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Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday November 25, 2006

Alex Brown

STEVE Harmison can't find the pitch, Matthew Hoggard can't find his swing and James Anderson can't find the ball, given that it keeps disappearing into the stands. And it would seem their top order isn't much better. That, in a nutshell, has been the problem with England this tour. And short of Tony Blair rushing through radical stem-cell legislation in the next few days, allowing England to clone the mercurial Andrew Flintoff, there seems no obvious solution to the tourists' bowling troubles, which stretched into a second day at the Gabba.

Australia finished their first innings in a commanding position at 9(dec)-602 - their fourth-highest total in Ashes matches played on home soil, and 215 runs more than their highest team total in the 2005 Ashes series - led again by Ricky Ponting and assisted by a spirited showing from the tail. In response, England fell to 3-53 by stumps, losing both openers in consecutive deliveries to Glenn McGrath while his NSW teammate Stuart Clark dismissed Paul Collingwood.

Ian Bell will resume today on 13 with Kevin Pietersen (6 not out).

McGrath's new-ball partner, Brett Lee, was accidentally cut by Michael Hussey's spikes in the outfield during the dismissal of Andrew Strauss, but was not thought to have been seriously injured.

Earlier, the Australian batsmen, though, were assisted by the English bowlers, most of whom were guilty of straying onto the pads far too often.

And then there was Harmison, who only wished that he could have got that close.

Harmison, in particular, is posing significant problems for Flintoff and coach Duncan Fletcher. After starting with a wide for the second consecutive day, the lanky right-armer showed minimal signs of improvement, and was fortunate to dismiss Shane Warne to a short, leg-side delivery which was gloved to Geraint Jones.

The English can ill afford for Harmison to play the role of passenger all tour; his pace and height considered vital to the tourists' chances in Australian conditions.

Bowling coach Kevin Shine now faces a difficult, but necessary, challenge of straightening out the enigmatic paceman before Australia's second innings or, should that not eventuate, the second Test.

Again, Flintoff was the only English bowler to pose a consistent threat to the Australian batsman, a remarkable achievement given that this is his first match after ankle surgery. Flintoff finished with innings-best figures of 4-99 from 30 overs, clean bowling Hussey and Stuart Clark, and received only fleeting support from Hoggard, who temporarily broke free of his swing-less malaise to remove Ponting and Adam Gilchrist lbw in the same over.

If Flintoff was England's major source of inspiration, his opposing captain, Ponting, was Australia's. Resuming his innings on 137, Ponting was not in the free-flowing form of the previous day, but nonetheless subjected the English to a morning of leather-chasing on a hot, steamy Brisbane day.

His innings took him beyond Javed Miandad and Graham Gooch to seventh on the all-time Test run-scorers list, and with a further 61 in the second innings, Ponting would move beyond India's modern marvel, Rahul Dravid, to sixth place. Ponting was eventually adjudged leg-before by umpire Steve Bucknor, an agonising four runs short of a double-century, and showed his frustration by not acknowledging the crowd's standing ovation as he left the playing arena.

"I'm not sure if that's the best innings I've ever played," Ponting said. "I was battling a bit more today. There was just enough happening out there and, on that wicket, our bowlers could do a good job with the cracks opening up and it getting a bit up and down.

"England definitely bowled better today and made you work harder for your runs. They were a bit all over the shop yesterday.

"When you get that close to a double hundred and miss out, it's disappointing. I got out to the way I knew he was trying to get me out as well."

Ponting combined with Hussey for a ground record fourth-wicket partnership of 209. That stand was broken when Hussey, after a masterful 86 in his debut Ashes Test, was deceived by a Flintoff delivery that jagged back and bowled him between bat and pad.In more promising news for the Australians, Michael Clarke returned to the Test fold with a crisp half-century, having been called into the starting XI as an 11th-hour replacement for the injured Shane Watson.

In the end, though, Clarke gave the selectors only a slight headache when he was in a position to give them a migraine, edging a wide Anderson delivery right on the tea break.

© 2006 Sydney Morning Herald

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