3rd Test - Day Five : Australia escape with a stalemate

Suddenly, as rare things will, it vanished.
- Robert Browning, To E. B. B.

Australia: 1st innings - 263 & 2nd innings - 375 -5; England: 1st innings - 376 : match drawn

What an anti-climax! Yesterday was a day of yearning; a day of frustration and longing. A day of unrequited hope. After anticipating going two nil up in the series and instead enduring the sight of the Aussies' own Great Escape, I needed a night's sleep to recover from the disappointment. The Singing Spinner and I made pilgrimage to the Walkabout in the hope of celebrating victory beyond enemy lines but our bowlers failed to capitalise upon our position and took just three wickets all day. The game petered out into an draw and we were left to ponder what might have been. On reflection, I am attempting to focus on our lead in the series. The morning after a test match is a time to look forward not back, especially with the forth test at Headingley starting on Friday. We are one nil up with two tests remaining and we would have certainly taken that at the beginning of the Ashes but the nagging concern remains that we will regret allowing the opportunity of victory at Edgbaston to slip away. Since The Aussies only need to draw the series to retain the urn, the series is now almost evenly poised as it enters its climax. There is no margin for error now. Looking back to yesterday morning, we begun with great momentum. Let's hope that we can take that spirit into Headingley. We should take pride in our performance over the three days. It is uncommon for The Baggy Green to celebrate a draw...

MORNING SESSION : ENGLAND SCENT VICTORY

Oz begun the day 25 runs behind with eight wickets in hand. The maths were simple. We needed to take the remaining Aussie wickets within sixty overs and then accrue the requisite runs in the remaining thirty overs of the day. Early inroads were crucial as we sought to knock over our opponents as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, we were unable to take a wicket until noon. Straight after the drinks break, Jimbo claimed the scalp of Watson for 53 with his first ball of the day. Brocko had chosen to open the day with Fred and the Bard and his decision had not been vindicated. Friedrich was unable to replicate his heroics of Lord's and Shakespeare was impotent with the ball not swinging. By the time our Marcel entered the fray just before 12.00, The Aussies had erased the deficit and were into a lead. Dr Comfort was also toothless - his magical ball that dismissed Punter the previous day looking more and more an aberration, an anomaly as opposed to the norm. Our hopes of victory were lifted at last when Anderson dismissed the surprisingly effective opener Shane and Clarke came to the crease. Pup has become one of the most prized Baggy Green wickets - if not the most sought after - but any batsman is vulnerable when he begins his innings. We were unable to remove the vice-captain before lunch but the largely ignored Broad dismissed 50 maker Hussey with a decent delivery fifteen minutes before the break to bring another new batsman - Marcus North aka Snorks - to the crease. We were on top. The Aussies' lead was just 59 and neither batsman was settled.

AFTERNOON SESSION : PUP AND SNORKS LEAD OZ TO SAFETY

Sometimes you can pin-point a single moment when possibility dies. You can tell by the expression on someone's face that they are not interested in you in that way or you know that a promise is about to be broken when you hear the phone ring. In this case, the potential for triumph ceded when Our Lord dropped Clarke off Bopara. We had toiled away for the opening hour of the afternoon when Strauss decided to throw Ravi the ball in desperation. The new ball was still over ten overs away and we needed a breakthrough. Tempting the Aussie batsman with a part-time bowler was a shrewd move; everything else had failed and an element of surprise was welcome. Pup and Snorks had racked up a 50 partnership and looked almost impenetrable. Nothing had happened for the seamers and our Swann was ineffective on a three day old pitch. Bopara ran into bowl in typically languid fashion and Clarke visibly relaxed at the crease. The Aussie captain in waiting soon edged a medium pace ball to Brocket but our skipper failed to hold onto the chance. It wasn't a dolly but it was a relatively straightforward chance. In order to win this series, we must capitalise on such moments rather than let them slip away.

Even if Strauss had taken the catch, a victory would still have been unlikely. North was well set and we were running out of time to bowl them out. We needed to leave ourselves enough overs to score the required number of runs and the overs were rapidly vanishing. But, the wicket of Clarke would have left us watching a contest rather than an excruciating impasse. The new ball enabled the Aussies to score freely and our bowlers looked no more threatening than they had with the old one. The wicket was flat and the cloud cover essential for swing bowling was still in absentia. Unsurprisingly, first Snorks and then Pup reached half centuries before tea as they took the game away from us. The Aussies reached the break with a lead of 180 on 293-4. We ended the afternoon session wicketless and listless. The chance of victory had gone.

EVENING SESSION : PLAY DRIFTS INTO FARCE

Just over 30 overs remained in the day but any conflict was already over. The Bullring had been silenced. The Singing Spinner and I watched the evening session in some reluctance. We were simply waiting for the test to be called off and deemed a draw. The players had long since lost their energy in the field and were going through the motions with no urgency whatsoever. Before we were granted salvation and freedom from the sight of Aussie celebrations, we had to endure the sight of North and Clarke racing towards centuries. We were informed that play could end with 15 overs to spare with a draw the only possible result but The Baggy Green were adamant that their two game-savers be rewarded with hundreds. Such a procession was galling to watch. We were spared this embarrassment when Broad claimed a wicket at 17.15 - our first for almost five hours. Westlife removed Snorks for 96 and North was denied his second century of the series. It was the finest moment of the day. As we neared the potential close of play and the overs ticked down, Straussy had elected to rest our front-line bowlers and bring Ravi back into the "attack" alongside The Nurdler. Bopara actually almost removed The Pup again as the batsman was caught on 96 but Ravi had over-stepped the line and the delivery was deemed a no ball. The delivery summed up our day and our test match - so near but yet so far. Clarke finished the match on 103*; he had led the Baggy Green to 375-5 and safety. We had taken just 3 wickets in the day. It had been a chastening experience.

Quote of the Day: The Eternal Optimist at 14.41 was still plotting victory - "Get Prior and Fred to open and blitz the run chase". Admirable sentiments. It’s a pity that the eerily silent Edgbaston crowd, not to mention Brocko and the lads, had already given up.

Ornithological Count: The solace of the day (other than Marcus missing out on his century). There were so many pigeons on the pitch it was impossible to count. Our feathered friends were not discouraged by our inability to force the win and perched on the outfield for most of the afternoon and evening. The brave grazed just behind the slips. One was even honoured by the SS1 cameras with a close-up shot. We all get our fifteen minutes of fame...

Barminess Barometer: 60% - Monday attracted fans from all corners of the globe - 3 Mexicans, 2 Mandarins, 2 Yokels in Farmer Jarvis hats, 1 Knight of the Realm - as well as a glorious menagerie including 1 cow, Snowy the Dog and Scooby Doo.

All eyes are now on the critical fourth test and Freddie's fitness. With Punter remarking that His Fredness is on a "downward spiral", there is now talk that Flintoff may not play at Headingley. The Big Man is obviously not 100% fit but I think he is more than worth the risk. Yesterday demonstrated that none of our other bowlers have the ability to win a match without conditions in their favour. And who could replace Sir Fred? The potential replacements are underwhelming. A half fit Friedrich is more menacing than a fully able Sideshow Bob or the mercurial GBH. Let's pray The Flintstone's knee holds out. There is no point saving him for The Oval. We must look to win The Ashes at Headingley.