Panicking ?

Are the Aussies panicking ? One would think so. Australia included Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee for the 3rd Ashes test against England at Old Trafford yesterday. Brett Lee was on drips for an infected knee and McGrath was nursing an ankle injury. After the defeat in Edgbaston, a match where England dominated till the 4th day, Australia seem to have been rattled. Australia's batting hasn't clicked and more importantly, there have been no big scores from any of the big guns.. including Hayden and Ponting. Hayden has looked out of sorts during this entire series and Gilchrist too has not shone. Added to it has been Gillespie's poor bowling in this entire tour. He seems to have lost the plot and dizzy is in a daze these days.

On the first day yesterday, McGrath and Lee passed the fitness test and were included in the playing 11. Both bowled their heart out, but Australia, for all the good work they have been doing with their fielding in matches, dropped as many as 5 catches, including Trescothick(by Gilchrist) and Vaughan, twice.Vaughan took the oportunity and scored the first century in the Ashes series.McGrath also had Vaughan bowled, but off a no-ball.Vaughan took special liking to the hapless Gillespie and hammered him enroute to his 166. He was caught off a full toss from part time chinamans by Simon Katich. But the day was momentous for the greatest leg spinner of all time, Shane Warne who snared the 600th test wicket of his career by having Trescothick caught behind by Gilchrist. Truly, a great gift to the game of cricket and a great servant to Australian cricket. He achieved it in his 126th Test match, and he is not done yet. If there is one man who can turn this game around it has to be Shane Warne. McGrath looked out of sorts, going for more than 4 an over in his spell. Surprising for a miserly fast bowler whose average in test cricket is around 21. He was not the mean machine that he usually is and was quite a few paces slow as well. Obviously, he has not fully recovered. And with the England batsmen taking full toll on Gillespie, Australia found themselves clueless.

Lee again bowled his heart out with the second new ball, getting rid of the dangerous Kevin Pietersen and nightwatchman Mathew Hoggard, off the last ball of the day. Mathew Bell came back to form with a well compiled half century and was unbeaten. But the day was more to do with the sloppy cricket by the Aussies, be it bowling or fielding, there were dropped catches and loose bowling. England grabbed the opportunity and made a strong challenge for the 3rd test , ending the day at a rather healthy 341-5. Australia will be looking for Shane Warne to weave some magic and Lee to unleash his speed on the remaining batsmen in the England team to get back into this test match. But Freddie Flintoff, in the form he has been in, may have other ideas. Another exhilirating day of test match cricket to look forward to on the 2nd day of the 3rd test match of the 2005 Ashes series at Old Trafford.