Sydney Day One: Con te partiro
Was this just another Pommy sledge, or a pagan ritual aimed at raising Sir Neville Cardus from the dead?
Was this just another Pommy sledge, or a pagan ritual aimed at raising Sir Neville Cardus from the dead?
Good King Glenn McGrath looked out
On the Feast of Stephen
Where the pitch lay round about
Just a bit uneven
Brightly shone Shane Warne that night
Though the Poms were cruel
Then A Flintoff came in sight
Batting like a foo-oo-el.
First Test, Lords 2005: Australia defeated England by 239 runs. England won series 2-1.
First Test, Brisbane 2006-07: Australia defeated England by 277 runs. Is history about to repeat itself?
I doubt it. The yawning experience gap makes the difference this time, added to the intense hunger that the Australian team feels to regain the Ashes.
Australia 602/9, England 53/3. We've been there before. Many times.
What if Freddie had won the toss yesterday? And said "this pitch has a bit of life in it, we'll bowl first"? Yeah well, what if he decided to have a bat? Maybe they would have gotten 400 and felt happy with themselves.
Instead, they batted second... starting about an hour before stumps on the second day. They might make 400. In fact, they need 403 to avoid the follow-on. That's not looking too good right now.
Tuesday December 3, 1996: I visited the Sydney Cricket Ground and witnessed a great day's cricket, but I have also witnessed the demise of a cricketing power that I have known and loved for over two decades.