THIRD TEST, DAY THREE

E-mail this Article

Print this Article

Subscribe to RSS Feed

Frustrating morning for England.

1030: Glorious stuff from Gilchrist, but the astonishing revelation from Mike Hussey that the Aussie keeper didn't realise he was so close to the record is baffling. How can anyone - let alone a batsman of Gilchrist's tendencies - not know about the 56-ball ton?

If Harmison had been wided for a bouncer designed to go as far over the batsman's head as possible, Gilchrist would have equalled the record which would have been fitting.

Apologies to Hayden, Clarke and Hussey - no-on cares about your innings. A hundred off 130 balls? Boring.

And hats off to Rudi Koertzen, who still found time in the day to ensure Anderw Strauss got his now customary appalling umpiring decision. Just as England were fighting back... DT

0505: England bowled and fielded pretty well this morning, but you can't shake the frustration that those little half-chances and bits of luck are going against the tourists. Geraint Jones' missed stumping was far from straightforward, but you don't play Test cricket if you can only do straightforward things. Or at least you shouldn't. We've already mentioned how deep Jones stands to Panesar, and he'll never pick up that sort of stumping until he gambles and stands right up to the stumps.

Had England got that wicket, and if Hussey had been given out caught off bat and pad as he clearly should have been, then it might have been game on.

It isn't though. Dave Tickner