A stylish century by youngest team member Michael Clarke defused the prospect of a series-levelling victory by England in the second Ashes cricket Test at the Adelaide Oval on Monday.
Clarke claimed his third Test century and first in Ashes cricket with 124 as Australia whittled England’s innings lead down to just 38 runs after batting for almost 12 hours and 165.3 overs on the most benign of pitches.
At Monday’s close, England, batting a second time, were 59 for one with Andrew Strauss not out 31 and Ian Bell on 18 to hold an overall lead of 97 runs heading into Tuesday’s fifth and final day.
Seamer Stuart Clark claimed the only wicket to fall in the 19 overs to stumps when Alastair Cook was caught behind for nine.
Yorkshire seamer Matthew Hoggard produced the best English bowling performance at Adelaide Oval for 77 years with his lionhearted 7-109 off 42 overs in Australia’s first innings.
Australia in all probability have killed off England’s winning chances after England had batted themselves into an unbeatable position with 551-6 declared in their first innings over the first two days.
England also have concerns over their skipper Andrew Flintoff, who only bowled four overs Monday after experiencing discomfort from the effects of recent heavy bowling in the wake of his ankle operation earlier this year.
”Andrew has played back-to-back Tests, he’s done quite a bit of bowling and it’s just having played a lot of cricket,” coach Duncan Fletcher said.
”There are no worries at the moment; we are just going to have to wait to see how it fares over the next couple of days but from the advice I’ve been given we are not even going to send him for a scan at this stage.”
Australia are one-up in the series after a crushing 277-run victory in the first Gabba Test and are likely to head to Perth for the December 14 to 18 third Test having prevented England from cashing in on their massive first innings.
Clarke, who only returned to the Test side as a late replacement for injured all-rounder Shane Watson before the Brisbane Test, gratefully seized his opportunity with his century in 319 minutes with 10 fours.
A loose shot to Ashley Giles at short mid-wicket ended his 224-ball innings shortly after tea off Hoggard.
The 25-year-old New South Wales right-hander scored 56 in the first innings in Brisbane and his hundred in Adelaide to consolidate his place in the Australian side, while selection pressure builds on under-achieving number four Damien Martyn.
”I knew that my opportunities were going to be limited in this series and I had to perform,” Clarke said.
”I had to score runs to put forward my case to the selectors and I think I’ve done that.
”I’m rapt with the way I’ve been going personally, but it’s completely up to the selectors.”
Known as ”Pup’ by his teammates, Clarke holds the distinction of scoring a century in his first away Test, with a debut 151 against India in Bangalore in October 2004, followed by 141 in his first home Test against New Zealand in Brisbane the following month.
It has been a heart-breaking Test match for the bowlers on the flat Adelaide deck with only 17 wickets falling in four days, two of them to spinners, for a total of 1 123 runs.
There was no sign of anything untoward in the pitch to suggest a clatter of wickets to change the course of the match on the final day.
”It’s pretty difficult game, we’ll have to see how the wicket plays first hour or two tomorrow,” Fletcher said. ”We will reassess it and see where we are and have a discussion tonight and then have a look at it tomorrow morning.”
Clarke shared in healthy partnerships of 98 with Adam Gilchrist (64) and 118 with Shane Warne (43) to bat Australia to safety.
Gilchrist looked to have a century for the taking after picking up the tempo until he smashed spinner Giles straight to Bell near the boundary rope.
Gilchrist, who had a below-par Ashes series last year with just 181 runs at 22,62 with a highest score of 49, was tested outside his vulnerable off-stump early but was playing his natural attacking game at the time of his dismissal.
Warne fell leg before wicket to Hoggard with one ball left to tea.
Australia lost their last three wickets for 11 runs in 12 overs after tea with Clarke, Stuart Clark (0) and Glenn McGrath (1) getting out.
It was big-hearted Hoggard’s best bowling performance since his 7-61 among 12 match wickets in England’s fourth Test win over South Africa in Johannesburg in January 2005.
John White has England’s best bowling performance in an innings at the Adelaide Oval with 8-126 in 1929. — AFP
