Thursday December 16-Sunday December 19 2010.
Australia - 268 (Johnson 62, Hussey 61, Haddin 53, Anderson 3/61, Tremlett 3/63)
England - 187 (Bell 53, Strauss 52, Johnson 6/38, Harris 3/59)
Australia - 309 (Hussey 116, Watson 95, Tremlett 5/87)
England - 123 (Trott 31, Harris 6/47, Johnson 3/44)
Australia won by 267 runs
MotM - Mitchell Johnson (Aus)
5 Test series level 1-1 after 3 Tests
Full Scorecard here.
The personal plight of Mitchell Johnson, sinking deeper and deeper into a chasm empty of any confidence, form or attitude as the months of 2010 passed, now looks like a telling metaphor for the performance of the entire Australian unit. For when Johnson hit rock bottom after an atrocious Brisbane test, to find himself out of the side for the 2nd Test at Adelaide, his teammates followed him down to the depths of ignominy with their worst performance in recent memory. Little more than week after such disaster and both Johnson and the Australia team are riding one of the more unexpected heights of success they've ever managed to happen upon in recent memory.
At about 2:30pm (over hear in humble old New South Wales) on Friday December 17, Australia was making final preparations for another Ashes series defeat, our 3rd in six years, but one forfeited at a stage so early before Christmas as to be utterly humiliating. Barely an hour later suddenly there was some small semblance of resistance and dare anyone think it, maybe the urn was not quite yet locked away. A day and a half later England left the WACA having lost their 20th wicket for a pitiful 310 runs total, to a bowling attack which had given little indication of being able to take 20 for any amount. Not only did a characteristically petulant and undisciplined batting display from the Australians result in a sub par 268, a second consecutive capitulation for 200-odd inside Day 1 on good pitches, but England had ambled along with little worry to 0/78 in reply.
Enter Johnson. Two overs at the end of Day 1 had shown immediately that the remedial work put in with Australian bowling coach Troy Cooley were paying dividends. Johnson's action was notably straighter and his pace was up. But there was no reason to suggest this could convert into any sort of long-term consistency. But Mitch's biggest problem has always been confidence. He remains extremely high maintenance as a cricketer and if the results aren't coming he can very often crumble spectacularly. On Day 1 his carefree 62, reminiscent of innings' in South Africa in 2008, reminded everyone but most importantly Mitchell Johnson himself, that he was a cricketer of high class. His bowling started strong, riding on the back of this batting form. But the breakthrough did not come immediately. Sometimes it can only take one wicket, and in this case it was Alastair Cook driving to Michael Hussey in the gully off a thick edge for 32. England was now 1/78. A blink of time later it was 3/82, all to Johnson, including Adelaide double-century hero Kevin Pietersen LBW for a duck. Even at this early stage in the match, there was something in the air that suggested we were witnessing a profound major turnaround for Australia and its trump card bowler.
England never recovered, despite the efforts of Ian Bell who continues to look in ominous touch. Their 187 on such a fundamentally decent and consistent pitch was far lower than could have been predicted, even accounting for England's trademark uselessness against the bouncing ball. Johnson wrapped up the tail to finish with a devastating 6 for 38 while Ryan Harris was equally wonderful in his 3 for 59. The momentum had swung back to Australia but once again the top order stuttering to 3 for 64 with a substantial period of play still remaining on Day 2. Shane Watson and Michael Hussey's partnership was vital though, more for surviving to stumps and moving the lead to 200 than their continued efforts the following morning. Watson batted beautifully and with ease and he deserved a hundred. Naturally he therefore got out just short, inexplicably LBW to a dead straight ball for 95. Australia's 2nd innings faltered just as they were on the verge of pressing home to an unbeatable position. Chris Tremlett, around forever it seems but returning to the England side for just his 4th test replacing Stuart Broad, continued his solid first innings form by running through Australia's middle order, finishing with 5/87, and 8 wickets for the match. Australia's fast bowlers, including Johnson and the normally solid Ryan Harris who has for no apparent reason descended into total batting ineptitude, at least showed how they confident they were of bowling England out. The laziness with which they threw away their wickets suggested they felt enough was on the board, even if the clearly frustrated Michael Hussey didn't. Hussey's innings was majestic, and will come to be one of the defining knocks of his career, particularly if Australia ultimately regain the urn. Were it not for the last 6 wickets falling for 57 he could have amassed any sort of mammoth total. As it was he made a crucial 116.
quicks bowled brilliant disciplined spells perfectly attuned to the demands of Perth. When Ponting controversially left out hyped rookie spinner Michael Beer he would have intended to win the toss and bowl and so many feared the worst when we were sent in and made just 268. But the decision was more than justified. Behind Johnson and Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus again bowled with McGrathesque discipline and patience but without the figures to show for it. He was guilty if anything of being too prodigious with his swing, making the ball fly wildly past the outside edge. Peter Siddle was the least threatening of the four and must surely make way if Beer is chosen to play on Boxing Day, but still was extremely effective, for the first time since his spectacular opening day of the series.
If Australia win the Ashes, the biggest defining moment might just be the last ball of Day 3. With England in tatters at 4/81 night watchman James Anderson rejected a jumpy Paul Collingwood's push for a single off the penultimate ball of the day. Harris then charged in the final delivery and Collingwood edge meekly to slip. From there the result was concluded, but Harris dotted the I perfectly by finishing England in a mere 50 minutes on the 4th morning for just 123. Harris finished with 6 for 47 and equalled Johnson's effort of 9 wickets for the match. He was also every bit as brilliant as the superstar, and thought Johnson was man of the match, it was only his vital first innings 62 and the context of his initial spell that elevated him above Harris.
Continuing the metaphor, despite the new found success, the Australia team, like Johnson's forearm, still has unsightly blemishes. Ponting and Michael Clarke are not performing with the bat. Ponting to an extent has been unlucky and bowled well too. Clarke does now have the same luxury, almost always responsible for his own downfall with rash strokes not befitting a supposed captain-in-waiting. Philip Hughes also failed to perform. Scores of 268 and 309 are not something to write home about and if our bowlers falter, (as they have a tendency to do) the batting must perform far better in cover.
England in turn are not as cataclysmically destroyed as it may seem. Their bowlers performed well. Anderson fought through the fatigue of returning home for the birth of his daughter to always remain effective. Tremlett was the surprise packet and Steven Finn retains the uncanny knack of being able to constantly take wickets despite not being a particularly good bowler. Graeme Swann is the exception however. His second innings performance in Adelaide may have made up for his scratchiness in Brisbane, but in Perth this week Swann was not even of test standard, let alone the supposed best spinner in the world.
Frustratingly, the media has wasted a large opportunity to add to England's woes by instead concentrating their focus on Ricky Ponting's fight for fitness. Ponting broke his little finger attempted a catch on the 4th evening and apparently the finger in question is now twice its normal size, four days out from the toss.
So now Christmas approaches, followed by the inevitable super-fortnight of the summer's iconic Melbourne and Sydney tests. The besuited bureaucrats at Cricket Australia, after all their faults in handling the national team and cricket in general in this country, find themselves sitting on a windfall as fortuitous and surprising as any pioneering prospector's. With the Ashes series all square at 1-1, the complete upgraded MCG now awaits a hugely important anticipated Test instead of the dead rubber that was looking likely. A world record for a single day of Test Cricket is expected on Boxing Day. Such an atmosphere of vibrant tension is very likely to break one of the two teams decisively, who that is may ultimately decide the fate of the Ashes.
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