England’s slow and cautious batting game plan invokes memories of the attritional era of the 1960s Ashes cricket as they try to set a platform to level the series, Australian media said on Saturday.
England, one-nil down in the series, went to stumps on Friday’s opening day at 266 for three with Paul Collingwood poised for a century on 98 and Kevin Pietersen not out 60, after captain Andrew Flintoff won the toss.
But before Collingwood and Pietersen joined late in the day in an unbroken stand of 108 runs for the fourth wicket in just 115 minutes, it was painfully slow going for the England batsmen.
The Australian press latched on that aspect in Saturday’s newspapers.
”The idea is they send out a padded wall of four solid batsmen — Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood — who try and sandpaper the edge off Australia’s attack,” the Daily Telegraph said.
”Then Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff emerge like storm troopers searching for quick runs against a leg-weary attack.
”It is not a foolproof plan because Australia rarely lose wars of attrition.
”But in playing this way England are at least being true to themselves.”
The newspaper said: ”The worst mistake a sportsman can make is to play outside their personalities and England, to their immense credit, didn’t do that. They took Australia back in time to a more attritional era in a day’s play which might have come from the 1960s.”
The Australian newspaper said anticipation was replaced by anticlimax as England unveiled its latest secret weapon to retain the Ashes — boredom.
”Indeed, one of the greatest moments of animation and excitement from the touring party came not out in the middle but before a single ball was bowled, when captain Andrew Flintoff won the toss and batted on one of the most benign and friendly pitches ever presented,” it said.
”Certainly Australia’s best bowler, Stuart Clark, reckoned it was boring, but then so he should have.
”The tall seamer finished with 2-25 from 15 overs but was seriously under-bowled by captain Ricky Ponting.”
The Sydney Morning Herald said England summoned the application missing in their previous first innings of 157 in Brisbane and ”gritted their teeth and set about the unglamorous task of putting runs on the board”.
”Dismissed cheaply in Brisbane, the Poms erected barricades around their stumps, emerging once in a while to collect a few runs and then retreating again to avoid unwanted casualties,” it said.
”Although it was not pretty to watch, the tourists batted gamely and took their side into a solid position.
”No side trounced by 277 runs and 11 wickets in the previous engagement can afford to worry about such trifles as appearances and entertainment.” – Sapa-AFP