Third Test critique
Australia
Langer - another failure when just about everyone else is going to town. Becoming a worry, in a losing side he'd be on the ropes.
Hayden - modest game coming back from surgery.
Ponting - showed his class again before White got a good one past him.
Martyn - batted OK with patience and restraint. The English need to bowl the consistent line to him that eventually got him out.
Waugh - best innings so far. The ball Tudor got him with was excellent. Captaincy again top draw.
Lehmann - needs a big score, will probably survive the series but will ne looking over his shoulder.
Gilchrist - aggressive but should've gone straight off. Tudor would not have reacted the way he did if he thought he touched the rope.
Warne - batted well, bowled OK on a pitch that didn't suit him. Catching was bad but I've never been a fan of him at 1st slip. Has had Gilchrist and Waugh diving in front of him most of the time.
Lee - fast but not as fast as I thought he would be. Aggressive, didn't mind him hitting Tudor as he can bat a bit but disagreed with him bowling short to Harmison who definitely can't bat.
Gillespie - I'd love a dollar for every catch dropped off him.
McGrath - true professional, only Aussie batsman to get under 19 but he was unbeaten.
ENgland
Trescothick - mentally shot, needs the one dayers to clear his head, have come at the right time.
Vaughan - classy again, silly run out in the 2nd innings when there was never 2 there.
Butcher - also metally shot, also a silly run out but got a good one from McGrath.
Hussain - good 2nd innings, definitely wasn't out. Captaincy was appalling in this test. You can't expect your bowlers to bowl to a plan when the captain cahnges the field for just about every ball. Needs to keep things simple and get back to basics.
Key - showed great fight again. The sort of guy you want in your team though shouldn't have got out to a meek off cutter from a part timer.
Stewart - good 2nd innings, took the attack up and rode his luck, keeping was better this game.
White - still not a good enough batsman to come in at 7 but has bowled well most of this test. He got smacked around a bit but got wickets.
Tudor - bowled well at times, took a grat catch on the boundary to get rid of Gilchrist. Ducked into a bouncer that wasn't that short from Lee showing bad technique. Unfortunate to get stretchered off but it looked symbollic of the English side in general.
Dawson - why was he picked at all. I know the pitch didn't suit but wasn't given a chance to try and hold down an end allowing a weakened pace attack to come down the wind.
Harmison - showed good metal strength by coming back well after suffering the yips in the morning session. A lesser man wouldn't have bowled again in the innings. Bowled without luck, wasn't hit around like the others.
Silverwood - was he fit enough to come out. Had a bad ankle in England and has broken down with the same problem. Four overs for the tour. Just shows the problems that England has with its management.
Again England outclassed, too much pressure that too few could handle. The one dayers have come at a good time so they can regroup. Flintoff will be able to regain his fitness better in one day games than 5.
Australia played well again, what can I say. Wouldn't have beaten anyone let alone a weakened England.
