ASHES DIARY:It's the most prized sporting ticket in a city that can justifiably lay claim to being the most sports mad in the world. Emmet Riordan joined the 80,000-plus at the MCG yesterday to sample the sights and sounds of the St Stephen's Day Test
7.0am: Evans Road, Kew, Melbourne
Having spent Christmas on the Great Ocean Road with friends and having witnessed their kids’ delight at the visit of Santa on a fire truck, it was now my turn to get that tingle of anticipation. Up long before the alarm, weather looks set fair at this stage with no sign of the forecast showers.
8.35am: Camberwell Station
I’m not the only early riser, it seems, as platform one is full of sober-looking Melbournites on the way to the ground which in that great Aussie tradition of shortening names is fondly just called “The G”. The talk on the train and tram is of beating the 50-year-old record crowd of 90,800 that witnessed the second day against the West Indies in 1960.
10.20am: Press Box
The media have taken a huge interest in the series, especially now that Australia have levelled it up at 1-1. So that means a trip around the stadium to the overflow press box, with our guide Jen Noonan. That’d be the Limerick Noonans, she says, Michael and all. Past the Jim Stynes Room, we head around to where the footie coaches watch the game from. Not a bad view, although the Barmy Army trumpeter, Bill Cooper, is not the ideal audio accompaniment with Jerusalem ringing out as England take the field having won the all-important toss and sent the Aussies in.
10.45am: Australia 15-1
Shane Watson, after being dropped twice, sees a Chris Tremlett delivery stick on the green pitch and Kevin Pietersen, guilty of one of the chances, makes no mistake this time, taking as simple a catch as he’ll get in Test cricket at gully.
11.21am: Australia 26-1
Rush’s very own Eoin Morgan is on the pitch as 12th man with Tim Bresnan on to bowl in his Ashes debut.
11.29am: Australia 37-2
And the big Yorkshireman strikes with his seventh delivery as a trademark Phil Hughes slash outside off is gobbled up by Pietersen at gully.
11.37am: Australia 37-3
Tremlett changes ends with great success as he has Ricky Ponting caught at second slip by Graeme Swann for 10. An England fan in full chain-mail regalia high fives a man dressed as a green bean as the beach balls are launched in the southern stand. They don’t last long though as the army of beach ball security men prove the kill-joys.
12.22pm: Australia 58-4
Anderson gets the big one as Mike Hussey fails to get past 50 for the first time in the series, edging behind to Matt Prior after making eight. But England won’t get a chance to nick another before lunch as the forecast rain finally arrives.
1.50pm:
We’ve lost 50 minutes due to rain but the covers are off and Anderson is licking his lips with the bit of moisture in the pitch and in the air.
2.10pm: Australia 66-5
And Jimmy sees off Steve Smith with a big edge through to Prior. Five down and the trumpeter launches into the Bon Jovi back catalogue. Oh we’e halfway there, living on a prayer. Morgan almost comes to the party with a brilliant, salmon-like leap at gully but just misses snaffling Michael Clarke with his left hand.
2.28pm: Australia 77-6.
Anderson on fire now as Clarke goes for 20 to give Prior a third catch behind the stumps.
2.34pm: Australia 77-7
The home crowd must be wondering if they are suffering the DTs from Christmas Day as Bresnan gets Brad Haddin for five.
2.37pm: Australia 77-8
Third wicket falls without the scoreboard moving on as Anderson sends Perth hero Mitchell Johnson scampering back without scoring.
3.03pm: Australia 92-9
Tremlett gives Prior a fifth catch as Peter Siddle goes for 11. Can Australia make it to three figures?
3.14pm: Australia 98 all out
Well, that would be a no, then, as the exceptional Tremlett sees Ben Hilfenhaus nicking behind to give Prior a sixth catch, the best of his career.
So a disaster for the home side, their second-worst score in Melbourne after India in 1981, when Kapil Dev took five wickets as they were skittled for 83 in the fourth innings.
The England support are in full voice now, no doubt helped by the mountain of bars on the giant concourse that run underneath the stands. Some of the Aussies have had enough and head home for the cold turkey sandwiches. They’ll need a whole jar of cranberry sauce to stomach them after their side’s performance. Their poor showing, and the lunchtime rain, has also prevented any attendance record, with the official figure coming in at 84,345.
4.11pm: England 38-0
Oops, England off to a flyer and Mitchell Johnson slips back into his bad habits with four byes conceded down the leg side.
4.29pm: England 52-0
And England are over halfway to knocking off Australia’s total as Strauss clips one off his pads to bring up his side’s half-century.
5.10pm: England 70-0
The beer cup snakes are being formed in the England section, and why not as just when Hilfenhaus looked like getting an lbw decision from umpire Tony Hill, it’s overturned on referral with the replay showing Alastair Cook got a healthy edge on it.
5.33pm: England 90-0
The final drinks break and England are just eight runs behind Australia with all 10 wickets standing. The MCG members’ stands are emptying rapidly. One man who’s still there but must be suffering is Ireland all-rounder Trent Johnston, who is in town with a group of mates from the Mosman club in Sydney, including former Pembroke player Ciarán Sharpe.
5.39pm: England 98-0
And England level it up through a bye and it’s followed soon after with Strauss on-driving for four to bring up three figures.
5.47pm: England 107-0
And Cook, who celebrated his 26th birthday on Christmas Day, accepts the late present of a half-century with a lovely cut shot. What a series the Essex opener is having. And to think his place in the side was being discussed before the series.
5.57pm: England 112-0
And Strauss’s day just gets better as he brings up 6,000 Test runs, just the sixth England player to achieve the feat.
6.09pm: England 124-0
Steven Smith is on to bowl some spin as the Aussies look for something in the closing overs of the day, but no joy for the leggie as Strauss moves to 50. It’s getting very lively here as, despite only mid-strength beer being sold, there’s still plenty of people being turfed out by the police.
The mixture of over-exuberant Englishman and disconsolate Aussie is not a good one.
6.50: Close of play. England 157-0 lead Australia 98 by 59 runs.
Cook (80) and Strauss (64) play out the last few overs.
Well, Australia may have started the day thinking they were right back in this series after their heroics in Perth. They’ve ended it knowing that barring a major miracle England will retain The Ashes in Melbourne over the coming days. The Aussie crowd certainly think so as they’ve deserted in their droves to leave the MCG to the beered-up Barmy Army.
Did someone mention beer?
