Test Match Special - Old Trafford Day 4: England left needing another miracle

Episode Date: September 7, 2019

Michael Vaughan says England will need a 'Michael Atherton in Johannesburg type innings' (185 not out off 492 balls having occupied the crease for over 10 hours) to secure a draw and keep their Ashes hopes alive heading into the final Test at The Oval. Coach Trevor Bayliss says his side can pull off another incredible escape, and we hear from Australia's team mentor Steve Waugh on Steve Smith’s monumental performances.Away from the cricket, we catch up with James Pattinson about his love of English football and in particular Grimsby Town!

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LBW, England, one for none. What a sensation. Nassar Hussein has won the toss and inserted Australia. In what you'd have to say, very good conditions here, but there's a tinge of green on the pitch. Botham swings again, hits that. It's six runs. It's a six runs. That's his hundred.

Palmerston from the far end. Bowles the first ball of the series. Oh, my word, it's gone straight to second slip. What a horrible start. Welcome to Old Trafford, where not for the first time this summer, Australia are within touching distance of retaining the ashes. They need eight wickets on the final day to secure their first series win here since 2001, with England having to bat out the day to get to the Oval with something to play for.

A little bit later in the podcast, we'll hear from the Aussie bowler James Pattinson on his love of English football and Grimsby Town. But first, let's recap the day's play here. losing on 18 for 2, leading another 365 to win. The TMS podcast at Old Trafford for the fourth test of the ashes. So close the player, the fourth day of the fourth test between England and Australia, Old Trafford sees England at 18 for 2. They were naught for 2.

After the first over ball by Pat Cummins, he dismissed Rory Burns. Pass me out luckily, looking to turn the ball into the leg side. He got a leading edge and was caught a bit off for naught. Next ball, Joe Rook, got a beauty. First ball, it just held its own And I think that would have bowled a lot of people Certainly first ball for naught Nort for two as England captain walked off

Joe Denley and Jason Roy have seen it through to the close But my word England got some work tomorrow 98 overs in fact Earlier we saw England bowled out for 3001 Stokes 26 Birstow 17 Butler a good 41 Archer and Broad dismissed cheaply With Stark taking 3 for 80 And Hazelwood 4 for 57

Ingo Australia again And suddenly there were 44 for four, a rejuvenated broad running in, dismissing both openers, Warner for naught. That's his first pair in test cricket. Harris, Elbow-W to broad for six. Then Archer nipped in with Labashane, Elwood W for 11, and he'd spectacularly bold Travis head for 12. Biddle stuff from flying out of the ground. That was 44 for 4.

But then, well, inevitably. Steve Smith scored 82 in a stand of 105 with Wade, a terrific 82. You wouldn't have known the situation really at the time. 92 balls at 12-4s he struck. weighed 34 and if you run stock at the end by the captain pain enabling him to declare it 186 for 6 so leaving England theoretically at least 383 to win in those 98 overs plus the half hour they had tonight but 18 for 2 Michael Vaughn I think we already the England win scenario has gone for a Burton

yeah the win scenario I'd say it's almost to the level that England found themselves at Henley in terms of you know it was a miracle at headland that England won the test match I think it's going to be a miracle of England can survive the draw here. To face that attack on this pitch now for 98 overs tomorrow, well, it's going to take an incredible innings. It's going to take a Michael Atherton-Styling.

He's back all those years ago in Johannesburg. You look at the day, I mean, England at Ford, I thought they fought with the bat. There's been some errors. There's been some poor strokes. But against this Australian attack in the conditions that they had to face to get just over 300.

I would say the pitch that we've seen, seen this week. I reckon it was possibly a 350 Australia par scoring the first in the first thing. They got 4997. You know, the drop chances, the no-ball that got Steve Smith out.

And England got 300. I would say the path for them was around that on the pitch that they had to bat. Then they get the quick wickets. There was a little bit of joy around the ground. There was a bit of excitement. And this England side, I guess, if we're honest about them over the course of a few years now,

they consistently don't realize the situations of the game when they really have to step up. They didn't realise it on day one. England were a team of individuals on day one. Yes, the conditions were tough. The wind was blowing, but we looked out there and there was a team not together.

The first time that we've really seen England together as a team in the field was this afternoon. Too late. Geoffrey Archer suddenly got his paces up to 90 miles an hour. I'm afraid it was all too late for England. Just going to interrupt you, Michael, because Eleanor Aldroyd with England coach Trevor Baylis. Well, Trevor, Michael Horn has just said

that you need a miracle to get out of this, tomorrow, what do you think? Well, anything's possible. We saw that in the last test match. You know, we've certainly got a couple of guys out there now and a few guys in the shed. There are more than capable of scoring a hundreds. We know it's going to be difficult on this, on this wicket against this attack.

But, you know, as Ben Stokes showed last, you know, in the last test match, anything's possible. And we've got to, you know, we've got to give ourselves a chance. So you believe in miracles? I'm not sure about it. I believe in guys being able to bat well. and we've certainly got the batters in the team to do that. It's going to be very difficult.

We understand that. But let's put in a big effort tomorrow and see what we can do. You could say that for Jason Roy and Joe Denley, this is a great opportunity to write their names in the Ashes history books. Well, certainly. That's one of the things we spoke about last week. Who was going to put their hand up and be remembered? It's another opportunity tomorrow for someone.

What's the feeling like up there at the moment? Oh, look, obviously when you lose a cup of night, we can set that close to the play. It's a little bit disappointing, but pretty upbeat about what we might be able to do tomorrow. It's, you know, hopefully, you know, bat well and save the game and, yeah, enjoy a beer after. Was there any conversation about sending a night watchman up? Yeah, he was next in, yeah.

So that would have been Craig Overton again, would you? Yes, yeah. So why not at the full of the first wicket? Well, I don't think there's a team in the world that sends a night watchman in, you know, with 20 minutes plus. We've always had one, you know, we're night watchmen ready to go from 20 minutes onwards. So the conversations that you'll have as a group tonight, can you let us know what you'll say, or will you just wait until you get here tomorrow morning? We've already had a chat, and I've already said exactly what we spoke about up there.

And, yeah, everyone's, you know, everyone's psyched to go out tomorrow and hopefully be those. one and two guys that can make a nice hundred and save the day. Thank you very much, Charlie. Great, thank you. Thank you, Eleanor. Thanks to Trevor Bayliss. That's a nice Australian looking at it. We'll just save the game and have a beer afterwards.

Well, you know, what he meant to say, I mean, it's so difficult. He knows his team in a position that, you know, it will take a miracle. There's no point in saying anything else. No point said, oh, it's going to be easy, you know, and if someone gets in, it's going to be very difficult against this Australian attack. I was just saying, Agar, my frustration with this England Test Match team, and it's been for a while that they don't seem to realise the moment. And there's been moments this week where we've looked and we've gone, wait a minute.

I think everybody was really flat after that first day in the performance. I mean, I'm talking about England supporters now. And the performance. I know the wind, the people talk about the wind, but you can't turn the wind off. You've got to get on with it. It's one in an ashes, actually. Yeah, and to see the way that they ran in today. I mean, Stuart Broad, I'd totally exonerate from anything of the...

I'm saying about the first day. He's been magnificent. But the rest of it, it's pretty lethargic, frankly, on the first day. And today it was like watching a different team. And that's my point with this team is, and again, it's been the case for a long time, they're very good when they've been prodded.

They're very good when they've been beaten and everyone's criticised them and they've got this point to prove. Why can't they play to the standard that we see them? The second in it's at Hedley. Everyone wrote them off. We said, that's it. The ashes have been retained.

What did they have? They had the men. No, no, no. We've got a point to prove it. We'll prove you all wrong. You know, they're all putting on Instagram stories, the headlines from people that had kind of said that the ashes have been retained. You know, all of them were kind of pointing the finger back.

Yeah, I saw it all on Instagram stories. So they're a good team when people are prodding them. Why can't they have this point to prove mentality without the point to prove? Day one was absolutely on the knife edge here. One all, full house, yes, it's windy, get too early wicket. Steve Smith walks out there. surely the plan is for Joffre Archer to get it up to 90 miles and now to Steve's,

but he bought seven balls at him. So, yeah, we're into day four, we're going into day five, but it's been the whole week, all the murmurings that, oh, the pitchers have been right, too, so get on with it. Those are the bold all right on.

Correct. Why are we always in this position, that we seem to always have this with the test team that there are talented bunch. There's one or two that you question, but, you know, there are talented bunch that continuously play to this standard and to this kind of mentality

when they've not been prodded. Why is that? I love the Australian pace attack, don't you? And with Patterson not playing and Siddell not playing in this, but they all, they're relentless. They are absolutely

at the batsmen all of the time in their own individual ways, but they're like terriers, aren't they? They just don't, they're probably, of course they're probably the old bad ball here and there, but they're just at you, at you, at you, ball after ball after ball.

Yeah, it's Ashes cricket. You know, we've had some Ashes series over the years where you've looked and gone, wait a minute, you know, England have gone, a chance because the bowling attacks have not been to the standard of maybe in the past but this is high class

you know the combination of Hazelwood and Cummings you know and then you throw in the firecracker Stark it's a wonderful three and then you've got Nathan line he hasn't bowed great but he's still a good off-spinning you know that as a captain you can throw in the ball he should at least hold you an end and he does that you've got a field in unit that

they've had a one or two go down but you know the slip cordon just looks solid you know it spreads out further than the England cord and you look at England in the field you look at how narrow the slip cordon is. You know, look at Australia, they spread the wings and they cover more space. And, you know, we're in for a ride tomorrow

because, you know, England have got to kind of dig deep into that. Again, if you look across the four games, we've been arriving on the mornings a lot. If you analyse the whole series, from Edgebaston to Lords to Head and Litt to now, Old Trafford, we're arriving on most mornings. We need someone to step up here. And there's not many mornings that we've arrived

with England completely dominating the game on top it's always been someone's going to have to produce an innings once again and it's going to have to be you would think Ben Stokes Ben Stokes is going to have to play the innings tomorrow

because he's the one player that looks calm, looks composed, he's playing straight, he's playing the ball late. You know, there was one of two nice signs for England today

with the bat, Josh Butler. I thought he played with good control but that's his highest score at the series. We're into the fourth test at the seventh inning. He's got 41 and,

you know, he needs to contribute more than that. You know, he's difficult when he bats at seven and all of a sudden and the wickets fall he's down to players coming in

Stuart Broad and then Jack Leach how does he play he's got to play a few shots and you know he had to give up his wicket so it's not easy down there but you know

ultimately so far in the series it's not been enough of the England team that's arrived there's been individuals and individual brilliant Stuart Broad's been magnificent Ben Stokes

magnificent Joe Root's stuck in there Rory Burns but you can't win in Ash's series with only three or four of you turning up well it is as Alaner was saying there to Trevor Bayless a great opportunity for Messrs Denley

and Roy tomorrow and he can't deny that I mean what more could they want you know in this situation I mean they do have the opportunity I wonder if they can take it whatever Jason Roy took out with him tonight in terms of mentality he played nicely

he played some nice straight defensive strokes and he played a nice clip through midwicket and then he played a nice drive he's just got to go and do exactly the same again and he's got to nullify the scoreboard he's got to just think and stay in the present moment of every ball every a ball tomorrow for Jason

Roy's an event and he's got to get over that event and then the next one and then the next one he's got to take a leaf out of you know it's very difficult to take a leaf out of a genius like Steve but he just nullifies every

simplifies but go right a ball at a time and then face the next ball and he gets over and over and then he plays the next over and that's all Jason Roy has to do and if he hits a boundary it's back into his bubble back into his zone of defence because tomorrow you know a fancy 30 he's going to do nothing for England

no well it's not you know it's all about Can this pair, can an individual go and face 150 balls? Can someone go and stick the handle and get 35 of 150 balls? Of course you have to try and put a little bit of pressure back on the bowl and hit the odd scoring shot, but tomorrow's all about can you occupy the crease for a period of time and can you nullify the opposing team and this quality attack for an hour, get to lunch, get into the afternoon session?

Can they get Australia panicking in the afternoon with a chance that they think they might have wasted another offer? opportunity here at Old Trafford. I doubt it because I think, and I would expect the Australians to bowl well, this pitch isn't going to get any easier. But you know what, England, prove us all wrong again, because I like it when we criticise them, because they seem to play better. Yes, they do. Steve Smith innings today. I mean, I don't know, it was just different again, wasn't it? I mean, we've seen him play his style of test match innings up to now, but this was impish. This was naughty. This was taking the Mickey. This was stepping way to leg and just a little faint deflection

down through third man because nobody was there I mean he was just like a look of cat toying with a mouse today it was almost if today it listened to one and two saying he must have had a few scouts in the media centres

he's a bit boring to watch while today he just proves like he can play any innings he can you know he can up his tempo he can up his strike rate that little glide down to third man off Joffaraj with probably missing legs stung by

six inches and he just leant back and just let the back come with him and he just glided it down to that vacant space we're looking at a wonderful wonderful player. I'm with you with this theory that he somehow knows what's going to be bowled at him because there's an amazing setup too where he'd been stepping

away to Broad, stepping away, stepping away, so Broad thinks, right, I'm going to follow you and he'd actually gone the other way and it's five wides. I mean, he's a wizard. He's a wizard. He's wonderful vassment to watch. He's just got that ability to be able to see what's happening before

anybody else. And the way that he maneuvers the ball into the spaces. Again, he gets a bad ball. You very rarely see him hit the field. You know, that's a sign of a real quality play and the gap might be between extra cover and mid-off and it could only be a metre.

He'll find that metre gap. He's a wizard. All right, thanks Michael. Let's get some Australian reaction. Then Geoff Lehmann has been speaking with the team mentor and the former captain, Steve War. Steve Michael Vaughn said on air

a minute ago that England would need a miracle tomorrow. Do you agree with that? Oh yeah, look, they've had a miracle last game so you can't say it won't happen. But look, we're in a good position. We've played some excellent cricket and we're confident we can do well tomorrow. Does it make it a little bit extra significant for you

having had that win here in 2001, Australia haven't won since and you're involved with trying to get them over the line here this time around? Look, I'm playing a small part. I think they've done fantastic preparation for this series, being war coached, well captain, and they've prepared excellent. So if I can play my small part, I'm really happy to do that. But tomorrow is a big day for Australian cricket. The guys have worked really hard,

disappointing the last test match, but they've bounced back fantastically well so far. Pat Cummins, the way he's able to stamp his influence on a game just at the end here as well. You've watched a lot of good fast bowling. What's your take on him? Look, the attack is world class. I mean, all six bowlers in the squad have been

really bored into the fact that every time they play, they're going to give 100% and they may not play their next test match. So that's been a really good team effort from those guys. Pat Cummins is a war-class bowler. He's number one ranked bowling the war for a reason because he's class. Steve Smith, everybody's probably sick of us talking about him over here, but nearly 700 runs in the series. Have you seen a player have a streak this good, this hot?

No. I mean, I obviously didn't see Don Bradman play, but I guess it's in the similar sort of vein where it just keeps scoring runs. It almost looks too easy. He's playing on a different level to everyone else. And, you know, I guess you just got to cash him while it lasts because, you know, cricket can turn around pretty quickly. But right now he's making the most of some great form. What's your insight on that process of how he's gone about coming back, getting his head together, all the pressure, all the scrutiny, the long layoff and then turning this out? I think only he can explain that. I mean, it's a phenomenal performance. It's monumental when you look back and I'd be out of the game for so long, have so much pressure and to do so well,

it's almost incomprehensible what he's done. And it'll go down in the history of the game as one of the great performances by an individual in the series. Would you be interested in having a bit more of a role with this team going forward? Or is it just a brief holiday in the sun? Oh, look, if they're winning, yes. It's that sort of role. Oh, look, you know, I'm just enjoying being around the guys.

First time for 15 years, really, I've been close to the team. And very professional, they're willing to learn. they're willing to work together. So it's been enjoyable, but we'll just see how it pans out in the next couple of tests and see whether there's some sort of role there. But I think mentoring or mentorship is really important in sport. They've got to make sure there is no miracle tomorrow. It'll be a big day either way.

Yeah, no miracle tomorrow. We're pretty confident. Thanks, Steve. The TMS podcast at Old Trafford for the fourth test of the ashes. Our view from the boundary guest this afternoon was the BBC's Middle East editor, Jeremy Bowen. You can download that full chat as a podcast on this feed. here is talking to me about the danger he's encountered reporting for the BBC. There was one time in the war in Chechnya, Grozny in Chechnya, in the winter of 94-95,

and I was in this square where the buildings, half of them were on fire, and we were waiting for somebody or we would have a colleague, otherwise we would have left, and a couple of Russian planes came over and bombed the place, and I found myself curled up, wearing my flat check from my helmet, curled up in the snow next to this low wall, thinking any second I'm either going to die or I'm going to suffer some appalling injury. So that full view from the boundary is available to download

as a podcast on the TMS feed. James Pattinson's been getting arrest this week with Mitchell Stark recalled to the Australian attack. That maybe could grab a word with him to discuss his English health. heritage. He was eligible to play for England with his father born in Grimsby and his mother hailing from Barnsley. He lived in the UK as a young child and from those early days over here he developed a real passion for English football and Anna Aldroyd went to find out more. It's not very often that you have a conversation about Grimsby town with an Australian fast bowler but

this is what we're going to do now because James Pattinson joins us on the outfield and James this is something that's kind of emerged over the weeks that you've been here that you have this affiliation, you know, with that particular part of the world, you grew up in Cleethorpe's for a while, and Grimsby are your team. Yeah, that's right. I suppose it just goes back to Dad. Dad actually got here yesterday and he's spending the next sort of month here, so he's heading back down to Grimsy where he was from and Cleethorpe to see his family, so I won't get the chance to go with him because I've got to head back home and play cricket, but yeah, basically, yeah, just obviously, you know, drawn to Grimsby and supporting them, just following them through

through dad obviously coming from there and you know him following them pretty much through his life so yeah it's a bit of a good connection there do you remember your first visit to blundle park um i've had a few but i remember the first one i think a car got broken into i think i said that the other week so um yeah i think um that was the last time we drove there come back in the back window was smashed up and stuff so yeah that was a good memory of going there and watching grimsby and you had quite a good routine beforehand as well didn't you which you know people who know about grimsby you know they might know about Grimsby Town, but they associate it with the finest fish and chips.

Yeah, it is pretty good. I remember my auntie working next door. She worked in the club there next door to the fish and chip shop was pretty good. So I used to duck in there and grab some fish and chips. I think it was back in the day when they still had him in the newspaper. So, you know, that adds more to it. So, yeah, look, it was good memories of growing up, although it was a small part of my childhood. It's still good.

And obviously, for dad to get back over here, he's at this test match and coming to the next one. So I think he's booked two weeks He reckons in the Cleethorps Caravan Park or something like that So I'm sure he'll enjoy that You couldn't find somewhere slightly more salubrious Or is it all about the Cleethorpe's caravan park? I think so I think it's just getting back to his roots

I think so I think it'll bring back a few memories for him But he's got one of his mates over from Australia He hasn't been over here So I'm sure he'll show him the sites of Grimsby and Cleethorps And I think they're going out for a night out in Blackpool I think that was Dad's favourite place to go out So they're actually going to go to Blackpool for a night out so that could be a bit of trouble.

And we actually learnt from you not only, I mean, because you've got tattoos on your arm of various English scenes. You've got Big Ben, I think, haven't you got a top hat out there as well? But also that you didn't just follow Grimsby Town. You followed England football. I was sort of made too as a youngster because Dad was watching him.

So, yeah, I watched a lot of their games. And obviously, you know, they were probably the, they were a bit better than Australia at the time. And Dad made me watch them. I still obviously followed Australia, but I was sort of made to follow it. follow England and now I love David Beckham so I watched because of that so

yeah look obviously it wasn't until sort of I started playing for Australia that I got dad to move over from from Barracking for England to Barrack for me and Barrack for Australia yeah yeah and now Stefan Shermount from BBC Sport is with us and Stefan you wrote the piece with James that was on the website this week and

as a result of that Grimsby Town got in touch didn't they? They have been in touch and they've sent a couple of gifts so I don't know if you want to open this box first Just describe what's in it? We've got a mug, a coffee mug or a tea mug, and it's a Grimsby Town tea mug, so that's beautiful. I was actually at Nottingham when we play there, everyone brings their own mug in and puts it in the change rooms. And I was actually looking for one of these to buy and put under there.

So now I've got one. So that'll probably go straight to the Knott's Change Rooms and I'll be able to drink out of it. Fantastic. Have you seen the other side as well? Oh, lovely. It's got my initial on there. Lovely. Very good.

That's awesome. Yeah, very good. And not only that, Stefan, you've got something else to present, James? Well, we don't know what's in this. It says FAO James Pattinson, and we think it's a little letter from the club. So if you want to open that and tell us what's inside it. We've got absolutely no idea what they've sent to you, but it's a little note to go along with the presents. From the club, from Grimsy.

Just saying we'd like to enclose the initial of your mugs. We'd really appreciate if you're able to send a picture of us with you holding this. to the club and your father understand that you have attended fixtures in the recent past including our last visits to Notts County in April you would be more than happy to host you as a guest here at Bundle for any fiction in the near future and they said all the best and go Australia

did they actually see that no I just said that but yeah I think if I support them the English roots they should definitely Grimsby Town should definitely start supporting Australia in the ashes I think and we should say because it's AFL finals this weekend as well isn't it just just getting

going. So is that, are you more interested in what's happening with Grimsby at Blundle Park or are you following the AFL finals as well? No, my team's out of the AFLs. I go for the Sydney Swans and they had a pretty poor season. So, yeah, I'm not really following that. Although my brother-in-law does play for Western Bulldogs who just got, just got flogged by GWS. So they're also out as well. So I've got no allegiances now in the AFL. So I'll probably keep an eye on the grand final, but not that closely. Yeah, it's all about the battle for League 2 promotion. Yeah, that'd be nice obviously going up to league one will be good i think it's been a fair few years since we're in league one and we've been sort of battling it out in league two so hopefully this year it's

looking all right so um usually it's middle of the table finish but um yeah hopefully this year we could go a bit higher and obviously yeah get promoted to league two the tms podcast at the ashes well panison's mug didn't bring them any luck they lost two nil at home to crew alexandra so can england hold on on the final day or is tomorrow the day that Australia finally retained the Ashes or could England stage another incredible run chase? Well, he won't miss a ball with us on Test Match Special on Sports Extra, Radio 4 Longwave and the BBC Sounds app.

Join us from 10.30 and we'll speak to you then. Available every day during every test. This is the TMS podcast at the Ashes from BBC Radio 5 Live. Thank you.