CRICKET
THE ASHES 2006/07
Australia have got off to a good start in the Ashes, but they should still be wary - they were off to a flier last year, but England went on to win.
Sportsmail's Mike Dickson reports from Brisbane as Ricky Ponting wins round one of the Ashes battle
By MIKE DICKSON 23rd November 2006
Masterclass: Australia's Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting knows that the path to redemption lies only one way and his step was firm as he began the journey back into the hearts of his public.
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The Ashes, 1st Test
1st innings
Australia: 346-3
It matters little that since the Ashes were lost his team have won 11 of 12 Tests, or that in those games he had majestically scored just shy of 1,500 runs at an average just short of 80.
It is what happens in the next five that matter or, on the evidence of the first day of this series, perhaps only the next three.
Although many in Australia took an almost perverse pleasure at their cricket team finally getting their comeuppance last year, they are still very keen to get their urn back.
That process began in earnest yesterday with a superb unbeaten 137 that ought to provide a platform for Australia to win this game, and the construction work was continuing this morning from an impressive starting point of 346 for three.
Yet again England had proved susceptible to the hype that surrounds the Ashes and turned in an opening day performance cloyed by nerves and indecision.
This day four years ago will go down as one of the worst the national side has ever endured, its place in cricket's chamber of horrors secured by the dreadful knee injury suffered by Simon Jones and the spectacularly backfiring choice of putting Australia into bat.
Take those away and the end result of yesterday was almost the same: only one more wicket taken and only eighteen runs fewer conceded.
At least England were not culpable in losing what was a very important toss - how much better if the responsibility for striking the first blow of the Ashes lay with Andrew Strauss, one of the most mentally resilient members of the team, rather than Steve Harmison, the most fragile.
It was always a risk asking the Durham pacer to make a statement by taking the first over rather instead of Matthew Hoggard, who usually has the privilege.
Harmison's horrendous opening delivery straight to second slip was a tragicomic way to start the series and set the tone, but there were less obvious pointers before lunch of equal significance.
One was Ponting's second boundary, when Harmison came back for an improved second spell after his opening salvo was called off after just two overs.
He bowled a sharp rising ball and the little Tasmanian leapt onto his toes, leant back and powered it to the extra cover boundary with exquisite timing.
It told you that he was in immaculate touch and suggested there is a major score to settle here.
The Australian captain was disingenuous afterwards in claiming that this innings meant no more than any other knock and that they had just wanted to win the opening sessions of the series.
The adopted Sydneysider might just as well have said that he wished he was still living back in good old Launceston.
When he got to fifty there was barely an acknowledgement of the crowd, but the arrival of the hundred saw him give it an almighty hoopla of a celebration.
That was a statement, alright, and it was easy to believe that he was unaware at the time of having equalled Steve Waugh's Australian record of 32 Test centuries, except in 86 fewer innings.
Ponting's one real scare was when he tried to sweep Giles on 72 and probably should have been given LBW, only for umpire Billy Bowden to scratch his eye while turning the appeal down.
England did not have much of what good fortune was going, but then you wonder how much they made for themselves with selectorial planning.
Giles did not let down the management who controversially picked him ahead of Monty Panesar, but why was he not picked for the South Australia match in Adelaide that finished last Sunday?
South Australian captain Darren Lehmann reported that Flintoff did not even know his eleven going in to that match, and by the second day of that match Harmison, another absentee, was thundering them down in the nets.
One of England's problems in this game is that they have gone into it with two bowlers who have so few overs behind them.
Harmison had so little to fall back on when his nerve deserted him in the highly-charged atmosphere of the first exchanges.
And so much for the belief that finger spinners would not play much of a part, and that Panesar was surplus.
By the end of day one Giles and Kevin Pietersen had bowled 27 overs between them, and the latter had gained some turn that will have made Shane Warne's eyes light up.
The overall impression from England's first day bowling, though, was that they are hugely over-reliant on Flintoff, and that he must be very careful how much he puts himself on. As any fool knows, when Flintoff overbowls injury arrives sooner or later.
He was their one inspiration, calming his team-mates nerves by having Matthew Hayden caught in the slips and then removing Justin Langer for 82 off a short and wide one, slashed to cover.
It had been a typically scraggy, adversarial innings from Langer, riding his luck off the edge but producing some sweet pulls as well, particularly with James Anderson continually dropping it short.
Flintoff also tried to lift his side by coming hard at Ponting when he was new at the crease, but his opposite number was in the form to see him off.
Giles secured the only other success by gaining some unexpected bounce that did for Damien Martyn as he attempted a deft cut to third man.
England were tidy enough in the field with Pietersen especially lively and the catches were caught, but Australian experience told on the first day.
They might be Dad's Army but the first cry of Don't Panic! came from the tourists' dressing room.
I remember when McGrath ripped through us at Lords last Summer, all the Doom merchants came out the woodwork again then, the 'I told you so' crowd profacising a 5-0 whitewash, Englands batting wasn't a patch on Australia's. Look what happened then. At least give it a bit longer than day one in the first test! If Ponting had been given LBW and a couple of quick wickets fallen after that it would be a different story! Come on England!
- Danny Greenslade, Doncaster, UK
--------------------
You hold the bloody Ashes....you could have least had some of the 10 blokes who don't have the (c) after them actually do something on the opening day of a 5 test series (like consistently bowl the ball in an area where Ponting and his boys aren't thinking which boundary the ball should be dispatched to).
I was hoping for a contest at home this year - I hope today isn't an omen of things to come this summer. It would be a sad end to the hype about this series after the great Pom performance last year.
- Aussie Bloke, Brisbane, Australia
---------------------
It's only day 1 of the 1st test, honestly! People really need to shutup and wait until it's all over and done with, or at least until the fat man Warney sings. Gotta love the Aussies for their prematurity and the Pommies for their reticent start...come on fellas lull them into that false sense of security again!
- El, Kent, UK
dailymail.co.uk
THE ASHES 2006/07
Australia have got off to a good start in the Ashes, but they should still be wary - they were off to a flier last year, but England went on to win.
Sportsmail's Mike Dickson reports from Brisbane as Ricky Ponting wins round one of the Ashes battle
By MIKE DICKSON 23rd November 2006
Ricky Ponting knows that the path to redemption lies only one way and his step was firm as he began the journey back into the hearts of his public.
-----------
The Ashes, 1st Test
1st innings
Australia: 346-3
It matters little that since the Ashes were lost his team have won 11 of 12 Tests, or that in those games he had majestically scored just shy of 1,500 runs at an average just short of 80.
It is what happens in the next five that matter or, on the evidence of the first day of this series, perhaps only the next three.
Although many in Australia took an almost perverse pleasure at their cricket team finally getting their comeuppance last year, they are still very keen to get their urn back.
That process began in earnest yesterday with a superb unbeaten 137 that ought to provide a platform for Australia to win this game, and the construction work was continuing this morning from an impressive starting point of 346 for three.
Yet again England had proved susceptible to the hype that surrounds the Ashes and turned in an opening day performance cloyed by nerves and indecision.
This day four years ago will go down as one of the worst the national side has ever endured, its place in cricket's chamber of horrors secured by the dreadful knee injury suffered by Simon Jones and the spectacularly backfiring choice of putting Australia into bat.
Take those away and the end result of yesterday was almost the same: only one more wicket taken and only eighteen runs fewer conceded.
At least England were not culpable in losing what was a very important toss - how much better if the responsibility for striking the first blow of the Ashes lay with Andrew Strauss, one of the most mentally resilient members of the team, rather than Steve Harmison, the most fragile.
It was always a risk asking the Durham pacer to make a statement by taking the first over rather instead of Matthew Hoggard, who usually has the privilege.
Harmison's horrendous opening delivery straight to second slip was a tragicomic way to start the series and set the tone, but there were less obvious pointers before lunch of equal significance.
One was Ponting's second boundary, when Harmison came back for an improved second spell after his opening salvo was called off after just two overs.
He bowled a sharp rising ball and the little Tasmanian leapt onto his toes, leant back and powered it to the extra cover boundary with exquisite timing.
It told you that he was in immaculate touch and suggested there is a major score to settle here.
The Australian captain was disingenuous afterwards in claiming that this innings meant no more than any other knock and that they had just wanted to win the opening sessions of the series.
The adopted Sydneysider might just as well have said that he wished he was still living back in good old Launceston.
When he got to fifty there was barely an acknowledgement of the crowd, but the arrival of the hundred saw him give it an almighty hoopla of a celebration.
That was a statement, alright, and it was easy to believe that he was unaware at the time of having equalled Steve Waugh's Australian record of 32 Test centuries, except in 86 fewer innings.
Ponting's one real scare was when he tried to sweep Giles on 72 and probably should have been given LBW, only for umpire Billy Bowden to scratch his eye while turning the appeal down.
England did not have much of what good fortune was going, but then you wonder how much they made for themselves with selectorial planning.
Giles did not let down the management who controversially picked him ahead of Monty Panesar, but why was he not picked for the South Australia match in Adelaide that finished last Sunday?
South Australian captain Darren Lehmann reported that Flintoff did not even know his eleven going in to that match, and by the second day of that match Harmison, another absentee, was thundering them down in the nets.
One of England's problems in this game is that they have gone into it with two bowlers who have so few overs behind them.
Harmison had so little to fall back on when his nerve deserted him in the highly-charged atmosphere of the first exchanges.
And so much for the belief that finger spinners would not play much of a part, and that Panesar was surplus.
By the end of day one Giles and Kevin Pietersen had bowled 27 overs between them, and the latter had gained some turn that will have made Shane Warne's eyes light up.
The overall impression from England's first day bowling, though, was that they are hugely over-reliant on Flintoff, and that he must be very careful how much he puts himself on. As any fool knows, when Flintoff overbowls injury arrives sooner or later.
He was their one inspiration, calming his team-mates nerves by having Matthew Hayden caught in the slips and then removing Justin Langer for 82 off a short and wide one, slashed to cover.
It had been a typically scraggy, adversarial innings from Langer, riding his luck off the edge but producing some sweet pulls as well, particularly with James Anderson continually dropping it short.
Flintoff also tried to lift his side by coming hard at Ponting when he was new at the crease, but his opposite number was in the form to see him off.
Giles secured the only other success by gaining some unexpected bounce that did for Damien Martyn as he attempted a deft cut to third man.
England were tidy enough in the field with Pietersen especially lively and the catches were caught, but Australian experience told on the first day.
They might be Dad's Army but the first cry of Don't Panic! came from the tourists' dressing room.
I remember when McGrath ripped through us at Lords last Summer, all the Doom merchants came out the woodwork again then, the 'I told you so' crowd profacising a 5-0 whitewash, Englands batting wasn't a patch on Australia's. Look what happened then. At least give it a bit longer than day one in the first test! If Ponting had been given LBW and a couple of quick wickets fallen after that it would be a different story! Come on England!
- Danny Greenslade, Doncaster, UK
--------------------
You hold the bloody Ashes....you could have least had some of the 10 blokes who don't have the (c) after them actually do something on the opening day of a 5 test series (like consistently bowl the ball in an area where Ponting and his boys aren't thinking which boundary the ball should be dispatched to).
I was hoping for a contest at home this year - I hope today isn't an omen of things to come this summer. It would be a sad end to the hype about this series after the great Pom performance last year.
- Aussie Bloke, Brisbane, Australia
---------------------
It's only day 1 of the 1st test, honestly! People really need to shutup and wait until it's all over and done with, or at least until the fat man Warney sings. Gotta love the Aussies for their prematurity and the Pommies for their reticent start...come on fellas lull them into that false sense of security again!
- El, Kent, UK
dailymail.co.uk
