ROGERS - LAST OF A KIND

There was no raising of the arms, no fist punch, no Leyton Hewitt like “common”, no cross of the heart, no leap for joy, not even a smile just an acknowledgement to his peers.  The muted celebrations sum up Chris Rogers as a person and a cricketer.

Some cricketers come into fame through their stroke play, aggression, elegance, arrogance and there are others who are just unnoticed but hold a team together. They are not the crowd pullers or nor do they endorse modern day cricket but they are certainly known how to score runs.  Well over 20,000 first Class runs.

On most occasions the runs are nudges, deflections mixed with an occasional elegant cover drive or an impetus pull. They can even at times struggle to dispatch full tosses but know exactly how to wear out a bowler, put a price on their wicket and least concerned about admirations or sympathy. They just love playing cricket and batting for countless hours even if that means defending over 100 balls in a day.

As Bradman once said “You need to score of the bad balls but importantly you need to keep the good balls out as well”.  Sometimes like on the Day 2 of the fourth Test, bowlers can dish out a barrage of balls that seam, swing and bounce constantly and it’s on such days a player like Rogers cherishes.

While a Watson and Warner would have gone to bed on Friday evening in their youth dreaming about boundaries, players like Rogers would have dreamt about perfect leave or a deft punch past the bowlers. They seek equal satisfaction in a leave, so when such days as the 2^nd day of the fourth test arrive, they relish the opportunity and success normally awaits them at the end of the day.

Ever since Katich was dropped from the opening slot, Australian team have been desperate to find such an irritating opener for the opposition. The great strength of such players is they complement the stroke players because they frustrate the bowlers and in the process alter their lengths to stroke makers.

Since there game is based around such a sound defence, they know exactly how to build and accelerate an innings. They rarely become stagnant once set, their stroke play is calculated. Players of such kind are rare in modern day cricket so when they shine it is breath of fresh air.

Players such as Rogers are just addicted to playing cricket despite their age. They love the challenge are their personalities are defined on cricketing grounds. 

Rogers might not have smiled when he got to his hundred but a player of such nature probably grin on the inside in the nervous nineties largely due to the fact that particular phase of play was the most enjoyable in his test career. 

It is players like Rogers that keep ‘Test’ in Test cricket alive.

DROPPING STARC THE RIGHT CALL

England’s paltry run rate of 2.64 at the end of Day 1 can be most rational explanation for the exclusion of Mitchell Starc in the fourth test. 

It is the 3^rd time in his brief career Starc has been left out after performing admirably. Last year he was ‘rested’ in Boxing Day test after bowling Australia to victory over Sri Lanka only few days earlier. Then once again Starc failed to hold his place in the 2^nd Test at Lords despite his match figures of 5/135 which were more impressive than James Pattinson.

The statistic that tilted the scales towards Bird over Starc is the economy rate of the left arm paceman. Apart from Pattinson, Starc is the only bowler in squad to have an economy rate of above 3 runs an over.  In comparison Siddle’s is 2.97, Harris is 2.80 and Bird is 2.82.

On most occasions due to the nature of the modern wickets and expansion of T20 cricket, the generic feeling is if the bowler can restrict the batsmen from scoring he will eventually perish.  Same theory has existed since the cricket was played but gone are the days cricket produces a Boycott or Gavaskar.  Instead cricket about containment and restricting the flow of runs.

Mitchell Starc is a victim of the run saving mentality. Michael Clarke and his think tank believe Starc struggles to keep batsmen in check.  Cricket is all about sizing the control of the match and while Starc is as likely as any other bowler to provide that chance, he is also most likely to release the pressure.

In the two Ashes tests Starc has played he has conceded 32 boundaries. Considering he only bowled two over’s in the rain interrupted last innings at Manchester, 32 boundaries is 3 innings is cardinal sin.

James Pattinson conceded 41 in his four outings, Siddle had conceded 43 until the start of the fourth test, but majority of them have come from thickish outside edges rather than poor balls. Ryan Harris in the two tests thus far had only conceded 24, a perfect balance of economy rate and strike rate.

At the end of Day 1, it was the relentless pressure of Bird, Siddle and Harris that eventually caused England to implode to Nathan Lyon. Perhaps had Starc played on a track that looked placid at the end of Day 1, the English batsmen may not have treated Lyon with such contempt, hence making Lyon less of a threat.

Starc is a prodigious talent but until he learns to meet the modern day Test match ideology it is likely he will face such heart breaks once again.

AUSTRALIAN BOWLERS HAVE PHYSOLOGICAL EDGE

The Ashes might be lost but Australian bowlers have certainly managed to stem the flow of runs and gained a physiological edge over the top three English batsmen for the return series at home.

While the batsmen progression has been sluggish the bowlers have executed plans perfectly.  The output of Cook, Trott and Pietersen has been limited largely due to the accuracy, tactics and the physiological impact of the Australian fast bowlers. 

COOK’S CUTTING

All the pre-ashes hype was surrounded by the greatness of Cook.  Ex-cricketers had even stated Cook was unflawed and the English captain would eventually eclipse Tendulkar’s batting record.  Well if Cook constantly faces bowling of the quality of Harris, Siddle, Starc, Pattinson, the left hander may need to play well into his 40’s to overcome Tendulkar feats.

It is clear since Cook’s run fest down under two year ago Australians have done plenty of homework. Firstly, they have stopped feeding him short balls outside the off stump which has meant Cook has not been able to play two of his favourite runs scoring shots, the pull and the cut. So accurate have the Australian bowlers been, out of the 17 boundaries Cook has hit in the series he has only played two cut shot’s to the fence while he is yet to hit a pull or hook shot to the boundary.  To put in perspective in the first ashes test in Brisbane two years back Cook hit 32 boundaries out of which 15 were either pulled or cut to the fence.

Since the Australians have stopped Cook scoring in his favourite area’s Cook has had to look for alternative scoring options, mostly of the front foot.  Since Cook is pre-dominantly a back foot player, playing on the front foot makes him vulnerable.  The Australian bowlers have seized up this opportunity; five of Cook’s six dismissals have been when he has playing on the front foot.

Even Cook’s strangle down the leg side in 3^rd test was a result of him playing around the front pad and getting his head outside the line of the ball. This was result of the persistent bowling of keeping it full outside the off stump and making the Cook comes at them.  So far Australia has won the battle despite couple of gritty half centuries by the English Captain.

DOUBLE BLUFFED TROTT

The minute Trott has walked to the crease in the series Clarke has strengthened the leg side field to prevent Trott’s flow of runs through the onside. The field setting has suggested the Australian bowlers are going to bowl full and straight at the stumps. However, the Australian bowlers have double bluffed; they have bowled wide and full outside the off stump.  They have used the straight full ball sparingly, either right at the start of Trott’s innings or as a surprise weapon only after Trott has started to shuffle across his stumps.

Bowlers have kept Trott guessing on when they the full and straight ball will be delivered.  Only twice in the series has Trott been able to get into double figures. On both instances the runs he has scored on the onside outweigh the runs on the offside.  In the first Test it was 20 runs offside and 28 onside. Second Test it was 20 runs offside and 38 onside. Majority of the onside runs are boundaries, due to the fact Clarke has been content to concede a boundary for a bad ball but reluctant to concede a single to keep Trott on strike.  It is deliberate tactic to bowl consecutive balls at Trott.  The guessing game has definitely played on Trott’s mind.  

Furthermore, when Trott has scored the runs on the offside he has been looked extremely vulnerable.  Either the wide drives have skewed off the edge past gully or end up past the diving slip cordon.  The wide balls have had Trott shuffling across more than usual to reach balls he would normally leave making him even more susceptible to the straight ball.

The constant wide swinging balls outside off stump have been followed by a sharp inswinger to trap Trott across the stumps.  Starc and Harris have managed to execute it perfectly.  Since the first innings of the first test the Australian bowlers have dealt a blow in his mind. It will be interesting to see Trott’s response in the next couple of tests.

KP IS SIDDLE’s BUNNY?

Despite Kevin Pietersen hundred in the 3^rd test, he is yet to dominate the Australian bowling. Each time Pietersen has looked on verge on something special Clarke has gone to Peitersen nemesis, Peter Siddle.

Siddle and Pietersen have played against each other in 10 Ashes Tests.  On the 16 occasions Pietersen has batted in those test matches, Siddle has dismissed him on 7 occasions.  Out of the other 9 occasions, Pietersen faced up to Siddle only on 6 of the occasions. So overall, Siddle’s success rate against Pietersen is 7/13 times, that is over 50%.

Not only has Siddle managed to dismiss the English number 4 batsmen but he has also succeeded in keep him in check.  Out of the 228 balls Siddle has bowled to him, Pietersen has scored only 114 runs at a strike rate of around 50%. Considering Pietersen naturally aggression and his dominance over some of world’s elite bowlers, Siddle figures are outstanding.

What is strange is the fact Siddle has dismissed Pietersen mostly when he has been set. Out of the 7 dismissals, 4 have come with Pietersen over the score of 30 plus. It is only in the ongoing Ashes series Siddle has managed to dismiss him in single digits.

With still seven ashes test to come, Pietersen could well be Siddle bunny, if he isn’t already.