Pitch switch could negate Graeme Swann

Pitch switch could negate Graeme Swann christian louboutin bootsTHE pitch for the fourth Test in Melbourne has been switched, less than a fortnight before the match that could determine who wins the Ashes. Despite denials that a decision has been taken to help the home side, it is likely to diminish the impact of Graeme Swann, England's most potent threat. Australia took less than an hour in Perth yesterday to complete victory by 267 runs as they reinforced England's frailties on a surface with pace and bounce. With the series level at 1-1, England need only a win in either Melbourne or Sydney, but Australia have drawn fresh confidence before the traditional Boxing Day fixture. Changing pitches so close to a match is rare, but Channel 9 and Sky Sports have been told to move the position of their cameras, which must be directly behind the bowler to allow technology to operate accurately. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar. Related Coverage * IN DEPTH: Ashes series * Vaughan says no need for panic The Australian, 1 hour ago * Like the England of old: British press FoxSports, 8 hours ago * We're like babes in own back yard The Australian, 3 days ago * Swann has 'mental hold' on Aussies The Australian, 5 days ago * Ponting slips down rankings The Australian, 7 Dec 2010 End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.buy christian louboutin boots There is bound to be suspicion that Australia are trying to produce a surface to give every assistance to their pace attack, led by Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris. The Times has learnt that Cameron Hodgkins, the groundsman at the MCG, took the decision to switch the Test pitch from No5 to No7 in the middle of last week. Peter French, a senior manager at Melbourne Cricket Club, said: "We are not changing because we want a more lively pitch. We are simply getting the best one possible for the Test, which we want to go to the final session of the final day." The last Ashes Test here (in 2006) ended in three days and No5 pitch has been affected by being under cover for too long during rain around the time of the England-Victoria match. We are certainly not acting on any directive from Cricket Australia. "England played at the MCG immediately before Perth and Andy Flower, the team director, accepted the news. "This does not surprise me," he said. "When we were here they were preparing two tracks and were conscious, from what I understood, of one of them being too dry to use in a Test match." Producing a surface to help the home bowling attack would be nothing new. In 2009 Australia were surprised by the pitch for the final Test at the Oval, which was kept deliberately dry to assist Swann.discount christian louboutin boots This time, while Andrew Strauss admitted that changes will have be to considered for Melbourne, Australia may be obliged to make one if Ricky Ponting's broken left little finger is a problem when he tries it in the nets this week. Ponting suffered a fracture when attempting a slip catch on Saturday but the captain gave himself "a good chance" of playing next week. Australia did not name a replacement in retaining the 12-man squad from Perth. Although Strauss accepted that batting was to blame for the defeat, Steven Finn may make way for Tim Bresnan after an indifferent display. "I would not rule out changes, but now is not the time to panic," the England captain said. "We are disappointed with the batting after being in a good position to control the game in our first innings. We have bounced back well in the past and must do so again." Ponting ranked Mitchell Johnson's first-innings bowling among the all-time great Ashes peformances. "Mitch has transformed himself and the way everyone talks about him as a bowler, especially in England's dressing room," Ponting said. fashion christian louboutin boots"The feeling within our group is great, we have been waiting for it all to click together like this week." The United States has begun evacuating dependents and non-emergency personnel from its embassy in Abidjan, the capital of Cote d’Ivoire. U.S. State department spokesperson Philip Crowley told newsmen on Friday that Under Secretary for Management, Pat Kennedy, approved the authorised departure of its citizens. The North America Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that post-presidential election violence in the West African country has escalated in the past two days. Ivorien incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo has refused to concede electoral defeat to Alassane Ouattara in spite of pressures from the international community. On Thursday, the U.S. government said a rocket strike hit the outer perimeter of its embassy in Cote d’Ivoire, with only slight damage and no injuries. The outbreak of violence same day around the capital killed more than a dozen people. Crowley said the U.S. was “mindful of the situation in Cote d’Ivoire” and warned that “time is running out” for Mr Gbagbo to step down and allow his elected successor to assume office without further hindrance. “The United States is prepared to impose targeted sanctions individually and in concert with our partners on Gbagbo, his immediate family, and his inner circle, should he continue to illegitimately cling to power,” he told newsmen. NAN reports that on Friday, international pressure on Mr Gbagbo was heightened with UN Secretary-General insisting that he must step down. The UN, which has some 10,000 troops in the country, vowed to defend civilians in the country and protect its operations in the wake of further violence there. Mr Ban described efforts by Gbagbo and his supporters to cling to power as “a mockery of democracy and the rule of law.” christian louboutin pumpsECOWAS, AU, the EU and European Commission have all urged Mr Gbagbo to step down and allow the will of the people to prevail. Both Mr Gbagbo and Mr Ouattara have been sworn in as “presidents” and have gone ahead to name their cabinets. While Mr Gbagbo rules from the presidential house and controls government buildings, his challenger, backed by the UN forces in the country, is holed up in Golf hotel in Abidjan, from where he “governs” the country. C?te d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa exporter, was split by civil war in 2002 into a government-controlled south and a rebel-held north. The recent presidential election was expected to complete a UN-backed process of reunifying the country and restoring stability.