Ashes 2009: Day 1 Highlights – 2nd Test: England v Australia at Lord’s, July 16, 2009
Match: Ashes 2009 – Day 1 Highlights – 2nd Test: England v Australia – Scorecard
Venue: Lord’s, London
Date: July 16, 2009
Channel 5 – Full Day 1 Highlights:
What a 1st test match we had to start off Ashes 2009! First four days were not very ashes like but day 5 brought back exhilarating memories of 2005. On to 2nd test match now – Australia have certainly got the edge but England has shown that they have got fight in them. And now the big news – Andrew Flintoff has decided to prematurely retire from Test Cricket.
England’s Team News:
After an injury scare, Andrew Flintoff is back in the team. I feel Flintoff is still injured and has been forced to play as this Ashes series wouldn’t have the same excitement without him. Steve Harmison was supposed to play but has been denied the opportunity due to Flintoff’s return. While Flintoff will be looking to play every test before his retirement, Harmison would also be seeking an opportunity to have a go at the Australians. Graham Onions is likely to get a comeback replacing Monty Panesar. Graeme Swann will retain his place as the sole spinner in the team.
Ricky Ponting states that Flintoff’s retirement could cause distraction for the English team but I’m not sure if it will be that way. It might as well motivate Flintoff and others around him to perform better and play with more passion.
Squad (possible): 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Graham Onions.
Squad Source: Cricinfo
Australia’s Team News:
I don’t see Ricky Ponting making any changes to his current squad, who almost delivered the win in Cardiff.
Squad (probable): 1 Simon Katich, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.
Squad Source: Cricinfo
Pitch Conditions:
The report is that this pitch will assist the pace bowlers. There was grass on the wicket on Tuesday but was cut short on Wednesday [probably to extract 5 days out of this match].
Quotes
Whenever he plays a game … you can see that the fans here are very passionate about watching Andrew Flintoff play. If they know that it’s his last chance to play here and at Edgbatson and Headingley, then I’m sure there’ll be a bit of a circus around it. If that is the case, it will create some distractions, but that’s not for us to worry about. – Ricky Ponting
Watch Cricket Highlights – England vs Australia 2nd Test Highlights Day 1 Ashes 2009 Highlights Online Videos at Lords London on July 16, 2009 Ashes Highlights
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