Sport

England begins well on a rain-interrupted day

Ted Corbett

NOTTINGHAM: Australia's attack, weakened by an elbow injury to the great Glenn McGrath, let itself down badly at Trent Bridge on Thursday when it bowled 18 no-balls in the first 30 overs as England raced to 134 for one.

It was an indisciplined performance that underlined the way this team of World champion is disintegrating before our eyes. One of the no-balls bowled Marcus Trescothick and the side cannot be blamed for thinking the gods have forsaken it.

Once again we had chanting, cheering, upbeat fans; once again England pressed home its advantage against Australia whose strength lay only in past glories. Sadly, it never looked as if it could keep the title against ruthless England.

Rain intervenes

After torrents of rain the day before, the morning was cool and fine; county cricket weather, made for the medium pace seamer and the dour opening batsman. McGrath called off early so that Michael Kasprowicz and the new boy Shaun Tait went into a side which must have lost its ability to read if it was not aware it was not just the underdog but sure of defeat.

Vaughan added to its worries by winning the toss. Now England had to bat far into tomorrow and after half a dozen overs any doubts vanished.

Here was a slow pitch, the colour of mature straw, and a moderate attack. By lunch England had driven the lesson home with 129 for the loss of Andrew Strauss who had looked full of runs from the moment he took guard.

Slow start

Marcus Trescothick was slow to get off the mark; 21 balls to be precise but it cannot be said that he struggled.

The ball came easily to the bat, every bowler let go his own tally of no-balls and in 14 overs 53 had been scored. It is possible to sympathise with Tait, playing in a weakened side on his debut and nervous but Kasprowicz and Brett Lee have bowled enough overs in Tests to know where their feet ought to land.

Trescothick's knock

Once he was into his stride Trescothick fairly stormed to his fifty in 77 balls with half a dozen fours and a six. Strauss looked better and we fancied him to hurry to his second successive hundred when he was out controversially.

Shane Warne, 603 wickets to the good, came on at the pavilion end and, if anything, Strauss and Trescothick turned up the gas as Trescothick hit him for a six in his second over.

Their seventh century stand — remember they only formed a partnership 16 months ago when Vaughan dropped out with a freak injury in the nets before the Lord's Test against New Zealand — came in the 21st over but the following over Strauss tried to sweep Warne, a practice regretted by many down the years, the ball went by way of the bottom edge to his boot and so to Matthew Hayden at slip.

Steve Bucknor was unsighted and consulted Aleem Dar at square leg and when neither of them could come up with an answer they asked the third umpire to help.

Half a dozen television shots later we got the right decision; it was clear the ball never touched the ground.

Strauss may not have left the pitch happy but he knew justice had been served and that surely is what new technology should do.

Dominating

Vaughan came in and picked up where he left off in Manchester with a sharp square cut off Warne's first ball and 14 before lunch.

By that time Trescothick, as belligerent as ever, as determined to stretch for that third run, as tentative around his off stump was 61 and dominating the whole attack including the less than impressive young paceman Tait.

We have been led to believe in the last few days that Tait is the reincarnation of Lillee and Thompson, Lindwall and Miller, Gregory, MacDonald and Spofforth; raw, but hostile; deadly on his day. Well, maybe; but on this dizzy debut day he bowled erratically, wild and short and unable either to hit man nor stumps and rarely the right part of the pitch. "He's two years off," a wise voice told me this summer.

That looked right today long before the rains drew a veil over his difficult first Test.

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