England complete Aussie demolition job

England completely outplayed Australia to batter them by 347 runs in 4 days.  As someone who grew up watching England in the dark old days of the mid to late 90s, the nature of this Test win was all the sweeter.

I grew up listening to commentators, coaches and captains just wanting England to "compete".  No real expectation of victory, just to compete with Australia and that would be a job well done.  That was all we could realistically expect.  It has gone full circle, as this time the calls were for the Aussies to show a bit of grit, to compete, to put up a fight. 

But how do you compete when you collapse in such spectacular style to 128 all out in your first innings? Once the first wicket fell for 42 runs, the rest of the Australian order folded like a pack of cards to rack up a first innings deficit of 233 runs.

Tellingly, England were 28 for 3 in the first innings and posted 361 runs.  Second time round they were 30 for 3 and went on to declare on 349 for 7.  That demonstrates just how wide the gulf is between the top order batsmen of the two sides, and the depth that England possess.

Ian Bell seems to have the knack of being overshadowed when he scores a century.   In the last Test, the saga of whether Stuart Broad should have walked overshadowed Bell's century.  In this match despite a century in the first innings and 74 runs in the second, Joe Root will be taking all the headlines.  Nevertheless, England will be more than pleased with the Warwickshireman's contribution so far in this Ashes series.

Just as a few murmurs were brewing questioning if 22 year old Root is the right man to open for England, he answers his critics with a sublime 180 runs at the Home of Cricket.  In doing so, he became the youngest Englishman to score an Ashes 100 at Lord's.  The baby-faced opener played with great composure and kept a very calm temperament.  Root didn't let the situation get the better of him as he dug in for almost eight hours to rescue England from a potentially precarious situation.  

The only chance Root offered was when he on 8. An edge neatly dissected Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin as neither moved for the catch.  How they will be rueing that opportunity!  Root took on every bowler and caressed the ball throughout his innings.  Joe Root definitely has what it takes to be an opener for England for many years to come.

Just in case, Root's efforts with the bat weren't sufficient, he picked up two vital wickets bowling his off-spin.  Clarke and Usman Khawaja had shown some character batting second time round, with both players scoring half centuries.  However, the Yorkshireman dismissed them both in consecutive overs to soon put Australia back in their place.

When England set Australia an incredulous 582 runs to win the match, it was a declaration Steve Waugh would have been proud of.  Again as a youngster, I saw Waugh captain Australia for many years and run England ragged in the field until there was no more left in the tank.  The door was always slammed shut on England, never left ajar to find a way back into a match.  Mental disintegration was what Waugh was all about.  Grind the opposition down; and that's exactly what England did.  

The inexperience and lack of control of Ashton Agar and Steve Smith meant they could not hold an end down.  This resulted in the pace attack bowling longer and more frequent spells than desired by Australia as England built up their mammoth target.

Compare that to Graeme Swann who took 9 for 122 the match.  Swann is a world class bowler and his consistency with the ball is a real weapon for Alistair Cook - especially on a surface like Lord's which had craters on day 4.  This meant not only was Swann a wicket taking threat, but the pacemen could also be rotated to be used efficiently.

The only disappointment for England will be the left calf strain Kevin Pietersen picked up. There is a chance that he might miss the Third Test that starts in 10 days; which would be an interesting dilemma for the England selectors.  

However, seeing England dominate and boss this game the way they did will be what is at the forefront of everyone's minds.  England have now won four consecutive Ashes matches, can they make it five at Old Trafford?  If Australia's batsmen fail to deliver again, it will be five.

England hold their nerve to clinch first Ashes Test

Who needs to go to a theme park to get their thrills when this first Ashes Test had everything a roller-coaster could offer? Highs, lows, a quick double loop as we waited for the third umpire's decision. This Test had it all.

Ashes cricket is all about who handles that pressure cooker atmosphere the best.  Who keeps calm when the temperature is reaching boiling point.  Who stands up when everyone else is falling to the wayside.

Today that man was Jimmy Anderson.  At the start of the day Australia needed a further 137 runs, or England needed to take 4 wickets to win the Test.  Anderson bowled a Herculean spell of 13 overs unchanged.  Anderson's persistent probing and searching for the edge resulted in 3 for 29.  All the wickets were b Anderson c Cook.  

Bowling such a lengthy spell takes great effort.  Anderson was like the Duracell bunny.  He just kept going and going.  Eventually Anderson's body gave in to cramp and he briefly left the field. The  job was still unfinished at lunch.  Australia now needed 20 runs, or England that one, so far elusive, wicket.  

Anderson recharged his batteries during the interval and was once again roaring in at Brad Haddin and James Patterson.  In his second over after lunch, Anderson put an end to Haddin's dogged resistance as he edged behind to Matt Prior.  Third umpire Marias Erasmus was required to confirm the edge, and he ruled in England's favour.

As the England team saw confirmation of the final wicket on the big screen, Anderson led the way to celebrate, just as he had led the bowling attack.  Anderson finished with 10 wickets for 158 runs in the match, with 5 wickets in each innings.  That was an outstanding return on this slow, dry Trent Bridge wicket.  In addition, Anderson was constantly offering support to his fellow pacemen, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn.

At the start of the series, Anderson was England's joint 3rd leading test wicket taker with 307 wickets, same as Fred Trueman.  Now Anderson is 8 wickets behind Bob Willis, then only the great Sir Ian Botham is front of him with 383 wickets.

Aged 30, providing Anderson stays fit, there is no reason why he will not end his career as England's leading test wicket taker of all time.  What a long way he has come from being the lad from Burnley with dyed hair.

Spare a thought for Haddin who in scoring a determined 71 runs took Australia to the brink of victory.  Haddin batted like a tenacious boxer; a jab and blow here, a solid defensive shot there.  This is one man who knows how to fight.  There was a feel of Edgbaston 2005 about today.  That iconic image of Brett Lee being consoled by Andrew Flintoff when Australia fell 2 runs short, was not re-created to the same extent today.  But Anderson did have a prolonged handshake with Haddin and some words of consolation.

This series is not going to be the one sided affair that some predicted.  As the Aussies showed today, they aren't going to go down without a fight.  The roller-coaster ride begins again on Thursday at Lord's.  Make sure you are strapped in as it could be a bumpy ride.

Foxes on fire as they defeat the Outlaws

Leicestershire Foxes served up a brilliant team performance to beat the mighty Nottinghamshire Outlaws by 7 wickets.  Until now, the Outlaws were undefeated in the T20 campaign and had only lost once in the YB40 this year.  So something special was going to be needed to even considering beating them; and last night certainly was special as Graceland became dreamland.  A crowd of over 3,000 people witnessed a performance that brought back memories of that successful T20 campaign of 2011.  

Youngster Shiv Thakor took a great low running catch to dismiss Michael Lumb.  Thakor then went on bowl a spell that had immense control and a maturity well beyond his 19 years. Coming on to bowl the last 4 overs of the innings, Thakor took 3-30 and helped contain Notts to 158 for 6 from their 20 overs.

Tight bowling from Leicestershire's captain Josh Cobb and overseas player Shakib Al Hasan also helped Leicestershire's cause.  Just as Thakor showed control and maturity with the ball, Cobb demonstrated the same with the bat.  Cobb took the responsibility of playing the anchor role and went on to make 67 not out from 52 balls and batted through the entire innings.

In previous matches, Leicestershire have been guilty of wanting to whack very ball out of the ground and becoming unstuck.  But Cobb mixed his 7 fours and a six with an array of delicate shots and picking up singles.  Cobb's anchor role allowed Al Hasan to tee off.  The BPL Dhaka Gladiators teammates put on unbeaten partnership of 67 from 43 balls.  

Al Hasan's 43 not out from 21 balls was his first real success for the Foxes with the bat.  The highlight being 2 consecutive sixes from the last 2 balls of a Graham White over.  Al Hasan's 43 included 3 fours and 3 sixes.  Cobb and Al Hasan's different batting styles made it a very dangerous and productive combination for Leicestershire.

Just as the sun was shining on Grace Road, lady luck was also shining on Leicestershire as some very average fielding by Nottinghamshire saw them drop at least 3 catches.  

Cobb hammered the ball for a boundary in the 18th over to bring up the victory.  Hopefully, the nature of the win and the support of the crowd will boost Leicestershire.  They have a foot on the first rung of the ladder of success.  Let's hope the rest of the T20 campaign sees Leicestershire climb that ladder.

The only disappointment for Leicestershire was that Jigar Naik suffered a dislocated shoulder whilst fielding off his own bowling.  This is will a real blow to Leicestershire.  After Naik missed most of last season with an ankle injury, this will be a bitter pill to swallow for the spinner.  However, Naik has come back so strongly this season after his last injury, I have every confidence he will come back even stronger after this latest setback.

Ashes Prediction

It is the eve of the Ashes and as the temperature soars outside, Ashes fever soars across the country.  On the back of an incredibly successful weekend for British sport that saw an Ashes victory in the rugby, and Andy Murray ending a 77 year wait for a male Wimbledon winner, a nation expects.

Previously, we might have dared to whisper that we're in with a shout to win the Ashes.  Such has been the contrasting forms of the the teams over the years that we're now shouting it from the roof tops that we can beat the Aussies.  Sir Ian Botham is making a 10-0 prediction over the home and away legs.

Whilst I believe England win will the Ashes, I think the series will be closer than many initially thought.  Since Darren Lehmann's appointment as coach a fortnight ago, Australia have gone from strength to strength.  "Boof" is a determined character, like a dog with a bone. He just doesn't know when to give up - and that will be what he is trying to instil to the Aussies.

However, in Andy Flower England have a coach that knows what it takes to win the Ashes.  Having helped England to a victory in the 2009 home series, Flower ended 24 years of hurt by orchestrating an amazing away Ashes series win in 2011 too.

The Zimbabwean won't be affected by the hype and the unusual tag of "Ashes favourites". Flower's thorough and methodical work ethic will ensure the England team also keep their feet firmly on the ground.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is more overcast then of late.  An ideal start would be for Alistair Cook to win the toss at Trent Bridge and for Jimmy Anderson to exploit the conditions to get some early wickets.

My prediction is 3-1 to England with a victory at Trent Bridge to get England on the journey to retaining the Ashes.  What a glorious summer of sport this could turn out to be.