Australia have to stick with Johnson

The Australian camp are continuing to talk up under-pressure paceman Mitchell Johnson, and the reason……he is the key man for the tourists’ hopes of retaining the Ashes.

The left-armer has endured a below-par series to date, ending with figures of 5-131 in the first Test in Cardiff and 3-200 in the second Test defeat at Lord’s.

With the experienced Brett Lee still missing with a side strain and talk mounting he will sit out the series, the pressure continues to mount on the shoulders of the 27-year-old Johnson.

Australia were hoping a run out in the tour match with Northants would boost their strike bowler’s confidence but, if anything, it made things worse.

Despite a Mike Hussey-led team winning that match by 135 runs, Johnson took 1-107 and the rest of the camp were left to defend the Queenslander, in the hope he can recapture the form he showed in Australia’s series win in South Africa.

Australia coach Tim Nielsen admitted: “At the moment it hasn't worked for him. But that is the challenge of this game.

“You don't walk out every week and get the results you'd like. But the good players who last for long periods of time have to keep 'fronting up'.”

So far he has taken eight wickets at 41.37 and although there is speculation that Johnson’s place is under threat with the potential return of Stuart Clark and Shane Watson, Australia can’t afford to make that change.

Clark and Watson have shown in the past that they are more than capable at Test level - they are steady, consistent bowlers in the same vein as Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle, but they are not match winners.

The only game-changing bowler that Australia possess, in the absence of Lee, is Johnson and Ricky Ponting needs him to respond……and quickly.

Why, oh why, Pakistan, do you do this to me?

I'm sure that I don't have to tell you the score (67/4, FYI, lead-133).

However, I'm starting to get really PISSED OFF!

I was planning to go to the Oval to watch the 4th day of the 2nd test or, at least, the 5th day. However, Pakistan was hell-bent on denying this chance by collapsing like a set of dominoes to 320 all out, allowing SL to finish the game on the same day.

I just recovered from the flu today and, due to my mother's insistence, couldn't go today to the SSC, but am allowed to go tomorrow and the day-after.

However, the way Pakistan is playing, looks like they'll deny me the chance of watching a full-day's play (or at least 1 and a half sessions) tomorrow.

Oh, I wish that the umps Ian Gould and Taufel make a string of decisions against SL so that the match stretches out to at least tomorrow.

The lesson to be learned from this post?

A collapse by Pakistan not only affects the Pakistan team and the Pakistan fans, but it also affects the opposition team's fans as well! :@

Pakistan grab the title of 'Kollapso Kings' from WI with style!

I know it's extremely late to be commenting on the past 2 matches when the next one is about to start.

However, it is just fucking mad, 'innit?. I can perfectly understand going from 90/2 to 110 all out. However, going from 285/1 to 320 all out is just taking it to the extreme.

It used to be the West Indies who were the king of collapses (famously dubbed 'Calypso Collapso'). Now, with all the WI players on strike, Pakistan have grabbed the title firmly from them.

Yes, Younis Khan has a point when he says that Pakistan has played only 4 test matches in the last 17 months. However, 3 dramatic collapses in 4 innings definitely suggests that something is wrong with their mindset.

Not even our backyard team collapsed as such. We used to make 40/2 from 5 overs, not 50 all out after being 45/0.

I find it extremely hard to believe that they can collapse so frequently like that. Yes, Pakistan is unpredictable, but that is definitely not a good reason for such sudden collapses. I don't think even Bangladesh collapse as badly as them.

They should consider getting the services of a psychologist, such as the Barbadian, Rudi Webster, who has been successful with a number of teams. The only one I can remember is India, but he definitely has a good track record.

They could also considering getting the SA psychologist, Jeremy Snape, on a consultancy deal whereby he visits the team once a month or so for some counselling sessions. He's done quite a good job with the Saffers and I don't see why he can't do the same with the Pakistanis.

However, considering how stupidly inefficient and dumb the PCB seems to be, I don't think this is to happen. It'll just be a matter of me, a jobless blogger, just shouting out some ideas, only for the PCB officials to think "Why should I bother paying this Webster person? I can pocket the money myself".

Strauss calls for top order improvement

Andrew Strauss admits the England batsmen have to share the blame for the below-par performance in the first Ashes Test in Cardiff and need to improve as the series progresses.

England’s bowlers have suffered most of the criticism from the media, after the home side battled hard on the fifth day to salvage, what looked for a long time, an unlikely draw.

But Strauss is well aware that England were second best in every department, with the top-order batsmen missing a trick in the first innings.

Having been 228-3, England failed to build on a solid start and eventually made 435 all-out - only due to some late-innings hitting from the likes of Graeme Swann, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad.

That score on a good batting wicket was made to look ordinary by the tourists, who wracked up 674-6 dec, with four Australian batsmen scoring three figures in an innings for the first time ever in the Ashes.

The England skipper is honest enough to admit that those higher up the order let themselves down in the first Test and need to deliver the goods in the forthcoming Tests – starting at Lord’s.

Strauss said: “If we're honest with ourselves we need to learn from how we batted in the first innings.

“To score 336 for seven on the first day in hindsight wasn't a brilliant effort and as batsmen we've got to take that on the chin and be determined to come out and make amends the next time we play.”

The opener knows the bowling must improve as well, with seamers and spinners alike struggling to halt the Aussie batting line-up.

Strauss added: “I think we probably need to get more balls consistently in the right areas and we weren't able to do that, and maybe execute our plans a little better.”

Make sure you keep up to date with the Second Test odds before any Lord's Test betting and check out Betfair's new fanvfan site for some good old-fashioned rivalry!

Hughes falls down to earth with a 'Harmison'!

Was watching the start of the Aussie 2nd innings yesterday and was quite surprised by how Harmison was really giving it to Phil Hughes with the short stuff.

I hadn't watched him play before but, from what I'd read, he was supposed to be the next Sir Don with his crazy run scoring against SA as well as for Middlesex. I did notice the fact that he was scoring centuries for fun across 2 formats, so I was quite impressed.

However, what I say yesterday was surprising. I mean, here's Harmison, stuffing it to him with the short balls. Why didn't anyone else in the county circuit or SA think about this?

He clearly doesn't have a leg-side game and it's quite shocking! It's like how I can't play table-tennis with my forehand! There's only so far that you can go by being able to play on only one side. I did come a cropper when coming to SL, the table tennis players at the school here being much better than what I'd encountered in 'the foreign land'.

The worst part is that the Ashes is definitely no place to start testing out things. It's like asking a private to try out different styles of shooting the enemy while he's on the battlefield.

However, England should not get over-obsessed with Hughes because Katich seems to be silently accumulating runs. Add to that North, Hussey, Clarke and Johnson, and you have a formidable line-up..

Coming to SL cricket, the Summer of Cricket starts with the first day of the first test against Pakistan at Galle. The next 80 days promises to be really cool with 5 tests, 12 ODIs and 3 T20Is in store, so, BRING IT ON!