(Edit: The Ozzie press reaction. Very funny!)
I could not have imagined how the first test could have ended any way other than with a monumental destruction of the whole of English cricket. Ponting kept pouring it on during the first innings, centuries all around, before finally declaring. But why? With the weather bad, there had to be a chance that time would run out and they wouldn't even get a second innings. Hubris? It looks like it to me. He didn't want to win the test; he wanted to embarrass England.
But this is what England love--approaching a colossal failure, only to rally heroically as cries of "Come on, England!" are shouted desperately from the stands. England--completely unwilling to prod and defend for four days; only one way to go, full speed ahead, blood and thunder, the Crimean war, the Big Push...One idiotic swipe at the ball after another, wickets falling like mad, callow Ozzie bowlers made to look like legends--what the hell?
I wasn't able to follow Sunday's action until it looked far beyond England's reach to salvage a draw. Then Paul Collingwood stood up and decided to play some very boring cricket, nearly SIX HOURS worth. Well done, sir. Very not-English. Very pragmatic. Until, six runs down and 11.3 overs left, he lost his wicket. And who was left? Monty Freaking Panesar. And yes, he and James Anderson not only caught and passed the Aussies run total, they batted until the end and denied Ponting the chance to do anything else.
England were horrible, and didn't lose. You have to blame Ponting as much as credit Collingwood. One, for letting the first innings drag on and on, and two, for his strange bowler selection during the final overs. I'm certainly no expert on the sport but he had no answer for England.
I doubt if England can win back the Ashes, but this stand alone was brilliant simply because I can't imagine how disappointed the knuckle-draggers must feel today.
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