and match selection due to the possible inability he has at present to build a game plan that compliments the other bowlers such as Harris, Siddle and Pattinson?

Phillip Hughes was a young man unbelievable confidence and he was piling on runs like no other young Australian batsman had done since Ricky Ponting. Then he had poor career management, endless advice and his game went to the crapper. He has been dropped four or five times now. How is a player meant to handle that? Surely he deserves an extended run? A man who has dominated a county stint and stacked up runs in Australia during different seasons surely deserves a run of consistency in the side? This is a batsman who has also dominated some of the best bowling attacks.

David Warner can belt a ball but is also becoming an inconsistent batsman to watch. Is he an opener or is he a middle order batsman? We all know the destructive player he is but until there is another batsman ready to knock down the doors to any possible batting order plans the selectors have for him, where is going to be placed? What is the plan for him?

Ed Cowan did all he needed to earn a Baggy Green cap but he just hasn't delivered the goods. He has been consistently mediocre and he must be the most confused man in the side as he show cased all that needed to be at state level. Why can't he bring it together in the Test arena? The same can be said for Usman Khawaja who has been on the sidelines a while but I have read and heard many cricket journalists and past-players mention a lack of determination and eagerness in his attitude. Only Usman can answer this.

We also need to see consistency come in the selection policies. The signs are there that there's enough ability in this teams batting line-up. Most of the players have a Test century coming against strong Test sides. Some have great experience, others are starting to come of age. If this can all click in one series as we saw against India in 2011/12 will this make players at state level work harder to earn a place in the side, to target a specific spot in the team to earn that Baggy Green cap?

Tough times ahead still. It seems whenever we get so close it all goes a few steps back. I do remain confident though we can win the Ashes back this summer.

Why? Read my opening paragraphs in this article. England won the small passages of play which ultimately brought about their series victory. They had a few players, just a few, step up when needed to in order to secure those passages of play. Those passages led them to victory. It comes down to those small moments, small differences between the sides which end up painting a much bigger picture than a scoreline indicates.

If our players can perform to the best of their abilities with synergy and start to win those small moments to ultimately win Test matches again we will get back the urn this summer. Don't stop supporting The Baggy Greens!

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The Ashes 4th Test, day 1, Chester-le-Street:

The Ashes 4th Test, day 1, Chester-le-Street:

England 1st innings: 9/238 from 90 overs
Nathan Lyon 4-42, Ryan Harris 2-70, Shane Watson 1-21, Peter Siddle 1-41, Jackson Bird 1-58
Alastair Cook 51, Jonathan Trott 49

The only thing that didn't really go our way on day one of the fourth Test is the fact we didn't get 10 wickets to give ourselves a fresh start with the bat come day two. The bowlers will still need to show up for the second day of play to ensure they grab that last English wicket as quickly as possible. The tail has already dragged proceedings on by another 24 runs and recent history has shown that wrapping up the oppositions lower order isn't a quick procedure for us. Still, it was good to come out on top of day one after our misfortune at Old Trafford.

The two English batsmen we have been waiting on to fire looked as though it was their day on a wicket that had a fair bit of drag in it and no real sense of an immediate threat for our right-arm bowling attack - having not selected left-arm Mitchell Starc.

Starc can definitely feel unlucky and the only reason I could see him being left out of the team is his inability to bowl consistent spells and build sufficient pressure from his bowling end. Just seeing how the bowlers toiled for day one of this Test was a clear indication this element is what got us through what could have been a spanking from England's top order. Pressure and bowling in tandem did the trick, so despite his collections at Old Trafford as well as a half-century, this decision to leave him out was purely tactical.

Jonathan Trott and Alastair Cook added 73 runs for the second-wicket partnership. Trott tried to impose himself to get every chance to play to his strengths and regain his confidence, which has oddly enough been slightly dampened. Meanwhile, Cook went along with the patience and resistance he showed against us in the last Ashes series, but there was always this sense I had that we'd get him well before a century as he was seriously showing restraint against straight bat shots - or just shots for that matter. After doing the hard yards at a strike-rate of 31.09, he left a delivery from Jackson Bird which swung into him just enough to trap him LBW without offering a shot. Aleem Dar sent him on his way with no hesitation. His resistance ended being his downfall, rather than a switch to impatience.

The first wicket of the day needs to be briefly discussed as it once again involved umpire Tony Hill (New Zealand) who has had a torrid series, even worse off than the players who generally get more criticism than an umpire - even though it is a thankless job, sadly.

Hill seems to have lost whatever confidence he has in his abilities as an outside edge off the early bowling change of Shane Watson, while slightly faint, was as clear as day to everyone on the field but Hill. Even Joe Root looked sheepish. Yet, Hill didn't give it and a referral then changed our fortunes for the ultimate dismissal. It was frustratingly another worrying sign that DRS is far from our main issue with decisions this series. Had this been India, Hill would have been on his way ages ago with the threat of a series boycott.

Earlier in the day Ryan Harris, Bird and Peter Siddle had all taken a while to get into their routines but fortunately Shane Watson was on song and provided his economical input as always and really mounted the pressure, allowing our bowlers to ease into the game. Soon enough our fast men where definitely get something out of a nothing sort of a track. It still wasn't looking all that threatening.



Enter our bowler who has been left on the fringes despite having taken 81 Test wickets to date from 24 Tests. The dismissal of Jonathan Trott was brought about by our right-arm off spinner, Nathan Lyon. Trott found the faintest of inside edges onto his pad which was well grasped by a diving Usman Khawaja at short-leg. It was a huge wicket but Lyon's ultimate victory came against Kevin Pietersen.

Pietersen has taken to Lyon's bowling and looked to attack him from the word "go". He did so at Old Trafford and again in this match. However, despite Pietersen's momentum and confidence to attack, Lyon had him just nudging at one which moved across him, bowling from around the wicket and Pietersen didn't cover the angle and outside edge carried to Brad Haddin, who has kept wicket excellently so far.

From that dismissal it was the Nathan Lyon show as he picked up another two wickets to take 4-42 from the day.

It was great to see reward go to Lyon as the best performer. He has had to graft really hard match in, match out with the fear he could be tossed into the junk yard of spin bowling rejects in the post-Warne era. Fortunately, the selectors have finally realised there will never be another great leg spinner and Shane Warne was one of a kind legend of the game. Therefore, we need a guy who can spin with subtle variation and bowls with both confidence and intelligence. This doesn't come from twenty Tests. This comes from perseverance, belief from the selectors and team mates, while most importantly being given the guidance and motivation to improve after every series he plays - not every game he plays.

Patience is the key and I have seen notable improvement in Nathan Lyon's performances after his outstanding debut against Sri Lanka back in 2011. Graeme Swann has become a world-class spinner because the English selectors have nurtured his development and kept him in the side. When other competitors have come about they've made him aware of this but he's only thrived off it and continued to find ways to be the best English spinner. Lyon can learn something from Swann and it seems our selectors are learning a lesson.

Lyon will have many, many more battles ahead but this innings was one where he took the initiative and helped the bowlers find a way forward on a track that looked like it would see day one at stumps with England in a dominant position. Well done Gaz!

All our bowlers chipped in and this evidently continues to be our strong point, especially having Bird come in at the expense of Starc to just boast our depth.

Come tomorrow we need to roll England before they reach 250. It will be a small victory in the context of this all important game. England have said they want to win 4-0 but it is not in their nature to be this aggressive. I anticipated them to become complacent knowing they have the urn and I hope this turns out to be the case so we can level this 2-2.

Hard cricket ahead as this seems to be a track where Swann will be used to bowl many overs and James Anderson has a killer average at this ground too, so watch out!

This Test is also important because someone other than Michael Clarke needs to step up. I get the feeling Shane Watson has two more Tests to show his value with the bat because recent years show he does not warrant a spot in the team, even though he is clearly having a mental barrier to his game as he is still playing brilliant shots. Bowling will only keep him in the side for so long, as hard as it is to accept this as a supporter. Chris Rogers needs to once again showcase his experience in English conditions as this ground is unfamiliar to this side. David Warner can play the villain and steal the glory from the hometown heroes, while Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith have another golden opportunity in the biggest, most historical Australian Test series to make their own history. Both have to do it soon as they can bat, no doubts there but are they strong willed enough?

All of these questions will be answered come tomorrow and it's going to be a massive test for the batsmen as should we get that last wicket soon enough, this is the moment where we need to finally bat as a top Test team. This is the moment!

Verdict: Day one goes to Australia, especially on the tactical front where we managed our reviews far better and Clarke used his bowlers effectively.


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The Ashes 3rd Test, day 5, Old Trafford

The Ashes 3rd Test, day 5, Old Trafford:

Australia 1st innings: 7/527 dec. from 146 overs
Michael Clarke 187, Steven Smith 89, Chris Rogers 84, Mitchell Starc 66*, Brad Haddin 65*
Graeme Swann 5-159

England 1st innings: 368 all out from 139.3 overs
Kevin Pietersen 113, Alastair Cook 62, Ian Bell 60Peter Siddle 4-63, Mitchell Starc 3-76, Ryan Harris 2-82

Australia 2nd innings: 7/172 from 36 overs
Michael Clarke 30*, David Warner 41
Tim Bresnan 2-25, James Anderson 2-37

England 2nd innings: 3/37 from 20.3 overs
Ryan Harris 2-13, Peter Siddle 1-8

Result: Match drawn, England lead series 2-0 and retain the urn.

It is a depressing morning waking up to read the headlines. My source for statistical information, ESPN Cricinfo.com, had the headline: "England retain Ashes on rainy day". Dare I read on? Now I still have to get on with my working day.

Having stated this, I am extremely proud of my team after the fight they gave England this Test. The first match at Trent Bridge was close and our batting - along with the Broad incident - saw us fall 14 runs short. The second Test we were slaughtered due to a batting collapse of Cape Town magnitude in the context of the series. After being 2-0 down and needing to win the final three Tests, it is fair to say we would have won this game had the rain stayed at bay. It didn't and Manchester's heavens above opened for the English supporters to smile as their team ensured they retain the urn.

It is mission failed for us, but we still have the opportunity to ensure they don't win the series in terms of the scoreline. We can still ensure it goes down 2-2, as opposed to 2-0, 2-1, 3-0 or 4-0. There is still reason to fight for some pride and a way for this team to further connect on and off the field, so come the home Ashes we may see few changes done to the squad as we have another crack at the English to get back the urn. Stability will be important. Darren Lehmann has an opportunity to build that synergy, back these players and expand the team spirit in tough circumstances.

In 2009 before the series began, Michael Clarke gave a presentation to the team showing nothing more than a video clip of England celebrating their victory in 2005. The message was clear: don't let this happen again! Unfortunately for Clarke he has now seen it happen three times in a row and once while he has been in charge, leading a side now described as the worst touring Australian side to England.

I still stand by my belief that this was the best side we had and just played below their potential. Plain and simple. Some tweaks here and there would have been good, along with some off-field drama aside and umpiring issues which would have helped, but I am confident Darren Lehmann's appointment as coach was timely and that this was the best side selected to win back the urn. Unfortunately our batting at Lord's cost us if we are to blame ourselves, along with tactical blunders.

The umpiring standards have been torrid this series, but that is a debate of political heights so we'll leave that for another day.

This is usually the time when all the haters and casual cricket viewers come out and bash the team - bring on the criticism, I love a challenge from a pessimist. I will stand by my side and support them for what is left of this series. And as a supporter I will address the positives as we look ahead to the next Test, while England can have their moment to celebrate a close shave to have not found the series at 2-1 with two Tests to go.

Ryan Harris: Ryano's dismissal of Ian Bell in the first innings was tactically and technically outstanding. Had injury not burdened him he'd be right up there in the league of Dale Steyn and James Anderson. His performance in the second innings was courageous despite the weather odds against us. To top it of, his performance at Lord's was terrific but sadly in vain due to poorly disciplined batting. Good to have him back. He has 11 wickets at 18.00 from two Tests.


Peter Siddle: He is always hard to leave out of a side because of his passion when playing for Australia. He's become a world class patch bowler, or burst bowler. He can find something in any track and every now and then can just get the ball to nip about or hit the seam to create something special. Like Harris, he gave it his best in the second innings.

Nathan Lyon: Lyon was destined to play in the final Test of the series and I am glad he got a run sooner than that. Despite Ashton Agar's debut performance with the bat, he never looked threatening with the ball in hand. Important to note this as he was selected as a spinner first. Having watched him at State level for Western Australia I still see him as a spin bowler to develop for the future. Lyon though has the experience and over seventy Test wickets. With confidence and support from Shane Warne he produced some beautiful spin bowling spells this Test. His wickets don't tell a true story. You had to have seen his performance.

He will also only get better the more he plays. Graeme Swann debuted in Test matches back in 2008, having come onto the scene for England in 2000. It took time for him to become a top class bowler and perseverance from the English selectors got him to where he is. It could happen for Lyon but we (supporters and selectors) need to back him.

Mitchell Starc: While Starc is still not able to assist with building the pressure, a crucial tactical element of bowling in tandem, he provides versatility in his game with both the bat and ball. His ability to get big wickets when he hits his line and length with consistency for a few overs goes a long way. More consistency and the ability to build pressure will see him come a long way.

Chris Rogers: Chris Rogers is given a hard time for his age - 35, so old! He's not exactly dead you know and the way he scrapped around that field, he put some of our youngsters to shame. He is quick between the wickets and his performance in the first innings of the Old Trafford Test was majestic. It was an elite innings in my opinion and the only issue was he didn't get that maiden-century. Stick with him until the home Ashes is done. We need the experience and keep in mind he has the second most runs for us this series.

Steven Smith: As I wrote on day one of this Test, "Smith has shown incredible application to his game when I think back to 2010/11 when he was plain and simply not ready for Test cricket. I was always frustrated with the selection of Smith as he was put into the Australian team well before he had sufficient first-class exposure.

This was made worse by the former selection panel not giving him a specific task. He was called in as a leg spinner, who was a part-time spinner at best. He was made to bat in a variety of positions but was impatient, fidgety and easy picking outside of off stump in the Test arena. Then he was just a specialist fielder, keeping out better players. It wasn't his fault but he took flack for it. The new selection panel kept him out the side until the time was right. He is now a better cricketer and is asserting himself as a batsman."

Brad Haddin: He kept wicket particularly well this Test and after being down and out with the bat following his near heroics at Trent Bridge, he gave solid input throughout this match. Pity we didn't get more from him at Lord's. His catch to remove Alastair Cook in the first innings was epic.

Usman Khawaja: Despite that awful, disgraceful howler of a dismissal, he may be the player for the number three role. He has two more Tests to try and find his feet. So far he's looked okay, not great but okay. Better than lost and out of place!

Michael Clarke: Last but not least the skipper. Tactically it has not been a good series for Clarkey and his time in the slips has seen better days with his "bucket-like" hands usually being as reliable as his batting has been the last two years. He put down Joe Root yesterday - a simple chance - and was stuck in cement when Alastair Cook edged Nathan Lyon behind onto Brad Haddin's leg, which then looped into the air and onto the turf. It could have saved us many runs, along with a poor use of DRS in the first two Tests, which cost us dearly.

It will hurt for Clarke having lost the game strategically, as he does have a good cricketing brain. Fortunately, he did arrive with the bat and he put together his highest innings against England and a big century (187), even though we would have loved a repeat of his performance in 2009 at Lord's. This one was a scratchy innings and far from his best, but there was a return of confidence and elegance that made his 2011/12 season so sublime. We need more of this and it seems the rest will follow.

Verdict: We still missed some big chances this Test. We secured victory for each days play but on the final day when we were right there to get the win the rain came down, Murphy's Law. England have had the good fortune at the best of times and this was the cherry on top. England won strategically this match, while performance wise we were the better side. The Ashes urn stays with them so the match goes to them. There's the bitter pill. 

 
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The Ashes 3rd Test, day 3, Old Trafford

The Ashes 3rd Test, day 3, Old Trafford:

Australia 1st innings: 7/527 dec. from 146 overs
Michael Clarke 187, Steven Smith 89, Chris Rogers 84, Mitchell Starc 66*, Brad Haddin 65*
Graeme Swann 5-159

England 1st innings: 7/294 from 120 overs
Kevin Pietersen 113, Alastair Cook 62, Ian Bell 60
Mitchell Starc 3-75, Ryan Harris 2-50, Peter Siddle 2-53

This Test will end in one of two ways. The first is that we will win, however with rain forecast for Sunday and Monday and the fact we need another 13 wickets to secure victory (possibly to be done in one day weather pending) makes the outcome a big challenge for the boys. A draw would mean we will be unable to regain the urn and would have to wait until the home Ashes series. It will leave a sour taste. Still a chance to win this Test though. That can't be ruled out!

Our score of 527 runs came from 146 overs (3.60 RPO). England have just snailed along to run time low at 2.45 RPO from 120 overs. Their ability to hold the fort has given them valuable time to play for the draw.

Resuming the day on 2/52 we bowled exceptionally well early on to both Trott and Cook. Ryan Harris had an immediate impact with a menacing line that kept England probing away until Trott's edge was found. Cook was caught flashing at one down leg side by an acrobatic Brad Haddin off the bowling of Mitchell Starc. While erratic at the best of times, Starc produces the goods in short bursts and although the delivery was loose, given Clarke's field setting for Cook you could almost take your hat off that it was some kind of tactic that came off to plan.

The bowlers all worked well in tandem until Kevin Pietersen (113) and Ian Bell (60) found a way to settle their side down.

Pietersen was due for a big innings but this will go down as a wasted opportunity for us to have not had him out sooner. Shane Watson had Pietersen trapped in line with the stumps LBW, however with the leg glance Pietersen was trying to put away - along with our lack of confidence now to make review decisions - Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke decided it was swaying down leg side as did the umpire. Despite Watson's firm belief it was out we didn't review it. Watson has been the most over eager reviewer to date so it was tough to finally see a correct call of his go by. The result was Pietersen was able to add another 50-odd runs to his total. Most frustrating indeed.

Pietersen played with aggression, a similar intent to Brad Haddin on day two. Nathan Lyon delivered a great spell during the early stages of England's innings on day two and was most unlucky to have not taken the wicket of Alastair Cook, but Michael Clarke fell off balance at first slip. It was another scenario that would have saved us a substantial amount of runs. However, Pietersen took on Lyon with confidence and an element of surprise in his quick assault, leaving Lyon in stranded in front of the headlights. Ian Bell then joined in and a small passage of play was secured for England as the two put on a partnership of 115 runs.



It took something special from Ryan Harris to find a way through the defences of Ian Bell, who still leads the run scoring list with 377 runs at 75.40.

Harris - who has 9 wickets at 17.00 so far in the series - had peppered Bell with the majority of his deliveries finding some away movement before nipping two deliveries into Bell with a lovely, fuller length and foxed him. It was one of the best deliveries of the series both tactically and technically for me. The ESPN Cricinfo hawk-eye graph of the build up to the wicket can be enlarged by clicking the above image.

Mitchell Starc then returned to grab another two quick wickets, as he did in the Trent Bridge match during England's second innings. This late breakthrough gave us the momentum for the day with England still trailing by 233 runs. I don't think the follow-on is all that important at this stage.

We need to try and wrap this innings up as quickly and economically possible. It has not been a strong point for us for some time and Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad are pretty good when it comes to flashing carelessly at pace bowling and finding outside edges that sail away to the boundary. It will be hard work to win this Test but with the weather aside we are in control right now.

Verdict: Day three also goes to us, despite a bit of misfortune which allowed Pietersen to make his mark this series.

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The Ashes 1st Test, day 5, Trent Bridge

The Ashes 1st Test, day 5, Trent Bridge:

England 1st innings: 215 all out from 59 overs
Peter Siddle 5-50, James Pattinson 3-69, Mitchell Starc 2-54
Jonathan Trott 48, Jonny Bairstow 37

Australia 1st innings: 280 all out from 64.5 overs
Ashton Agar 98, Phillip Hughes 81*, Steven Smith 53
James Anderson 5-85, Graeme Swann 2-60

England 2nd innings: 375 all out from 149.5 overs
Mitchell Starc 3-81, Peter Siddle 3-85, Ashton Agar 2-82
Ian Bell 109, Stuart Broad 65, Kevin Pietersen 64

Australia 2nd innings: 296 all out from 110.5 overs
Brad Haddin 71, Chris Rogers 52, Shane Watson 46, James Pattinson 25*
James Anderson 5-73, Stuart Broad 2-54, Graeme Swann 2-105

Match situation: England won by 14 runs and lead 1-0.

When Brad Haddin found a tickle of an edge to give an exhausted James Anderson his tenth wicket of the match, I knew it was out before Alastair Cook tactically asked for one of his referrals. Aleem Dar, who has had a well below the bar time officiating the game, was the umpire to reverse the edge he did not detect. It was so faint there was doubt but I knew it was out and I became numb, my heart still pounding. Haddin seemed ready to plan how to grab the final 14 runs, but it was the softest dismissal to end his valiant effort.

Haddin & Pattinson. Well done boys, be proud! © Getty Images

What a great game of Test cricket it was, but seeing England celebrate just made me sink, and it was so sad to see Brad Haddin dismissed after he fought so hard, like an Australian batsman has not fought for such a long time. It was a Hussey-like innings and for that I am proud of him. With a sense of optimism, pride and hope I like to think of Haddin and James Pattinson’s effort as a case of us shedding some skin.

From being dubbed the underdogs of the series, we gave England plenty of grey hairs and it is certainly a series that is alive. They have the momentum as the more experienced side but there's only that element of collective experience really separating the teams. The home ground advantage is obviously massive for them.

This game was unfortunately been affected by controversy, but this has a major role in the world of cricket. Sadly it comes down to three things.

Firstly, Michael Clarke had a poor game tactically and admitted to this in an emotional post-match presentation. He totally misused our referrals and we paid the price as a result. 

Secondly, Stuart Broad not walking left a bitterness about the game knowing those runs he ended up scoring after actually being out flipped the outcome of the game. Having written that, I did write after the incident that he was not expected to walk.

That brings me to the third point and that was Aleem Dar being brought into the spotlight for his officiating. Umpires regularly check for no-balls with dismissals and a lot of the time the bowlers are way behind the lines. It is precautionary. Why couldn’t Dar have used his initiative, common sense with theobvious ball deviation off Broad’s bat and reaction of our team and referred it beyond the simple parameters of DRS? An umpire has this grounding and he could have checked he didn’t make a blunder.

It’s all history now and will forever be associated to this game but there were plenty of outstanding performances from both sides and this should not be dampened by any means.

Starting the day trailing by 137 runs with only four wickets in the bag, the fact we got within 14 runs and survived for 39.5 overs is staggering and I am very proud.

Haddin's determination brought 71 runs & nearly a victory.

Brad Haddin gave it his best and showcased some wonderful shots under heavy pressure. He looked calm, focused and showed belief in James Pattinson, who played better than that of a number 11 batsman, as Ashton Agar did so in our first innings. When Haddin was dismissed so cheaply at the end it was, as Allan Border put it, “deflating” and I just sat speechless watching England celebrate. So close, so damn close and it came down to a DRS moment. England played their cards right and beat us tactically. The result was a victory and this was as a result of securing big passages of play, controversy aside.

I am not going to elaborate much more on the game as my previous posts for each day have been written with clarity and an unbiased approach. However, I will state I am proud of the way we fought so hard in this game and while I am broken and totally shattered to lose to England, we have hope and four Tests to fight back. As a supporter I will be right back and ready for Lord’s to cheer on The Baggy Greens loudly and proudly!

What I do foresee come Lord’s is that Ed Cowan is unlikely to be in the starting XI, so Usman Khawaja – while not a miracle maker – will likely make way into the side as a younger, more versatile player. I have expressed my views on Cowan’s cricket numerous times via the site and unfortunately my optimism for his turnaround just seems too far removed from what this team needs and where they’re headed. It’s nothing that is meant to sound nasty or personal. That is not how I write.

I have supported Ed and will continue to do so where needs be, but there’s better candidates than him and he’s been played out of his opening role and he was put under a fair bit of pressure to be the number three batsman. He was also ill during the match, so that must be added. Should he play I really hope he gets loads of runs to help us, but I think the selectors will overlook him.

Mitchell Starc gave us some key wickets and would have gained incredible experience in this Test, but I do have a gut feeling he will miss out on the Lord’s Test as off all the bowlers he seemed to struggle the most to control the swing, manage his line and wasn’t able to build enough pressure. Starc is a fine young bowler and I do believe he could be a big impact player at Lord’s, however with the slope at the ground if he struggles to control his line and length he will be easy pickings and Brad Haddin’s life will be made a living hell. His selection or omission will be tactical, but hard to write him off. Should Starc not play, Ryan Harris or Jackson Bird, who are both natural swing bowlers, seem to be strongly in contention.

Positives were there, no doubts there! Peter Siddle proved me wrong with a five wicket haul in England's first dig and he gave it his very best out there. Chris Rogers, while seeing it as half a job done in his eyes, scored his maiden half-century and looked the part facing the new ball. Steven Smith and Phillip Hughes failed in the second innings when it truly mattered most but they contributed in our first innings with strong signs that they’ve really matured as players. A small victory for us in that regard, a big one for Hughes in particular after 2009.

The biggest positive was Ashton Agar. Sure, he broke a few records with the bat in hand as he scored an incredible 98 runs in our first innings, a massive achievement in the context of our run chase, but he put on a fair show with the ball and could have had three wickets in England’s second dig. He looked good when I saw him play for Western Australia. He looked sensational out there representing the Baggy Greens with the bat and ball. Couldn’t have been expected to repeat his heroics in the run chase but he has made an entrance into the elite level.

We have a few days to recover before the Lord’s Test. England have taken first blood and history would show that in this position our modern era side cannot make a comeback when losing an opening clash. However, this run chase spawned a return of the old Australian spirit. It was a side shedding skin and showing England we are not pushovers and we will not go down without a fight. This is our battle too and we can regain the urn. With Darren Lehmann there I picked up a different energy, mostly amongst the newer players or our players who are naturally fierce, hard faced Australian cricketers.

Part two begins on Thursday. We’re still in this. It will be tough but we’re in it fanatics.

Come on Australia!

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The Baggy Greens go 1-0 up against Sri Lanka

At last victory has been claimed by the boys after a rained out result in Brisbane, a psychological drawn result in Adelaide where we were a bowler down and then followed by a collapse in form to lose the series in Perth to the Proteas.

Once again Michael Clarke saw the boys in a similar position as it was in Adelaide.
Ben Hilfenhaus has been ruled out of the Boxing Day Test with a side strain and with the injury flared in the Sri Lankan first innings it meant come the second dig we were set to be a bowler down.

Hilfy will remain stranded on 99 Test wickets.

Fortunately the never ending determination and ambition of Peter Siddle, along with the opportunist attitude of Mitchell Starc, we were able to grab the remaining 8 wickets which stood between a drawn result and a badly needed victory.

It was tough going out there for the boys and the one concern from a bowling perspective will be the ineffectiveness of Nathan Lyon, which was the same case at the Adelaide Oval.

It is evident that Nathan Lyon has improved and it's good that the selectors have stuck with him. It was a major pitfall of the last selection panel where we saw an embarassing number of spin bowlers debut for the side following the retirements of Shane Warne and Stewie MacGill.

However, as the commentary team pointed out, Nathan has 56 wickets to his name so he is no push over but the time has come for the major step up.
It's easier said that done but it is understandable that such a comment be made.

When they talk about a "big step up" I don't think we should confuse it with a breath taking, somewhat mesmerising effort that we'd have expected from a guy like Warnie, but rather a comprehensive performance that plays a defining role to find key wickets when the team needs to pave a smooth path to victory when the track permits.

Having said that, fortunately our fast bowlers were geared up and ready to go head to head with the Sri Lankan resistance, which was admirable.

Peter Siddle, or Pedro as I call him, was remarkable and since his debut in 2008 he has not faultered with his attitude. He will break his back for this team and never ever shows signs that he is not up for the battle even when his body is evidently giving him problems with the strain.

He ended up with 9 wickets for the game, a 5fer in the first innings and then four in the second innings. On the final day he managed the only break through but he pitched it up fuller, extracted what bounce was on offer from the Bellerive deck and most importantly he was executing some brilliant outswingers.

A year ago I often commented that as good a bowler as Pedro is he needed more tricks up his sleeve to seriously break into the league of the best of the best.
It's taken time but he's starting to find ways to mix it up and does so on challenging tracks.
Excellent performance!

Mitchell Starc has his second 5fer now but did a splendid job to take the pressure of Pedro and Shane Watson.

With the possibility of Watto leading side in the Boxing Day Test due to Clarkey's hamstring worry, he wasn't exhausted for use and Pedro had already exhausted himself to fight for the final wickets.
Enter Mitchell Starc's final spell.

His first ball was a poor ball which drifted onto the pads of the right hander which was easily splashed away to mid wicket for four. The field was right in and the off side was loaded.
It didn't take Mitchell too long to adjust his line and it all came together.

The last 6 wickets fell for Sri Lanka with only 54 runs added.

When that last wicket was claimed the emotions that hit me where well received.
It's been hard work for the boys and they had the opportunities to mow the Proteas but psychologically got hammered as a result of those opportunities not being claimed. They have faced similar challenges against the Lankans but they pulled through it, many more to follow!

It was also a victory for the batsmen as this Test marks a new chapter with Ricky Ponting retired.

Phillip Hughes made a wonderful return this match.
I am proud he is now a South Australian player and the move has done his game the world of good and if you saw his first innings you would have noticed massive changes in his game.

The balance of his head, front foot positioning and follow through for off side stroke play is at a whole new level, he looks a different player. The cut shot is still as crazy and odd as ever and the heaved slog sweep he played for six immediately brought back memories of his back to back sixes to reach his maiden Test century off the bowling of Paul Harris.

Overall though his balance is is looking set for a strong return at even better is that it's at number three in the batting line up. David Warner and Ed Cowan also had personal victories as well as a dual one.
The two have had a mixed relationship as our opening duo in Test cricket as ESPN Cricinfo's Brydon Coverdale researched a few weeks back, but this Test saw their stand in the second innings prove to be a vital one in the context of the match, especially the welcomed aggression of David Warner!

Davey's average is starting to look like an opening batsman's as well.

The experience of Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke is still shining brightly.

Michael Hussey has always highlighted the importance of luck when it comes to batting in Test cricket and he had no shortage as he was dropped on the boundary to allow him the chance to raise his bat upon the achievement of his 19th Test century.

His ability to switch momentum and channel different game tempo's is remarkable and something that I admire so much. To do it so consistently as well after so many years is spectacular. We're fortunate.

Irrespective it was all owed to him as he rarely looked troubled in his innings as he built another sensational partnership with Clarkey whose figures below give sufficient indication of his sublime form since taking on the captaincy against, none other than, Sri Lanka.

23, 60, 13, 6, 112, 151, 2, 11, 2, 139, 22, 0, 31, 1, 329*, 18, 210, 37, 73, 6, 45, 15, 24, 25, 259*, 230, 38, 5, 44, 74, 57*.

Matthew Wade is also looking far more settled and managed to put his hand up in the first innings with a half-century. His average is now settled just below 40 with the bat and was backed with 6 catches for the match (21 career catches). Not a bad medium pace bowler either, maiden over secured.

I look at the balance of this side and I am very pleased with what we have.

Our batting looks like a line up that is still ironing out some creases but the outfit as a whole looks tidy enough to take on the best.

As sad as I am that Ricky Ponting has gone this has opened up the door for the new era of batsmen to emerge.

Usman Khawaja has come into the Boxing Day Squad, rightly so, with the injury worries regarding Clarkey and there's some strong batsmen creeping into the system as well.
The State season has not been one to commend the batsmen for but it's given us enough indication as to who is in the mix.

Jackson Bird is also in the side and this is totally fair and an indication that the selectors have been giving careful consideration to strong State cricket performances, which Jackson has given.

He has 87 wickets for the Tasmanian Tigers at 19.72 in First Class cricket.
This season alone he is top of the Sheffield Shield bowling chart with 27 wickets at 20.55.

I am excited about his call up and feel it's a deserved opportunity. Well done Jackson!

In the system we still have James Pattinson (injured), Pat Cummins (injured), Ben Cutting, Josh Hazelwood, Luke Butterworth, Trent Copeland, Alister McDermott and of course some experienced campaigners like Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris (will he return?) and Doug Bollinger.

Spin stocks still appear low but the overall mix is looking good and I am excited for what's ahead.

We still have a series that is alive for both sides but we have drawn first blood and have the victory to be 1-0 up.

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