England can hope for a draw as storm halts play

By Ted Corbett

LEEDS, AUG. 19. Only 22 overs were possible before tea at Headingley on the fourth day of the fourth Test between England and Australia. Clouds like a Turner seascape stretched across the western frontiers of the city, three heavy showers stopped play and finally thunder rolled round the old ground as groundsmen whipped covers on and then off again; only to replace them a few minutes later.

In the midst of this cricket tainted by frustration Australia clamped its paws on the game as a leopard fastens its teeth on a windpipe. It began with 69 for one and by the third long pause it had added another 107 and lost three more wickets: 176 for four. I wondered if its target might be 265 so that it could set England 404 to win as Australia was famously set the highest winning total in this country in 1948.

I remember the horror of that day when, as a schoolboy I waited for the BBC radio summary at 6.15 expecting that while I had been about my lessons England might have bowled the Aussies out. In fact, having begun its chase at noon - 11.30 start in those days - it had all the runs with 15 minutes to spare. Of course it was given 114 overs in those five hours. Len Hutton, then a senior pro, fumed at slip and leg slip, while all those precious scoring opportunities were sent down and when he led England Down Under in 1954-55 he made sure that his bowlers were never so generous with time or runs.

Ricky Ponting led the attack in the first half hour which brought 33 runs and raced to 72, only 28 short of a second hundred in the Test, and made out of 129 by the 29th over. England bowled atrociously, feeding his hunger for the offside half volley and unable to bowl one side of the wicket for a full over.

After the first break Darren Gough, once again roared on by the home side, appealed twice in successive balls for lbw with Ponting pinned on the back foot. The first was a touch high but the second was right on target.

Ponting's match, in which he has compiled 216 runs, will make up for all the failures and enabled his admirers to repeat that he will captain Australia one day. Steve Waugh will be fit for the Oval Test, but he says he dare not even ask the physio Errol Alcott for a verdict. He must desperately want to play there one last time for his career cannot extend to another tour of England even if Don Bradman made his farewell trip aged 40.

By the way, I have spent the morning wishing I had the eyesight of one of my writing colleagues who said this morning that no-one needed a television replay to see that Nasser Hussain got his pad outside the line when he was given out lbw. So he has better eyesight from 80 yards than David Shepherd from 20 yards. I think not.

Matthew Hayden knew his duty and stuck to the script with 35 ground out over 32 overs and quiet too. If England had had a single batsman prepared to cut out strokes, forget about quick runs and stay put on Saturday, it would not have been all out for 309. Hayden went, caught at the wicket off Mullally at 141, but Mark Waugh was already into his stride and he made all but six of the 30 added in six overs with Damien Martyn, who is in form and no slouch at the worst of times.

As soon as Simon Katich arrived for his second Test innings the hardest storm of the day began and the vague hopes that England might sneak a draw grew as tea was taken and further inspections promised. Turner would still have recognised the signs of further bad weather.

All so different from 1948, a summer of perpetual sunshine if my childhood memories are correct.

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