The Wisden bulletin by Lawrence Booth
Friday, July 6, 2001

Close - Weather gives England respite
Aus 332 for 4 (S Waugh 101*, Martyn 34*)
It's been all Australia on the second day of the first Test at Edgbaston. Or, to be more precise, it's been all Steve Waugh. Arriving at the crease to face the eighth ball of the day, Waugh was still there when bad light and increasingly heavy rain brought an early end. He had scored 101 of Australia's 199 runs in the 59.2 overs possible and taken them to 332 for 4, a lead over England of 38 with three days still to go. His eighth Ashes century was monumental rather than memorable, but that's Waugh for you. Nudge, slash, grind and grit: no frills thanks, I've got a job to do.

Waugh began his innings at the low point of the Australian innings. Darren Gough had bowled Michael Slater for 77 with his first ball of the day, and Australia were 134 for 3 - not exactly stuttering, but no longer strutting like the evening before.

For once, Waugh stole the show from his twin Mark, scoring initially at a run a ball while Mark seemed to attract all the good deliveries and had to make do with the anchor role. England didn't help themselves: either side of the lunch interval Alec Stewart failed to stump Mark when he had 28, and Marcus Trescothick failed to catch him one run later.

He eventually went for 49, caught behind in the first over of a new spell from Andy Caddick as the ball lifted and left him. He had added 134 runs with Steve, having managed to look more elegant but less secure - a bit like watching David Gower and Graham Gooch bat together.

Steve Waugh was joined by Damien Martyn, and continued to wear down the England attack. He repeatedly worked balls from middle stump through midwicket, and occasionally freed his arms to cut a wide ball through the covers. He reached the most inevitable of centuries when a rare stray delivery from Craig White drifted onto his pads and was helped on its way to the backward square-leg boundary.

Martyn looked comfortable too, taking 14 off a loose Ashley Giles over and working the legside gaps as efficiently as Waugh himself had done all afternoon. England's bowling had been a marked improvement on yesterday evening, but they came up against one of the wonders of the world. And for sheer magnitude, this was certainly on a par with the Colossus of Rhodes.

Bad light allowed just two balls after the tea interval - when Gough took the new ball - and when light drizzle turned into a huge downpour, everyone decided they'd had enough. At least it gave England's beleaguered fans the chance to get home in time to watch Tim Henman battle for a place in the Wimbledon final. The good thing about tennis is that defeat is over and done with in a couple of hours. Steve Waugh will be looking to prolong England's misery tomorrow.

Tea – Waugh grinds England down
Aus 332 for 4 (S Waugh 101*, Martyn 34*)
Australia have won 20 of the last 33 Ashes Tests, and it is beginning to look inevitable that they would make it 21 out of 34. At tea on the second day, Australia had progressed serenely to 332 for 4 and led England by 38. Chipping away at the coalface was Steve Waugh, the master craftsman, unbeaten on 101, and with him was Damien Martyn, not out 34. There were still 10 sessions left in this match and already England were praying for rain.

England's one breakthrough after lunch came when Andy Caddick found the outside edge of Mark Waugh's bat with a ball that bounced and moved away. Waugh, missed on 28 and 29, eventually made a less-than-convincing 49 out of a fourth-wicket stand of 143 with his twin Steve.

Unusually, it was Steve who was playing most of the shots. He may not have the Fred Astaire feet of Michael Slater or the luxurious loveliness of his brother Mark's on-drive, but he is the most consistent batsman in the world. Pretty to watch? No way. Would you want him on your side? God, yes. He worked the ball into the leg-side gaps with unerring regularity, and when Ashley Giles dropped short, he invariably cut for four. Otherwise Waugh played from the crease, which is how he likes it because it gives his eagle eye the chance to counter movement at the last possible minute. England didn't bowl badly at him, they were simply picked off one by one as if by a deadly sniper. Nothing was more inevitable than the moment when he reached his hundred, tucking White to backward square leg with an efficient clip off his pads. It was his eighth Ashes hundred and his 26th in all.

Damien Martyn didn't look too bad either. There were one or two hairy moments early on against Caddick, and the involuntary edge to third man for four took Australia into the lead. Two balls later Martyn brought up the 300 with a better-looking flick for three to square leg.

Martyn then took 14 off a Giles over, twice late-cutting him to the backward-point boundary, and working him for a trio of twos in the open spaces on the on the leg side. How England would love to be able to call on a man of his quality.

Lunch - Australia march on
England must hate the Waugh twins - in the nicest possible way, of course. Because at lunch on the second day of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, Australia are ominously placed at 238 for 3. The Waughs, with Steve on 62 and Mark on 29, have so far added 104 for the fourth wicket like the great batsmen they are, and Australia trail England by just 56.

It was a far cry from the seventh ball of the morning, when Darren Gough exacted revenge for the roughing up he had received the previous evening by bowling Michael Slater with an inswinger for 77. That made it 134 for 3, and it was very much game on.

But Steve Waugh has come to the crease in direr straits than this, and was immediately into his busy stride, tucking balls off his hips behind square leg for two, and launching Gough through point at the slightest hint of width. The artisan to Mark's artiste, Steve gave a masterclass in unostentatious run-gathering.

Mark was quieter against bowling that started tight but gradually slackened, but when Craig White drifted on to his pads, he whipped the ball to the midwicket boundary like a stylish circus-master.

Steve passed 9000 Test runs, then brought up the 200 with a succulent cover-drive for four off Andy Caddick. Mark bettered that by timing Ashley Giles oh-so-easily through wide mid-on, his favoured scoring area off his pads.

There was little England could do, but they did miss one gilt-edged chance to break the stand. Charging down the wicket to Giles, Mark Waugh was beaten in the flight, but Alec Stewart got nowhere near the ball - how many stumpings has he missed in his Test career? - and Waugh recovered his ground. England have now missed three chances in the field (Matthew Hayden was dropped first ball, Slater was dropped on 44), which makes the already exacting task of beating Australia virtually impossible. At least Giles was finding some bounce and turn, although Shane Warne won't mind that.

England were outplayed comfortably this morning and when Steve Waugh hammered the final ball of the session, from Ashley Giles, through the covers for four, Australia had scored 106 runs without really breaking sweat.

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