chips.
We were told what a courageous and innovative captain Australia had in Michael Clarke when he made his declaration at tea on Sunday.
A few hours later and four overs before England would have won the fifth and final test of this Ashes series we saw the real Clarke, a crybaby whinger, pleading with the umpires to go off for bad light at the end of the only interesting period in this actual game.
Courageous and innovative going home with a duck against his team name in the win column and nearly four in the loss column. Hell Ponting never did that, not many Australian captains have. Not many would against a side like this England one that haven’t exactly set the world alight.
And if he hadn’t berated the umpires to get out their light meters, when nobody was in any danger, then it would have been 4-0 for the first time. Yes the ICC have got it all wrong about “bad light” and this was bound to happen, in front of a packed crowd – just lucky it wasn’t a meaningful game – but the umps would have got away with it if Clarke hadn’t thrown a hissy fit.
Wanting to give England the chance to go for it and lose in the process and so leaving Australia going into the next series this winter with the momentum. In the end Australia almost lost to a side containing Woakes and Kerrigan. Two players needed to replace the injured Bresnan, all of a sudden the big lad looks a bit indispensable.
A pair can anyone see being part of an England XI any-time soon? Woakes did Ok with the bat but you can’t pick an all rounder to strengthen the batting line up. I mean his bowling has looked nothing during his one day appearances. Certainly nothing that would merit a test call up. As for Kerrigan, having already been smacked about by Australians not that long ago in the Lions game, his selection was bizarre no matter what he’s been doing in the second division of the County Championship.
And yet with that pair they came within a whisker. As I’ve said before in the previous post test drivel the Aussies could quite easily have been going home with the little replica urn but when it’s come to the crunch they’ve bottled it and let this pretty poor England outfit walk away with a three nil victory.
You can talk about taking all the positives
you want but that’s not much momentum really is it?