Ashes 2013/14 – 1st Test, Day 2: The Empire Strikes Back

Anything Stu can do... © Rae Allen

Well… where to begin..?

I will start with the title, and my desperate attempt to continue the Star Wars theme.

It’s pretty tenuous at best, but I thought the links between Australia and the historic British Empire, and the magnitude of the turnaround just about justifies the decision.

Beginning at 273/8, a Haddin inspired tail managed to add 22 more runs before Broad’s sixth wicket of the innings and a Carberry run-out brought the Australian effort to a close.

At this stage of the game England would have been ecstatic; a flat batting pitch and the opponents all out without passing 300.

Unfortunately the cheer was to be short lived.

The two England wickets to fall before lunch were captain Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott.

With the score 55/2 at lunch there was no need to panic; but the manner of these dismissals will cause concern in the England camp.

Despite both players scoring centuries in the warm-up games, old problems resurfaced spectacularly.

Cook was caught behind playing a loose defensive shot at a ball he could have left alone, and Jonathan Trott once again fell to a short delivery.

His continued struggles against short-pitch bowling have highlighted a technical flaw so significant that it is truly surprising that other nations have failed to exploit it.

His trigger movement means that he walks towards the bowler, and this puts him in a great position to drive through the off-side, and work loose balls off his pads.

With a quick bowling unit looking to bowl short and aggressive though, Trott finds himself ill prepared to defend or attack on the back-foot, and he regularly fends the ball off towards waiting fielders.

The panic should have begun to set in when Kevin Pietersen fell softly in the 31^st over, but at 82/3, England had no real reason to worry.

I’d suggest the panic actually did set in as the next half an hour of cricket developed.

The fourth wicket fell five runs later as the impressive Carberry was undone with more aggressive bowling from Johnson, and the fifth and sixth followed without any more runs being added.

Ian Bell guided a Nathan Lyon delivery into the hands of short-leg and then Matt Prior guided the very next Nathan Lyon delivery into the hands of short-leg.

Joe Root and Graeme Swann also went quickly, to complete a session in which England lost six wickets for nine runs, and surely with it the first test.

There was a brief flourish from Stuart Broad who added 32 runs to his first-innings wickets before England were eventually bowled out for 136.

It really was a case of; anything that Stuart Broad achieved, Mitchell Johnson attempted to eclipse it.

He bowled fast, he bowled aggressively, and he threatened the stumps and the batsman’s safety.

This is top-notch fast bowling from a man who could barely land it on the cut-strip three years ago.

There have been technical changes, including an attempt to stay more upright at the crease to avoid spraying it around, but there has also been an improvement in attitude.

Johnson’s attitude was a fearsome opponent for the English batsmen today, and they’ll need to hope he can’t keep it up, or they’ll have to learn how to play him very quickly.

After England’s Jenga-style collapse, Australia set about rubbing salt into the open-wounds of a bowling attack that should have had its feet up all day.

David Warner blasted a quick 45 not out, and Chris Rogers stood firm as the hosts reached 65/0 at the close, a lead of 224 runs.

The one ray of hope for England was a weak rumour that a storm was on the way from the middle-east, but even the most positive England fan would struggle to expect rain to save the team on this occasion.

Session score: 3-0 to Australia – 4-2 overall

Verdict: Mitchell Johnson is about 30 times the bowler he was three years ago, and England’s batsmen have continued to struggle in the first test of a series.

Ashes 2013/14 – 1st Test, Day 1: The Phantom Menace

Stuart Broad - The Phantom Menace © thesportreview.com

It would appear that the Australian players and media have made Stuart Broad angry, and they won’t like him when he’s angry. (They don’t like him all that much anyway…)

The England fast-bowler (take note Aussie media types, he was quick enough to unsettle your captain) took five of the eight wickets to fall on day 1 as England took charge at the Gabba.

273/8 hardly represents a disaster for Australia, but it took half centuries from Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin to keep things presentable, and on a flat batting pitch, the score is below par.

The day started brightly for England as Stuart Broad, selected as public enemy number one following an incident in the previous Ashes series, dismissed Chris Rogers in the fourth over.

As the first session progressed, David Warner and Shane Watson began to lay a platform for a good first innings total, until Broad struck again on the stroke of lunch. With Watson out and the score 71/2 at the break, the first session was England’s.

If the first 25 overs were edged by the tourists, the period after lunch was a much more clear-cut success.

Two more wickets for Broad, including the prize scalp of Michael Clarke the Australian captain, and one each for Anderson and Tremlett saw the home side six down and in a really dire situation.

The Haddin and Johnson inspired retaliation began before the interval, but at tea Australia were 153/6. Another session in England’s favour.

As the quick bowlers began to be rotated and rested, and Graeme Swann led England’s bowling efforts with a softened and tired ball, the counterattack began.

Brad Haddin was the first to 50, but Mitchell Johnson wasn’t far behind, and his innings that included two 6s was the more eye-catching of the two.

Haddin, unbeaten overnight, will once again take the majority of plaudits in an Australian batting effort in the first match of an Ashes series.

For a player that has often underwhelmed in the context of his legendary predecessor Adam Gilchrist, his Ashes record is particularly remarkable.

In the first test in 2009 in Cardiff, Haddin scored 121 as Australia posted a huge total, but his 136 at this ground in 2010 was in a much tighter game situation, and put his side in control.

It was his effort at Trent Bridge this summer that was probably the most impressive of his Ashes-opening innings, however.

On a slow and difficult batting pitch, with teammates crumbling around him, Haddin took his side to within 15 runs of victory.

Whilst only scoring 71 on that occasion, the wicketkeeper managed to display all of his well-documented fighting qualities.

With the Australian press on his back, Stuart Broad certainly stole the limelight on day 1, but Haddin’s innings made sure the final session was Australia’s despite two late wickets, and leaves him 22 runs shy of another Ashes hundred.

Session score: 2-1 to England

Verdict: Tourists on top despite having a phantom in the team and a ‘boring’ captain.

Rafael Nadal: Missing Pieces and Remaining Targets

Nadal In 'World Tour Finals Blue' - © Vita Fu

As Rafael Nadal collected balls to serve, knowing that he could be as little as six points from defeat, an unfamiliar expression adorned his face, resignation.

His play didn’t portray the same beaten man that his face revealed, and he saved two more break points in typically flamboyant fashion to delay the inevitable.

But this flicker of frustration and understanding his fate was an insight into the strength of feeling the World No.1 has for a tournament he is still yet to win.

A glittering CV, including wins at all four grand slams, and a plethora of Masters series events, does not make up for this empty space, the missing World Tour Finals trophy.

Before the final, the lefthander was repeatedly questioned about his failure to win the event, and his frustrations were clear to see.

Whilst remaining polite and praiseworthy towards the ATP tour, Nadal is as good a loser as he is a champion; he made sure to highlight his dismay at the tournament always being played indoors.

“I feel like I am unlucky. During these nine years the Masters Cup was on indoor, a surface that was not the best for me. I think this is unfair.”

Nadal, who played in what could be described as ‘World Tour Finals blue’, made no effort to hide how much winning the tournament would have meant, but as Djokovic celebrated back to back wins at the O2 arena, the Spaniard missed out again.

Before the final, Nadal said to the BBC, winning the event would be: “The perfect way to close probably the best year in my career.”

While it was not to be, the transformation from injured and absent, to being reinstated as World No.1, has been a remarkable one.

As well as the best year of his career, the Mallorcan has also described it as the most emotional one.

Publicly, Nadal has made a remarkable rise back to prominence, and in such a short space of time, he was returned to his serene best. Privately it has been less serene.

“What really produced these emotional moments was working hard in tough moments trying to be positive.

“A lot of people were with me during this period of time. When you go to the gym every day and you don’t see a positive result, then you lose energy.

“Having these people around me during this period of time was decisive.”

The Spaniard is so adept at making everything on a tennis court look so easy, there has been little indication of these struggles.

As well as having the right people around him Nadal has a meticulous nature.

This is visible when he’s on court as he carefully arranges his water bottles in formation; it is also visible when carefully considering the route and structure of his comeback.

His decision to return to tennis on a clay court was not a coincidence; the surface he is most comfortable on was always the one he would return on.

By the time he returned to a hard court, and the surface that most tests his game and his knees, he was ready.

His 22^nd consecutive hard court win of 2013 saw Nadal lift the US Open title, and even before this win over Novak Djokovic, the Serbian was forced to acknowledge the might of the man from Manacor.

Even before Nadal defeated him in the US Open final and then regained the number one ranking, the Serbian declared his Spanish counterpart the best player in the world this year.

Aside from his meticulous preparation and superstitions, and aside from the form that have seen him eclipse all this year there still remains questions for Nadal, and a Djokovic conundrum.

Looking beyond the Spaniard’s success in grand slams against the World No. 2, to the autumn meetings, and Djokovic seems to once again hold the upper hand. 

Having beaten Djokovic for the 22^nd time when they met at Flushing Meadows, Nadal has seen his Serbian rival roar back with a straight-set victory in Shanghai, and this more recent success in London.

Whilst remaining fit should guarantee a 9^th Roland Garros title in June 2014, the same cannot be said elsewhere.

The current World No. 1 will face stiff challenges in a long hard court season, and face uncertainty when he returns to Wimbledon.

A tournament that he says he loves, on a surface he describes as frustrating, unpredictable and funny, is sure to provide a defining moment in Rafael Nadal’s 2014 as he looks to follow a stunning 2013.

Whilst there was no fairy-tale ending to Rafael Nadal’s 2013, the journey was a spectacular one, and it only renews expectation and anticipation for next year.

With the World Tour Final’s trophy still yet to grace his mantelpiece, the World No. 1 still has more boxes to tick.

MA Sports Journalism: Week 1

Now that I’m officially enrolled and teaching has begun, I thought I would record a few thoughts about my first week as a Sports Journalism student at St Mary’s. 

Looking past the horror of rising at 5.30 AM four mornings a week, and the fight through the chaos of London’s public transport network, the start has been a very positive one. Each of the course units provide knowledge and insight into areas of journalism that will be vital to have an understanding of to succeed in the trade, and whilst Public Affairs has been earmarked as the one that’ll provide the most tedium by many, I think I’ll even enjoy that as a former History student with an interest in Politics.

One of the most important selling points of this course is the opportunity to work with, and learn from, former and current industry professionals. This not only allows us to pick up useful skills, but tricks of the trade that they had to learn the hard way. Without wishing to give too much away, as I’m paying a not-inconsiderable amount of money in tuition fees for this opportunity, I certainly learned more about conducting an interview in the two minutes spent discussing how to deal with interviewees, than I ever could watching hours and hours of polished interview footage on television.

The ultimate goal when undertaking post-graduate study is traditionally to pass exams, complete a dissertation, and walk away with a Masters in the subject of choice. Whilst all this is available, and the academic target, the style and design of this course is such that, it has been possible for students to walk away without a formal qualification and still consider their time at St Mary’s a success. Whilst I will certainly look to gain the Masters, even if only out of vanity, and to get the opportunity to moan my way through another dissertation project, I know that the course is adaptable, and that the final aim is really employment.

Aside from the make-up of the course, some interesting observations have been made. As one individual pointed out, there is a very wide mix of experiences and interests within the group, and this will not only make for interesting discussions in classes, but will also result in a wide range of topics covered on our online magazine, The Sports Gazette. Another observation shared by many of us was that it feels more like school than university. This is born out of the size of the group (19), and the fact we spend the whole timetabled day with the same group of people, rather than taking separate units, or dipping in and out of the university throughout the day.

The general consensus throughout the group has been one of excitement, and whilst this year promises to be hard work, at least it’s not accountancy.

Pure FM: My Time enjoying the Portsmouth University Radio Experience.

I uploaded the last of my radio shows from my time at Pure FM a couple of weeks ago, and as I listened in briefly to their Breakfast Show, live from The Freshers Fayre this morning, I realised that I had intended to write something for my blog about my first few months with the station, but never got round to it. I’ll try and put this oversight down to business rather than forgetfulness, but I’m not sure if anyone is being fooled.

Pure FM is the student led radio station at the University of Portsmouth, and my only regret about my experience is not joining sooner. In the course of my third year I was able to present two shows, host quizzes, compile stories and reviews for the news programme and report on sporting fixtures as part of the large-scale coverage of the Portsmouth v Southampton Varsity match. As well as the clichéd positive of allowing me to make (and in some cases invent) new friends, I also walked away with experiences that have helped shape career ambitions and a couple of awards.

My first attempt at broadcasting, The Pure Sport Show, saw me combining with another keen sports fan, and existing presenter at Pure, Curtis, and whilst at times we allowed strange tangents to develop during the show, we quickly developed a format for a show that was repeatable and increasingly professional. Even with limited and fluctuating listener numbers, the opportunity for a platform to discuss and analyse sporting incident was an enjoyable one, and along with guests, we enjoyed well-reasoned and often humorous debates. As well as a huge enjoyment factor, we also attempted to focus on the serious area of promoting and discussing minority sports at the University, including Tchoukball, a handball sport, and Roller Hockey, whose president joined us in the studio to promote and discuss the sport she loved.

This experience made us perfectly positioned to take part in Pure’s coverage of Varsity later in the academic year. Here, through match reporting, I was able to focus on more traditional journalistic skills in terms of recording scores and key match details before creating a precise report, that allowed me to be part of a very professional coverage, something that everyone at the station was proud of.

In the second semester of the year, Pure’s broadcasting schedule was restricted by events outside of the stations control, and this meant finding a slot for The Pure Sports Show was not possible, so Curtis and I moved into the world of breakfast radio to make sure we had the opportunity to broadcast. Beginning as the second best scenario to continuing our sports show, Wake Up With Richard & Curtis quickly became great fun, and the ideal opportunity to mix great passion for radio, with the urge to be as random and silly as possible. You can listen to all of these shows by following the link to my MixCloud page below, and if you do you will note our extravagant range of characters, features and the reoccurring organised chaos that were our extensively prepared for shows.

I like to think that these shows highlight the full range of opportunities available through student radio. It offers a platform to work hard at presenting skills and to experiment with creating professional and clever production. Through Pure, there was also the opportunity to broadcast on local commercial radio, allowing experience in a different setting and in broadcasting to a larger audience. The other thing student radio offers, is the opportunity to have a lot of fun, and ultimately that was what myself and Curtis were doing every time we planned another game or feature or sat in the studio for hours at a time recording strange ‘adverts’ or songs. This chaos won our show the award for Best Branded Show at the Pure FM awards, so we were clearly doing something right.

The message is clear… Whether you see a serious career ahead in broadcasting, or just want to do something fun and experimental I’d wholeheartedly recommend student radio, and Portsmouth’s Pure FM. 

Listen to my Pure FM and Express FM shows here: http://www.mixcloud.com/richardjude17/