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Revisiting the 2005 Ashes with those who lived through those thrilling moments

Phil Walker10-Jul-2013Eighteen years. Eighteen years we’d waited. An inferiority complex wrapped in a late-order collapse. Rain, warm beer, crap cricket teams. All our national jokes. It’s the way you tell ’em, and these gags had long run out of gas.But hold on. Things had been changing. Under Michael Vaughan’s suave captaincy, England had just turned up a series victory in South Africa. It was early 2005, and the win had to date been their grandest achievement, eclipsing even their exploits in winning all seven home Tests in 2004.It was June 2005. Australia’s cricket team were here again. Perhaps this time they wouldn’t use the place as their personal playground.

“We were in a great place at the time; we’d gone through the previous summer unbeaten. We’d only lost one in our last 15. When you’re on a roll, it’s very difficult to get knocked out of that, even if you’re up against a great Australian side. ”

To vanquish the Australia of Warne, Ponting and McGrath, England would need their stars to shine. But they would need something else, something other. Implausibly, they were about to find it: ready-made, skunk-haired, utterly at odds, at first glance more inmate than team-mate. He’d just hit three ODI hundreds in South Africa against the land of his birth. It was figured he could play. We hadn’t seen the like. Then at Bristol, in the first pre-Ashes ODI, Kevin Pietersen absolutely nailed it.

“Like so many others, I was converted by Botham in 1981. It left me with a taste for hero-worship, and a capacity for believing that an unexpected England victory might always be round the corner. On June 19, 2005, my brother and I were walking Offa’s Dyke. As we came into Hay, we said to each other, ‘Wouldn’t it be brilliant if we turned the corner, there was a pub showing the match at Bristol, and England somehow won?’ We turned a corner, there was indeed a pub showing the cricket, and England, thanks to an awesome 91 off 65 balls by Kevin Pietersen, posted an odds-upsetting victory. We both felt as deliriously happy that afternoon as we have ever felt watching cricket, sharing in the other’s joy, and in our sudden hope for the forthcoming Ashes series – which we could sense emerging like a crumpled-winged butterfly from an 18-year cocoon. After years of vainly trying to fill a Botham-shaped hole, we finally – thanks to KP – had our new Ashes hero.”

That ODI series would be drawn, a leg bye off Ashley Giles’ left pad tying the finale at Lord’s. Three weeks later they would meet there again.First Test
Lord’s, July 21-24

“It was an unbelievable atmosphere walking through the Long Room that first morning. Normally you’d have a couple of people sitting in the corner thinking, ‘Oh no, they’ve picked him again!’ This time it was standing room only. We knew then that this was different. We set the marker down that morning and bowled them out cheaply. Then Glenn McGrath brought us down to earth! But at the end of that first day you just knew – this was going to be an absolute humdinger.”

A marker indeed. That morning Harmison was unmanageable. He hit Langer on the elbow, Hayden on the helmet, and Ponting so hard in the face that his helmet grille ricocheted into his cheekbone and sent him to hospital for corrective work (though only after play had finished).Australia were all out for 190 and England were padding up before tea. It was McGrath’s turn now. When he was finally hauled off England were 48 for 5 and GD McGrath’s figures read 13-5-21-5.Despite the sapping disappointment, England’s supporters had seen something. Twenty wickets for a start. And something else, glistening among the debris: a rough, diamante-encrusted natural on debut. As McGrath cut through the top order, Pietersen had gotten massively forward, found ages for his shots, and looked immediately England’s best equipped batsman. On the second morning he’d also launched McGrath into the Lord’s Pavilion. Normal people just didn’t do that kind of thing. Australia won by 239 runs

Amid the chaos Flintoff locates Lee, on his haunches away from the hub, and offers him a word

Second Test
Edgbaston, August 4-7What happened next will never be forgotten. After a match like this the clichés would arrive faster than a gloved 90mph bumper. It had more untouchable moments – 400 in a day, the great Harmison slower ball, Warne to Strauss, Vaughan’s run-out of Martyn, the whole last morning – than any other Test in history. Not forgetting a touch of high farce, when McGrath stood on a ball in the pre-match warm-up and was ruled out with a twisted ankle.After scores of 0 and 3 at Lord’s, Andrew Flintoff had taken himself away for a few days with the family. He’d been tense at Lord’s, overwrought. Thereon he’d resolved to play naturally. His captain, Michael Vaughan, saw a different man turn up at Birmingham.

“Captaining Fred, I wanted him to be right for that moment on the pitch. I wanted him to arrive on the Thursday feeling good. I wanted him feeling like he had someone who was supporting him, someone who was going to allow him to play with freedom, attack the opposition and just enjoy his cricket. You didn’t need him to be thinking too much, you just needed him to deliver, so lob him the ball get a wicket or two. Tell him which length, he’d do it. Bowl to the field, he’d do it. Go out to bat and whack it, he’d do it. He got the crowd going. There’s not many players who could get the crowd going like he could and that’s what happened at Edgbaston.”

Flintoff began by playing with dash and daring as England smashed 407 on the first day. Other runs were plundered by Trescothick, Strauss and Pietersen, but Fred’s audacity stole it.

“It was a nice pitch to play on. I hit five sixes that day. Lee bowled a couple short and I pulled him twice for six – blind at one of them, didn’t even know where it was. I used to have a technique of getting deep in my crease and to someone like Lee it works well because it puts you directly into his trajectory. Sometimes, the biggest sixes, you’re not really trying.”

On day two, the summer’s other poster boy, The Blond, watched his side’s top order bat complacently, and caught the mood with a shocking heave himself. Australia finished 100 behind.England were 25 for 0 when Warne took the ball. Going round the wicket to Strauss, he rags a looping, revolving bomb so far outside Strauss’ off stump that he goes to leave it, but it grips and rips past his leg on the side, going behind his body and crashing into his leg stump. The Ball Of This Century.

“The way we attacked them on that first day was brilliant, and we’d had to because of that man Warne. The more press coverage, the more electric the atmosphere, and the increasing profile of the series all meant that one man was going to get better. That was Warne. He ended up getting 40 wickets, but he got them at over three an over. We didn’t nullify him, but we did compete.”

Warne galvanised the baggies, and as day three took its absurd shape – let’s call it Mad Saturday – Edgbaston loyalists were coming to terms with an England collapse of vintage proportions. At least Fred was still there.His second knock showed his class. England were 131 for 9 with a shaky lead of 230 when he was joined by Simon Jones. The width of Flintoff’s bat stood between Aussie victory and the sad tragicomic capitulation of English cricket. No pressure then.When Warne finally got him for 73, Flintoff had hit four more sixes, making it an Ashes record nine in the match. His breathtaking straight six off Lee went fizzing over the BBC’s commentary box. The next highest score in the innings was 21. Fred was starting to dictate the course of the match, to bend it to his will, as only the greats can.To the evening session. Chasing 282, Australia had cruised to 47 for no loss off 12 overs when Flintoff was summoned. “I’d just got 70-odd and I was asking Vaughany every minute to get me on to bowl. I was flying and I just kept saying, ‘Get me involved, get me involved…’ I just felt I could get them out.”England went to work. As the close approached Australia were seven down, 107 shy. Only Clarke remained, magnificent in the murk.

“I’d thrown everything at him. Every question I had asked of Michael Clarke, he had answered them. I thought I should try something different.”

“It turned the game. Harmy, he’s got this slower ball and he keeps wheeling it out, you can see it from slip when he’s going to bowl it. And I thought, ‘Here we go’. Because he comes up and his fingers are split on the ball. ‘Slower ball!’ It’s the best one he’s ever bowled, it was perfect, it’s even faded in to bowl him. It was amazing, amazing.”

The nerve-wracking finish at Edgbaston•Getty ImagesSunday, August 7, 2005. The packed house settled back to watch the procession. How quickly the mood would change. Through Warne and Lee, warriors both, pilfered runs were nabbed – stolen singles, spliced boundaries, thick edges – until, with 62 needed and the crowd hushed, Warne bizarrely back-heeled his stumps. Last man Kasprowicz joined Lee, who wasn’t going anywhere.

“Everything seemed to be going against us, especially when Simon Jones dropped Kasprowicz. And Lee was unbelievable that day – every part of his body got hit but he still had the courage to stay there and try and see them home.”

Suddenly, imperceptibly, when Lee edged one past leg stump Australia were one hit away. Harmison ran in again. Short one. Kasprowicz, who’s looked immovable, ducks underneath it but can’t drop his hand in time, the ball kisses the glove (detached from the bat handle!) like a slobbering drunk and loops to Geraint Jones, who pouches it inches from the turf. Cue pandemonium.

“The old press box at Edgbaston was a tin-pot affair, small and sweaty. It could mean a good atmosphere, though. In many instances, the old canard about journalistic impartiality was cast aside when Harmison won that lucky caught-behind shout against Kasprowicz. And the Aussies working to impossibly tight deadlines for the other side of the world could finally press send on one of the three versions they’d been preparing. The whole thing was pure electricity.” Wisden Almanack

Amid the chaos Flintoff (seven wickets; 139 runs; immortality) locates Lee, on his haunches away from the hub, and offers him a word. It would remain between the two of them, and yet heard around the world. A thick edge from oblivion, but now England were flying. England won by two runs

Over…

BALL 1: Flintoff to Langer NO RUN
My first ball was so important. The crowd were up, and the first ball had to be on the money. I knew it was gonna be half-quick – I don’t do warm-ups. I’m picturing the ball I’m gonna bowl. In my head he’s nicking it to slip. I came in round the wicket and it just offered to go away on the reverse. It was pretty much where I wanted to bowl it; I just thought he’d nick it!
BALL 2: Flintoff to Langer OUT! JL Langer b Flintoff 28
This one was meant to be the same as the first, to nip away and take the edge. It held its line and smashed off his elbow onto the stumps. I had a bad shoulder, but I was feeling nothing at this point. Just adrenaline.
BALL 3: Flintoff to Ponting NO RUN
It had just started reversing. I wanted him lbw first ball. The thing with Ponting early doors was he’d get across his stumps and his head would go across, but it was also a strength of his. This one was just a touch too high, but it was coming in beautifully now.
BALL 4: Flintoff to Ponting NO RUN
Same again, nipping back into him, it’s really reversing now. It’s the 13th over and it’s going already.
BALL 5: Flintoff to Ponting NO RUN
Now I’m thinking I’m gonna get him. He’s looking to hit it and you can see from the previous two that his feet are nowhere. It hits him on the pad and it’s not out because he’s got outside the line, but he’s feeling for it, he’s feeling.
BALL 6: Flintoff to Ponting NO RUN (no ball)
This is the first one where I turn the ball around in my hand to get it going away from him. It goes a little bit, but from wide and he’s able to leave it alone.
BALL 7: Flintoff to Ponting OUT! RT Ponting c †GO Jones b Flintoff 0
As I run up, all I’ve got in my head is a picture of what that ball is gonna look like, all the way – I reckon when I was bowling well I could just about do it with my eyes closed. It was reversing both ways by now and I was looking to take it away from him. It pitched and left him and that was that. I was flying…

Third Test
Old Trafford, August 11-15Michael Vaughan had told us he was in good form with the bat. His critics pointed to the three times in four knocks that he’d lost his off stump as evidence that he wasn’t. Glenn McGrath had already trimmed him up at Lord’s, and now Pidge was back, hobbling through a match that had clearly come too early for his busted ankle. On the first day the two would square up again. After a nip-and-tuck start and with Vaughan on 41, McGrath got one to nip back and clatter into his poles for the fourth time in the series. But wait…

“What a moment. McGrath bowled Vaughany, and then for it to be given a no ball, that was brilliant, wasn’t it? McGrath came back for that Test match – he shouldn’t have played. It was more through desperation. And Vaughany went on to get a great hundred and set it up for the rest of us…”

Vaughan’s 166 laid the foundation for his bowlers to extract sufficient reverse swing from a scuffed surface, as Simon Jones left Australia scrabbling to avoid the follow-on. Only Warne’s eye for a ball prevented his team being asked to have another go for the first time in two decades.With a chunky lead already, England took the game away from Australia chiefly through Strauss’ first Ashes hundred (there would be more). It left Australia 10 overs and a full day to bat out the draw.On that final Monday the gates at Old Trafford had to be closed at 8:30am. Queues snaked around the ground, thousands deep. Those turned away trudged back home to join the 7.7 million people watching on TV.

“Look, it’s one of the all-time great series that’s ever been played. I remember being here and seeing what sort of impact it had on the whole country. I remember driving to the ground at Manchester for the last day of that game, when we had to bat out the day to save the Test match, and the streets were lined for kilometres with people around the ground who weren’t able to get in. They’re memories of things you don’t see every day.”

“My greatest Ashes memory is seeing 20,000 people locked out of Old Trafford. I thought there was a bomb scare when I arrived at Old Trafford on that day. I arrived at 9.30, went on the balcony and the ground was full. As I said to the boys, ‘This is special’. We went out of the dressing room just to warm up and the whole ground lifted and stood to their feet to cheer us.

It was a day of tough cricket, and England were relentless. When in late afternoon Clarke fell to a booming inswinger from Jones and Gillespie went for a duck, Australia were seven down. Warne joined Ponting and was able to hang around for an hour, while Ponting, with his Ashes scars and his raging spirit, would not budge.His 156 – the only chanceless hundred of the series – was a masterclass of its kind, and when he was finally strangled down the leg side, he could barely summon the strength to drag himself off. McGrath and Lee were left with four overs to survive.But England were spent. Back-to-back Tests had exhausted them. Those final six balls from Harmison were easily negotiated, and for Lee, indomitable at Edgbaston, this was sweet redemption.In the chaotic mix of emotions that met the finale, Michael Vaughan gathered up his players. Amongst them was Stephen Peters, a sub fielder for most of that last afternoon.

“Vaughan called everyone in to a huddle on the pitch and he said to everyone – I’ll never forget it – he said, ‘Look at that balcony over there celebrating a draw. They’d never have done that in the past. We go to Trent Bridge and we’ll turn them over there.’ From that moment on I knew we were winning that series. You could see the belief in the team. It was great to be part of it, if only very briefly.”

Match drawnFourth Test
Trent Bridge, August 25-28Vaughan was right. England would dominate Nottingham, right up until the death, when Warne – who’d asked for 170 to defend and got 128 – nearly ripped up the formbook.The Australian newspapers react to the Ashes defeat•Getty ImagesAndrew Flintoff made his first Ashes hundred here, and when he quietly raised his bat to the terraces – who needs fanfares when you can hit balls into the road – it seemed to announce the arrival of a great cricketer. The innings was relatively un-Fred-like, his 132-baller containing just the one six. His time at the crease with Geraint Jones, who arrived at 241 for 5 and saw Fred depart 177 runs later, was perhaps the pivotal partnership of the series.

“Freddie and I had an incredible connection when we were batting. We were good mates and I think the way we played connected well. Freddie was very strong driving down the ground. You knew about it when he hit it back at you! Whereas I was more square of the wicket, cuts and pulls. We complemented each other and that probably allowed us to get a few more balls in areas we liked. When we got into it we were pretty fluent.”

Australia may have got away with it at Manchester but Nottingham was not so forgiving. Jones claimed another five-fer, and this time the follow-on was enforced.Second time around Australia were going well at 155 for 2 when Martyn dropped one into the covers and called Ponting through for the single. It was a tight one, the cover fieldsman swooped and Ponting was caught short.Emerging from the mob of Englishmen and hoisted skywards was a Durham reserve called Gary Pratt, sub fielder extraordinaire and the unlikeliest hero of the summer, not that Punter thought so, labelling England’s regular use of a sub an “absolute disgrace” and shouting his mouth off at the England dressing room as he stomped back to the pavilion. Duncan Fletcher, England’s inscrutable coach, was moved to remark: “You want to take a run to a cover fielder and get run out, whose fault is that?” England required just 129 to win. No gimme.

“I was batting with Kevin, under control and Lee came on and just did us for pace. My bat was here and off stump was cartwheeling back. In hindsight and through the clarity of not being in the position I was in then, we were going to win but we just got a bit carried away. We were seven down. We only needed 10 runs, and then Hoggy went out there and played a blinder. He hit that cover drive off a full toss! And then Giles just turned one to win. I couldn’t watch, I think I was punching Straussy, just to vent something… ”

“I’ve worked professionally as a sports journalist for 14 years. Only once have I been unable to read my notes afterwards because my hand had been shaking so much: the Trent Bridge Test. It was the only Test I covered that summer and even then on the Saturday I had to report on West Brom v Birmingham. On that sunny Sunday evening, it seemed I was witnessing yet another England capitulation as Warne transformed the unspoken niggle of ‘They could mess it up, I suppose’ into the full-blown panic of ‘Not a-f***ing-gain’. But then came the proof that this was a different England, a side with backbone and spirit, that did have the guts to edge over the line. When Giles squeezed that two I was almost weeping with relief. I’ve never dared look up the copy I filed.”Blizzard

England won by three wicketsFifth Test
The Oval, September 8-12And so, after 24 days of the greatest battle in sport, it all came down to the last afternoon of the last day of the last Test. Four acts of riotous drama fell to this. England needed to bat out the final day and the Ashes would be theirs. Australia had to take ten wickets by late afternoon and knock off the deficit. It was that simple.

Fred on the night to end all nights…

“Look at that! It’s like a beer garden at Wetherspoons! I’m flagging there. Unbelievable night-day. Bizarrely I remember most of it. We stayed at the ground until about 11, just drinking in the dressing room with the Aussies. It was one of those nights where you didn’t want it to end. I remember eight o’clock in the morning there was people signing off one-by-one and I was having a gin and tonic with Mike Gatting. Talking to Gatt over breakfast, a beautiful sight. And then Phil Neale came down in his finery and said ‘Go on, go get ready, we’re going on this bus’. So I went to my room and knocked on the door and my missus said, ‘Where’ve you been?’ ‘Just been downstairs all night’. So she said, ‘Right come on’ and got me in the bath, bathed me and dressed me and put me on a bus. It was like school! So we got on the bus and we did the parade and they gave us champagne on the bus which was a nice touch. We went to 10 Downing Street, and the Trafalgar Square thing was amazing. People were hanging out of windows and even now people say ‘I was there for that’. Then at Lord’s we started to get a bit tired. Sat down, and then I started nodding off. Fell asleep on the bus on the way back to the hotel. That’s when Harmy wrote on me – permanent marker. We got off the bus and Harmy was really concerned about me and I said ‘What’s wrong?’ He put his jacket over my head like I was Michael Jackson and he shepherded me in and I got back to my hotel room. He’s come up with me and he’s going, ‘I’m sorry, Rachael, I’m sorry’. I’ve looked in the bathroom and gone, ‘What’s that? There’s something on the mirror!’ Looked across my head and it said Cant – except without the ‘A’. It was in the

The day begins edgily. Strauss had already been Warned the day before, and after a skittish start Vaughan nicks off. With Ian Bell following next ball, Kevin Pietersen rocks up with the score 67 for 3.The hat-trick ball from McGrath is a brute that KP’s gloves dodge by the width of a diamond bracelet. Not out. Three overs later, Lee bowls Pietersen a full one that he edges to first slip where Warne, who hasn’t dropped a catch all summer, grasses a simple chance.At the Vauxhall End Warne has hunkered down for the day. To his first ball after the drop, Pietersen hits Warne for six. Four balls later, same over, he does it again, same place over mid wicket. This is outrageous behaviour.But for all his audacity England are in strife at lunch. KP is still there on 35, somehow surviving a fearful pre-lunch assault from Lee, but England are five down and only 133 ahead.The game is so finely balanced that one false move tips it inexorably the other way. So this is what happens: Lee bowls three overs in his post-lunch spell, of which Pietersen faces 13 balls. Those balls are dealt with thus: 2, 2, 0, 6, 1, 0, 2, 6, 4, 4, 0, 4, 4.In six overs since lunch KP moves from 35 to 76. One of those fours is executed by flat-batting a rising thunderbolt from outside off stump straight past the scarpering umpire at waist height. It should be defended. It really should be blocked. Yet it’s returned faster than it had arrived, which was, incidentally, 96.7mph.

“It was the perfect, bizarre, unconventional innings for that stage of the game. Watching it, I felt entertained, but I was also thinking, ‘What you doing?’ Going for a draw, pulling them past the umpire! Sometimes when the ball gets faster your bat gets faster and everything gets faster. You start hitting, you just go for everything, out of fear, out of adrenaline. I think that’s what was happening with Kevin that day. He was unbelievable. He started to get going and once he’d started he couldn’t reel it in. I was counting it down, but you just didn’t know what was happening…”

It’s an unhinged masterpiece. His hundred comes up in 124 balls, and at tea England are almost there, seven down and 227 ahead.It’s almost party time. When Pietersen launches his fifth and sixth maximums, the ground takes on a carnival feel. The players relax, Pietersen hits another – make that seven – and gets out, Giles plods a happy fifty and the crowd chant “We wish you were English” to Warne, who doffs his floppy white to the four corners of London town. It’s all rather surreal.Australia face four balls, take the light, the umpires dither and the crowd sings on oblivious – after two months of heart-wrenching drama the bathos works just fine. Finally. At around 6:30pm on September 12, 2005, Michael Vaughan walks gingerly over to that funny little urn, smiles, and screams.Fred, meanwhile, went off to find a beer and cigar… Match drawn
England win the series 2-1

Under the guidance of their pace-bowling coach, Australia’s fast bowlers have adopted the simplest of methods and delivered excellent results

Daniel Brettig at the SCG03-Jan-2012Entering the second hour of the morning session, Craig McDermott, Australia’s pace-bowling coach, was glimpsed on the boundary’s edge at the northern end of the SCG. He was hunched over on bended knee, eyes watchful, body pointing to the pitch. It was not clear whether McDermott was intent on relaying a message to the middle or simply taking notes from behind the wicket, but his presence alone provided Australia’s bowlers with a reminder of what they had to do.In truth James Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle were not doing much wrong in the first place, nipping out the hapless Gautam Gambhir and a penitent Rahul Dravid. But too many deliveries had been allowed to pass, and a minor tightening of method was required. Full balls needed to be fuller, off stump threatened more often, and India’s batsmen kept guessing by the occasional short ball. Either side of lunch, such a peak of performance was reached, the trio dumping India from 2 for 55 to 6 for 124. Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar all fell during the period, consigning India to a dire first innings on a glorious day.Amid general dismay at the visitors’ spendthrift batting, there was also admiration – just as there had been in Melbourne – for the way the Australian pacemen went about their work. Immense credit for this had to go to McDermott, who has moulded Australia’s quicks very much in his image. Against India, it is arguable that this is precisely the method required down under – 20 years ago, McDermott dominated a series won 4-0 over the tourists, plucking 31 wickets by alternating the full and fast with the short and nasty.Ever since McDermott replaced Troy Cooley as Australia’s bowling coach in mid-winter, the fast men have concentrating more or less on this simplest of methods, with increasingly startling results. His appointment was not met with universal approval, and even after South Africa there were sniggers in various places that McDermott was not the man to be mentoring Pat Cummins, Pattinson and the rest. More than once, the phrase “out of his depth” was used.This muttering has become altogether more scarce since the start of the home summer, as each innings has brought regular wickets for the quicks via the aforementioned means. Pattinson is the bowler to have spent the most time with McDermott since his appointment, and he also happens to be the taker of 24 wickets at 14.45 in seven completed Test innings. Siddle too has improved, gleaning 29 at 24.82 since his recall to the Test side in the third Test in Sri Lanka.The bare figures do not quite illustrate the improvement wrought from encouraging the Dandenong duo to abandon the shorter length favoured from them in Victoria. More striking evidence can be found with the eyes, and India’s second, third and fourth wickets were memorable examples. Dravid drove at a delivery that seamed into him and squeezed a catch to short leg, Sehwag was coaxed into poking at a full delivery and snicked behind, and Laxman pushed out at one bending just enough away from him to take an edge to third slip. This time last summer all three of those deliveries might have been considered too full, the first and third definitely so.While the batsmen have been tormented by the bouncing, moving ball of full length, the tail have been bounced without mercy. R Ashwin received a Siddle brute in Melbourne after the captain Michael Clarke had pointed sternly at the badge of his cap, and in Sydney the short-leg fielder Ed Cowan was busier than any Australian in the position since David Boon had been for McDermott and Merv Hughes 20 years ago. Simple as McDermott’s dictums are, they are not one-dimensional. The short stuff is well-directed, and full-blooded. Nothing is sent down into the halfway zone that promotes the pull and hook shots, instead being higher and sharper rising to prompt flinching and gloves raised in surrender.Tails are one thing, but perhaps the most salient illustration of the success engendered by McDermott’s advice has been the slim scores registered by Laxman so far. For so long Australia’s great nemesis, he has batted three times in the series for all of five runs. Twice he has probed at full deliveries and edged into the cordon, and to the third he flicked a full ball from middle stump into the hands of a man placed neatly by Clarke just forward of square leg. In a trice, the mystique of a man who has routinely tormented Australia for more than a decade has been drastically reduced. While it is true that Laxman is older than before, he is also facing more concerted and organised Australian bowling than at virtually any stage of his career. McDermott the bowler, one senses, may have had his measure.If anything has detracted from Australia’s pace regeneration it is the lack of support from the batsmen. While McDermott and his battery have quietly established a modus operandi proven to succeed, their willow-wielding counterparts have indulged in a batting camp yet still managed to slip into trouble in each innings against India. Though the pitches have offered some help in each case, the muddled methods of the batsmen using them have suggested anything but permanence.History has been littered with batting aristocrats regarding the grey matter of fast bowlers with scant regard, but for the moment McDermott’s simplicity is clearly winning out over the cod psychology and pugilism of his batting equivalent Justin Langer. It is to be expected that the team performance manager Pat Howard will be as vigilant about this as McDermott was at the SCG about his bowlers.

Stats preview of the third Test between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town

Siddhartha Talya18-Mar-2009South Africa’s first series defeat in over two years – they had last lost a Test series in Sri Lanka in July 2006 – is a massive setback for the hosts and despite their excellent record since 2000 in Cape Town, Australia will start as favourites, not just on form alone, but also for the fact that they’ll be playing at their most preferred venue in South Africa. Newlands has hosted ten Tests between the teams, of which Australia have won nine, and on grounds where they’ve played a minimum of ten Tests, the visitors have their best win-loss ratio here. Moreover, they are the only side to have beaten South Africa in Newlands since 2000.

Record at Newlands

Team	Tests	Won	Lost	W-L Ratio
South Africa (overall)	43	16	19	0.84
Australia (overall)	10	9	1	9
South Africa (since 2000)	12	8	2	4
Australia (since 2000)	2	2	0	–

South Africa’s batsmen have largely impressive records at Newlands, but in the two losses to Australia since 2000, there is a significant blip in their averages. (Click here for individual records of South African batsmen at Newlands.) Jacques Kallis tops the list with 1346 runs at 64.09 at the ground, but averages 34.50 against Australia at the venue since 2000. Neil McKenzie, dropped for the third Test, is one batsman to have done well in both categories, averaging 59 in his only Test against Australia and 52.66 in five Tests at the venue. Ashwell Prince, who replaces the injured Graeme Smith, has a century and two fifties to his name at Newlands and averages 62 but in two Tests against Australia here, he has priced his wicket at just 18.50. (Click here for the records of South African batsmen against Australia at Newlands.)

South Africa’s batsmen at Newlands

Batsman	Runs and Average in Newlands (overall)	Runs and Average in Newlands (v Australia)
Jacques Kallis	1346 at 64.09	73 at 34.50
Ashwell Prince	434 at 62	74 at 18.50
Mark Boucher	600 at 46.15	81 at 20.25
Hashim Amla	331 at 36.77	–
AB de Villiers	220 at 20	–

Ricky Ponting is one of only two Australians in the current squad to have played a Test at Newlands, scoring an unbeaten century in 2002, and following that up with 74 in the first innings in 2006. Michael Hussey had a less prolific time, scoring 6 and 14 not out in his two innings. The rest of the batsmen haven’t played here, but inexperience has meant little in this series with the likes of Phillip Hughes and Marcus North proving their worth.Makhaya Ntini is South Africa’s highest wicket-taker at Newlands with 51 in 12 Tests but Dale Steyn has proved more lethal, taking 20 wickets in four Tests at 20.95. Paul Harris’s left-arm spin has earned him eight wickets here including a four-wicket haul in the five-wicket win against India in 2007.Like in most South African venues, the pitch in Newlands has proved far more conducive to pace. Fast bowlers have taken 267 wickets at 31.68 since 2000, while spinners have managed 84 at 41.91 with just one five-wicket haul – Shane Warne bagged six wickets in a marathon 70-over spell in 2002.

Pace and Spin at Newlands since 2000

Bowling type	Overs	Runs	Wickets	Average	Strike Rate	5w/10w
Pace	2662.4	8460	267	31.68	59.8	6/0
Spin	1127.5	3521	84	41.91	80.5	1/0

In the last 12 Tests at Newlands, the side winning the toss has opted to bat on ten occasions, and lost seven of these Tests. Conditions at Newlands have been most favourable for batting in the second and the fourth innings, though the toss trend at the venue has ironically followed the opposite path.

Runs-per-wicket in each innings at Newlands since 2000

First	Second	Third	Fourth
33.48	38.05	26.81	44.45

Manchester City and Manchester United have been put on alert as Gianluigi Donnarumma is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer. The European champions have agreed personal terms to sign Lucas Chevalier from Lille. PSG have identified the Frenchman as a replacement for Donnarumma, who has entered the final 12 months of his contract.

Donnarumma set to leave PSGEyeing move for Chevalier from LillePremier League giants on alertFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPWHAT HAPPENED?

Donnarumma is close to leaving PSG in the summer transfer window. The French giants have initiated transfer talks with Lille after agreeing personal terms with Chevalier as a replacement. They are expected to submit an initial bid worth €40 million (£35m/$47m), according to .

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PSG have failed to convince Donnarumma to put pen to paper on a fresh contract and he has entered the final 12 months of his current deal. Club officials do not want to go through a similar situation to Kylian Mbappe's when the France captain walked out of the club as a free agent in the summer of 2024 and joined Real Madrid. Thus, PSG will be willing to part ways with the Italian in the coming weeks.

DID YOU KNOW?

If Donnarumma decides to move back to his homeland then Juventus and Inter are his likely destinations, however, the Italy international reportedly wants a move to the Premier League.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR DONNARUMMA?

Several top English clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are still in search of a quality goalkeeper and could make a move for Donnarumma. It remains to be seen where the 26-year-old ends up.

MatériaMais Notícias

O atacante Zinho foi uma das gratas surpresas do Grêmio na conquista do Gauchão. No clube desde os 10 anos de idade, o extremo passou por todas as categorias na base e sempre foi tido como uma das grandes promessas do clube. Sua estreia pelo profissional foi na 8ª rodada do Campeonato Gaúcho, no empate sem gols diante do São Luiz, em Ijuí.

– Esse título foi muito importante, pois já vamos confiantes para a sequência da Copa do Brasil e o início do Brasileirão. Pra mim, representou um sonho de infância sendo realizado. Meu primeiro título pelo profissional do Grêmio, não tenho nem palavras para descrever o sentimento que estava sentido no dia da final – disse o jovem avante.

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>Grêmio anuncia a contratação do meia Nathan, ex-Fluminense e Atlético-MG

Mesmo após a estreia, Zinho ainda defendeu a equipe sub-20 em uma rodada do Brasileirão da categoria. Entretanto, algumas semanas depois, após uma boa atuação diante do Ypiranga, na 11ª rodada, foi promovido definitivamente à equipe profissional.

– Tem sido um período muito bom, a convivência com os jogadores mais experientes agrega demais no dia a dia – contou.

Desde sua promoção definitiva, foi relacionado para as cinco partidas e só não atuou no primeiro jogo da semifinal do estadual. No jogo da volta, teve seu principal teste, entrando aos 17 minutos da primeira etapa no lugar de Ferreirinha, que saiu machucado, e foi um dos bons nomes do Tricolor na classificação.

– Eu estava muito confiante, pois o Renato passa muita confiança para todos nós. Mas a ansiedade antes de uma semifinal é normal, faz parte do futebol. Fico muito feliz com o apoio e incentivo que a torcida vem me dando no estádio, mas particularmente estou tentando evitar olhar qualquer tipo de comentário nas redes sociais – relatou.

Mesmo tendo disputado apenas cinco jogos no Gauchão, Zinho despontou como um dos principais atletas sub-20 do torneio, sendo o líder em finalizações (10), em dribles tentados (20) e em corridas seguidas (16). Os bons números no estadual, dando a ideia de que ele possa ser o próximo grande ponta revelado pelo clube, foram comentados pelo próprio atleta com cautela:

– Realmente, o Grêmio sempre revela grandes pontas, é uma escola muito boa e estar no dia a dia com o Ferrerinha me ajuda demais, mas preciso trabalhar muito para dar essa continuidade.

New Chelsea forward Joao Pedro claims he is not losing sleep over competition with fellow new signing Liam Delap for a starting lineup slot at No.9. The forward duo are part of a big group of players who moved to Stamford Bridge this summer after Enzo Maresca decided to rebuild his team ahead of the Blues' return to the Champions League this season.

• Pedro not worried about competition from Delap
• Scored a goal in AC Milan demolition
• Liam scored a brace on Sunday

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Pedro and Delap were both on target as the Blues defeated AC Milan 4-1 in their final pre-season match ahead of the new campaign. Pedro, who started as the team's No.9, scored one goal in the first half, while Delap found the back of the net twice. The former Ipswich Town star replaced Pedro at the hour mark and then stole the limelight from the Brazilian with his double.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Pedro, who has now scored five goals in as many appearances for Chelsea, is not worried about facing competition from Delap in the starting lineup under Maresca and is ready to take up the challenge.

• WHAT PEDRO SAID

  Speaking to reporters after the friendly game, the Brazil international said: "Like I said when I came, Chelsea have a brilliant team, a young team, so it makes it easy for me to come and do my best with them. I don't want to say competition, I think it is very good for Chelsea to have two strikers of a very good level. Last game he (Delap) did not score, today he scored two goals. I am very happy for him."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  The Blues will kick off the new season on Sunday as they host Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener at Stamford Bridge.

All you need to know about Jordan's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Jordan created history in the Asian qualifiers by securing a spot in their first-ever FIFA World Cup, set to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in 2026.

After topping their group in the second round of qualification, Jordan were placed in a challenging group in the third round, alongside Asian football giants South Korea, Kuwait, Palestine, Oman, and Iraq.

In the 10 games Jordan played, they won four, drew four, and lost just two, finishing with 16 points and securing second place behind South Korea. This remarkable performance earned them a place in the showpiece event for the first time in their history.

Despite a difficult previous decade marked by underwhelming performances and financial challenges within the federation, Jordan have defied the odds and are now on the path to glory.

While it is hard to predict how the Asian side will perform at the World Cup, reaching the knockout stage in their debut appearance would be a commendable achievement.

Getty Images SportGoalkeepers

In goal for Jordan, Yazeed Abu Laila has been a stalwart and is currently the most experienced goalkeeper in the squad. He started in all of Jordan's qualifier matches during their journey to the 2026 World Cup and is expected to remain the first-choice goalkeeper at the tournament. Abdallah Al Fakhouri of Al Wehdat is likely to serve as the backup.

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Yazeed Abu LailaAl-HusseinAbdallah Al-FakhouriAl-WehdatMohamed Al-EmwasiAl-SaltNoureddin AtiehAl-FaisalyAdvertisementGetty Images SportDefenders

In the backline, Jordan will rely on the presence of Yazan Al Arab, who has been a consistent and reliable figure in defense. Al Arab is currently the most experienced defender in the squad and recently made a move to FC Seoul. His leadership at the back will be of great importance for Jordan on the world stage.

Alongside Al Arab, Abdallah Nasib, Mohammed Abu Al-Nadi, Yousef Abu Al-Jazar, and Mohammad Hasheesh are other key defenders who played vital roles in Jordan’s successful qualifying campaign.

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Yazan Al-ArabSeoulMohammad Abu Al-NadiSelangorSaleem ObaidAl-HusseinYousef Abu Al-JazarKazma SCMohammad HasheeshZakho SCHusam AbudahabAl-FaisalyAbdallah NasibAl-HusseinAdil Al-HouraniAl-FaisalyGetty Images SportMidfielders

In midfield, Jordan may not have an abundance of options, but they do have some reliable choices. Rajaei Ayed of Al-Hussein in the Jordan Pro League has been a consistent performer for both club and country and will be an important asset in midfield for the Asian side at the World Cup.

Amer Jamous has also shown promise since making his debut for the national team and could prove to be a key player for Jordan.

Player Club

Noor Al-RawabdehSelangor Rajaei AyedAl-HusseinIbrahim SaadehWithout ClubAmer JamousAl-WehdatMohammad Al-DawoudAl FaisalyNizar Al-RashdanWithout ClubENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Jordan’s shortage in midfield is well compensated by quality options in attack. Mousa Tamari of Rennes is currently the only player in the squad playing in Europe and has been a vital part of Jordan’s success in recent years. Tamari scored and assisted in a historic 2–0 win against South Korea in the semi-final of the AFC Asian Cup in 2024.

Alongside Tamari, Mohannad Taha, Yazan Al-Naimat, and Ali Olwan are other forwards who make up a strong attacking unit for Jordan.

Player Club

Mohammad SemreenAl-WehdatMohannad TahaAl-OrobahMousa TamariRennesYazan Al-NaimatAl-ArabiAli OlwanWithout ClubIbrahim SadraGostepeMahmoud Al-MardiDibba SCC

The PCB has granted Haris Rauf a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in the BBL, marking a de-escalation in a stand-off with the fast bowler, after he opted out of the Test series against Australia. Zaman Khan and Usama Mir have also been granted NOCs to take part in the league, which begins from December 7.The trio can play in the BBL until December 28, however, a schedule the board said had been agreed bearing in mind “the workload of players and the future tours programme of the national men’s team.” That likely refers to their potential involvement in Pakistan’s T20I series with New Zealand after their tour of Australia, but those games don’t begin until January 12. At most, Rauf and Mir will end up playing five games for Melbourne Stars and Zaman four for Sydney Thunder.”The PCB understands that this decision is in the best interests of all the stakeholders involved while balancing the importance of game time with workload management,” the board said.Related

• Melbourne Stars sign Dan Lawrence as a replacement player

• PCB set to delay Haris Rauf's NOC for BBL

• 'This will hurt Pakistan cricket' – Wahab slams Rauf for opting out of Australia Tests

• Hafeez stresses international-first policy for contracted players

Olly Stone, the England fast bowler, has been training with Stars and could be drafted into their squad as cover for Rauf at some stage. Stone plays county cricket for Nottinghamshire in the UK under Peter Moores, who is Stars’ new head coach.The granting of the NOC to Rauf ends worries that his stint with Stars would be delayed, after his decision to not play in the Australia Tests was publicly criticised by PCB officials. It has since emerged that the board has sent Rauf a show cause notice to explain his decision to pull out of selection for the Tests.The chief selector Wahab Riaz publicly criticised Rauf’s decision to not be available for the series at the end of last month. Wahab said Rauf had initially committed to the Test series only to pull out a day later, a version of events Rauf is believed to dispute. But it is a version of events that Mohammad Hafeez, the team director, also doubled down on in a press conference last week, before the team’s departure for Australia.The show cause notice is based on the alleged breach of clauses from the central contract which requires the cricketer to make themselves “available as and when required by the Board” and to “render professional cricketing services… diligently, faithfully and with utmost integrity”.That Rauf was in consideration for the Australia series was a surprise in the first place, given that he has mostly been seen and groomed as a white-ball specialist since his emergence through a Lahore Qalandars’ talent hunt in 2017. But ESPNcricinfo understands Rauf had been sounded out about the possibility of some involvement in the Australia Test series during the World Cup in India. Pakistan’s then management envisaged using him for maximum impact across shorter spells, especially at a venue like Perth, where Pakistan play their first Test. Rauf was said to be sceptical even then but had not ruled it out.That thinking was confirmed by Pakistan’s new captain Shan Masood who said before flying out to Australia that they wanted to use Rauf’s extreme pace across short spells as England had used Mark Wood in the Ashes a couple of seasons ago. Wood though has been managed by England as a red-ball option for a while, having now played 31 Tests and over 70 first-class games.Rauf has only ever played nine first-class matches and a single Test for Pakistan last winter against England, when Pakistan were also short of options. Rauf bowled 13 overs in the first innings of the Test in Rawalpindi and sustained a quad injury that ruled him out of the remaining series. He was not part of Pakistan’s squad to Sri Lanka for their last Test assignment, in July this year.Haris Rauf marks out his run-up•ICC via Getty Images

The administrative instability at the PCB has not helped the situation. When the idea of Rauf in Australia was first considered, the people talking to him were completely different to those now in charge: Hafeez has replaced Mickey Arthur as the team director (and is for now the replacement of Grant Bradburn as head coach) and Wahab has taken over from Inzamam-ul-Haq as the new chief selector, the fifth man in that post this year. Masood has taken over from Babar Azam as the Test captain.The issue had led to a degree of frustration among some centrally-contracted players, and the irony that Hafeez and Wahab are taking such stances has not been lost on them. As recently retired players, both found themselves in similar situations in their playing days not so long ago. In late 2019, Wahab took an “indefinite break” from red-ball cricket, pulling out from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy days before the start of the tournament.At 34 years old at the time, Wahab was playing less long-form cricket, but his decision to not make himself available for Tests was heavily criticised by Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s head coach at the time, as well as Waqar Younis, who was bowling coach at the time.In January 2021, meanwhile, Hafeez was excluded from a T20I series with South Africa during which Covid regulations meant he had to return earlier from a stint in the Abu Dhabi T10 to be available for the Pakistan squad. Hafeez, who was enjoying a T20 rebirth at the time, told the PCB he could not make it by that date and eventually missed the series. He had earlier warned the PCB that the overlap between the Pakistan series and the T10 could impact his availability because he had committed to playing in the league.

New Zealand are usually one of the best-prepared teams for world tournaments, which lets them even the scales against teams that have larger populations to choose from. They need to latch onto any small advantage in order to have the kind of proud record they have: making at least the semi-finals in the last four World Cups.Four years since losing in the final to a cruel boundary countback rule, New Zealand begin what will almost certainly be the most attended World Cup against the same opposition, but without perhaps that extra preparation advantage of advance scouting.This is a weird old tournament. New Zealand made it to the venue of the tournament opener in Ahmedabad two days before the match but had not been to the ground even once when their stand-in captain Tom Latham spoke to the press. The day was jam-packed with a quick training session to be followed by a launch event involving all the captains.India is anyway a tough place to scout. There are so many venues that they have to wait years to get their next ODI, which gives little data about the characteristics of the surfaces. Some venues – such as Ahmedabad – have two different kinds of soil on the square with two completely different sets of behaviour.Related

• England and New Zealand meet again, Super Over(s) from 2019 on many minds

• What happens when you put 10 World Cup captains in one room?

• One last ride for New Zealand's golden generation?

• Williamson to miss NZ's World Cup opener against England

• Southee begins bowling with 'tender' thumb

To make it worse, the teams have hardly played their full-strength squads between the two World Cups, either through injury or preserving their best players in what have become gruelling schedules.All this makes it critical that New Zealand’s other celebrated quality – adaptability, which is not independent of the scouting – does the heavy lifting. That is what Latham spoke the most about in his press conference on the eve of the World Cup opener.”Obviously, the end goal is to be there at the end [of the tournament], which I’m sure every team has,” Latham said when asked if he was confident they could adapt. “But I think something we pride ourselves on as a group is being able to adapt as best we can. We are lucky that we have guys who have played plenty of cricket in these parts of the world, whether it be against India or in the IPL.Tom Latham says New Zealand will tap into players’ experience of playing the IPL•Getty Images

“We have got that mix of experience where we are able to lean on guys around. [Some] guys have played at this ground, some guys haven’t. So adapting is a really important part of playing over in these conditions that can change throughout the game. It is being able to think on our feet a little bit and make sure we stay ahead of the game.”The build-up to the tournament hasn’t been great for New Zealand. They are effectively selecting from a squad of 13 for the first match: Kane Williamson and Tim Southee are recovering from their injuries and are not yet ready.Since the band is not yet properly together, it hasn’t perhaps put them in a contemplative mood around how some of them might be coming towards the end of a golden run of three or four World Cups.”I’m sure guys don’t want to jump the gun,” Latham said. “Everyone is in a slightly different situation in terms of what the future may look like. But for us, we are trying to enjoy the next sort of couple of months together as a group, and have it however that pans out. Hopefully for the good. We are just trying to enjoy each other’s company over the next period of time at such a special occasion playing cricket over here in India. Embrace what comes with being over here, I’m sure guys will make decisions around what that may look like for them in the future.”

Latham on Williamson: It’s like he had never left

“It’s obviously great to see Kane back, to see him batting. It’s like he had never left to be honest, in terms of with the bat. It’s great to see him moving really well. He is playing all the shots that he used to play, which is great, and to see him back in the field is another stepping stone in terms of where he needs to get to in terms of his recovery. It’s a day-by-day process with him making sure that whenever he is available he has ticked everything off all that he needs to do.”

Southee is tracking along well, says Latham

“He is tracking along really well. He is nearly two weeks post-surgery. So for him, it’s a day-by-day process as well in terms of making sure that he is in the right frame in terms of bowling and fielding. I’m sure once he gets back into his skill, he will be willing to go if that opportunity comes.”

As Arsenal go in search of attacking reinforcements, Arsenal Invincible Philippe Senderos has revealed the trait that Matheus Cunha has that Gunners boss Mikel Arteta loves.

Senderos reveals why Arteta would love Cunha signing

Although the name Alexander Isak has been threatening to steal the headlines in recent months, Arsenal could yet turn towards the cheaper Matheus Cunha. When signing a new contract at Wolverhampton Wanderers instead of completing a move to North London in January, the Brazilian made sure that a release clause worth £63m was included – allowing the Gunners to potentially swoop in.

Compared to Isak’s reported £120m price tag, Cunha could quickly turn into a bargain deal if he completes a move to The Emirates before solving Arteta’s biggest problem.

The Spaniard has been desperately searching for an attacking solution all season, even turning towards defensive midfielder Mikel Merino in the face of several injuries. It’s a problem which has all but ended their title hopes, with Liverpool sitting 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League, but one they simply must fix this summer.

If it is to be Cunha those in North London turn to, then Arteta could instantly benefit if Philippe Senderos’ verdict is anything to go by. The former defender believes that the forward carries a trait the Arsenal manager loves.

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In an exclusive chat with Football FanCast, Senderos said: “I know Matheus Cunha well. He was in Switzerland when he first came to Europe and then moved to Germany. So I’ve seen his progression over the years and he’s a great player.

“You don’t really know what’s gonna happen next with Matheus Cunha, he’s gonna do dribbling, the way he uses his body, the way he gets into positions is really really interesting and this fact that he’s not predictable is very very exciting. I think that’s what you want from a striker.

“Does he fit into this current Arsenal squad? I’m sure at Arsenal there is people who are more qualified to be able make this judgement and to see if it is a target for Arsenal. What I like about him is that he can play multiple positions as well.

“He can play on the wing or up front and I think that’s also something that would suit Arsenal in this current side because Mikel likes to have players who are flexible.”

"Great" Cunha could solve Arsenal's problems

With 15 goals in all competitions for a struggling Wolves side, Cunha is only just getting started in the Premier League. A top move undoubtedly beckons for the former Atletico Madrid man who looks destined to make his return to the big stage at long last. And Arsenal should make sure it’s Arteta’s side who reap the rewards for that return.

Next to the likes of Bukayo Saka and the emerging Ethan Nwaneri, Cunha could form the deadly attack that the Gunners have lacked all season. Then, and perhaps only then, will they be in position to finally end their wait for another Premier League title.