england battle to a glorious draw
yes, in an extraordinary turnaround our heroic test cricketers defied the pundits’ direst prognostications to salvage a magnificent draw in the first ashes test at cardiff.
after another series of dismal performances by the top order batsmen who should have dug-in and batted out the final day, defeat seemed only a formality: a matter of time.
but just when all seemed lost, step-in paul collingwood, never a favorite of mine but here displaying a dogged unwillingness to get out; an object lesson from which many of the ‘higher order’ batsmen could learn a thing or two.
in addition to his all-important occupation of the crease england’s number 4 amassed 74 invaluable runs before succumbing to an uncharacteristically rash shot.
his departure, surely the death-knell for the beleaguered englishmen brought to the crease renowned non-batsman monty ‘hit-it?-i’ll-be-lucky-to-see-it’ panesar.
but, stand by your beds! a star is born. to the amazement of onlookers, with only the minimum of assistance from number ten james anderson, our match-saving secret weapon poked and prodded his team to the glorious draw that nobody, even your esteemed correspondent had dared to hope for.
(kevin pietersen look and learn! sure you’re brilliant, no question but why are you so often just crap? pull your finger out.)
hooray. (refer to my previous post for this thursdays team selection: nobody can defy gravity indefinitely 