A finish detached from the action
15-Jul-2013
The climax of the Trent Bridge Test came via the third umpire and Hot Spot, and regardless of whether the decision was correct, it was a shame that the end had to be determined by gadgetry, writes James Lawton in the Independent.
It didn't feel right. It felt like settling a tumultuous fight by committee decision. A climax which promised to be every bit as dramatic as the one which carried England to victory in the Edgbaston Ashes Test of 2005 had been annexed, detached from the heart of action.
Malcolm Conn, in the Daily Telegraph, argues that the entire match highlighted the inadequate rules surrounding technology.
The DRS was originally introduced to get rid of the howler but in this match all matter of margin calls were judged by technology while the howler stayed. Until cricket finds a way of using technology to get rid of the howler then the game will continue to make a fool of itself.
Writing for the Roar, Glenn Mitchell notes England's superior use of the DRS throughout the game.
England seems to have a system in place when there is a belief that a referral is a possibility. It involves a cool-headed analysis by the three key figures - captain, bowler and wicket-keeper. If there is not a consensus no review is called for. On the other hand, Australia's method seems at times to be based on emotion. The referral on Jonny Bairstow in England's second innings is a case in point.
In the Age, Greg Baum praises James Anderson and his match-winning ten-wicket game.
Cook's management of him on Sunday consisted of not of asking him what his logbook showed, but how he felt. Mostly, it was ready for another. No Australian came to terms in this match with his thousand variations on the swing theme; even Michael Clarke was made to flail, like a wrong-footed footballer. Neither side has a Warne, but England has a McGrath.
Vic Marks, in the Guardian, notes that Australia struggled against Anderson, but handled his bowling colleagues with ease.
They made Swann, who bowled perfectly well, toil. His last 20 overs were wicketless and Australia's right-handers scored off him relatively freely. Swann takes wickets more expensively against Australia than against any other Test nation. Moreover Australia targeted Steven Finn as if he was a young, straggling buck in the bush, not because he bowled dreadfully but because they sensed vulnerability.
In the Independent, John Townsend argues that there are plenty of encouraging signs for Australia despite the defeat.
Any team that smashed a world batting record must be buoyed by their prospects even if that new mark emerged from the remarkable agency of a teenage debutant batting at No 11 and an unorthodox battler on his third and, perhaps, final chance. And getting within several blows of the biggest run chase on a ground in its third century as a Test host speaks of considerable self-belief within the camp.