The Ashes 2013: 2nd Test, Day 4 - Flops of the Day

Ashton Agar fell to another dubious call by the third umpire

Outrageous – that’s what the Australian cricket fans would sum up Day 4 of the second Test against the rampaging English side at Lord’s. 12 wickets fell in a single day’s play – slightly less than Day 2 - and the Aussies were once again on the receiving end.

For a side that was once the top-ranked team in both Test and one-day cricket, it’s turning out to be a nightmarish tour. Six straight losses do not augur well for this relatively inexperienced squad, and coach Darren Lehmann has a lot of work to do.

Here are the Flops of the Day:

Phil Hughes (1 run off 21 balls)

The southpaw has completely gone off the boil since his unbeaten 81 in the first game of the series. He’s clearly uncomfortable with spin and always has his hand on the DRS trigger.

A straighter one from Swann pitched on middle and rapped him on the front pad. Replays showed that the ball would have clipped the top of the leg-stump, and Hughes began the long walk back to the pavilion. He would have been better off playing that ball to the on-side.

Chris Rogers (6 runs off 29 balls)

The Middlesex captain might just wear his glasses while batting next time. He has been clearly struggling against the magic of Swann, and failed to read a straighter delivery pitching on off and coming in with the drift.

Now, most players would offer at least a dead bat to that ball, but Rogers chose to leave it alone – and saw his off-stump on the ground. Needless to say, his wicket was basically a gift to the English side.

Brad Haddin (7 runs off 32 balls)

Another batsman dismissed without offering a stroke to Swann was the Aussie wicket-keeper. Haddin also seems to have lost the will to tough it out in the middle, especially after that excellent knock of 71 in the first Test.

Perhaps the huge target seemed to have sapped his confidence; at the very least, he could have helped his side play for a draw instead of an abject surrender.

DRS and Tony Hill – The odd couple

Trust umpire Tony Hill to come up with the kind of decisions that leave a sour taste in the mouth. His partnership with the questionable Decision Review System seems to have become rock-solid and heavily loaded in favour of the fielding side.

In the case of Steve Smith’s dismissal, DRS and umpire Hill got it right – there was indeed an edge that flew to wicket-keeper Matt Prior off the bowling of Tim Bresnan. Smith wasted a review and walked off, furious with himself.

A few overs later, Hill got back to his erroneous ways as he gave Ashton Agar his marching orders, overturning the on-field call upon England‘s review. Replays showed no visible deviation off the bat, and no evidence of an edge was found either. Hill just went with the spontaneity of the appeal. Agar, who had scored 16 runs from 13 balls (all in boundaries), was understandably upset.

Moral of the story for the Australians – If Anderson and Swann don’t get you, the DRS and umpire Tony Hill will.

It’s back to the drawing board for the beleaguered visitors – plenty to do before they take the field at Manchester for the third game of the series. Let’s hope it goes the distance.