Australia vs England - The Oval

To better their chances of winning the 5th test at The Oval, Australia needed to win the toss and bat, and bat well. It didn’t happen. Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss opened with 82 to deepen Australia’s plight striving for Ashes retention. Often though a team only needs one wicket and the others quickly follow. In a trice England was 4-131, with that man Warne proving his heroics.

To better their chances of winning the 5th test at The Oval, Australia needed to win the toss and bat, and bat well. It didn’t happen. Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss opened with 82 to deepen Australia’s plight striving for Ashes retention. Often though a team only needs one wicket and the others quickly follow. In a trice England was 4-131, with that man Warne proving his heroics.

The anticipation of this match was phenomenal with ticket touts asking up to 500 quid for a 50-quid ticket. Thankfully I didn’t invest in the tout industry, Gluv and I were soon through the veil of security, the throng of cricket lovers and some not so, and into block 8 to join Warnie’s parents among other player related folk.

The Flag was unfurled and waved feverishly until the supervisor came to advise that flagpoles weren’t permitted into the ground. How it got in was something she couldn’t tell me, but she could tell me an umbrella was an acceptable substitute. Plastic flagpoles are weapons, umbrellas aren’t! Frighteningly intolerable! The frustrations of yet another ‘security’ issue over with, there wasn’t much flag waving for the 2nd session and into the 3rd as Flintoff and Strauss slammed on 146runs for the 5th wicket, taking England to 274. Australia clawed back, and by stumps took the day’s honours with England ending 7-319.

Day two was as mind numbing as security is zealous. Rain! Yes, September was finally coming to the party. England was bowled out for 373 (lucky to get that). Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden went to work to erase the deficit and build a massive total that England couldn’t chase down. If ever the Haydos had to stand up and be counted, today was it. Alfie had had a reasonable series, though century-less, but both accounted themselves brilliantly. (Below: The Clouds played a vital role on the outcome of The Ashes!)

Neither was going to relinquish their wicket as easy as they had before and responsibly took the score to 112 before rain and bad light destroyed the day after only 33overs. With play called off at 6pm, it was a long walk back to Holland Park (couldn’t afford the tube this week, and besides I’ve invested enough over the last 10years for their inadequate services to satisfy my frail budget!). I fell onto the futon and slept, to get up and go through the motions again!

Day 3 didn’t start until 11am, when it should have started 30mins early, just like Trent Bridge! Matthew Hayden survived the first ball appeal for LBW and, with JL cruising on 91, went to lunch 56; Australia looked grand at 0-157. The session wasn’t as swashbuckling as I thought it would, but we were still none down!

20mins after lunch, Justin hit his first hundred of the series and the young fella was excited. Alas, only 5runs later he was on his way having played on again, as the showers came down halting play for 2hours. Resuming at 3.30pm, 1-185 became 2-264 when Ponting was out, and not before Hayden raised his bat for a much needed 100. It hadn’t happened since Galle, February 2004 so this was welcome by all and should ensure his place for the coming summer.

Rain and bad light came and went through the day, and eventually stumps were called at 6.20pm with Australia 2-277 and needing to bat the entire day tomorrow, weather permitting. The only way we saw Australia winning from here was making 600 and bowling England out for an innings victory, or restricting England’s lead leaving a small run chase off the few remaining overs of day 5. But let’s first tackle day 4, one not favourably remembered by me! (Below: The Towering Pavilion of The Oval)

By lunch Australia had been whittled down to 6-356 with Flintoff do as he pleased with the ball. He and Hoggard carved up Australia taking them from 0-185 to 367 all out! That’s just not good enough I am afraid! With the exception of Clarke’s 91 at Lord’s, Martyn, Clarke, Katich, and Gilchrist have all had a series to forget, and some are destined for the chop, for sure. With bad light still causing havoc for Australia and heaven for England, England took bad light and walked off 1-34, 40-runs up, and looked blissfully to day 5 that most people wished would be wet, dark, and miserable! It was, but only for Australia come the end of play!

Australia got off to a ripper of a start. Vaughan and Bell fell to McGrath on consecutive balls. The hat trick ball was one of they better I’ve seen, and took Pietersen’s shoulder rather than the bat, and popped up to 2nd slip. Billy turned it down, alas! Australia had to rip through England, and leave 40-50 overs to score the required runs to win. Warnie came on early and suddenly England were 5-127, and though Pietersen had been dropped on 0 and again in the mid 30’s, our lads looked pumped to ‘wrap it up’.

Pietersen with Collingwood then Jones travelled to 7-199, and this is where Australia’s party ended. Any hope winning vanished off ‘man of the match’ Pietersen’s bat as he plundered a phenomenal 158. With Giles somehow getting 59, it was all but over, and the crowd knew it. There’s something about England and their singing. Their passion is incomparable. The entire stadium sings as one. It is incredible to be part of that. The St Georges Cross bathed the terraces. The emotion of an England Ashes victory was clear and acceptance apparent in the drooped shoulders of 11 men in Baggy Green’s. Bowled out for 335, Australia went in to chase 342. There was no win for anyone it just delayed the inevitable.

After 4 balls they went off for bad light. 20mins later Dr Rudi Koertzen removed a stump officially signaling the end of the series, and the crowd went bananas. And rightly so! Yes, I had to clap the brilliance of the cricket, but only after dragging myself back to my feet after 5mins of head hanging, and shaking despair on the floor under my seat.

There’s a long way forward for Australian cricket, and so too for England that played an exceptional and refreshing brand of cricket that will surely inspire many other sides to ‘clean up their act’! The flag remained unfurled until well after the presentations, and with a newfound reserve, I trudged to Holland Park. Even in this mood, I wasn’t going to weaken and take the Tube, even if this is where Australian cricket could be found… in some eyes! Congratulations England!

Luke Gillian 15/09/2005 16:52:25