Ashes 2010-11: Shane http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Watson-c96326 distraught by Australian performance
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 are set to lose the Ashes on home soil for the first time in 24 years, as England close in on a historic triumph at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the fourth Test of the series.
The Aussies closed day three of the match at 169/6, still a steep 246 runs away from avoiding an innings defeat that would give the tourists an unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The tourists are
firmly in the driving seat and need to dismiss the last four batsmen in order to take a 2-1 lead, rendering the fifth Test a dead rubber. Even if Australia were to win the last match at Sydney, they would only manage to draw the series – meaning England would
still be taking home the urn they won at home last year.
Australian opener Shane Watson was the only man to offer any resistance on day three as the hosts crumbled in a heap. The Tasmanian scored 54 runs before falling to Tim Bresnan. He was a disappointed man at the
end of the day’s play and made no bones about the fact.
“It's not very good, it's horrendous, to be totally honest,” Watson said after the end of the third day’s play. “Going into this Ashes series we knew how important it would be to win the Ashes because Australia
hasn't lost the Ashes in 24 years. We knew that it would be disappointing for us personally to be involved in that sort of history. That's not good history. We will try to restore pride in Sydney, but the most important thing is winning that little urn and
we haven't been able to do it.”
Watson added that he was demoralized with the effort of his team in this Test as well as the rest of the series. The capitulation was dramatic considering that the hosts had made a remarkable comeback to win the
third Test at the WACA in Perth.
Yet within no time the ghosts of the Adelaide debacle reappeared at the MCG as the Australians now find themselves staring at an innings defeat.
“The Australian fans have come out and supported us and we haven't given them anything to support," he said. "We really do have to go out there in Sydney and try to keep some of our supporters and fans onside.
The way we've played, we might have turned a few people off.”
The Aussies have a gigantic task ahead of them as they try to restore their lost pride and ensure that they at least draw the series that had begun so promisingly with a sensational hat-trick by Peter Siddle on
day one of the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane. From that point onwards, the hosts were left wondering what hit them as the English team amassed a mammoth 517/1 in the second innings at the Gabba, following that up with an even bigger tally of 620/4 in
the Adelaide test.
England succumbed to the pace and bounce at the WACA when Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson shared 18 wickets between them, but now seem to be back at their best with the bat at the MCG, amassing 513 runs in their
first innings after the Aussies were bowled out for a paltry 98 in theirs.
As if these woes were not enough, the Aussies have also lost their most promising paceman of the series, Ryan Harris, for the remainder of the summer. Harris has suffered a stress fracture of his ankle, which
has even put a question mark on his chances of playing the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
Australia will resume play on day three at 169/6, with Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson at the crease.
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