ENGLAND were given a reality check that supporters needed more than players as their winning start to the NatWest Series ended under a blood-red sunset at the Riverside on Thursday night. Australia won the second of a probable seven 50-over encounters before the Ashes and their winning margin of 57 runs could have been more emphatic.
Only an unbroken stand of 50 for the tenth wicket between Darren Gough and Chris Tremlett saved England from a heavier defeat and there were some ominous signs as Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee made swift inroads through the top order with fast, skilful and economical new-ball bowling.
The way in which McGrath removed Marcus Trescothick with a ball slanted across the left-hander must have raised particular concern because Australia have achieved so much success by probing this weakness in the past. All in all it was an unhappy game for Trescothick, whose surprising decision to bowl first backfired.
He said that the slow surfaced deteriorated more than he expected, but much of the early damage was prompted by swing movement as much as anything else. Lee caused special problems because of his pace, reaching 90mph in the first over of his return from a shoulder injury, while McGrath was close to his metronomic best.
Even such an accomplished side as Australia require time to acclimatise and find their rhythm and Ricky Ponting, despite his own uncertain form, will be pleased with the way that the side are improving.
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“The pressure we created in the field was as good as it has been for a long time,” Ponting said. “We have set a standard for ourselves again. That was lowered over the previous couple of games but we are right back up there now.”
Had Lee and Andrew Symonds been available during the calamitous weekend past, Australia might not have lost to either Bangladesh or England. Lee adds variety to the attack and Symonds has developed into one of the most effective all-rounders in the format since his hundred against Pakistan at the start of the 2003 World Cup.
Symonds has been desperate to atone for his misbehaviour in Cardiff that resulted in a suspension for those two matches. He top-scored with a sensible 73 from 81 balls, adding 142 with Damien Martyn, then added the wicket of Kevin Pietersen to seal, effectively, the victory. This time, Pietersen could not clear the leg-side boundary.
He cannot be expected to bail out the side every time and England were in deep trouble as early as the sixth over with the score at six for three. Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood diverted balls on to their stumps and the innings was almost at the halfway stage when Vikram Solanki flicked to mid-wicket without getting on top of the stroke.
Andrew Flintoff then found a fielder on the straight boundary for the third innings in succession, Geraint Jones lofted to a deepish mid-on and seats began to empty long before the indomitable Gough added a late flourish.
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Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, who helped Trescothick to arrive at the decision to bowl first, felt that his side suffered lapses of concentration in the field. He was correct in identifying the collapse against Lee and McGrath as the decisive period of the contest, followed by the fourth-wicket stand between Symonds and Martyn.
Trescothick, standing in as captain after Michael Vaughan failed to recover from his groin injury, said that confidence will remain intact. “I hope there is no long-term damage from this defeat,” he said. “The spirit we have built goes deeper than that. Losing one game like this will not hurt us too much.”