Stumps Australians 266 for 4 (Watson 90, Clarke 45, Hughes 44*, Haddin 38*) trail Somerset 320 (Jones 130, Compton 81, Starc 4-33) by 54 runs
|
Shane Watson followed James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc in providing a
tantalising glimpse of the destructive power to be found within this
Australian side as they warmed up against Somerset. In sending Watson up
to open the innings and promising he will stay there, the new coach,
Darren Lehmann, appeared to bring an immediate change to the
allrounder's previously drifting game.
An innings of 90, on a blameless pitch against presentable bowling, does
not quite indicate that Watson is to regain the Test match
effectiveness that won him two Allan Border Medals, and had him named as
Michael Clarke's deputy in 2011. In fact the score itself was
emblematic of Watson's career aversion to making Test hundreds. But the
clarity of his stroke production and the ease of his rapid scoring was
exactly what Lehmann will hope for against Jimmy Anderson and company.
It was a marked contrast from Watson's previous innings, a brief affair
against Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy when one cover drive was
followed by a horrid attempt to cut in line of the stumps. Wasteful
dismissals such as these have been a significant factor in the failure
of Watson to deliver on a promise that has hung in the air around him
for a decade now, but there was nothing muddled about the way he opened
up at Taunton, driving when the bowlers overpitched, pulling or glancing
when short, and leaving most in between.
Michael Clarke also offered a promising cameo, finding touch in his
first innings of any kind for three months before rain brought an early
end to day two. A pair of low scores for Ed Cowan and Usman Khawaja did
not enhance either left-hander's chances of winning a place in the XI
for the first Investec Ashes Test at Trent Bridge. As the others proved,
these were ideal conditions for batting.
Phillip Hughes and Brad Haddin were easing their way towards useful
tallies when the showers arrived. Haddin lofted George Dockrell down the
ground with typical flourish to have the ball pounding off the scorers'
window in the Taunton press box. When the match resumes, Hughes should
have the opportunity to press his case for retention after Cowan and
Khawaja had failed to capitalise on their precedence in the batting
order.
Watson ran up a huge percentage of his runs in boundaries, his straight
drives a particular delight. He also took full advantage whenever Craig
Meschede angled into the pads, flicking with wristy power between
midwicket and mid on. He briefly threatened to collar a century before
lunch, but a front edge from the bowling of the slippery Craig Overton
ended a stay that lasted only 94 balls, 20 of which reached the rope.
Clarke's start was a little less forthright, as could be expected for
someone who had not batted since the Mohali Test match against India in
March, when the suspension of four players for failing to follow
instructions was followed by the flaring up of his chronic back
condition. But he punched a couple of drives through cover off the back
foot to get going, and showed familiar balance and footwork against
Dockrell's left-arm spin. It took a precisely-pitched away swinger from
Meschede to dislodge Clarke, although by then he had probably given his
back enough of a work out.
Cowan, whose odds of playing in Nottingham were lengthened somewhat by
the coach Darren Lehmann's declaration that Watson would definitely
open, fell in the very first over of the morning when he was deemed to
have touched a Gemaal Hussain delivery on its way through to the
wicketkeeper Alex Barrow. The dismissal had Cowan pointing agitatedly
towards his trouser or pocket, but whatever the merits of the decision
it now means one less opportunity to make the runs that would shore up
his place, which may need to be earned again to some extent under
Lehmann.
Khawaja survived somewhat longer for his 27, but it was a scratchy
effort with numerous angled deliveries troubling him outside off stump.
He was struck on the body when trying to pull Overton, who was slippery,
and fell in an unsurprising manner by wafting at Meschede to be pouched
in the slips. Hughes had time to snick one streaky boundary before the
morning session concluded.
Minus Watson, the afternoon's scoring was more sedate, but Clarke's lack
of discomfort was a welcome sign that his back has settled, and Hughes
worked the ball around effectively with only the occasional flirt
through the slips. He remained a little more hesitant against spin, but
at least managed to get off the strike every now and then, which
represented progress from India. Like Watson, a fresh start may be about
to do him some good.
Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here
Feeds: Daniel Brettig
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
No comments:
Post a Comment