P453 $eletext 453 Nov27 21:05:34 ————————————————————————————— Woeful England show Everybody who saw the first (est will agree it was a woeful performance from England and clearly they cannot afford to play like that again. It will be a tough ask to come back with the bowling attack lacking any kind of menace or even control. The Australians have hit the ground running and will be delighted to come away without having any old scars opened by England. ——————————————————————————————————1/6—— Sport headlines 400 Cricket index 450 (eletext Holidays is also available on digital TV. Freeview Channel 101 Next Cricket M/sport Prim SMSP453 $eletext 453 Nov27 22:03:13 ————————————————————————————— Harmison must dig deep The major talking point is Steve Harmison's increasingly erratic performances for England. For the best part of a year he has not been right and for me it goes beyond the technical problems he is facing. There comes a time when you just have to start fighting and much as I like Steve he needs to look at himself and ask whether he is doing everything he needs to do to get back to his best. ——————————————————————————————————2/6—— Sport headlines 400 Cricket index 450 Respond by text now cheaper & easier! Matche5 Dating see p391 Next Cricket M/sport Prim SMSP453 $eletext 453 Nov27 21:02:38 ————————————————————————————— Freddie workload worry Andrew Flintoff was the only bowler to perform but the workload is going to be too much for him if the others continue like they did in Brisbane. He captained well overall but he definitely started to miss a few tricks as time wore on and he got more tired. The other problem was his struggle with the bat, which destabilises England who need him to shine in both disciplines with the current balance of the side. ——————————————————————————————————3/6—— Sport headlines 400 Cricket index 450 ALL THE LATEST NATIONAL NEWS p301 Next Cricket M/sport Prim SMSP453 $eletext 453 Nov27 21:02:11 ————————————————————————————— Not enough preparation We always thought England's preparation had been inadequate but it was exposed as being even more naive by their tattered batting effort at the Gabba. Not only did the players look at least one match short, but they also look ill-prepared for the conditions. With warm-up games on the slower Sydney and Adelaide pitches it was no surprise to see the likes of Andrew Strauss fall victim to the extra pace and bounce. ——————————————————————————————————4/6—— Sport headlines 400 Cricket index 450 ALL THE LATEST NATIONAL NEWS p301 Next Cricket M/sport Prim SMSP453 $eletext 453 Nov27 21:01:21 ————————————————————————————— Aatsmen lifted gloom There were a few bright spots for England amid the gloom, particularly in the second innings at Brisbane. I think Alastair Cook and Ian Bell have proved they can make runs against Australia, while Paul Collingwood showed again what a big heart he has despite his slightly limited technique. Kevin Pietersen's 92 demonstrated the touch of genius that England need to build a big total at Adelaide. ——————————————————————————————————5/6—— Sport headlines 400 Cricket index 450 ALL THE LATEST NATIONAL NEWS p301 Next Cricket M/sport Prim SMSP453 $eletext 453 Nov27 22:01:17 ————————————————————————————— Relief for Aussies As you can imagine the Australians are cock-a-hoop about their success and some of that smacks of relief. There were lots of nerves in their camp and among the Aussie public before this match but they've managed to settle them with a professional performance. However, the relative failures of Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn and Adam Gilchrist went under the radar and they give England something to work on. ——————————————————————————————————6/6—— Sport headlines 400 Cricket index 450 ALL THE LATEST NATIONAL NEWS p301 Next Cricket M/sport Prim SMS