When the dust has settled: The Ashes 2009

Innings of the series – Michael Clarke 136, Lords

Clarke was the outstanding batsman of the entire series and his superb, unfathomable rearguard innings against all odds was just about 100 runs shy of bringing his side an unthinkable victory. With the Aussies struggling at five wickets down and still a good 400 away from victory, Clarke found a willing partner in Brad Haddin and showed astounding courage. He played some brilliant shots whilst ensuring that England would not be able to get him out easily.

He frustrated them to the point where there was genuine talk of Australia actually chasing down their mammoth target. Jonathan Trott’s debut 119 on a tricky Oval pitch was just as impressive for effort but for combining sheer guts alongside audacity, Clarke takes the plaudits. What a remarkable batsman he has become for his side.

Bowling spell of the series – Stuart Broad 5-37, The Brit Oval

Whilst Andrew Flintoff’s 5-92 at Lords was one of the most awe-inspiring and terrifying spells of fast bowling in recent history, Broad’s effort was something miraculous. Written off in many quarters for an apparent lack of penetration, he arguably won the series for England in one electrifying and devastating spell of pace bowling. Combining deadly accuracy with inherent seam movement, he reduced Australia from a comfortable looking 73-0 to a match and series defining 111-7.

He got good players out, too: Ricky Ponting, not for the first time, outdone by Broad’s uncomfortable bounce; Mike Hussey leaving a ball that shaped back in and struck him plumb in front; the dangerous Clarke chipping straight to short extra cover. It really was a sight to behold and was a testament to Broad’s mental skill as well has his considerable bowling talent. The new Flintoff? Not quite yet but he’s showed tantalising signs of being even better.

Men of the series - England: Andrew Strauss, Australia: Michael Clarke

Strauss deserves accolade for both his gutsy and authoritative batting as well as his intuitive captaincy. He led from the front in every sense of the phrase – be it setting the tone at the top of the innings with the bat, his frank and honest assessments in post game press conferences or his knowledgeable use of the players. His utilisation of young Broad at The Oval was a perfect example example of brilliant man management.

As for Clarke, the statistics say it all. 448 runs at an average of 64 paints the picture of a sublime series and he played some of the tour’s most eye-catching innings. He became the prize wicket alongside the captain and when England didn't get him early, he invariably went on to punish them. Surely it must be only a matter of time before he is handed the captaincy.

Unsung Hero – England: Matt Prior, Australia: Marcus North

Prior had a fine series both with the bat, as we’ve come to expect, and behind the stumps. The fact that he went unnoticed when keeping alludes to the fact that he didn’t make any noticeable errors, especially when keeping to some diabolical bowling at Cardiff and Headingley. His alacrity with the willow helped inject much need momentum into England’s batting and he can reflect on a job well done all round.

North arrived as a batsman familiar to English conditions but with very little Test experience. He ended it with an average of just over 52, having scored two hundreds. His ton at Headingley went much unnoticed as the bowlers claimed much of the credit for Australia’s win. But he effectively set up their victory bid with a classy and uncomplicated 110. He even grabbed a few wickets on the spinner’s haven at The Oval and ends the series very much a fixture of the Aussie middle order.

Best commentator - Matthew Hayden

Aside from the always superb Mark Nicholas, Hayden stood out on both TMS and Five. Imaginative, wise, objective and was the voice of calm to Boycott’s age old fervour.

Rising star – England: Jonathan Trott, Australia: Ben Hilfenhaus

Trott’s debut hundred confirmed his golden boy status among the press. He’s already being primed as the next unfortunate candidate to take on the poisoned chalice of the number three slot. Still, he does appear the best qualified to take on the role at present. He played with a maturity that belied his limited international experience and hung firm with his mind focused on the task while all around him were throwing the bat and getting themselves out. He is certainly one for the immediate future and possibly longer.

It seems unthinkable that Hilfenhaus wasn’t tipped to make a single appearance in the series before Cardiff. But Brett Lee’s injury and doubts over Stuart Clark’s effectiveness saw the Tasmanian given a chance with the new ball and, boy, did he repay the faith shown in him. He ended as the leading wicket-taker with 22 scalps at an average of just over 27 and generally made England sweat every time with the new cherry in his hand. Not the quickest of bowlers but with an uncanny ability to swing the ball, he posed problems time and again to England’s fragile top and middle order. Quiet and unassuming by nature, Hilfenhaus must now be a cornerstone of the Australian attack.

Biggest disappointment – England: Ravi Bopara, Australia: Mitchell Johnson

Bopara was heralded as England’s number three saviour but ultimately he found the pressure to be a little too much. He was always likely to be targeted by the Aussies and as bad score followed bad score, England ran out of patience and replaced him for the final match. His time will come again for sure but his unfortunate failures remain a large regret for England fans. With any luck, however, he won't be written off quite yet.

Johnson had a ridiculously strange series. Wayward at Cardiff and unable to prize out the last England wickets, it obviously affected his mindset as he had a complete shocker at Lords. Be it spraying balls down miles down leg, firing them wide through the slip cordon or delivering wild ill-directed bouncers - he gave keeper Haddin an absolute nightmare. He improved marginally at Edgbaston and then was back to something like what he was capable of in the win at Leeds. But by the end of the series, he was back to his shocking worst as he completely failed to turn up when it really, really mattered. He suffered so many maulings at the hands of England’s lower order, he must still be having nightmares about seeing Swann or Broad stride to the wicket. Still managed 20 wickets but was a monumental letdown.

Comedy moment of the series – Ricky Ponting getting hit in the mouth at The Oval

You had to feel for him. Having witnessed his side toss away the series in a Broad-inspired collapse, Ponting and his beleaguered bunch took to the field again. And it wasn’t long before Ponting, fielding at silly point, was back in the wars as took a nasty looking hit on the mouth at point blank range. The crowd cheered unforgivingly but stopped when the extent of the blow was realised. Ponting shrugged it off but it was yet another painful Oval memory from a ground that has shown him nothing but contempt.

Moment of the series – Andrew Flintoff getting his 5-for at Lords on the last morning.

It was a moment that received a rapturous applause. Flintoff was peppering Peter Siddle from all angles before all of a sudden he turned and steamed in off a shortened run up. A full length ball nipped back and defeated Siddle’s tailender-like prod, shattering the stumps. Siddle, having been lucky to survive the amount of balls he did, smiled at his wicket’s inevitability and Flintoff went down on one knee, arms aloft, to celebrate only his 3rd Test match five wicket haul. In his final Test series, Freddie had secured his place on the famous honours board and it was a perfect Lords farewell for the great all rounder.

Biggest commentary overreaction – Michael Atherton

Iron Mike scared the life out of millions of viewers at Edgbaston when Graham Onions bowled out Hussey, seconds after trapping Shane Watson lbw. Anyone wishing to settle down to a quiet start to the morning was out of luck as Atherton’s over-zealous ‘BOWLED HIM!’ yelp could be heard all the way from Birmingham to Sydney.

The future...

Possible England side for First Test vs. South Africa –

Strauss (c), Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bopara, Prior (w), Wright, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Harmison

This is all dependant on Kevin Pietersen getting fit. My god, how we miss him. The best batsman of his generation, he was voted into Cricinfo's all time England XI, a testament to his sheer presence at the crease and outrageous talent. His absence proved England can win without him but the batting looked nervous and uncohesive. Frankly, he is simply unreplaceable.

Adil Rashid must now be groomed as England’s 2nd spinner. Monty Panesar’s performance with the bat at Cardiff was admirable but as a spinner he is good for nothing at the moment. Rashid needs to be slowly introduced to international cricket and touring with such an excellent spinning role model in Swann can only be a positive thing. Make no mistake, this kid is the future.

Steve Harmison may or may not tour. But should he take the gamble to continue his international career, one suspects England will need the firepower his bowling offers as it provides a better balance with the swing and seam of Jimmy Anderson and Broad. Onions is a more than credible alternative although there remains the fear that he may be slightly innocuous in less helpful conditions.

The all important all rounder slot could be filled by Luke Wright, who is maturing slowly into a medium/fast bowler and powerful middle order batsman. His batting is a concern, with a susceptibility to get himself out before getting set. But with Prior providing a safety net at number six, there is less pressure on whoever plays at seven. Rashid would provide a better batting option but England may not want to play him and Swann in a twin spin attack. We all saw how well badly that worked at Cardiff.

Bopara is too good a batsman to be left out of the England team but he probably lacks the ideal temperament and composure to bat at number three. His time may come at first drop but for now he should be utilised in the middle order, in place of the struggling Paul Collingwood. Oval hero Trott looks to have the ability to handle the pressure of a promotion to three and his steely determination and resilience gives England a balanced batting order. You’d have to say that in Strauss, Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bopara, Prior and Wright you have a mixture of everything – solid defence, attacking flamboyance and resolute determination. Throw into the mix Broad’s increasing confidence and the carefree hitting of Swann and you have a competent top nine. Hell, even Anderson can play his shots when he applies himself.

England are taking great care to ensure they don’t go over the top in the wake of this triumph. The mindset is spot on, the players are more or less the correct ones and, in Andy Flower, they have a thoughtful and on-the-ball coach. The only thing remaining is genuine progress. It may take time and it may not be easy sailing but perhaps they’re finally on the right path.

The ECB's deal with the devil

Much has been made about England's low key celebrations in the wake of their Ashes success, especially so when you consider the endless hullabaloo that surrounded the 2005 win. Gone were the open top bus rides, speeches to a packed out Trafalgar Square and clearly drunk cricketers falling head first out of hotels. Gordon Brown will have certainly rested easy on Monday knowing that no-one would be pissing in his 10 Downing Street garden.

Indeed, there's a different feel about this Ashes win and it's a world away from the carefree euphoria of 2005. The standard of cricket was inferior to last time though the level of drama was almost as thrilling. For the 2005 Old Trafford draw, read Cardiff in 2009. For England's dramatic win at Edgbaston, read the easier but no less exciting Lords win. There is a feeling this time around that England didn't deserve the victory as much as they had last time out. And, not to take anything away from Andrew Strauss and his men who did deserve their win, Australia are certainly easier to beat these days.

Lily Allen aside, this series win hasn't drawn the masses of newly found cricket fans that 2005 did. Perhaps there's another reason for the lack of national outpouring of emotion. Where last time everyone in the land had access to live pictures of Michael Vaughan lifting the famous little urn, this time only those lucky enough to have a Sky subscription could watch Strauss' turn.

The viewing figures do not do this series justice. Sky do a brilliant presentation and can only be commended for their cricket coverage. But the truth remains that many in the UK were unable to watch any of the series because they were saddled with plain, old, regular terrestrial television. What hope is there for cricket to take off again as a summer sport if children up and down the land have no basic exposure to it?

The ECB have their reasons for selling out to Sky and the revenue earned per year from the lucrative deal probably allows them to sleep a little easier each night. But as long as international cricket is only available for a subscription fee, then national interest in the game will continue to falter.

It's a sad truth that whatever heroics Strauss and his men achieve, their efforts may not be as universally recognised as those from years gone by.

The legacy of Freddie

The King is dead, long live the King.

Yes, Andrew Flintoff has departed the Test match arena for the last time and England will have to do without the man whose Herculean efforts over the last 6 or 7 years have propelled his country to glorious heights, even if there were some forgettable lows scattered inbetween. Statistically, he won't be remembered as one of the game's great players and when you consider his all round talents, a feeling resides of what might have been. But the Lancastrian leaves a sizeable impact on England cricket fans and will be held in the highest esteem, regardless of how little five wicket hauls he took.

The memories are plentiful.

His spell to Jacques Kallis at Edgbaston in 2008 as he tried single handed to drag England back into a Test match; His pugnacious twin fifties at Mumbai in 2006 where he took on the responsibility of captaining an injury depleted side with aplomb; That breathtaking 95 at The Oval against South Africa in 2003, dragging England from simply a 'good' score into a match winning one. The list of memories Flintoff's cricket has created is both mightily impressive and lengthy.

And who can ignore his greatest moments, saved for the greatest enemy of all? Ashes contests brought the best out of Freddie, none more so than 2005 where he rose above himself time and again to deliver the most cherished of all cricketing achievements for his country. It's no surprise Adam Gilchrist spent his 2005 nights unable to think of anything else but the tall paceman steaming in towards him from around the wicket and delivering searing out-swingers time after time. If ever Flintoff did earn the term 'legend', it was in this series.

2009 may not have brought as much personal glory but he had his moments. The devastating spell on the final day at Lords, where he moved earth, wind and fire to bring victory for his country. The blistering 74 at Edgbaston where he batted as if to put the Australians back in their place. The fantastic run out of Ricky Ponting on that last day where he came from nowhere in the game to stamp his own influence on proceedings.

He may not be an all rounder to compete historically with the likes of Ian Botham, Imran Khan or Richard Hadlee, whose exploits are the stuff of cricketing legend. But what Flintoff leaves to the English game is a legacy of popularity and drama. His personality endeared him to many a worldwide cricket fan and he played the game in the best spirit possible. Rarely flustered, always with a smile on his face, Flintoff made cricket look fun more than any other player in his generation. Sometimes wickets fell as a result of his sheer force rather than cricketing skill.

No matter who eventually replaces him in the England set up, his all round talents will be greatly sought after for years to come.

Speaking of replacements, attention has inevitably turned to who should fill Freddie's giant shoes. Stuart Broad is in the process of being hyped up to gigantic proportions by the media but, at 23, he needs time to mature and develop. No one can doubt his potential but what England fans crave is a big hitting middle order batsman and a fast, relentless pace bowler. Broad isn't yet either one of these. He needs to spend more time developing his potency as a bowler and, in time, his batting can be worked upon to attain the middle order temperament he so craves.

There's another two young guns waiting in the wings who would seem in a possible position to assume Flintoff's role. Adil Rashid is a much talked about leg spinning all rounder with bags of promise. He has limited England experience, having played in the World Twenty20 earlier this summer, is a prodigious turner of the ball and can bat as high as number 7. He seems destined to have an England future sooner or later, having been touted to play in this summer's Ashes contest.

And for all the arguments that it's too soon to play him, there remains the distinct possibility that holding him back will do him no good. Perhaps it's time to see if he's as good as we all pray he is. He certainly ticks all the boxes in the all rounder category. His one 'limitation' perhaps is that he is a spinner and not a terrorising fast bowler in the Flintoff mould. Playing him would effectively mean England go into games with two spinners and three pacemen, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing on certain surfaces - it just may leave them short of express pace.

Another burgeoning talent is Sussex's Luke Wright, a dashing middle order batsman and improving seam bowler. Wright has been in and around England's one day setup for a few years now, having been tried in a number of batting positions and having failed to make a consistant impression. However, two County Championship centuries this year have led to calls for him to be given a chance to step up too Test level and, provided he learns to rein in the sometimes mindless stroke play that has inhibited his one-day batting, he looks like he can be a decent enough batsman. His bowling is coming along nicely - initially considered as medium pace, Wright is starting to hit the enviable heights of the mid 80's, in terms of mph. He already possesses a superb yorker length ball and, if he can step up in pace a notch, he could just be the bowler England desire.

However, with both candidates comes an element of risk. Whatever they achieve or fail to achieve will invariably be hung up next to Flintoff's imposing stature. And it will take time and steady performances to properly fill the void. But perhaps this is precisely the new ethos of this England team. Keep our feet on the ground, regardless of what we achieve, and build steadily towards getting better and better. Whoever takes Flintoff's place, it may be a case of giving them time to blend into the role and not getting too critical or too praising.

Still, it's an exciting time for this brilliantly inconsistent but promising England team, who head to South Africa in November to try and further the progress made this summer. It's a time for blooding new players and Wright and Rashid will almost certainly be on the tour at the very least if England want them to succeed. But for now fans should bask in the memories of the great Andrew Flintoff. He may not have been perfect but nothing should give fans greater pleasure than seeing reruns of him shattering Peter Siddle's stumps to gain his fifth wicket at Lords in the Second Test last month.

A fantastic player and a thoroughly decent bloke, Flintoff was and is one of a kind.

Thoughts from the Oval

A few musings about the current Test match:

- I really like the look of Jonathan Trott. He looks solid, compact and able to dig in. These may all be traits of Paul Collingwood but where Collingwood sometimes decelerates the scoring rate with his lack of free flowing technique, Trott looks capable of playing a patient but sensible innings. One for the foreseeable future, no doubt and he will have a big role to play in South Africa this winter. Expect him and Bopara and Bell to form the backbone of England's middle order at the expense of Collingwood, at least until Kevin Pietersen is fit again.

- England were right not to pick Monty Panesar. Put simply, he's not a very good player. If you're struggling to play well for Northamptonshire at Division Two then an Ashes deciding Test match is beyond you. He did precious little when given the chance at Cardiff and though the pitch has shown signs of taking outrageous spin, Graeme Swann and the four seamers are more than capable of exploiting it. See Australia's first innings for evidence of that.

- Will the Australians give Andrew Flintoff a guard of honour? Or rather, should they? It's a toughie. Michael Atherton has argued in The Times that Flintoff cannot be classed as a 'great' player and surely such marks of respect should only be afforded to those of the highest calibre. But he is certainly a cricketer with a distinguished reputation and the Aussies make no secret of their admiration for him. Will they extend him the courtesy of a guard of honour in his last Test innings? We may well find out later today.

- Should Steve Harmison retire too? We all know we're watching Flintoff's last ever Test match but will it be the last for his close mate Harmy? A bowler that England cannot rely on anymore, Harmison's role in this series has always been slightly peripheral and as much as a threat he looks at certain times, the fact is the England management appear to have lost patience with his inconsistency, much like they have with Panesar. Perhaps he should go down the same route as Freddie and call it a day, on his own terms?

- If England do win the game and the Ashes, it'll be an outstanding achievement. It won't necessarily elevate England to the top of the world rankings and we'll still have a way to go before we can compete with best sides. But a victory in this manner will have required supreme mental toughness. People can harp on all they like about England only having one hundred in the series but the majority of their innings totals have been team efforts - a lot of the players getting 40's, 50's and 60's. Hundreds are better but if everyone puts in a collective effort you end up with a commanding score. It's a team game, after all.

- Andrew Strauss deserves a knighthood. Well, not really but regardless of whether he leads England to Ashes glory or not, credit must go to him for his responsible batting and, at times, astute leadership. Just call him Michael Vaughan mark 2.

Play on, lads. Play on.

Bring him back and make the people happy

Barring a 1981-esque England comeback, it looks as if we’ll be heading to The Oval with the score at 1-1 and everything to play for.

England’s Headingley predicament is so dire it brings about horrendous memories of Australian batsmen carting James Anderson and co. all over Cardiff with nonchalant ease. Shot out for 102 then forced to watch the tourists rack up a lead of 343, you would have been forgiven for thinking the pain was temporarily over. But this England side has a special ability to bring delight and despair in equal measure and their collapse from 58-0 to 78-5 bordered on laughable.

It’s been a thoroughly miserable two days for England and the prospect of winning the Ashes looks a little further away on the horizon than it did in the wake of Edgbaston. The media have been quick to collectively jump on the ‘all England players are bad people’ bandwagon – it’s almost as if Ravi Bopara is purposely trying to play badly if you read the supposedly ‘professional’ garbage written about him over the last few weeks.

Still, never let it be said that this blog follows such a negative path. I’m all for the bright side of life even if Matt Prior will walk to the crease tomorrow morning with the company of the night-watchman and the steady reassurance of hardly any batting to come.

Going back to 1981 and Headingley, is anyone else dreaming of a miraculous turnaround? Does no-one think it remotely possible that Stuart Broad will discover his inner Ian Botham and blaze England to an unthinkable lead? I suppose when you put it like that it does seem rather improbable. But allow me to indulge for a second; in 1981, Botham took 6-95 as the Australians racked up 401 before beginning his quest to haul England back into contention with the bat. Today, Broad took 6-91. England are in just as calamitous a position now as they were then, if not worse. With history in mind, I wonder if Ricky Ponting will be tempted to have a punt on Paddy Power’s odds of 200-1 for England to win the match?

It’s majorly likely, however, that the Aussies will stroll to victory at some point tomorrow and take this Ashes series into a final Test decider at The Oval which, frankly, is the most entertaining prospect. With a series draw not good enough for England to bring the Ashes home, they’ll be going all out for the win. Expect a fired up (and probably hardly fit) Andrew Flintoff giving his everything in what is his last Test match.

How are England going to win? It’s painfully obvious that they’ll need a change in the batting order and, as much as I rate him, Bopara is going to have to be moved from the number three slot. He’s simply had more than enough chances. He could well make the position his own in the future but for now he needs to be either dropped or moved down the order. And for his replacement, here’s a left field selection that would get English pulses racing and bring the sweet smell of cricketing nostalgia: Marcus Trescothick.

Exciting, isn’t it? The veteran opener is still delivering a waterfall of runs down at Somerset and loves playing the Aussies. It was he in 2005 that provided the lightning fast, ultra confident starts to an innings that regularly got Ponting all hot and bothered. It’s he who would be perfect in this scenario, with England needing to play as positively as possible. Yes, he’s retired and can’t go five minutes outside of Taunton without getting homesick. But give him the chance to come in just for this Test match and play his natural, free flowing game and I bet he’d take it.

He can go in with Strauss and Cook can shift down to number three. Cook is a level headed, defensive batsmen and can be the anchor by which England build their innings around. He’s batted three for England before with a degree of success and, as mentioned, it’s only for one match. Trescothick can blaze the ball around like the days of old, Cook can play second fiddle and Matt Prior and Freddie can provide the middle order acceleration. It’s radical, it’s out of the ordinary and it could work. The Aussies will definitely not be expecting it.

If it happens, you heard it here first.

LVCC - Hampshire v Lancashire 6th August - Day 2

Afternoon session

Hampshire began the afternoon session looking to accelerate their run rate and Sean Ervine quickly signalled his intentions as he walked down the track and hoisted Gary Keedy over long on for four. Lancashire took the second new ball and after several tight overs, Kyle Hogg induced an edge behind from Mascarenhas, who fell for 21. Ervine brought up his fifty soon after with a quick single before a powerful square cut brought him his seventh boundary.

Oliver Newby then bagged another wicket after wicket keeper Tom Burrows (0) edged one to VVS Laxman at second slip. Hampshire’s hopes of passing 300 and claiming 3 batting points now rested on Ervine’s shoulders. Perhaps sensing the need to take charge, he went hard at a short ball and sent a top edge over the head of the keeper for four.

David Griffiths then fell for a duck, bowled by a spinning delivery from Keedy. New man Imran Tahir (0) lasted only two balls before losing his off stump to a full length ball from Tom Smith. Running out of partners, Ervine steered Keedy through point where a fielding error from Mal Loye gave him another boundary. Lancashire brought the field in to deny Ervine the chance to steal the strike but he responded in magnificent style, crashing a mammoth six over midwicket to raise the Hampshire 300. And the entertainment continued with an audacious reverse sweep that sailed into the crowd for another six.

James Tomlinson, who was clinging on bravely at the other end, was then dropped at first slip off Newby. As Lancashire heads went down, Ervine lofted Keedy straight down the ground before steering him down to third man for consecutive boundaries to move to 98. Tomlinson joined in the fun with a nudge down to fine leg for four. Ervine then reached a heroic century, his seventh in first class cricket, with a dab down to third man for two. A few more boundaries off Newby saw him continue to frustrate the visitors before he holed out for 114 giving Hampshire a score of 337 all out.

(rosebowlplc.com, 2009)

Read the full day's report here.

LVCC - Hampshire v Lancashire 6th August - Day 1

Morning session

Day one of the LV County Championship game Hampshire against Lancashire, a team Hampshire had never beaten at The Rose Bowl. The home side won the toss and elected to bat first. After a slightly slow start, Jimmy Adams opened his boundary account with an elegant straight drive back past bowler Oliver Newby. Partner Michael Carberry then laced Kyle Hogg to the square cover boundary before picking up two more boundaries off successive balls with a cover drive and a fierce pull stroke, in an over costing 12 runs.

Adams had a stroke of luck on 26 as he edged a Tom Smith delivery only for it to fall short of the slip fielder and run away for four. Carberry continued in a fluent manner, driving Newby to the cover fence. Adams was growing in confidence and flicked Smith out to midwicket for another boundary before unfurling an excellent on drive which gained him four more.

Lancashire then got the much needed breakthrough as Carberry (33 off 62 balls) perished pulling a Hogg delivery straight to Mark Chilton at deep backward square. New man John Crawley came in and immediately got going with a boundary down to fine leg. With regular boundaries hard to come by, both batsmen were on the lookout for singles to keep the score going along.

Crawley earned four more with a handsome looking cover drive before the visitors introduced the spin of Gary Keedy just before lunch. The veteran was unable to provide much threat save for a strangled appeal for lbw against Crawley that was turned down and the Hampshire batsman were able to take their team into lunch on 87-1.

(rosebowlplc.com, 2009)

Read the full day's report here.

Natwest Pro40 - Hampshire v Yorkshire 5th August

Hampshire innings

Jacques Rudolph’s fine 79 had helped Yorkshire to a tough target but Hampshire’s openers began confidently with a flurry of early boundaries under the floodlights. Jimmy Adams lifted Tim Bresnan over square leg and both openers were picking up singles at every opportunity as the early momentum was with the home side.

Adams was growing in confidence as he hoisted Deon Kruis over long on for the first maximum of the Hampshire innings. Yorkshire introduced Matthew Hoggard to stem the flow of runs but Adams was in no mood to hold back, immediately finding the deep point boundary for four.

Hampshire were flying and had reached 77 for 0 when spinner Adil Rashid was introduced into the attack. And he got the vital breakthrough as Adams (44 off 53 balls), having looked so secure, top edged a sweep straight into the waiting hands of Bresnan at square leg.

Lumb reached his 33rd fifty after a powerful cut off Rashid gained him three runs and, although the boundaries had dried up, Lumb and Michael Carberry were picking up singles with relative ease. But David Wainwright then had Lumb caught behind for 53 off 66 balls, leaving the Hawks needing a further 111 runs to win.

New batter Sean Ervine flayed Richard Pyrah through the covers for a welcome boundary before pulling him for a meaty six out to square leg, just evading the despairing dive of Jonathan Bairstow. Carberry (39 off 57 balls) then edged to keeper Gerard Brophy off Pyrah to bring captain Dimitri Mascarenhas to the crease. The skipper heaved Bresnan over midwicket for a crucial six before launching him over deep point and the desperate leap of Rashid for another maximum to swing the momentum back Hampshire’s way.

Kruis was called upon to bowl the penultimate over and Ervine skied a simple chance only to be crucially dropped by Andrew Gale. However Mascarenhas was then run out off the last ball.

With 10 needed, Matthew Hoggard was entrusted with the last over. Chris Benham hit the first ball for a quickly run two before square driving an excellent four to send the crowd into frenzied excitement. A quick single was taken off the next ball before a mix up off the next saw Ervine run out. Liam Dawson arrived at the wicket with three needed off the last two balls and sprinted two off his first ball leaving Hampshire needing a single to win. As the field closed in, Dawson flicked the last delivery into a gap on the leg side and sprinted the winning run to seal a memorable victory.

(rosebowlplc.com, 2009)

For full game report, click here.