England limped to stumps on just the second day at five for 78 in its second innings, still 265 runs behind Australia’s first innings total. Australia has three full days to dismiss the English a second time and level the series at 1-1 with one to come.

Starting day two already 94 runs ahead on the first innings at four for 196 in reply to England’s 102, Michael Clarke and Marcus North took up where they left off the previous evening, dominating a rather poor English bowling attack. The run rate scooted along at the merry old clip of four per over for the morning session, with the two batsmen adding a further 107 to a 152-run fifth-wicket partnership before Clarke (93) played around a straight ball from Graham Onions and was out LBW.

Brad Haddin (14) went soon after lunch, caught by Bell at square leg awkwardly fending off a Steve Harmison bouncer aimed at his sore finger, but Mitchell Johnson (27) and then Stuart Clark (32) provided enough support for North (110) to reach his century and Australia to push its first-innings lead to 343. Clark in particular provided the crowd with plenty of entertainment, hitting some huge sixes.

Stuart Broad collected the last four wickets, as Peter Siddle had done in the previous innings, to finish with his best Test figures of six for 91.

Australia’s bowlers could not extract much in the way of swing or cut to start with, and England’s openers dug in for a long stay. It was Andrew Strauss (32) who was the first to go, though, missing an inswinger from Ben Hilfenhaus to be caught plumb LBW. On the very next ball Ravi Bopara, said by some to be playing for his Test spot, was also caught in front and umpire Asad Rauf once again raised the finger, though replays showed Bopara had got an inside edge on the ball.

Ian Bell (3) came and went, caught at second slip by Ricky Ponting from a regulation Mitchell Johnson seamer. Johnson then produced a surprise in-swinger of his own to Paul Collingwood (4), trapping him LBW, and had Alastair Cook (30) out nicking behind to Haddin off a similar delivery swinging away from the left hander. Off the last ball of the day Matt Prior (4 not out) was dropped by North off Johnson, but that should be a mere trifle in the story of this game.

Australia storms back into 2009 Ashes battle is a post from: The Inquisitr

Bowled out for 102 on a lively pitch, with Peter Siddle taking a bag of five wickets and Stuart Clark three, England allowed Australia to progress to four for 196 at the close of play, with the series already well on the way to level terms if Australia can go on to make the tally 1-1 with one Test to play after this.

The day started for the English at 4am with a fire alarm having the entire team standing outside its hotel, and things just got worse from there. Talismanic all-rounder Andrew Flintoff failed a fitness test and was replaced by Steve Harmison, and keeper Matt Prior tweaked his back playing soccer in the warm up and was nearly also a late withdrawal.

Captain Andrew Strauss won the toss for England and decided to bat on a bouncy pitch that favoured the bowlers on day one with swing and seam movement. Strauss faced the first ball of the match from Ben Hilfenhaus which swung in and hit him directly in front, but umpire Billy Bowden was unmoved, as Rudi Koertzen had been for so many Australian LBW shouts previously in the series. That bit of good luck didn’t do Strauss (3) much good, however, as he drove Siddle past gully’s right hand, but Marcus North flung out his hand and caught him.

What followed was a procession of English wickets, with all four front-line Australian seamers getting a scalp before lunch to have England six for 72. Clark, left out of the series until now but with a perfect bowling action for English conditions in the Terry Alderman mode, had three. All six wickets fell to catches behind the wicket, as the Australian attack showed a level of control and accuracy that they have only shown glimpses of since the first Test in Cardiff.

After lunch, Siddle then ran through the very long English tail to four more catches, and it was the turn of the Australian batsmen to face the conditions. Simon Katich was out for a duck fending off a Harmison bouncer, but after that the English bowlers failed to take advantage of what was still an excellent pitch for them to exploit, bowling way too short and wide.

Shane Watson (51) and Ricky Ponting (78) scored half-centuries, but Ponting and Michael Hussey (10) were given out LBW by umpire Asad Rauf to very contentious decisions, both deliveries by Stuart Broad looking to be going down leg side. Some brief respite from the flow of decisions against Australia came late in the day as Michael Clarke (34 not out) fended off a Harmison bouncer but survived an appeal for caught behind, replays showing afterwards that the ball may have touched the elastic on Clarke’s wrist that is connected to the glove.

Clarke and North (7) steered Australia to stumps with a 94-run lead, and four days in which to punish the English for their day of horror.

England’s day of disaster hands Ashes initiative to Australia is a post from: The Inquisitr

Clarke rode his luck to score an unbeaten hundred, after North just missed out on his ton, with the captains agreeing to call the game off directly after Clarke reached three figures in a day dominated by the bat.

Australia had started 25 runs behind England on the first inning at two for 88, but to England’s dismay their bowlers again failed to derive much at all in the way of swing through the air or cut off the pitch, as was the case in the previous evening. With strike bowler Andrew Flintoff obviously struggling with the long-term injuries that have caused him to announce his retirement after this series, the day came down to a question of whether the Australian batsmen could hold their nerve.

After the overnight pairing of Shane Watson and Michael Hussey added a further 49 runs in the first hour, the first over after the drinks break saw Watson (53) play a shot at a well-directed but straight delivery which produced a noise that had the umpire’s finger up for a catch behind. Unfortunately the replays showed Watson had hit his pad with the bat, not the ball, but such umpire errors punishing Australia have become standard practice in this series so it was not surprising.

Clarke strode to the crease but Hussey (64) was also out soon after nicking a straight ball through to the keeper. North then joined Clarke and neither player looked in much trouble against an attack that was not extracting anything unusual out of either the conditions or themselves.

The second session produced 121 runs with both batsmen starting to really wind up their shotmaking. In the final session, North in particular started flaying the bowling as his hundred neared, but as he was just a boundary short of his ton, North (96) played a loose shot past gully but James Anderson was able to leap athletically to his right and pluck an excellent one-handed catch to deny the Western Australian his third Test century.

Clarke, who was just as dashing it his stroke play, then had a few lives. He missed an Anderson delivery that clipped his off-stump on 92, with the bail refusing to fall. Then on 96 several overs later, he was caught at second slip off Ravi Bopara from a no ball. Finally Clarke (103 not out) was able to pull a Bopara delivery to teh boundary to bring up his ton and the teams trudged off.

Michael Clarke and Marcus North force draw in third Ashes Test is a post from: The Inquisitr

Australia closed on two for 88 in its second dig, still trailing England on th first innings by 25 runs with one day of 98 overs to come. The Australians will be planning to bat until at least tea tomorrow to ensure that they don’t go 0-2 down in the series with two Tests to come.

After rain washed out the third day, Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell resumed with England two for 116 chasing Australia’s less than adequate 263. It wouldn’t be a day of Australian bowling without a terrible umpiring decision denying them a wicket by Rudi Koertzen, and so it proved with Ian Bell again surviving a highly adjacent LBW shout from Mitchell Johnson, under much the same circumstances as Koertzen’s non-decision on day two.

Under an improved opening barrage from the Australian attack, Strauss (69) was the first to go, leaving his bat hanging to a Ben Hilfenhaus delivery which kissed his gloves and was taken by keeper Graham Manou. Hilfenhaus then had Collingwood (13) caught at second slip by Ricky Ponting from a wide, pitched-up delivery.

Then it was the turn of Johnson to finally get Bell. For the third time in the innings, he trapped Bell playing across his pads to an inswinger that straightened down the line of the stumps, presenting Rudi Koertzen with an easy decision. It was a case of third time lucky for Johnson, as Bell (53) was belatedly sent walking by the veteran South African umpire’s slowly raised finger.

The score was then five for 168, with England still trailing by 95 and all the specialist batsmen back in the pavilion. Enter Andrew Flintoff, who joined keeper Matt Prior for an 89-run sixth wicket partnership that snuffed out any though by the Australians of snatching any sort of victory. First Peter Siddle and then Shane Watson bowled too full to Flintoff, allowing him to play himself in with five fours in the V in front of the wicket.

As the England total neared Australia’s, the two batsmen started playing more extravagant shots, and it was one of these that did for Prior (41), who toe-ended a pull from Siddle to mid on. Stuart Broad joined Flintoff and they put on a further 52 runs for the seventh wicket with some clubbing shots against tired, inaccurate bowling.

Flintoff (74) eventually fell to a surprisingly bouncy delivery from Hauritz, which deflected off his gloves gently to slip where Michael Clarke accepted the catch. The Australians then allowed another stand of 39 between Broad and Graeme Swann and the last five wickets ended up putting on 208 runs, last man out being Broad (55) caught and bowled by Siddle. England had a lead of 113 on the first innings.

The Australian openers started breezily, but rode their luck somewhat with some wafty shots to bowling that had lost most of the swing and cut that had so troubled the tourists on day two. Simon Katich (26) eventually nicked a well-placed but straight Graeme Onions delivery to Prior after a 47-run opening stand.

Ponting (5) came out to boos from the English supporters and took three runs off his first ball, but he played far too far outside a Swann off-spinner that spat from the rough, and was bowled through the gate. Michael Hussey faced his first ball from Onions on a king pair after a golden duck in the first innings. Hussey edged into his pad, causing the ball to balloon up and tease the diving Onions by falling mere inches in front of his outreached fingers.

Hussey then drove the second ball he faced through mid on for four, but it wasn’t until a wayward Onions over where he struck three good boundaries that he really looked anywhere near settled. If the English bowlers don’t get a lot more movement either off the pitch or through the air on the fifth day, they will have to be satisfied with a 1-0 series lead.

England grinds but draw looms in third Ashes Test is a post from: The Inquisitr

A combination of excellent English swing bowling and yet more unspeakably bad umpiring have conspired to wipe out Australia’s smiles on day two of the third Ashes Test.

England accepted a bad light offer from the umpires at two for 116 in reply to Australia’s 263 all out, in a day completely dominated by the English but assisted by some mystifying umpiring decisions.

Starting at one for 126, the day started extremely poorly for the visitors as overnight sensation Shane Watson (62) was out LBW first ball and then Michael Hussey (0) bowled leaving a ball aimed straight at his off stump the very next ball.

Graham Onions found himself on an unexpected hat trick, which Michael Clarke saved, and he and Ricky Ponting set about restoring order to the innings. After a partnership of 37 for the fourth wicket, Ponting (38) was out to a loose shot, trying to a hook a slow bouncer from Onions and only feathering a catch to Matt Prior.

Then the controversy which has dogged this series reared up again. Clarke was trapped playing across the line to a James Anderson ball that was drifting too far to the leg side, but embattled veteran South African umpire Rudi Koertzen slowly raised the finger regardless.

Marcus North (12) followed soon after nicking Anderson to Prior, and the tail offered slight resistance to make the day’s return 137 runs for nine wickets for the Aussies.

James Anderson managed his first five-wicket haul against Australia with five for 80 and was clearly the pick of the bowlers, extracting a fearsome amount of swing in overcast and humid conditions that were set up for it. Onions’ figures of four for 58 flattered him somewhat but he provided good support.

Then it was the turn of the English batsmen, and it looked like the procession of wickets might continue when Peter Siddle’s first over produced two rip-snorting balls and then a wider one which lured a snick from Alastair Cook (0) to have England one wicket for two.

Andrew Strauss (64 not out) then partnered Ravi Bopara for a 58-runs second-wicket stand that was ended when Bopara (23) played on to Ben Hilfenhaus.

The final twist in the tale came when Iam Bell (26 not out) was trapped absolutely plumb LBW in front by Mitchell Johnson just before the close of play, only for Koertzen to refuse to give the obvious decision.

England dominates day two of third Ashes Test is a post from: The Inquisitr

Watson, who replaced the out-of-form Philip Hughes as an opening batsman and fifth bowler, had never opened in Tests before and only had any serious experience in the position in one-day and Twenty20 forms of the game. He and Katich shared an 85-run opening partnership and Watson remains 62 not out with Ricky Ponting 17 to put Australia one for 126 at the close of a weather-curtailed day’s play that only spanned 30 overs.

Brad Haddin was the other change for the Australians, breaking an index finger in the warm up and leaving captain Ricky Ponting to have to ask English counterpart Andrew Strauss for special leave to bring in Graeme Manou after team sheets had been submitted. As expected, Ian Bell was the replacement for the injured Kevin Pieterson for the home side.

The English attack began poorly, with Andrew Flintoff and James Anderson bowling too short and wide, allowing Watson and Katich to leave balls that were swinging in overcast conditions. It took a while for the first boundary, a cover drive by Watson, but the runs started to flow as the sun came out and the line and length did not improve.

Watson survived a close LBW shout from Anderson before the first bowling change, but his combination of playing down the ground “in the V” and pulling viciously at short balls proved successful, particularly against Graham Onions who replaced Anderson. Broad, who replaced Flintoff, fared little better against Katich, giving away a number of easy boundaries from full balls pitched on the stumps while playing with a field that contained only two leg-side fielders.

It took until the advent of Graeme Swann for the first wicket to fall. First Watson survived a leg-before shout, and then Katich (46) missed a pull shot to a rank long hop and was trapped himself LBW off the last ball of Swann’s first over. However, Swann was only given one more over with Flintoff and Anderson brought back on – but their second spells were no more accurate than their first, and the pressure was off again by the time the end of play came.

Shane Watson the unlikely early star of third Ashes Test is a post from: The Inquisitr

Record-breaking Sri Lankan offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan has announced he will retire from Test cricket during 2010, bringing an end to a Test career that saw him claim the record for most Test dismissals but also had him dogged by controversy over his bowling action.

Muralitharan, who has 770 Test wickets at an average of 22.18, has said he will retire after the two-test series next year against the West Indies. Sri Lanka also have two home tests against New Zealand and three away in India later in the year, leaving him a target of reaching 800 wickets by the time he hangs up the creams.

The off-spinner missed the most recent series against Pakistan, which Sri Lanka won 2-0, with a torn tendon in his right knee. Sri Lanka’s test schedule has been crowded out recently by one-day and Twenty20 cricket, to the extent that the West Indies series is the only one scheduled for 2010 at this stage.

Muralitharan passed Shane Warne’s previous record of 708 Test wickets in December 2007, but has begun somewhat of a trend in world cricket with his controversial bowling action, which saw him consistently no-balled during one infamous tour of Australia. Murali has spawned a host of successors with increasingly suspect actions, leading Australian coaches to recently state for the record that they will not teach young bowlers Murali’s trademark “doosra” delivery as they claimed it was not in the spirit of the game.

As is the way with all high-profile Test cricketers in the modern game, Muralitharan is expected to bowl on for a fair few years in Twenty20 competitions, not only for Sri Lanka but in lucrative domestic competitions like the Indian Premier League.

Muttiah Muralitharan to retire from Test cricket in 2010 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the 2009 Ashes series after undergoing surgery on his Achilles tendon, dealing a blow to an England side which was cock-a-hoop after going 1-0 up after the Lord’s test.

“The operation involved a small incision and trimming of the blood vessels and nerves around the inflamed tendon and appears, at this early stage, to have been routine,” said the England Cricket Board’s chief medical officer, Nick Peirce, confirming that Pietersen would be out for an expected six weeks.

Pietersen’s lower order batting replacement is likely to be Ian Bell, an accomplished Test batsman who nonetheless has struggled at times in comparison to Pietersen. Bell’s Ashes run total is 502 at an average of 25.1 from 20 innings, including four ducks and only nine innings in double figures with six 50s. After his 32 and 44 at Lord’s, Pietersen’s numbers against Australia are 1116 runs at 50.7 from 24 innings with seven 50s and two centuries.

Meanwhile, Australia is looking likely to bring in Shane Watson for Marcus North to bolster their bowling stocks, pending the form lines from this week’s tour match.

Kevin Pietersen ruled out of Ashes, exposing England’s Achilles heel is a post from: The Inquisitr

Flintoff will retire from test cricket at the end of the current series, but he put his English side into a great position to send him off with an Ashes win after a 115-run win set up by his figures of five for 92 from 27 overs, including three of the five wickets to fall today.

With Australia needing a further 209 runs to reach 522 for the win with five wickets in hand, centurion Michael Clarke strode out with Brad Haddin to set about chasing an unlikely victory. It only took a couple of overs, however, before Haddin (80) edged Flintoff to second slip without adding to his overnight score, and this time there were no doubts about Paul Collingwood’s catch.

Mitchell Johnson joined Clark and took the leading role in their partnership, interspersing some plays and misses with strong shots to both sides of the wicket. The score reached 356 nearing drinks when England captain Andrew Strauss brought off-spinner Graeme Swann on to bowl.

Inexplicably Clark, who is renowned as an excellent player of spin bowling, almost immediately angled his bat to miss a full toss from Swann which hit his off stump. With Clark (136) went any hope Australia had of saving the match.

Nathan Hauritz (1) and Peter Siddle (7) were then bowled by Flintoff, followed by Johnson (63) bowled by Swann trying to hit out. Ben Hilfenhaus was not out on four.

Andrew Flintoff destroys Australia on last day of Second Ashes Test is a post from: The Inquisitr

After some more terrible umpiring decisions, Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin have kept Australia in the second Test and the Ashes series with an unbeaten 185-run partnership for the sixth wicket, but they and the Australian tail will have to bat out the entire last day… or maybe make another 209 runs for a record-breaking victory.

The day’s play started with an England declaration overnight on six for 311, to leave Australia 522 runs to make in the fourth innings, and with Simon Katich (6) hitting a typically uppish shot to Kevin Pietersen in the gully off an Andrew Flintoff delivery that was shown on replay to have been an uncalled no ball, it looked like Australia’s poor run of umpiring and bad luck was going to continue.

The headlines for the day looked like being centred around the next dismissal, which was started by Phillip Hughes (17) edging Flintoff to Andrew Strauss’s bootlaces where he claimed a catch off the grass stalks. The umpires convened, central umpire Rudi Koertzen asked square leg umpire Billy Doctrove whether the ball had bounced, and the umpires mystifyingly did not take the option of going to the video umpire.

The video evidence showed more than enough evidence to suggest the ball hit the ground. However, Hughes was given his marching orders.

As if that wasn’t poor enough, Michael Hussey (27) was then given out caught at slip by Paul Collingwood from a Graeme Swann delivery that hit rough outside off stump and deviated strongly. Unfortunately, Hussey had not hit it, but Doctrove’s finger went up regardless, much to Hussey’s amazement.

The dismissals of Ricky Ponting (38) inside edging a ball from Stuart Broad that kept low and Marcus North (6) also inside edging an arm ball from Swann were more pedestrian, but the day was saved by Clarke (125 not out) and Haddin (80 not out) who batted together more more than two hours.

Day five will be a big task for the Australians but if the English bowlers can produce the sort of spells they were churning out in the first innings and at times during day four, they should wrap up the innings before any talk of Australia setting a new world record for Test fourth-inning comebacks.

Australia hangs on in Second Ashes Test despite controversy is a post from: The Inquisitr

England have continued their domination of the Second Ashes Test and the strain is starting to show on Australian captain Ricky Ponting.

England are six for 311 with a lead of 521 runs and two days remaining to pile on the lead. They will hope to bowl the visitors out, as Australia couldn’t in the first Test, on a reasonably true pitch with rain threatening to cut down the action as it did in Cardiff.

After missing an easy run-out chance on Kevin Pietersen and dropping a catch from Ravi Bopara at second slip in successive overs early in the day, Ponting’s horrible game came to a head when Bopara hit a ball from Mitchell Johnson to mid on where Nathan Hauritz claimed a difficult catch, whereupon umpire Rudi Koertzen called for the third umpire and eventually gave Bopara not out.

Ponting’s reaction was to question Koertzen, who had mistakenly given Ponting himself out caught for a ball he didn’t hit in the Australian first innings, and then turn on Pietersen.

Australia started day three on eight for 156, still needing 76 to avoid the follow on chasing England’s 425. Hauritz (24) and Peter Siddle (35) provided some resistance but although the Australians only managed a total of 215, England captain did not enforce the follow on, as is the modern custom.

Englands openers Strauss (32) and Cook (32) started the innings on a solid footing and then came Bopara and Pietersen’s series of good luck. Their 74-run partnership was broken by Hauritz again with Bopara (27) caught by Katich, but by that time the lead was already over 350 and the batsmen started taking the long handle in a short-term search for quick runs.

Siddle had both Pietersen (44) and Collingwood (54) caught behind by Brad Haddin, with their dismissals split by the run out of Matt Prior (61) by Marcus North.

England grinds Australia into Lord’s dust in Second Ashes Test is a post from: The Inquisitr

Australia has failed to winkle out the last wicket on the final day of the First Ashes Test in Cardiff after a stout tenth-wicket resistance by James Anderson and Monty Panesar robbed them of a hard-fought victory.

Starting the fifth day at two for 20 with a deficit of 219 runs still to make up on Australia’s first innings lead, England played cautiously in an effort to conserve their wickets. This effort was not helped by Kevin Pietersen (8) having his off stump knocked over by Ben Hilfenhaus in the fourth over of the morning, with Pietersen leaving the ball entirely as he had two overs before in surviving a big shout for leg before wicket.

England captain Andrew Strauss (17) joined him in the pavilion six overs later, nicking a regulation Nathan Hauritz off-spinner to keeper Brad Haddin. The third wicket to fall in the morning session was England gloveman Matt Prior (14), who stopped a late cut to Hauritz half way through the shot but allowed the ball to glance off the edge to Michael Clarke at slip.

Paul Collingwood was the rock around which any English rearguard action had to be built, and he found a willing partner in Andrew Flintoff (26), who lasted 71 balls before providing Ricky Ponting with a sharp low catch off Mitchell Johnson. Stuart Broad (14) also tried to hang around but was caught LBW to a skidding Hauritz delivery before tea.

The last session yielded most of a 62-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Collingwood and Graeme Swann (31) before Swann was hoodwinked by Hilfenhaus using the second new ball, sending men out for a hook shot but bowling a slow straight one for the LBW decision.

Anderson (21 not out) looked at some stages like providing enough support to Collingwood, getting England’s total to within six runs of the total required to make Australia bat again, but it was Collingwood (74) himself who eventually fell, hitting a loose shot from Peter Siddle to gully where Michael Hussey juggled the catch.

The remaining 11 overs were the sort of tense, pulsating Test cricket that Ashes series have come to be known for, with Panesar (7 not out) and Anderson both not providing a chance to leave England nine for 252 with a second-innings lead of just 13 runs. The Australian bowlers could not get the vital breakthrough and will have to go to the second Test at Lord’s with disappointment in their minds.

England saves First Test of 2009 Ashes series is a post from: The Inquisitr

Australia has put a stranglehold on the First Test of the 2009 Ashes series, setting up a fifth day where England have to bat all day with only eight wickets in hand and only scattered rain predicted.

Starting the day five for 479 with a lead of 44 runs over England’s first innings of 435, with Marcus North on 54 and Brad Haddin on 4, the two batted through the morning session and most of the middle session as well, to completely put the game beyond England’s reach.

When Haddin (121) was out after slogging to all parts of the boundary, eventually caught by Ravi Bopara off Paul Collingwood, captain Ricky Ponting called Haddin and North (125 not out) in to declare at seven for 675, a total of 239 runs ahead on the first innings.

Some commentators thought the declaration slightly premature, but Ponting was vindicated first by his bowlers and then by the conditions. After looking scratchy in his early overs, Mitchell Johnson trapped Alastair Cook (6) in front with a slightly slower straight ball, then Ben Hilfenhaus extracted a second leg before wicket decision to dismiss Bopara (1) with a delivery that looked a little high.

At the tea break the long-forecast rain for the day finally arrived, and play was eventually abandoned for the day with England 2/20 and staring an innings defeat in the face on the fifth day.

Australia closes in on 2009 Ashes First Test win is a post from: The Inquisitr

The third day of the First Ashes Test in Cardiff went the same way as the second, with Michael Clarke and Marcus North building the second strong partnership of the innings to almost rule out an English victory at 479/5 in reply to England’s 435.

Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich began the day on three figures each with Australia 1/249, but both fell to the second new ball in the morning session. Katich (122) was caught LBW by an excellent inswinging yorker by James Anderson, as the new Duke ball did show significant movement through the air despite doing precisely nothing off the pitch.

Michael Hussey (3) continued his poor run of recent form with a relatively tame nick through to keeper Matt Prior from Andrew Flintoff. Ricky Ponting (150) passed 11,000 Test runs during a highly controlled innings but edged a Monty Panesar spinner onto his stumps just before lunch with a tired cut shot.

With the ball aging and the pitch offering nothing, the middle session belonged to Clarke and North, with English captain Andrew Strauss setting a packed off-side field to Clarke with two close covers to no effect. The spinners, Panesar and Graeme Swann, both struggled with their length, with Swann offering many full tosses and Panesar serving up multiple long hops. Neither batsman gave a chance before a two-hour rain delay spanning the tea break brought a halt to proceedings.

Clarke (83) hit yet another beautiful cover boundary in the first over after resumption, but he did eventually fall caught behind to Prior off Stuart Broad down the leg side. North (54 not out) was joined by Brad Haddin (4*) and they survived until a second interruption ended the day’s play.

Australia will probably have to add another 200 runs to build a total that they can use to win the game, in the hope that they can force England to bat last on the fifth day. The pitch has not shown much signs of deteriorating so far but the rain may help that process along, especially with further showers forecast for the fourth day.

Clarke and North bat England out of First Ashes Test is a post from: The Inquisitr

Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting have both posted centuries to put Australia in the strong position of one for 249 on the second day of the First Test of the 2009 Ashes series in reply to England’s 435.

England started the day on 7/336 with only bowlers left at the crease, but after Stuart Broad (19) was bowled behind his legs by Mitchell Johnson, James Anderson (26) lent great support to Graeme Swann (47 not out) in a 67-run partnership for the ninth wicket. After Anderson was caught by Michael Hussey from the bowling of Nathan Hauritz, Monty Panesar (4) was the last to fall to a catch by Ponting off Hauritz.

Australia’s openers put on 60 for the first wicket without any of the English bowlers providing anything like the swing that the Australians had yesterday on a dull, lifeless, straw-coloured pitch. Andrew Flintoff’s first spell, however, was full of menace, particularly towards Philip Hughes who was put under scrutiny by the English media before the game for supposedly being susceptible against the short ball. Flintoff tested Hughes on this point and Hughes eventually succumbed via an inside edge to Flintoff which was smartly caught by Matt Prior.

The unbeaten 189-run partnership for the second wicket between Katich (104*) and Ponting (100*) which followed for the rest of the second day was characterised by patient accumulation by both players. Katich’s shots, when they came, did go through the air for significant periods but always wide of the field, while Ponting looked in supreme control for the vast majority of his innings without pushing his game beyond the limits of the pitch.

The bad news for England was compounded by an injury to Broad in the last session of the day, which given that England has five recognised bowlers in this game won’t hurt as much as could be imagined, but will test the fitness of the underprepared Flintoff and also test the quality of the two spinners Swann and Panesar, who will get the bulk of the extra work.

Ponting and Katich bat Australia into strength in first Ashes Test is a post from: The Inquisitr