My picks of the fourth day:
Kevin Pietersen struck late on to lift the spirits and hope of victory for England on the last day of the second Test at the Adelaide Oval. Graeme Swann took two wickets on the day, threatening to break through and down the Aussies most. But many close calls were not close enough and Australia ended the day on 238-4, 137 behind, hoping for more rain to disrupt most of the last day as it did this evening.
Run of play: Advantage to...
1st session, England dec 620-5, 375 ahead, Australia 78-0, 277 behind at lunch: England make the controversial decision to continue batting the first overs of the day, it pays off, they add 69 off 9 overs, that's nearly 8 runs an over (!) but fail to take advantage with the ball, no early wickets this time round.
2nd session, Australia 160-3, 215 behind at tea: England make the breakthrough, Swann making Australia wabble. Everyone can smell Aussie blood, rain the only thing that can save them and wash it away.
3rd session, Australia 238-4, 137 behind at the end of day four: Michael Clarke looked he was going to take Australia safely to the end of the day, before he gave his wicket away with the last ball. Australia will be keeping on the rain dance tonight, that's for sure, all eyes are on England bowlers whether they can wipe the hosts out, whatever the weather.
Parternships: The opening partnership of 84 between Shane Watson and Simon Katich frustrated England as they were hoping to break and shake up Australia in similar fashion to the first innings. They did break eventually and then had a little shake up and shiver thanks to Swann taking out Katich for 43 caught behind by Matt Prior and Ricky Ponting soon after caught by Paul Collingwood for only 9, but 104 between Clarke and Mike Hussey (44) settled the hosts in again. But, just when you thought they were set to stand, they fell again, KP making the breakthrough with the last ball of the day, starring not only with the bat but with the ball now too, getting Clarke out for 80, breaking the biggest partneship of the innings so far.
Bowling: Swann was Australia's main thorn in the eye throughout the day, bowling 34 overs in total. Although he only got the two wickets on the day as mentioned above, he could have had four or six the way he was going. He was so close again and again, shaving and scaring the Aussie batsmen again and again, but was not close enough and England will need to hope the rain will not spoil the show for them on the last day.
Ups: As mentioned, Swann mocked Australia in the second session, only 82 runs from it, England so close to taking over and winning the game.
Downs: The weather again. Australia will be dancing the rain dance throughout the night as I cannot see anything else, any of their batsmen that has the stamina to take them through to a draw.
Hero to zero: Clarke out for 80, not able to make a ton of a good start yet again. He is the tip of the iceberg as far as Australia are concerned. Just when you think he could be the one to stay put and save the hosts, he falls. That's general tone of the music as far as the Australian batsmen are concerned so far in this match.
Australia v England second Test day four as it happened
1st session:
- England opt to resume batting on day four, they are 551-4, 306 ahead, Pietersen and Bell on a 99 off 152 partnership, 98 overs to be bowled today due to the rain disruption yesterday.
- Bollinger kicks off the day v Pietersen, who is on 213 off 296, 0 4 2 0 1, Bell faces the last ball of the over on 41 off 76, 0 from it, England 558-4 at the end of that over, 106 partnership off 158 balls, 313 ahead.
- Pietersen v Peter Siddle on the cathedral end, 1 1 1 0 0 0, 561-4 after the second over of the day, 145 overs in total.
- KP distracted by Shane Warne's burger (ad) face in the background, withdraws from the first delivery, controversial move, Bollinger's not amused, 3 from the over, Eng 564-4.
- Xavier Doherty on for Siddle, v KP, who scores a boundary off the first ball to get to his career best Test score - and is out the next delivery, caught at slip by Katich after a slight turn, 227 off 308, Eng 568-5, 323 ahead. Prior's in, off the mark with 3 runs off the second ball he faces, Bell smacking in a six off the last ball, England 577-5 at the end of that over, 332 ahead, Bell on 49.
- Siddle's changed ends now, produces a yorker, full and straight lbw shout, Prior sends it to the third umpire, not looking too confident though after being hit full on on the foot... Decision overturned as the virtual eye shows the ball would have gone on wide. Good call there after all by Prior. Single off the last ball, England end the over 578-5, 333 lead.
- Half century for Bell, his 25th. Next delivery, Prior has another lucky escape, smacking the ball up, Ponting and Siddle both go for it and it drops right between them, mis-communication or more like no communication between the two. England 589-5 after that Doherty over.
- Siddle continues at the other end. 596-5 after Bell smacks the last ball for four, he's on the charge.
- Doherty v Prior, 2 1 2 2 3 4, 14 off the over! It's second time since WWII that England have scored over 600 against Australia, Bell passes his 4000 mark in career runs. Eng 610-5, 42 off 28 partnership between Bell and Prior, England are bashing it in.
- 52 partnership off 34 balls, 10 off the over, England 620-5 off 152 overs, their highest score against Australia since 1937. It gives the guests a lead of 375 runs, Andrew Strauss calls his men in and declares, Bell finishing on 68 off 97 and Prior on 27 off 21. 9 overs bowled so far today, 69 scored from them, that's 7.67 per over and only 1 wicket.
- England huddling on the field looking for a similar start as in the first innings, Australia's openers coming on, hoping for more rain (forecasted for later today and tomorrow btw).
- James Anderon starts v Shane Watson, with three slips and two gullies waiting and preying, edge on third delivery goes through the gap for the first boundary of the innings. A leg slip and a short mid-wicket for an injured Simon Katich, he gets a single and Watson finished the over with another boundary. 0 0 4 1 1 4, Australia 10-1 after the first over.
- Katich v Stuart Broad at the other end, positive shot for a single, good early signs for the Aussies. Katich and Watson aiming and scoring through the gap between slip and gully. 1 0 2 0 4 0, Aus 17-0 after 2 overs.
- Good maiden over by Anderson v Katich, there is movement on that pitch and this over showed it, Katich leaving a close one, Aus still 17-0 after 3 overs.
- Good line and maiden by Broad too, Aus 17-0 after 4 overs.
- 4 0 0 0 4 4, 12 off the 5th over, cool shots by Katich who ends the over on 15, Watson on 14, Aus 29-0.
- 1 0 0 0 0 0, Broad changes angle by coming around the wicket v Katich, some sweet deliveries, Aus 30-0 after 6 overs.
- 0 0 0 4 0 0, a firm drive by Watson v Anderson gives Australia another boundary and makes it 34 off 7 overs for the hosts.
- 0 0 0 1 0 0, top edge by Katich v Broad lands safely nowhere near any fielders, get a single from it, Aus 35-0 after 8 overs.
- Anderson going around the wicket v Katich and is sliced away for four. Australia showing the right attitude with a high run rate, 0 4 0 1 4 0 this over, 44-0 after 9.
- And Graeme Swann is on for Broad in the 10th over, good and right move by Strauss after Australia have been whacking in nearly 5 runs per over. Katich faces the spinner first, 1b after the ball bounced off the wicketkeeper's pad, Watson now against the spin 0 0 0 0 0, nice and full first over by Swann, Aus 45-0 after 10 overs, Watson on 24, Katich on 20.
- Broad swaps ends and takes over the other end from Anderson, v Katich, 0 0 1 0 0 0, Aus 46-0 after 11 overs.
- 0 0 2 0 1 1, Aus 50-0 after 12 overs, Watson contributing 25 off 36, Katich 24 off 36, the last shot a close catch-call for Cook. Drinks break.
- Broad v Watson, a maiden over with a little lbw shout but it was outside the line and very far forward, so, not even worth a review, Aus 50-0 after 13 overs.
- Swann v Katich, 0 0 1 0 0 0, Aus 51-0 after 14 overs.
- Just a single off the last ball of the over, Katich hobbling across, feeling the close shaves against Broad, Aus 52-0 after 15 overs.
- Three/four close calls and escapes for Australia: One through Bell's legs at silly point, one wazzes past Strauss, just, for Anderson to throw it back quickly for a chance of a run out and last but not least Bell shouts and tumbles back and over for a catch - but all not quite there in the end. Aus 55-0 after 16 overs, Swann tickling the Aussies.
- Another maiden by Broad, 55-0 after 17 overs.
- Good over by Swann, England jumping and shouting for everything, lbw, catch, anything. You feel it is, or something is, just around the corner... Aus 56-0 after 18 overs.
- Steve Finn's on for Broad, boundary off the last ball by Watson, his patience paying off, Aus 60-0 after 19 overs.
- Maiden by Swann, a little lbw shout nothing more, the sillies and the gullies paying off and covering well.
- Australia 78-0 at lunch, England so close.
2nd session:
- Swann gets the breakthrough soon after lunch in his 11th over having Katich's little nick caught behind, he's out for 43.
- Ponting on, off the mark with a boundary from the 13th delivery he faces.
- Ponting is caught and out for 9 a couple of deliveries later, by Paul Colling wood at slip, another one for Swann, Aus lose their skipper for cheep again and are shaking a little bit on 98-2.
- Watson reaches his 13th Test fifty with his 9th boundary of the day v Broad.
- Watson caught by Strauss low at slip off Finn, out for 57, failing once againt to convert a good convincing start into a century, Aus 134-3.
- Australia 160-3 at tea, 215 behind, Clarke on 36, Hussey on 14, England bowling beautifully, keeping the pressure on the Aussies, but they will need wickets quickly as there have been severe weather warnings for later today and tomorrow - Warne thinking there won't be a ball bowled tomorrow, the way he knows Adelaide and the weather... And it's already getting darker and darker.
3rd session:
- And the covers come on eventually, this could be it... Australia 175-3, 200 runs behind.
- But the clouds have lifted! 19 overs to be squeezed in at the end of the day after all! England have make the most (wickets) of it!
- Clarke given out on 67, caught at slip, but the referall shows the ball brushed nothing but his pad, the decision is rightly turned over, not out.
- Swann is giving his all here, having bowled over 30 overs today. He is still giving Australia problem, Clarke escaping a couple close catch-calls.
- Pietersen is on for the last couple of overs and the change pays off. He has Clarke caught at short-leg with the last ball of the day to make it 238-4 at the end of day four, Australia trailing by 137. There was an obvious nick on Clarke's bat before it came off his arm, England in celebration, the umpire unmoved, it is sent to the third umpire, out dead for 80, KP's fifth Test wicket. It brightens England's day and spirit ahead of the fifth and final day, they will just be hoping the weather will be playing along with them.
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