Andy McDonnell: Reporting live from the 5th day of the Ashes

Regular Weekend Sport Producer Andy McDonnell reports live from Adelaide Oval on day five of the Ashes. 

He chats to Jason Pine about how conditions have affected bowls, England's batsmen not promising a comeback, and the impact of pressure on the English side.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from newstalksb.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Annie McDonald Adelaide Oval. How's the weather today? Looks a
bit cloudy on Telly by me.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
I tell you what, this is the coldest twenty four
degrees I've ever been and I've been rocking Singler and
studies all five days, avoiding maybe to avoid sunburn. It's cool.
I'd say it's a bit of a north westerly, which
is weird to say in Australia. That's cool, but yeah,
it is cool, A little bit of drizzle and pretty dark.

(00:38):
They've just fliped the lights on here at the Oval,
which has sort of almost come as a bit of
a bit of a shock to the system to me.
But it's I mean, I imagine conditions like this will
probably only only benefit the second new Ball. I forget
to that point.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
You've got the full experience of the blazing heat and
now a bit of a cloud and the lights on
there at Adelaide. What on earth were England doing yesterday?
What on earth was Harry Brook doing yesterday? Can you
unpack that for me?

Speaker 3 (01:06):
Well, I've been asking myself for that for several years. Actually,
the thing with Harry Brook though, as it's worked the
whole time until until now, and the absolute pressure cooker
of trying to win the ashes from the most unlikely spot.
I look back to the Travis Head dropping Travis Head
on ninety nine and I just think if that cost

(01:28):
them what seventy one runs, if they were seventy one
runs closer, shot like that will be put away. They
can easily defend that or actually leave that, leave that
ball it's not it's not going to take a wicket
and he might still be out there. Ben Stokes would
still get an absolute and absolute worldy of a delivery
from Nathan Lyons, so he'd be dismissed. But those dismissals

(01:50):
when you're trying to there's no more bigger pressure than
trying to win the ashes. And if you're doing that,
whether you're back against the wall, but a chance to
break a record to stay alive in the series, you've
just got to really wonder where you hit and how
much actually that he got to them.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
I'm just looking at the stats runs and balls faced
and I know these are more middle to lower order
players than Jamie Smith and will Jack's Smith nine off
thirty nine Jack's eleven or forty one. They're probably the
least basball numbers you'll ever see from England batters, regardless
of where they are. They can't possibly win or save

(02:31):
this Test, can they.

Speaker 3 (02:33):
I might not leave Adelaide if they somehow win this Test,
so I might actually be sharing for them. So w
in the Test because love in the city. But I
can't see it happening. An interesting note on those basball numbers.
I'm pretty sure Zach Crawley, the poster boy for basball,
got eighty five yeares today, but he started his innings
one off I think about twenty eight balls. So you

(02:56):
don't need basballs and shouldn't be about hitting from ball one.
You don't need to put the pressure on immediately. You've
actually it's a team snatch. You've got time to play
yourself into the into the game. And he had a
hell of an innings unfortunately came to an end. And
I can't help but think his wicket as well, possibly

(03:16):
was one that probably wouldn't have fallen if he didn't
have the pressure of four hundred and thirty odd checks.
If it was just three hundred and sixty then then
it would have been a lot better.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Indeed, I've got to get to waters at Bay Oval.
You'll have noticed that orders you have, You've.

Speaker 3 (03:33):
Led all this.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
I didn't want to throw you over that bus again
two days in a row. By having I must say,
I must say, as far as a as a cricket
report goes, it's right up there. In fact, if this
game is still going in a couple of hours, I
might get you back on two fifteen for six. Currently
England they need four thirty five. Australia need four wickets.
Annie McDonnell live at the Adelaide Oval for US Normal

(03:56):
Show producer now a show corresponded in South Australia. Good
to chat to your mate.

Speaker 1 (04:01):
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