Australia selects several knowns and one unknown for T3

I'll let everyone else make a pun or other smart comment out of Michael Beer's selection in the 12 for the Third Test in Perth.

The fact is he's new to first class cricket, having made his debut this season for Western Australia (after some years playing for Shane Warne's club St Kilda in Melbourne district cricket). His record is modest: 16 f-c wickets at a tad under 40 apiece so far. He appears to have Warne's blessing, but it's hard to see what up to date first hand information the great man has about him.

Of course he may not make the final eleven: Australia could play four quicks (Harris, Siddle, Hilfenhaus and Johnson) and use Steven Smith, Marcus North's replacement, as the principal (sole?) spinner. Whichever way the selectors go it's hard to see Australia doing any worse with the ball than in Adelaide, but it's also hard to see them doing much better.

England complete drubbing before drenching rain arrives: T2D5

England 5 /620 dec def Australia 245 & 304 (99.1 ov, M Clarke 80, S Watson 57, M Hussey 52, G Swann 5-91) by an innings and 71 runs: T2 D5 at Adelaide Oval. England lead 5 match series 1-0 .
Player of the match: Kevin Pietersen.

This morning England wrapped up, sooner than most Australian supporters hoped, a victory which had looked pretty much inevitable since the first 15 minutes of the match. Congratulations to them. They played like Australian teams of old (actually not that long ago).

On the last morning they focused on the realities of the situation on the ground, not worrying about the weather. It turned out that the weather wouldn't have saved this abysmal Australian performance as the forecast thunderstorms (with tropical strength precipitation) arrived an hour or so later than expected, bringing some relief from the 30+ degree temperatures (and, on the last 3 days, high humidity ) which had prevailed for the duration of the match.

At 261 Mike Hussey mistimed a pull shot off Steven Finn and was caught at midwicket, leaving Brad Haddin and Marcus North as Austrsalia's last realistic hopes. But neither of them lasted long as Graeme Swann persisted and Jimmy Anderson struck in consecutive balls as the last 6 wickets yielded but 43 runs. Thus the match ended as it had begun, with an Australian batting collapse.

Swann's 5/91 from 41.4 overs was a tribute to both his quality and his stamina, Finn's nip was impressive, Anderson had some good moments intermingled with some wayward ones, while of course Pietersen took that crucial Michael Clarke wicket late yesterday. Only Stuart Broad of the frontline bowlers missed out, partly because he's been injured and will miss the rest of the series. England should have little trouble replacing him from their reserves. Would that Australia could say the same about the changes they must surely have to make to their team.

Scorecard

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227 runs + 1 ball confirm Pietersen as Player of the Match: T2D4

Australia 245 & 4/238 (79.2 ov, M Clarke 80, S Watson 57) trail England 5/620 dec (152 ov, K Pietersen 227, A Cook 146, I Bell 68*) by 137 runs with 6 second inns wickets in hand.

England batted on this morning and declared with a lead of 375. Kevin Pietersen continued as he'd batted the day before and was eventually dismissed by the hapless Xavier Doherty for 227/308b (1x6, 33x4). This was an innings of tremendous class.

Australia's second innings started reasonably well despite Simon Katich's achilles heel problem which restricted his running between the wickets. 0/78 at lunch and a forecast of rain gave Australian supporters hope that a draw might not be out of the question.

But no. Graeme Swann struck twice, getting Katich caught behind for a valiant 43/85b (6x4) and Ricky Ponting, who'd started assertively, taken well at slip by Paul Collingwood. 2/98.

Michael Clarke joined Shane Watson and looked relatively comfortable, even though Swann was turning the ball. But it was Watson who fell for another score - 57/141b (10x4)- which, worthy though it was, disappointed because it seemed, yet again, that he'd laid the foundation of a much larger one.

Mike Hussey also looked solid when he joined Clarke. The forecast rain came in the form of a brief downpour which, unlike the previous day, didn't stop play for the day.

The players came back and the lights came on. Andrew Strauss opted, wisely given the deteriorating light, not to use his quicker bowlers (the new ball was available for one over) but turned to Kevin Pietersen. This proved to be a masterstroke as Pietersen had Clarke caught at short leg off the second ball of his second over.

Clarke's 80/139b (11x4) was his best innings for some time (he'd struggled in India and in this series so far). He first walked then, seeing that the umpire hadn't actually given him out, waited for the England players to obtain a review which confirmed his own initial reaction. Until then it seemed Australia had a fair to middling chance of saving the match. That may still happen, but it will require substantial interference from the weather, which, most unusually for Adelaide at this time of the year, may actually happen if the forecast isn't too wde of the mark.

But England deserve to win.


Scorecard

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Rain falls on England's (and Pietersen's parade: T2D3

England 551/4 (143.0 ov, K Pietersen 213*, A Cook 148, J Trott 78) ) lead Australia 245 by 306 runs with 6 1st innings wickets in hand:L T2/5, D3/5 Adelaide Oval

Kevin Pietersen is batting extremely well, Alistair Cook was eventually dismissed for 148/269b (18x4), Ian Bell looks well set, while Paul Collingwood's 42 in the context of the England innings constitutes a failure: these were the highlights of a rain shortened day where only 54 overs were bowled but England barrelled ahead to add 2/234.

Australia is demoralised: the bowling , Ryan Harris excepted, has been inept, the fielding has been well below Test, let along Australian Test, standard, while Ricky Ponting's field placings haven't borne a sufficiently close relationship to the capabilities of the attack.

But all praise to Pietersen, who continued in Saturday's vein advancing powerfully from 85 to 213*/296b (1x6, 31x4). He played as he's done in many of his recent innings but on this occasion hasn't got out in the 30s or 40s. Great batting, even allowing for the shortcomings of the bowling and the flatness of the Adelaide Oval wicket.

Should England declare at their overnight score? In normal circumstances I'd say they should bat on to 600 or so, but they do if the rain forecast for the last two days may rob them of what would be a well-merited victory.

Scorecard

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A century to Cook and a century in the shade as England press ahead: T2 D2

England 2/317 (89 ov , A Cook 126*, K Pietersen 85*, J Trott 78) lead Australia 245 by 72 runs with 8 first inns wickets in hand: T2/5 D2/5 at Adelaide Oval.

It was, notwithstanding the false dawn of Andrew Strauss being bowled in the first over, unquestionably England's day.

On a flat track Alistair Cook batted through a day where the temperature reached 38deg C (100 deg F) to reach 136*/246b (17x4). Jonathan Trott rode his luck, notably being dropped in the gully when he was 10, and settled down to add 174 with Cook before he was out for 78/144b (11x4). Kevin Pietersen then played an imperious innings in which he showed that reports of his vulnerability to slow left arm bowling are exaggerated. By stumps he'd made 85*/141b (13x4) of 141 as England continued their march towards victory.

Cook batted extremely well, playing few false strokes (one of which resulted in the umpire's caught behind decision being overturned) and, by my reckoning, missing even fewer balls. He looked especially good square of the wicket on both sides. In short, a class player.

Australia looked pretty ordinary, not least in the field where a couple of chances were put down and a run out missed (from side on, but why wasn't anyone up at the bowler's end stumps to take it?) Of the bowlers Ryan Harris, with his extra pace looked the best, while Xavier Doherty's inexperience was exposed.

Scorecard .

Fox Sports video highlights.

England's match for the taking, and after only one day: T2D1

England 0/1 (1 ov) trail Australia 245 (85.5 ov, M Hussey 93, B Haddin 56, S Watson 51, J Anderson 4/51) by 244 runs: T2D1 at Adelaide Oval.



England are in a dominant position after only one day of the Second Test. Their bowling, fielding and general teamwork have squashed Australia's attempts at revival after a disastrous start.

Yes, 245 is much better than 3/2 (see photo on left and note names) but it's a poor total on a wicket which is playing well and on a hot day (almost 35 deg) which might have seen the four pronged English attack wilt. But it didn't: Jimmy Anderson bowled magnificently and was well supported by Graeme Swann (29 overs for 70 runs), Stuart Broad and, after a loose start, Steve Finn.

The first few minutes were bizarre, almost surreal. In the first over Simon Katich was run out by a direct hit from Jonathan Trott at forward square leg before he'd faced a ball. Then Ricky Ponting was well caught in the slips by Graeme Swann from the first ball he faced. Michael Clarke didn't last long and became Jimmy Anderson's (and Swann's) second victim, at which point one wondered (feared?) how low Australia's total would be.

3/2 almost became 4/12 when Anderson missed a hard return catch from Mike Hussey, who then built a partnrship with Shane Watson which took the score to 96 at lunch without further loss.

Alas, Watson fell immediately after the interval for a pugnacious 51/94b (1x6, 7x4), Marcus North got off the mark and then played some good strokes in support of Hussey but just as he seemed to be well set, and not long before tea, he played a causal shot to Finn and was caught behind.

Enter Brad Haddin, who put his head down and supported Hussey, taking the score to 5/159 at tea after a gritty afternoon session saw only 65 runs added from 30 overs. The pair continued in their Gabba vein so it was a surprise when Hussey, who'd looked set for a century was caught at slip off the persistent Swann for an estimable 93/183b (8x4), triggering another,though not unexpected given the reputations and records of numbers 8, 9, 10 and 11, collapse . Ryan Harris was adjudged lbw off the next ball (the second "golden duck" of the innings), and none of the others lasted long apart from Haddin who hit out and was last out for 56/95b (1x6, 3x4), leaving England an over to face, something they and almost everyone else wouldn't have predicted before the first ball was bowled.

Tomorrow England should be able to take a comfortable first innings lead. First innings scores of 500+ have been common in recent Adelaide Tests, so if England manage a lead of, say, 250 Australia will be praying that the rain which is forecast for the last few days of the match falls in sufficient quantities to help it, together with some more resolute second innings batting, to a draw.

Scorecard

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The struggle continues...

The Second Test starts tomorrow here in Adelaide. There's been some rain this week, and more is forecast later in the match, but it may, if recent precipitation is any guide, take the form of thundery showers ie heavy, brief and local. Whether this means that one side will gain an advantage from the conditions, and whether any such advantage is sufficient to help them achieve a victory, remains to be seen.

England will almost certainly take the field with a settled team, that which played in the First Test (and in two preliminary matches).

Australia will make at least one change: we've been told that Mitchell Johnson will not be playing though he will remain - why I'm not sure - with the squad. Two (probably the first two) of Doug Bollinger, Ryan Harris and Ben Hilfenhaus will join Peter Siddle in the pace attack. After what happened in the second half of the First Test it's hard to conceive that this revamp could be anything other than an improvement, though will it be enough to win the match? Or draw it?

I'm not suggesting that Australia (or England for that matter) will set out to play for a draw (does any team ever?) but I wouldn't be surprised if the match turned out that way. The new curator (groundsman) has claimed that his Adelaide Oval wicket will change in character, from batsman to more bowler friendly, over the five days, but it's hard to envisage anything like a repeat of the 2006 match where 13 wickets (9 of them English) fell on day 5, after only 17 had fallen on the preceding four days. If it does it's more likely to be England who emerge as victors, but I wouldn't put money on them. As Brisbane showed,each team's batting is stronger than its bowling.