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| August 16, 2005 | Tuesday | Rajab 10, 1426 |
Ponting’s century secures draw in dramatic finish
MANCHESTER (England), Aug 15: Ricky Ponting scored a courageous back-to-the-wall 156 as Australia escaped defeat on a dramatic final day of the third Ashes Test on Monday, breaking English hearts into a thousand pieces in the process.
The home side dominated the match from start to finish but Australia’s captain struck his 23rd Test century in a memorable rearguard action to salvage a draw and keep the five-match series at 1-1.
The day ended with Australia’s last two batsmen surviving the final 24 balls of express pace from Andrew Flintoff, who took four wickets, and Steve Harmison, while all of England’s fielders crouched around them.
Australia, having been set an unlikely 423 to win, closed on 371 for nine.
Ponting held the innings together to put on 81 with Michael Clarke for the sixth wicket and 76 with Shane Warne for the eighth.
A draw seemed to be looming but there was more excitement to come.
Warne, having survived almost 22 overs and more than an hour and a half with his captain, pushed forward to Flintoff and edged to Andrew Strauss at second slip.
Strauss let the ball go straight through his hands. It bounced up off his right knee and Geraint Jones, much maligned for his wicket-keeping earlier in the game, threw himself backwards to his right to scoop up the chance with his right glove.
That left the home side with nine overs to take the final two wickets. The game finished with a flurry of appeals and near misses as the world champions ended a marathon 98-over day smiling.
The match was as nerve-racking as the second Test at Edgbaston a week ago when England won by two runs.
Harmison took the final wicket at Edgbaston but, bowling the final over on Monday, he could not repeat the feat.
Ponting’s innings was his highest against England. He batted for almost seven hours, facing 275 balls and hitting one six and 16 fours.
Flintoff picked up four for 71.
On Sunday, Andrew Strauss’s maiden Test hundred against Australia helped England set the tourists a daunting target.
Left-hander Strauss, missed on one when England were 14, was involved in a pivotal third-wicket stand of 127 in 28 overs with Ian Bell, whose 65 was his second fifty of the match.
Geraint Jones added late impetus with a 12-ball 27 not out before Michael Vaughan declared.
McGrath, returning after an ankle injury, led the attack with five for 115.
The fourth Test at Trent Bridge starts on Aug 25.
SCOREBOARD
ENGLAND (1st Innings) 444 (M.P. Vaughan 166, M.E. Trescothick 63, I.R. Bell 59; S.K. Warne 4-99, B. Lee 4-100).
AUSTRALIA (1st Innings):
J.L. Langer c Bell b Giles 31
M.L. Hayden lbw b Giles 34
R.T. Ponting c Bell b S. Jones 7
D.R. Martyn b Giles 20
S.M. Katich b Flintoff 17
A.C. Gilchrist c G. Jones b S. Jones 30
S.K. Warne c Giles b S. Jones 90
M.J. Clarke c Flintoff b S. Jones 7
J.N. Gillespie lbw b S. Jones 26
B. Lee c Trescothick b S. Jones 1
G.D. McGrath not out 1
EXTRAS (B-8, LB-7, W-8, NB-15) 38
TOTAL (all out, 84.5 overs) 302
FALL OF WKTS: 1-58, 2-73, 3-86, 4-119, 5-133, 6-186, 7-201, 8-287, 9-293.
BOWLING: Harmison 10-0-47-0 (2nb, 1w); Hoggard 6-2-22-0; Flintoff 20-1-65-1 (8nb); S.P. Jones 17.5-6-53-6 (1nb, 2w); Giles 31-4-100-3 (1w)
ENGLAND (2nd Innings):
M.E. Trescothick b McGrath 41
A.J. Strauss c Martyn b McGrath 106
M.P. Vaughan c sub b Lee 14
I.R. Bell c Katich b McGrath 65
K.P. Pietersen lbw b McGrath 0
A. Flintoff b McGrath 4
G.O. Jones not out 27
A.F. Giles not out 0
EXTRAS (B-5, LB-3, W-1, NB-14) 23
TOTAL (for six decl, 61.5 overs) 280
FALL OF WKTS: 1-64, 2-97, 3-224, 4-225,
5-248, 6-264.
BOWLING: McGrath 20.5-1-115-5 (6nb, 1w); Lee 12-0-60-1 (4nb); Warne 25-3-74-0; Gillespie 4-0-23-0 (4nb).
AUSTRALIA (2nd Innings, overnight 24-0):
J.L. Langer c G. Jones b Hoggard 14
M.L. Hayden b Flintoff 36
R.T. Ponting c G. Jones b Harmison 156
D.R. Martyn lbw b Harmison 19
S.M. Katich c Giles b Flintoff 12
A.C. Gilchrist c Bell b Flintoff 4
M.J. Clarke b S. Jones 39
J.N. Gillespie lbw b Hoggard 0
S.K. Warne c G. Jones b Flintoff 34
B. Lee not out 18
G.D. McGrath not out 5
EXTRAS (B-5, LB-8, W-2, NB-19) 34
TOTAL (for nine wkts, 108 overs) 371
FALL OF WKTS: 1-25, 2-96, 3-129, 4-165,
5-182, 6-263, 7-264, 8-340, 9-354.
BOWLING: Harmison 22-4-67-2 (4nb, 1w); Hoggard 13-0-49-2 (6nb); Giles 26-4-93-0; Vaughan 5-0-21-0; Flintoff 25-6-71-4 (9nb, 1w); S Jones 17-3-57-1.
UMPIRES: B.F. Bowden (New Zealand) and S.A. Bucknor (West Indies).
TV UMPIRE: N.J. Llong (England).
MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Madugalle (Sri Lanka).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Ricky Ponting.
—Agencies
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