The Ashes 2013: Most memorable innings

Matthew Elliott of Australia in action during the Fourth Ashes Test at Headingley in Leeds, England. Elliot made 199 runs as Australia won the match by an innings and 61 runs

12 and 11) Matthew Elliott and Ponting punch holes in England’s bowling in 1997 -

In that same Ashes series in ’97, both teams were involved in a titanic battle at Headingley, in the fourth Test. It was Australia though, who wrested the initiative from England by smashing them to smithereens at Leeds.

After losing the cream of their formidable batting line-up in the first innings, Australia found themselves reeling at 4 for 50. But the drop catch by England’s seasoned campaigner, Thorpe, of Elliott’s bat, turned the match virtually on its head.

The pugnacious Elliott essayed a masterful knock of 199. The southpaw from Victoria feasted on wayward English bowlers, who bowled to his strengths by bowling short and drifting on his pads. Cruelly, he fell one run short of a well-deserved double-hundred; castled by the untiring Gough.

At the other end of the spectrum, the young protege from Tasmania, Ponting played a typical buccaneering innings. Early on in his innings, Gough gave him a few jitters by pitching it up and swinging it late, and away from him.

But once Ponting got his eye-in, he was unstoppable. The highlight of that knock by Punter was the way he strode onto the front-foot to essay a thunderous straight-drive of Mike Smith. The arc of his back-lift, while playing that shot was a sight to behold.

England’s bowlers paid a heavy price for making the cardinal sin of bowling short to Ponting. Ponting in his indomitable style, duly obliged by mercilessly pulling all those half-trackers to the boundary boards. It was a very important innings for Ponting as the promising batsman was dropped from the Australian team, after he found runs hard to come by in the series against West Indies in 96/’97.

I would look at some more fascinating knocks played by batsmen from both countries in the next part of the article.