England will miss.
That’s the Flintoff of 2003 to 2005, the Fred that roughs them up then gets them out the Fred that lifts the crowd and intimates the opposition.
And a Fred that actually runs through them and takes a bunch of wickets. Fitting that he should finally add his name to the honour board for a 5 wickets haul, to go with that for he previously got for a century, on his last Lord’s Test match appearance. He really deserved it.
For too long since that series in ’05 England have lost more with Freddie in the side than they have won. But do we care when he performs when it really matters, to go one up in an Ashes series, to break that hoodoo of the Aussies at Lord’s. No more 75, though it’s still only twice in over a hundred.
Freddie really needed, as the others at times were bowling rubbish, with nerves were on edge as the Aussies crept closer and closer to that “unachievable” target. Anderson doing the usual of putting in a decent spell with the ball but then not following up. All the media need to start looking at the rubbish he bungs down, short, wide, aimless as his stock in trade not the good spells, where he causes all sorts of problems. That’s the stuff that’s out of the ordinary for him – the good stuff.
Chris Broad needs to get in his son’s ear about the length he was bowling, the father wasn’t happy about the short stuff his son was told to put in. He needs to tell him to be his own man and line and length will get him more out of the game. Good to see Swann come back, funny to hear Chappelli say it was a good move to bring back the spinner against the left handers, as he wasn’t that good against the right handed Clarke who had played him well. How many balls later was the vice captain walking back to the pavilion?
Though again none were helped by their captain’s field placings, when you need wickets desperately you need to set fields accordingly, not just to save runs.
England, out played in one game, totally dominant in the next but find themselves one up, three to play, bunch of things finally going their way – dodgy decisions, now that’ll give ’em something to whinge about – but over a week to wait now. Can the Aussies regroup, can their main strike bowler find any form? Will there be changes on both sides? Much talk this could be the last hurrah for Fred, that knee took some pounding in the near two hours unchanged today. And what about Pietersen, in his paper column – according to the hoarding round the boundary it’s in News Of The World, now says a lot about him – he’s feeling the injury and has done for some time, yeah not bad enough for you’re little pay day out at the IPL now was it Kev, personal glory and wealth does come before team and country of convenience though doesn’t it.