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Published: August 9th 2015
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Believe in better. You will if you are Australian. The only way is up. The tourists arrived with the Urn. A comfortable 5 - 0 in the last series Down Under and the pressure was very much on Alistair Cook. We had tickets for Day 3 and 4 - Saturday and Sunday. The latter was always in doubt after the devastating burst of bowling on Thursday morning. Australia all out for 60. Stuart Broad with the best ever Test bowling figures at Trent Bridge. The tourists dismissed and we hadn't even reached lunch. A day not to be still looking for a parking space, after the start of play. The match was lost then.
We have come yet another full circle from the original blog purpose - Ashes cricket in Oz. The hat-trick of away trips in the "Lucky Country" remains elusive - one day, maybe - but another memorable moment unfolded just down the road. After a couple of days catching the odd glimpse out of the window - yes, work is in that tower block on the corner of the ground - here we are for the finale. Australia finished Friday with 7 wickets down and we were
Nathan Lyon's Bat
Plan B? .................... there was no Plan B relieved. At least we would see some action.
We arrived about 9.30 am. The hardy few were already there. The autograph hunters ........... only 3 left to get bemoaned one, as he hunted for the elusive players he needed to complete his collection. The benefits of a ticket in the Member's Pavilion are clear. The players and coaches mingle en route to their warm up programmes. The media linger. There are plenty of photograph opportunities. Michael Clarke leaned over the balcony from the player changing room. A smart blue suit wandered past, the sun reflecting from the aviator shades. The two greet each other. The current captain and the legend, Shane Warne. My lense worked overtime to capture the moment. Michael was possibly updating Shane on his news to be revealed. The latter perhaps thought I could overhear and snapped ....... OK mate, you got the shot. I retreated, suitably chastised.
The Sky TV circus was assembling and Shane made his way back down in front of the scoreboard to join Michael Atherton, Ricky Ponting and others for their group analysis if what would happen today. Ponting looked uncomfortable. He maybe didn't like the format or he didn't
like the inevitable direction of the conversation i.e. Australia were going to lose. The press duties over, Ponting wandered across the pitch to chat with Rod Marsh, Aussie great and selector. He held his arms out ..... what are we going to now? He also perhaps knew what Michael Clarke was going to say after the defeat was confirmed.
The rest of the players were going through their warm ups and practice out on the pitch. The Aussies were split into 2 camps - those in the team and the rest of the squad. Mitchell Starc and Adam Voges were getting some batting practice ........ Shane Watson leading the bowling at them. Nathan Lyon appeared. He was brandishing a Kookaburra bat with the insignia added, "What is your Plan B?" England didn't really need one and Australia clearly didn't have one! Mitchell Johnson looked the most relaxed of all. His stint with the bat over, he concentrated on improving his Aussie rules skills before indulging in a spot of wrestling. The tattoos looked even more menacing than on TV.
Mark Nicholas flitted between his commitments to Australian TV and Channel 5. Ian Botham made an appearance, living up
Michael Clarke
............. looking relaxed before the start of play to his beefy name. He casually wandered round greeting all and sundry. Chris Broad, Stuart's dad and Ashes winner, came out to do a presentation. The ground had filled by now. It was a mix of anticipation and excitement. How long would it take to get the 3 wickets. England opened with a bowling attack of Wood and Stokes. The batsman looked uncomfortable. Adam Voges always looked so composed at the crease for Notts failed to convince, but it was Starc who flashed at one too many outside the off stump. An easy catch for Bell in the slips. Hazlewood and Lyon have no batting pedigree and so it proved. The Plan B bat was a bluff. It was all over in 39 minutes. A couple of overs too long or we could have been due 100% of our money back. What price history?
The two squads wished each other well. England players took a lap of honour. The Australians retreated to their dressing room. Investec set up their post match interviews, with Alistair Cook and Man of the Match, Stuart Broad waiting patiently as Michael Clarke summed up in his usual articulate style - what went wrong. He
England
............. celebrate victory then got quite emotional, as he announced his retirement from the game after the 5th Test at the Oval. As he said, he had struggled and hadn't led from the front by example - the time was right to go. We'll remember him as a great batsman. His attractive wife, Kyly, looked on to our left. Cook got emotional too, as he summed up what went right. He paid tribute to Peter Moores and the work he had done. He knew he probably had the roll of the dice all the way through. The other England players looked on from the balcony, most of them swigging on bottles of beer, as the speeches continued. The labels had all been peeled from the beer bottles, so there was no free advertising. Man of the Match Broad played up the bowling attack unit and paid tribute to Ben Stokes, who had really come into his own with the ball in the last few tests. He raced back into the Pavilion with his medal and his champagne. The new England coach, Trevor Bayliss, stayed firmly in the background. As an Australian who had masterminded the downfall of his own country, he possibly thought
it was a wise move.
The day ended with a Red Arrows fly past. It was scheduled for the break in play at lunch. Alas the Australians, hadn't read the script! What price on new coach, Jason Gillespie?
4th Investec Ashes Test Thursday 6th to Monday 10th August 2015 Trent Bridge, West Bridgford, Nottingham First Innings Australia 60 all out
England 391 - 9
Second Innings Australia 253 all out
England won by an innings and 78 runs
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Chris Rodda
non-member comment
Did you get a refund?
I told you this would happen!