quantumofsport.com

The inevitable Flintoff roadshow begins, but where can it go from here?

As England took the second new ball on the fourth day of the second 2009 Ashes test, Andrew Strauss called, unusually, for a team huddle, and close-ups revealed an authoritative facade poorly masking a captain's anxiety. We were reminded of that gorgeous Sunday morning at Edgbaston four years ago; the now-forgotten panic on Michael Vaughan's face as he turned with resigned desperation to Steve Harmison; the nauseating immediacy of submission and defeat as victory seemed to be slipping through  England's disbelieving grasp. Having chosen not to enforce the follow on and then declaring in the face of his natural caution, Strauss was aware that the momentum of this series could have spun like a wrong 'un for the third time in two tests. It was possible - it is only a matter of time before a team will chase 500 to win a test, and why not Australia, in an Ashes test, at Lord's? In the face of all rationality, the game seemed in the balance overnight.

In fact, Australia didn't get close to winning this one and hindsight tells us that we knew an unlikely win would have gone entirely in the face of cricket history. Instead, we saw a performance of menace and authority from Andrew Flintoff to mark him out as the most un-English of sporting heroes, a man so aware of his own destiny that he seemed to shape an entire venue, and maybe in time an entire summer, around himself. He complemented the relentless hostility of Sunday's effort with a 10-over spell on day five that was beyond magnificent; no loosener, hardly a ball misplaced. He celebrated his three wickets as though he expected them, arms wide, down on one knee, like an adored father welcoming his children. Figuratively, literally, Flintoff was colossal.

The Worm does not apologise for his use of hyperbole: Flintoff's spell really was that good. But it would be disingenuous to say that he won the game single handed. Swann's deft and varied flight was of great importance on the last day; Anderson got movement in both innings and was a lead contributor in the result-defining innings, Australia's woefully substandard 215. Strauss' controlled 161 set the tone, while Prior, Cook and Onions made telling contributions too. Only Bopara and Broad will feel a need to prove themselves at Edgbaston and the former will be particularly glad for a victory which should guarantee an unchanged side if injuries permit. Bopara looks nervous, a trait unacceptable in a number three who should be the steadiest bat in the line-up. Ian Bell's good county form continues and he will patiently wait for his latest chance. His careful shot-play could be well suited to this Australian attack.

Now the Australians must regroup. They seem fragile, relying on a few mentors to keep the younger players positive. Just as Flintoff is the English talisman, galvanising those around him with his class and his history, Ponting means so much to this team. As the sole link to the truly great heritage of the last twenty years, if he is lost early the team loses conviction. Clarke and Haddin restored some confidence but in truth Australia's batting was frail, erratic and careless, in stark contrast to the first test. Hughes and Hussey need big scores. Centuries in Cardiff are going to be forgotten if Katich carries on giving his wicket away and North labours with increasing desperation to get off the mark. One must not read too much into one poor match - five of the top seven now have centuries in the series and like England last week Australia should resist the temptation to rush into changes. But therein lies the rub - Australia have precious few options in backup. There are simply no top-order batsmen to come in; North was promoted from reserve after the sacking of Andrew Symonds last month. The next reserve is Shane Watson, a one-day player and utility man who averages 19.7 with the bat in his 8 tests. Regardless of form, the top five are effectively undroppable.

Brett Lee comes into the side when fit, but for whom? Not Hilfenhaus, who deserves enormous credit for standing up to be counted when those around him are losing their heads. Hauritz has looked competent and dropping him would create an ill-advised imbalance. We are left with one of two, and this week The Worm finds himself defending an Australian under fire, at least to a point. Mitchell Johnson has quality - he has proven this with 102 wickets in 23 tests including star turns against South Africa. But in this series he has been dreadful, his captain has lost confidence in him and this has spread through the team. With every heavy sigh and skywards glace that Ponting makes, the junior members of the team wilt. And yet Johnson has 8 wickets in the series; good players take wickets when bowling badly. If he gets his radar right on this tour, he spearheads the attack. On form you drop him, but on potential it's Siddle who may stand down. Much may depend on how Johnson bowls at Northants this week.

Meanwhile, the standard of umpiring in this series needs to improve. Australia were on the wrong side of many unfortunate decisions, and although Ponting dismissed these as irrelevant in the post-match interview, The Worm is not so sure. Ponting himself in the first innings, Hughes, Katich and Hussey in the second. Could they have put on 115 between them to win the game? On this occasion the luck has not evened itself out - so far this series it has been all one way.

We are not watching the two best teams in the world but we are watching the premier series in test cricket. This second test had everything and while the absolute quality is not as consistently high as four years ago, there are fragments of the very best the sport has to offer. Given the context, Michael Clarke's 136 is the stand-out innings of the series to date. But this match will be remembered for Flintoff. He is an old-style hero and he'll be retired before we know it. It is time to savour his swansong, pray his fitness lasts fifteen more days and thank the fates of sport that he was born a Pom.

Golf: a word on Watson

We couldn’t let the sporting weekend come to a close without a mention for Tom Watson, the 59-year old who today came within a putt of a remarkable win at The Open golf championship. Had the American triumphed, it would have been one of the greatest, most incredible sporting achievements ever seen - arguably perhaps the greatest. As it was, as Watson’s challenge ultimately ran out of steam in a play-off with fellow American Stewart Cink, it can still go down as one of the greatest sporting achievements of the year - of many a year in fact.

Watson’s performance does raise questions. There will be those who say it is a sad indictment of the modern game that a man of such advanced years was able to come within a whisker of reclaiming golf’s greatest prize. There may even be those who sneer that golf, after all, isn’t really much of a sport if the level of physical effort required is such that an ‘old-timer’ of nearly 60 can hope to win a tournament of this magnitude.

For this columnist, such arguments don’t cut much ice. Golf is a brilliantly simple proposition: you have a few clubs and a ball, and you have to get round a set of obstacles hitting the ball fewer times than your opponents. And a certain level of physical stamina is part of the game. Watson, for four rounds of regulation play, was playing as well, and thinking as clearly, as anybody else out there. Had he been able to close it out at the finish, he would have fully deserved a fairytale victory. Have younger players spent too much time learning their trade on manicured fairways and cosy greens, unable for whatever reason to adapt their games to the wilder, more blustery conditions of links golf? If so, that is their failing, rather than a failing of the game of golf itself.

Now is not the time, though, for lofty analysis or to dwell on exactly how the last four days of golf unfolded. Congratulations are due, certainly, to Stewart Cink. But the fact is that Tom Watson achieved something truly remarkable at this year’s Open. And, for that, we salute him.

Bundesliga 08/09 review: a remarkable season

Pre-season training is in full swing in Germany with the new Bundesliga season starting on August 7. But memories are still fresh of last season, which was one of the most exciting in Bundesliga history. See how it all unfolded in our special Bundesliga 2008/09 review, new on this site. (There are links to a couple of crazy goals in there too, by the way).

England must not be too quick to discard their Ashes gameplan

After the glorious stupidity of the Twenty20 World Cup, The Worm thoroughly enjoyed the return of the Seven/Five (hours/days) game. Innings of patient perfection, Ponting becoming only the fourth batsman to reach 11,000 test runs. But the first 2009 Ashes test match came down to whether the two worst batsmen on one team could survive 11 overs of mediocre and occasional bowling from the other. Each exaggerated forward defensive celebrated like a goal; the "batsmen" gardening the wicket as if they knew what they were looking for; the brazen, sinister time-wasting ploys from the dressing room. It would be humorous if it didn't matter so much.

Let's temper the enthusiasm of the unlikely climax and the newfound mathematical straightness of Monty's bat: England have been thrashed, taking six wickets on a flat track compared with Australia's nineteen. And yet The Worm sees a light of optimism through the cracks in this England team.

F1 German GP: ‘Squeaky bum’ time for Brawn as Webber strikes

Mark Webber’s first F1 victory and his Red Bull team’s one-two at the Nürburgring have piled the pressure on frontrunners Brawn GP in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships. Not long ago, the question was “Boring Brawn?”, such was the way the team stole a march on the rest under this season’s new regulations. Red Bull have since bridged the performance gap, and then some. Now - remarkably, after his string of wins earlier in the season - Brawn’s Jenson Button is no longer the overwhelming favourite to win the drivers’ title. At just past the half-way mark, we are not yet entering the very final stages of the season, but that doesn’t stop the ‘squeaky bum’ tension mounting.

Button’s advantage of 21 points over the nearest Red Bull challenger is not a manageable margin over the remaining eight races if current trends continue. And Brawn’s lead in the constructors’ standings - once seemingly unassailable - looks even more slender. Brawn needs a significant performance improvement in time for the Hungarian GP on July 26. Their key performance problem appears to be the difficulty of getting the right temperature into their tyres, which is why the last couple of Grand Prix have given us the curious sight of Button occasionally weaving around the track to maintain grip - behaviour normally confined to the pre-race formation lap or to laps under the safety car. Regrettably for Brawn, the problem appears esoteric enough that one begins to feel just ever so slightly that this may not be an easy issue to solve, leaving them reliant on favourable track conditions.

However, at least as far as the drivers’ title is concerned, Button may yet be helped by team dynamics. Button’s Brawn team-mate Rubens Barrichello finds himself 4th in the drivers’ standings after the German GP, behind both Red Bull drivers, Vettel and Webber. He won’t be happy about it, and he may still harbour his own title ambitions, but it looks inevitable that Barrichello will now have to play de facto second fiddle to Button for the drivers’ title. At the same time, with Webber getting ever more competitive after suffering an awful broken leg in a close-season biking accident, there is little to choose between the two Red Bull drivers. Although Vettel has a slim points advantage, Webber’s Germany win confirms he is right in title contention alongside him. With no clear number one emerging at Red Bull, that could well be something in Button’s favour as the end of the season approaches.