Whilst this 5th Ashes Test had very little meaning in terms of the result of the series, it was at the very least a chance for the Australians to regain some pride after a summer of being dominated. This led to arguably the most interesting of all the Tests this series. It had everything that we had been so accustomed to seeing in an Ashes Test: great batting, fantastic bowling, batting collapses, DRS and umpire controversies and, of course, bad weather. All of this led to the manic finish that we saw yesterday, giving us an indication of what may happen in six months time, where the Australians will hope to reclaim to historic urn.
There were two big controversies that occurred before the test had even begun. The first involved Australia coach Darren Lehmann. In an interview conducted with Australian radio channel Triple M, he made the statement that English seamer Stuart Broad should be considered a 'blatant cheat', and that he hoped the Australian fans 'made him cry' in the return series down under this winter. This sparked a backlash from ex-professionals and commentators alike. Whilst some of Broad's conduct has been questionable during this series (e.g. the admission of guilt over 'Walkgate'), to use this 'eye for an eye' style morality is not in the spirit of the game, and will only be counter-productive. Also, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise that the Australian people were going to give him a hard time anyway. If we look at the way that David Warner has been treated since his return in the 4th Test, I would expect to see more of the same down under. At least this will arguably be more appropriate, as the pantomime season will be in full swing, and the viewers will need a villain!
The second controversy involved the vast array of changes made to the England side, opting instead to play quite a few of the stars of the English Lions squad. Players like Simon Kerrigan and Chris Woakes were handed their debut Tests, leaving many English fans disillusioned. Their argument: why should we take our foot off the gas and play a weakened team, even when the series has been sewn up. Personally, I understand the frustration of the fans, especially those that had paid to see the first team perform. However, if England can give inexperienced players a chance to make a name for themselves, it may make all the difference when it comes to the return series. Look at the Root innings in the second Test if you want to see the value of trialling the younger players.
The first day began in beautiful sunshine, and having won the toss, Australia elected to bat, hoping to lead off in the same manner which saw them post a formidable total in the first innings at Durham. After Warner made a good start with the bat, he fell just a few overs in to James Anderson. At 11-1, Shane Watson came to the crease. The usual opener has struggled for consistent runs this series, failing to convert any of his innings into the century Australia have been needing. Today would be a different story. Whilst opener Chris Rogers took a fairly relaxed pace to proceedings, the big number 3 quickly pushed onto his half century before the lunch break. As soon as he managed that, he scored even faster, reaching a strike rate that would be impressive in the one-day forms of the game, never mind in a Test. After reaching his half century at just after 12:30, the big Australian had got to 80 by the time lunch was called half an hour later, with the new bowler Kerrigan taking most of the flack. If this formidable rate continued, England may have found themselves in a hole far deeper than even that in Durham.
After lunch, England desperately searched for that elusive second wicket. Though the bowlers did manage to calm the scoring rate of Watson, the number three remained firm at the crease. Instead, their attentions turned to Rogers, and after probing for an hour, Swann finally got the breakthrough. At 118-2, Clarke came to the crease, and threatened to form another game-changing partnership. After a couple of painful blows from Stuart Broad, Watson was on the verge of his first Test century in this series when his captain went. A stunning delivery from Anderson sent the stumps cartwheeling and sent Clarke back to the pavilion with only 7 to his name. This had the potential to unsettle Watson, especially given the magnitude of the knock. However, he dug deep to grind out that first century, and seemed to kick on once the nerves had settled. With Watson and new man Steve Smith settled at the crease, the Australians reached 181-3 at tea without much fuss. After tea, the assault did not relent, with the impressive Watson still knocking the spinners to all four corners to bring up his 150. By half past 5, Smith too had brought up his fifty, meaning that England were once again caught in the midst of a terrific middle order partnership. As the day drew to a close, it looked as though Australia were going to begin the second day in a tremendous position, suggesting that the squad changes were entirely the wrong decision. Then, a moment of brilliance in the field from Kevin Pietersen changed the complexion of the game. After hooking a Broad delivery, Watson could only watch as Pietersen sprung full length to take a magnificent diving catch, before walking to a standing ovation from all corners of the Oval. The new batsman Siddle barely had time to settle in before the close of play was announced, with Australia sitting pretty on 307-4.
As has so often been the case this series, when England have been struggling, they can count on the rain to bail them out. The 5th Test was no different, with bad weather delaying the start of play until 14:30. Once play did resume, England managed to get rid of Siddle very quickly, before turning their attention to the tail. However, Australia fought back, with Smith and Haddin going strongly. Smith in particular was impressive, moving past his Old Trafford total and into the 90s by 4:00. And just before tea, the all rounder brought up his maiden Test century, to the delight of the Australian balcony. No sooner had he done so as his foil Haddin relinquished his wicket to the bowling of Trott. Often the part-timers get the most difficult wickets, but it is always embarrasing as a batsman to go in that fashion. At 397-6 by tea, Australia knew that another 100 or so before the close would see them into a commanding position for the remaining three days. And once again they set off like a train, with new man Faulkner smashing fours all round the ground. However, his brief cameo came to an end on 19, when he attempted one shot too many, pulling Woakes into the hands of Trott at the boundary. This handed the newbie his first Test wicket, and after all the controversy, I believe he bowled well enough to justify his selection. Further cameos from Starc (11) and most notably Harris (33), meant that Australia were able to declare on 492-9, leaving Steve Smith unbeaten on 135, and still time to set about the English batsmen on day 2. Thankfully for the English, there was to be no late-night batting collapse, with the opening pair of Root and Cook able to see their team through to the close, finishing at 32-0.
Day 3 saw the pendulum swing once again, however. The Australians would have been wanting to take an early wicket, but the English openers foiled them, moving towards the hundred partnership by the drinks break. Immediately after that, the partnersip was broken, with Cook edging a delivery to Haddin for 25. Root and Trott then set about re-anchoring the innings, getting easily to lunch, with Root claiming his half-century. The partnership continued in a similar vein after the break, with both playing shots. Unfortunately for the youngster, he played one shot too many, hooking Nathan Lyon straight to Australian hero Watson for 68. Once again, stability was required, but this time it was Trott and Pietersen who needed to keep the innings going for the home side. That they did, managing to pass 175 before Trott was trapped lbw off the bowling of Starc after a successful review by the Australians. At tea, it was Pietersen and Bell at the crease, with England desperately needing their batsmen to do more than just get in and then out in quick succession. Unfortunately, that pattern continued after tea, with Pietersen, having just brought up his half century, perishing off the bowling of Starc. At 217-4, England were struggling to avoid the follow on, and needed their tail to wag to have any chance of competing in this match. Bell and Woakes managed to keep their wickets to the close, leaving England a full 245 behind, with a first innings total of 247-4.
With the Australians seemingly in complete control of the final Test, fate got in the way once more, again favouring the English. Day 4 was a complete washout, with the rain preventing any play and making a draw seem the most likely outcome. However, the events of Day 5 were arguably some of the most exciting of the series, bringing a remarkable finish. After a brief cameo at the start of day 5, Woakes fell with a whimper, with Bell going soon after. Stuart Broad also didn't last long, having his stumps rearranged by a cracker from Harris. A period of incredible attack from Prior and Swann followed, with a partnership totalling almost 50 runs from very few overs. Eventually, Prior had to go before reaching his personal half century, bringing the tail enders of firstly Anderson, and then Kerrigan to the crease. Neither of these had any real impact on the scoreline, leaving England still 115 runs in arrears by the time all of the wickets had fallen. Clarke, knowing that there were only 60 overs remaining in the Test match, opted to treat the game like a 20/20 one, sending his batsmen out with the motif of slog everything that moves. A high-risk strategy, and not one that paid off for the Aussies. Though Warner and Watson started well, reaching 30-0, Warner went to a brilliant c&b from Anderson. This precipitated the collapse of the Australian second innings. Watson went next, scoring 26, and leaving Australia on 44-2. Haddin, the next man in, was well and truly beaten by Broad, sending him back to the pavilion without scoring. After a good cameo, new boy Faulkner was next to perish, with Broad the tormentor in chief, forcing an edge. With the Australian lead only 183, a few more quick wickets could actually put England back in control of their own destiny this Test, and they could begin to think of winning it! Those two wickets did fall quickly, with firstly Smith, and then Harris both falling before reaching double figures, leaving Australia on 85-6, and leading by 201. By tea that lead had stretched to 226, at which point Clarke decided to have a go at bowling the English out. With only 44 overs in the day, that seemed quite a tall order. Amazingly, come the final session of a Test so affected by rain, all three results were still possible!
Australian hopes of victory were boosted by the quick dismissal of Joe Root. The young batsman, gone for 11, will be disappointed not to have taken advantage of the frantic situation. Unlike the Australian innings, this was not the catalyst for an English batting collapse, with Trott and Cook taking the home side to the drinks break at 85-1. With 27 overs remaining, the English side found themselves needing 142 to win. Anyone who has watched 20/20 cricket will tell you that that total is eminently gettable. However, their push to victory was instantly checked after the break, with the captain going to a fine delivery from Harris. Pietersen was the next batsman in, and he and Trott once again set about reducing the run rate, bringing the score to 139-2 by 18:30. Despite this being the normal close of play time, the rain had meant that another half hour or so would be allowed, giving England the chance to win the game. In that next half-hour, both Pietersen and Trott passed their half-centuries, taking the target down to just 68 from 11 overs. And still the two sides played on, with both Pietersen and then Trott falling in quick succession as England valiantly continued their chase. With just 5 overs left, England had just 33 runs to make, meaning an average of just over a run a ball. This was looking like being another tight finish. After a fantastic first 5 balls from an England point of view, adding 12 runs, Ian Bell was run out in the final ball of the over. However, if we thought that was the end of the drama and controversy, we were wrong. At the end of that over, with just 21 runs required from 24 balls, the umpires decided that the light was not sufficient to continue, meaning that the match was drawn. Cue angry responses from the English players, who believed that a 4-0 series win was within their grasp. Instead they had to settle for 3-0, their largest margin of victory since 1978.
Whilst there are those that complained, at both the ICC, and more bizarrely, Michael Clarke for the players being brought off, I think that they are being ungrateful. The Australians would have been well within their rights to bat through the whole day, boring the crowds and ensuring that the game resulted in a draw. Instead, they rolled the dice and caused the nerve-jangling final moments. The game was extended a full hour and a half over the usual closing time of 18:00 in order to try and find a conclusion. However, at the end of it all, we have no different result than that that was expected. We have only been treated to a far more exciting draw! Nevertheless, the series finished in exactly the same way to which it started: engulfed in controversy.
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