:P @ Marc.
5TH Test @ the SCG
Australia XI
M Hayden
M Slater
R Ponting
D Lehmann
D Martyn
S Waugh *
A Gilchrist +
B Lee
S Warne
J Gillespie
G McGrath
12th man: Michael Clarke
No reason to make any changes to a winning side.
England XI: M Atherton, M Ramprakash, G Thorpe, G Hick, M Ripley, N Hussain, A Giles, S Guy, D Cork, D Gough, A Caddick.
Toss: Australia (bat)
Conditions: Very poor for seamers but help for the spinners in very sunny conditions.
Day 1
Australia 1st innings 198/5 (98 overs)
(S Waugh 40 not out, D Martyn 38, R Ponting 37, A Gilchrist 32 not out)
(D Gough 2/30, D Cork 2/37)
Needless to say, things didn't go according to plan as England had their first really good day of the series. The frustrated the batsmen and Hayden, Ponting etc. got out to attacking shots. Indeed, if not for the current 70-run partnership between Gilchrist and Waugh... yikes!
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Day 2
Australia 1st innings 273 ao (139.4 overs)
(S Waugh 74, D Martyn 38, R Ponting 37, A Gilchrist 35)
(A Giles 4/105, D Gough 2/42, A Caddick 2/50, D Cork 2/61)
England 1st innings 123/2 (51 overs)
(M Ramprakash 60 not out, M Atherton 39)
(J Gillespie 2/27)
Gilchrist was out early, but Waugh played a captain's knock and was dismissed in attempted acceleration. The early bowling was horrible, with not one ball beating the bat until Gillespie returned with 15 overs to go and bowled a superb spell of 8 over to claim two wickets.
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Day 3
England 1st innings 406/5 (147 overs)
(G Hick 156 not out, M Ramprakash 117, A Giles 45 not out, M Atherton 39)
(J Gillespie 3/100)
Poor bowling all day long and good batting. Warne in particular has been very ineffective. A long day ahead tomorrow... already down by 133 runs...
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Day 4
England 1st innings 455 ao (163.3 overs)
(G Hick 157, M Ramprakash 117, A Giles 53, M Atherton 39)
(J Gillespie 6/109)
Australia 2nd innings 174/3 (77 overs)
(M Slater 71, R Ponting 48, D Lehmann 43 not out)
(D Gough 2/39, G Hick 1/1)
Lehmann had Hick stumped in the second over of the day, then Gillespie did the rest as we fought back into the game - slightly. That changes greatly when Hayden was bowled first up by Gough, around the wicket. Ponting and Slater added 96 before Ponting lofted a drive to long off. Slater was caught at slip off Hick with just 30 minutes to go.
8 runs behind still...
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Day 5
Australia 2nd innings 299 ao (139.4 overs)
(M Slater 71, D Lehmann 64, R Ponting 48, D Martyn 43)
(A Giles 4/91, G Hick 2/6, D Gough 2/68)
Batted through most of the first session, but Lehmann, Martyn and Waugh were all dismissed with the last 30 minutes before lunch. Most upsetting was that Steve Waugh skied Hick to Cork on the long leg boundary just 2 overs before lunch.
England 2nd innings (118 to win) 117/5 (33 overs)
(G Hick 26 not out, M Ripley 26, J Crawley/M Atherton 17)
(B Lee 3/14)
Wickets at regular intervals left Giles to come to the crease with 3 balls left and 4 runs to get. Waugh set a field with all the defensive fielders on the edge of the circle, with Ponting and Martyn at backward point and cover point respectively. Warne then bowled 3 flat deliveries wide of offstump and the batsmen could only hussle 3 singles.
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Result: Match Drawn (3-0 Aus)
Man of the Match: G Hick
Man of the Series: McGrath (with consistency of 25 wickets)