Ashes T 4 Day 1 Lunch and Tea: England Succumb to Aussie Pressure

England have suffered perhaps their worst collapse yet in the Ashes of 2009 when they caved in for a paltry first innings score, leaving the game wide open for Australia to right back in.

peter siddle

Even as weather was forecast to be dismal, England added their own dismal feelings to the first day's proceedings at Headingley in the fourth Ashes Test when they were bowled out for just 102 in 33.2 overs.

Australia finally picked Stuart Clark in lieu of spinner Nathan Hauritz and the much anticipated return of Brett Lee did not materialize. Australia bowled sharp, accurate and with deadly precision and were rewarded against a diffident England team that did not look anything like the confidence of past.

The nightmare for England began rather early and consistently got worse. Mitchell Johnson was not dropped and he showed semblance of return with the one wicket of Ian Bell, the third wicket to fall on the day. However, it was Clark who shone on his return with a spell of three wickets in just ten overs including the wicket of Alastair Cook, the only top order batsman to make thirty.

stuart clark

England slipped further into ignominy when they went from five down for sixty-three to all out for 102, thanks to an incredible spell of bowling by a bowler who has been largely overshadowed, Peter Siddle who picked his second Test five wicket haul. Matt Prior's saving grace of thirty-seven disappeared into the parade of wickets that marked England's innings.

Tame batting and deadly bowling ensured that only one team was in the ascendancy and England are in real danger of losing the Ashes on the basis of this one disastrous innings alone. From seventy-two for six at lunch, England demise was complete post lunch.

How badly they played was displayed by the commanding position that Australia took at tea, with Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, and Shane Watson put up a rollicking effect, the former is superfluous touch. Steve Harmison's return, indicating Andrew Flintoff's flailing fitness, was marked with the lone wicket of Simon Katich.

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