Battling England escape with a draw
Monty Panesar could be dropped for the Lord's Test despite his heroics with the bat
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England are facing an uphill battle to save the first Test against Australia after being reduced to 20-2 in their second innings before rain brought an early end to the fourth day. |  |
Sunday, 12, Jul 2009 10:16
Monty Panesar and James Anderson were the unlikely heroes with the bat as England snatched a draw against Australia on the final day at Cardiff.
The pair survived 40 gripping minutes as England finished on 252-9. The Aussies ran out of time to get the final wicket after failing to dismiss the tail-enders.
Paul Collingwood earlier made a valiant 74 as England evoked memories of the Ashes series in 2005 after recovering from a horrendous start on the fifth day.
Needing to bat out the day in bright sunshine at the Swalec Stadium, the hosts lost Kevin Pietersen and opener Andrew Strauss within the first hour.
Pietersen (8) playing cautiously and misjudged a wider delivery from Ben Hilfenhaus that nipped back into the right-hander and dislodged the bails.
Then six overs later skipper Strauss (17), rocking back to play a square cut, saw a Nathan Hauritz delivery bounce a little more than expected and he caught a fine top edge that was snaffled by a delirious Brad Haddin behind the stumps.
It got worse as before lunch as wicket-keeper Matt Prior was dismissed for just 14 after cutting a delivery from Hauritz to Michael Clarke at slip to reduce the hosts to 70-5.
Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff put on a 57-run partnership to steady the ship. But Flintoff was sent back to the pavilion after lunch for 26 when he nicked a delivery from Johnson to Ricky Ponting at slip.
Stuart Broad took up the mantle and battled well with Collingwood until he was trapped lbw by Hauritz for 14 to leave the hosts on 159-7.
Collingwood brought up his 50 in the next over as England continued to dig deep. Graeme Swann survived a barrage of vicious deliveries from Peter Siddle to reach 31 off 63 balls before he was trapped lbw by Hilfenhaus.
The turning point looked to have come with 50 minutes of play left when Collingwood's wayward shot was caught by Mike Hussey off the bowling of Peter Siddle.
But Anderson, who faced 50 deliveries, and last man Panesar, who survived 35 deliveries, provided the great escape. The pair helped England passed the Aussies' total to frustrate the tourists.
The duo survived over 11 overs - although Ponting will be ruing his decision to use part-time spinner Marcus North in the closing stages in his search of the final wicket.
England have little time to recover, with the second Test starting on Thursday at Lord's.