The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Martyn and Symonds to Australia's rescue

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Friday, Jun 24, 2005

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Sport - Cricket

Martyn and Symonds to Australia's rescue

Ted Corbett

CHESTER-LE-STREET: Andrew Symonds, the naughty stop-out of the Australian team, made amends with a grafting top score of 73 as it ran up 266 for five to give England a difficult target in the fifth one-day international of the NatWest tri-series. England, leading the table by 12 points after two victories over Bangladesh and another against the Aussies, kept the run-rate under control with a display of out-cricket that was so intense it was almost foreign to a side which used to disdain such vigour.

Michael Vaughan, the captain, was left on the players' balcony to recover from the groin injury he picked up at Trent Bridge, which meant that Vikram Solanki had a chance to play a long innings in the middle order. Marcus Trescothick crowned an intelligent match as stand-in captain with a direct hit run-out to get rid of Symonds recalled for Michael Clarke whose back was causing problems. Brett Lee, recovered from his back injury, also returned.

You will never see a better day for cricket: sunshine, 30 degrees, a white pitch and a crowd so tightly packed the spectators seemed to be spilling out of the stands. Australia began as if 300 might be its minimum requirement — 15 off the first two overs; 32 off five and Chris Tremlett, in only his second one-day international, went round the wicket and the runs dried.

After ten Australia had only 48 and in that over Tremlett had Adam Gilchrist's wicket although his success owed a debt to Geraint Jones, the wicket-keeper, who was according to your prejudice, either quick enough or lucky enough to snatch the ball one-handed at the second attempt.

Ricky Ponting, the captain out of form and runs, began nervously while Matthew Hayden only once attempted to walk down the pitch — a tactic that might have made the new boy Tremlett wary — although he struck him for fours to leg and then through the covers in the 12th over. After 15 overs Australia was 73 but still forced to defend on this superb batting wicket and in three overs England struck hard.

Ponting should have been caught at point on 24 but Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen, both fine fielders, could not decide whose catch it was, and it fell in no man's land. No problem: Hayden was out in the 22nd over caught in a more orthodox fashion by Jones off Andrew Flintoff. Ponting went in the next over, caught, tumbling and with a tentative grip on the ball, by Ashley Giles at third man. Ponting was upper-cutting Steve Harmison as Damien Martyn did in the first Ashes one-day game.

Cause for satisfaction

Three Australians out for 96 after 23 overs and England had cause for satisfaction but Martyn and Symonds dug in. Symonds had to compensate for his night of shame, not just drinking but inviting his pals to join him when they were asleep at 4 a.m. He was right to go about his penance quietly. He had only four fours in his fifty off 62 balls; most unlike him. Martyn was even quieter as Australia reached 191 by the 40th over.

England was giving one of its finest displays of out cricket. Tight fielding, quick pick-ups and flat throws from every part of the ground meant that few runs were sacrificed to the tigerish desire of the Aussies to grab that extra run. I have rarely seen an England team as aggressive as it was in defeating Australia at Bristol and on Friday, apart from the initial offensive, the bowling was tighter.

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