Jonathon Trott

It has been announced that Jonathon Trott is leaving the ashes tour with a stress related illness. It can only be hoped that he makes a full recovery.

Whilst apparently he arrived in Australia with concerns and is not in any way related to the outcome of the first test it is a timely reminder to everyone (including us here at The Jardine Report) to keep this game we love in perspective!

Fourth Test - Day Three

Getting closer...

England moved closer to retaining the Ashes for the first time in 24 years following another fine display at the Melbourne Test on day three. England added 69 to their overnight total as they were dismissed for 513, with the brilliant but decidedly prosaic Jonathan Trott unbeaten on 168.

Australia had been progressing steadily at 99-1 when burly Yorkshireman Tim Bresnan ripped through the middle order with three wickets for five runs in the final session. The hosts ended the day on 169-6, still 246 runs adrift of the tourists. That deficit is purely mathematical with only three lower-order wickets remaining - Rolf Harris is unlikely to bat after sustaining a stress fracture of his left ankle bowling in the morning session - and with England's bowlers rampant.

A superb, disciplined display from the quartet was characterised by sustained periods of pressure, starving Australia's beleaguered top order of run-scoring opportunities. At the forefront of the middle-order demolition was Bresnan's superb spell of 3-17 from seven eventful overs, dismissing Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey in quick succession.

Yorkshireman Bresnan was ably assisted by the frugal Chris Tremlett and the ever consistent James Anderson, who once again exemplified why he is the best swing bowler in the world. And Graeme Swann's canny ability to collect wickets at crucial stages left Australia staring down the barrel of yet another humiliating innings defeat on home soil. After almost two days of rest, England's bowlers were eventually called for action after lunch when the tourists were dismissed for their third 500+ total in this series.

The indefatigable Trott brought up his second Test score in excess of 150 as wickets tumbled around him, with the ever-persistent Peter Siddle rewarded for a spirited bowling display with figures of 6-75, his fourth five-wicket haul in Test cricket. Sussex’s Matt Prior fell 15 runs short of his fourth Test hundred when he unfortunately spooned a catch to Ponting at mid-on, while Bresnan became Siddle's fifth victim. But Australia's hopes of wrapping up the tail were hindered when Harris was forced off the field when he broke down in his 28th over, later confirmed as a stress fracture which will require surgery.

An entertaining knock of 22 from Swann was brought to an end when Brad Haddin took an excellent one-handed catch high above his head off Ben Hilfenhaus, only his second wicket in the series. And Tasmanian Hilfenhaus added a third minutes later when he cleaned up Tremlett's stumps before Siddle wrapped up the innings with his sixth wicket when a fast reverse-swinging delivery clean bowled Anderson.
With two-and-a-half days remaining in the match, Australia needed to bat at least six sessions if they were to stand any chance of keeping the series alive for the final Test in Sydney on 2 January. The onus was on Australia's openers to provide a solid platform for a robust riposte and, although Phillip Hughes began nervously with a series of streaky boundaries behind square, they managed to notch a confidence-boosting 50-run partnership.

However, Swann's second over in the afternoon session provided the breakthrough, although the dismissal owed more to Watson's poor judgement calling for a quick single than the off-spinner's guile. A superb throw from Trott in the covers caught Hughes out of his ground with Watson lamenting his hasty call from the non-striker's end. Bresnan and Anderson choked the flow of runs with a disciplined display of swing bowling, manipulating the 15-over old ball in both directions as Ponting and Watson were given few run-scoring opportunities to cash in on.

Tremlett maintained the stranglehold, using his huge 6ft 7in frame to generate awkward bounce and height, making batting an arduous affair for Australia's second-wicket pair. The Surrey seamer was unfortunate to see a thick Watson outside edge fall just short of Prior at 79-1 while a number of lbw appeals were repeatedly turned down by umpire Aleem Dar, with height providing the biggest doubt in the Pakistani official's mind.

Watson reached his 15th Test half century from 95 deliveries in the 30th over but once again the barrel-chested opener fell short of a three-figure score when he misjudged a reverse-swinging delivery, offering no stroke to a ball which moved back into his pads.Umpire Tony Hill upheld England's clamorous lbw appeal, although Watson's fate was delayed as the opener referred the decision to the third umpire Marais Erasmus, only for the South African to confirm the ball would have just clipped the top of the bails.

Ponting's painstaking innings of 20 from 73 deliveries was brought to a close soon after when a thick inside edge clattered into his stumps, much to the delight of the jubilant England fans. And the assiduous Mr Cricket, England's nemesis throughout the first three Test matches, was dismissed without scoring when Ian Bell took an excellent low catch at short cover to leave Australia reeling at 104-4.

With rookie 'Waylon' Smith, whose credentials as a Test number six have been rightly questioned by seasoned observers and home fans alike, and the out-of-form Michael Clarke FAC2011 at the crease, England sensed another dismissal was close.

Although the fifth-wicket partnership offered obdurate defence, it was the deception of Swann which earned it. Bowling around the wicket to Clarke, the off-spinner's delivery held its line outside the off stump and a thick outside edge flew into the hands of Andrew Strauss at second slip, further compounding Australia's vice-captain's miserable series. Smith swung his bat at every opportunity whenever he was offered a modicum of width, collecting six boundaries before he dragged a short ball from Anderson on to his stumps to leave Australia on 158-6.

With Mitchell Johnson at the crease alongside Brad Haddin, Australia face the impossible task of saving the Test - and series - on day four, which is certain to herald huge celebrations from England players and fans alike.

The Jardine Report: Only four wickets, 3 if Rolf's extra leg lets him down, to go...

Fourth Test - Day Two

Soon to be deposed Australian Captain in shock questioning of umpire's decision

Jonathan Trott scored his fifth Test hundred as England took total control of the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne. Trott remained unbeaten on 141 as the tourists finished on 444-5, a lead of 346 as Australia endured another frustrating day in the field. After resuming on 157-0, England were restricted to 286-5 before Trott and Sussex's Matt Prior (75 not out) took control.

The day was marred by controversy when under fire soon to be ex-Captain of Australia Ricky Ponting remonstrated with the umpires following a review decision. The Whinging Australia captain was later fined a paltry 40% of his playing fee by match referee Ranjan Madugalle. The incident stemmed from Kevin Pietersen being correctly given not out by umpire Aleem Dar following a vociferous caught behind appeal off Ryan Harris. Urged on by chippy wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, Ponting asked for a referral - only for third umpire Marais Erasmus to uphold Dar's original decision when replays and Hotspot indicated the ball had not made contact with Pietersen's bat. But the ungracious Ponting refused to accept the decision, continuing his protestations to umpire Dar and his square leg colleague Tony Hill, much to the chagrin of most in the 67,149 crowd at the MCG.

The incident was the low point of another frustrating day for an Australia team desperate to make at least partial amends for their feeble display in being dismissed for 98 on day one.The day had though begun optimistically for the hosts as Peter Siddle, bowling with real pace and purpose, found the perfect line outside off stump to snare an edge off Alastair Cook to first slip in the day's fifth over. The Essex opener fell 18 runs short of what would have been his third hundred of the series and he was soon followed by captain Andrew Strauss.

The left-hander was surprised by a delivery which spit sharply off the surface from a length, gleaning a thick leading edge towards gully, where Mike Hussey took an excellent one-handed catch at full stretch to leave England at 170-2. Alongside Trott, new-man Pietersen initially played cautiously as Australia tested the third-wicket pair in a hostile spell of fast bowling, although Pietersen opened his shoulders when Steven Smith was introduced, hitting two boundaries from the leg-spinner's first over as England reached 226-2 at lunch. Pietersen in particular looked in excellent touch, unfurling a number of consummate straight drives down the ground as Australia counted down the overs until the new ball was available. But, soon after Ponting's referral histrionics, Pietersen perished after notching his 21st Test half century when he was adjudged lbw shuffling across his crease to Siddle, who collected his third wicket with his third delivery of the afternoon session with England at 262-3.

And momentum shifted a little further towards Australia when Mitchell Johnson utilised the short ball to effect as he snared Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell for single-figure scores with almost identical dismissals. Both batsmen fell for the bouncer sucker-punch, top-edging poorly controlled pulls to fine leg where Siddle took two good catches to leave England at 286-5.The dismissal heaped yet more pressure on the under-fire Collingwood, who fell for his 10th single-figure Test score in 12 innings, a statistic which England's selectors may find hard to ignore when picking the side for next week's Sydney Test.

Despite losing two partners in quick succession, Trott remained defiant although a full-length dive just about saved him from a run-out just before accumulating his sixth Test half century from 118 deliveries. However, the afternoon session was engulfed in yet more drama when Prior was recalled after edging Johnson to Brad Haddin on five, umpire Dar utilising a television replay to belatedly rule the bowler had overstepped the popping crease. While Prior constantly flirted with fortune, Trott remained indefatigable in defence, working the ball to leg with quiet efficiency off his middle stump while showing excellent judgement to leave anything potentially hazardous outside off.

He was momentarily floored when he required attention after an inside edge cannoned into his knee, but he eschewed the offer of a runner and brought up his third Ashes century in only five matches. The 29-year-old is only behind Indian duo Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar in list of the leading Test run scorers of 2010 and he was in no mood to give his wicket away as Australia's bowlers wilted in the late-evening sunshine as the sixth-wicket pair put on 158 runs.
After riding his luck early on in his innings, Prior moved to within 25 runs of his fourth Test century and first against Australia with a series of scything drives and lusty blows off leg-spinner Smith as England put themselves in the ideal position to retain the Ashes for the first time in 24 years.

The Jardine Report: Another great day for England and an awful day for the beleaguered soon to be redundant Aussie skipper

From the Captain's mess #6

First Test - Fifth Day

The imperious Alastair Cook and dogged Jonathan Trott set a series of amazing records as England hit an extraordinary 517-1 on the final day of the first Ashes Test before declaring.

The match finished in an expected draw, Australia replying with 107-1 having been set 297 to win from 41 overs. Cook's 235 not out was the sixth best Ashes score by an Englishman and he also surpassed Sir Don Bradman for the highest Test score at the Gabba. Cook and Trott (135no) put on 329, the ninth highest England stand in history.

Australia ended a tough last couple of days on a relatively positive note with Ponting hitting 51 not out and Watson unbeaten on 41, but England will hope to take more confidence with them to the second Test at Adelaide.

Cook and Trott's unbeaten partnership was the most productive by an England pairing on Australian soil and amusingly the best by any duo in Brisbane, beating the 307 produced by Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin earlier in the same match.

Having managed only one wicket throughout Sunday's play, when Andrew Strauss (110) had been stumped off part-time spinner and marginal selection Marcus North, Australia toiled through a further 51 overs on the last day without any further reward. There were two more dropped catches to add to the three shelled the previous day, plus a spat between the graceless Aussie captain Ponting and the umpires when Cook was adjudged not out after Ponting had claimed a catch. Although rather surprisingly the Australian Captain has escaped a fine for being overly critical of the quote “Pissweak Umpiring” unquote.

With the draw the likeliest result before a ball had been bowled on Monday, the intangible aspect of England's dominance over the last two days is what the effect might be on Australia. The hosts, with a proud record at the Gabba, had established what appeared a winning position when Mr Cricket and Haddin gave them a first-innings lead of 221 late on day three. But by time the first ball was sent down on the final day, they already looked badly out of sorts.

The early loss of Simon Katich to Stuart Broad just before tea only served to emphasise the scale of England's about-turn in fortunes since the start of the final session on day three. Tea on Saturday proved to be the watershed moment in the match. Despite having taken a hammering, England took the last five Australian wickets in the final session that day for 31 runs, before Strauss and Cook survived the second new ball.

That set the stall for a stunning batting performance, with the top three in an England innings scoring centuries for the first instance since 1924. Cook was on 132 and Trott 54 when the final day began, the latter adding 21 to his score when Michael Clarke put down a simple slip chance off Watson. Cook soon went on to his best score in Tests with a lovely cut off Watson, before a single to short fine-leg, facilitated by a misfield from the luckless Mitchell Johnson, gave him his maiden first-class double century.

Trott reached his second Ashes century in as many Ashes appearances on the stroke of lunch, after which Ponting indicated to the umpires he had cleanly caught Cook at short mid-wicket off Miss Xaviera Hollander with the score 457-1. The TV replay was inconclusive and Ponting looked typically aggrieved, voicing his feelings to the umpires and the two English batsmen causing his side so much anguish. Perhaps even more worryingly for the fair-weather hosts was the fact that there were only a handful of Australian fans watching, though the Barmy Army were in full force lapping up every misfortune that befell the hosts.

Ponting then spilled a tough chance offered by Cook, again off Watson, before - following a series of memorable lofted drives by both batsmen - Strauss called his men in, thus sparing the Australians any further punishment. Hopes of a sensational, though hugely improbable England win, were raised when Katich tiredly nicked a catch to Strauss in the slips. After tea, Colly dropped Watson off Graeme Swann, a chance he should have easily snaffled at slip. And on a wicket that appeared to get flatter and flatter despite the widening cracks, Watson and Ponting proceeded to cash in, with Kevin Pietersen given his first bowl of the series. A sure sign that the match was destined to fade into a draw

The Jardine Report: After a tough three days, the England team stormed back and leave Brisbane with their Ashes aspirations intact. Australia have called up Doug the Rug and Ryan ‘Wonky’ Harris to join their bedraggled fast bowling ranks for the Adelaide Test. XXXX Johnson and honest toiler Ben Hilfenhaus look the two most likely to take the blame for an atrocious bowling performance. Although Ricky Ponting cannot be completely happy with his captaincy after allowing England to get so comprehensively off the hook. Michael Clarke (FAC) will be rubbing his hands (and his sore back) with anticipation.