FIRST TEST - DAY FIVE

Cook and Trott salute the applause of the crowd after their huge stand

After the wonderful cricket of the first four days, day five turned into sheer overkill. A bit like force feeding yourself five Big Macs when one is more than enough.

The longer the English innings went, the worse the Australian bowling and fielding became. Five dropped catches by the usually sure handed Aussies. Some of the chances were hard to be sure, but others were so simple as to be harder to drop than to take. Clarke's embarrassing dropping of Trott off Watson was the piece de resistance in a forgettable day for the Australians in the field.

However, to focus on the ineptitude of the Australian efforts in the field would be to sell rather short the efforts of the English batsmen today. Cook and Trott both had days that will never come easier for them. It seemed as if the Australian bowlers were aiming for the middle of their bats, such was the regularity of the boundaries that flowed from their blades. Glorious stroke after glorious stroke flowed from Cook and Trott in a mammoth unbroken stand of 329.

Finally, Andrew Strauss called a halt to the slaughter by declaring with the English score on 1 for 517 and a lead of 297. Purely an academic figure as there were only forty one overs in which to chase down this unikely target and even the most optimistic Australian supporter would not seriously have entertained that.

Cook makes his highest first class score

Cook tallied up an unbeaten 235, while Trott also gorged himself on the Australian attack with a century of his own - a well constructed 135. It was an awesome display of batting and if it were a timeless test, I am sure the English could have given the Sri Lankan's record score of over a thousand a shake. Cook's stirring innings lasted 630 minutes having faced 428 balls in a display that was a study in concentration.

Trott played some powerful strokes in his century

As if to highlight the road like nature of the wicket, Australia raced to 1 for 107 off twenty six overs for the loss of Simon Katich for four when the respective captains called off the mutually assured destruction early. Watson remained not out on forty one and Ricky Ponting blazed an unbeaten fifty one off forty three balls as if to illuminate the benign nature of the pitch that was more a Karachi road than a traditionally seaming Gabba deck.

Ponting blazed an unbeaten half century before the close of the play

After promising so much on the first three days, the test fizzled out into a tame draw with the English having gained the moral ascendancy after the batting heroics of Strauss, Cook and Trott.

As insipid as the Australian effort was in the field in the second innings, the history books will show that there were three record breaking stands in a row in the last three days and given time, it is highly likely that Ponting and Watson would have added a fourth, such was the nonthreatening nature of the pitch. While bat-a-thons are de rigueur on the sub continent in order to satiate the public's clamouring for endless batting records to be tallied up from the Tendulkar's, Sehwag's, Sangakkara's and Samaraweera's of this world, elsewhere in the cricketing world the discerning cricket fan would rather see an even contest between bat and ball - and the lifeless nature of the pitch at the Gabba provided nothing for either teams bowlers.

Graeme Swann, hailed the best spin bowler in the world averaged over 80 per wicket during this test as there was not the slightest assistance for him, nor was there any for both teams seamers after day one, though Anderson bowled well during the day three morning session without luck.

So we move onto Adelaide where we have yet another pitch that has a reputation for being a batsmen friendly road and it seems we get no respite from these bat-a-thons that will ensure that all the tests go the full five day distance and the box office takings predictably huge, pleasing Cricket Australia no end, but leaving everyone else somewhat flat. Is this what test cricket really needs?

See you all on Friday.

FIRST TEST - DAY FOUR

Andrew Strauss turns one to leg during his fighting 110

If Australia had made the running in the first three days of the first test, then it is fair to say that England owned the fourth day. Comprehensively.

With the game slipping away from England after the heroics of Hussey and Haddin in their mammoth stand that overlapped days two and three, Strauss and Cook strode to the wicket today knowing full well that it was do or die. An early rush of English wickets would surely see Australia take a one nil lead in the series and the high ground in the battle to wrest back the Ashes.

English supporters have been consulting meteorology reports praying for any signs of rain and fully prepared to perform a rain dance if there were no signs. It may not work - but, hey, there is always a first time isn't there?

Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?

Strauss and Cook stood firm against some capable Australian bowling that was testing, but not overly difficult on what appears to be morphing into a benign pitch. As a measure of how untroubled Strauss and Cook's advance was, nary a chance was created over the course of a whole day. Johnson dropped Strauss when the latter was on sixty nine, Siddle dropped Cook at fine leg with a diving attempted catch off an errant hook shot and Clarke dropped Trott after diving spectacularly to his left with the ball momentarily lodging between his index finger and his thumb. Predictably, the ball spilled out when gravity dragged Clarke crashing down to earth with a thud jarring his elbow on impact.

A typical Alistair Cook push during his stoic innings

With the exception of the stumping of Strauss by Haddin off the bowling of North which was caused more by a rush of blood by Strauss, no other full blooded chances were created. To be sure there were some close calls for all three English batsmen today...a skied shot here and there that bounced agonizingly close to a fielder, some close LBW shouts that replays showed where not quite close enough...but in practicality, England were rarely troubled as first they wiped off the deficit, and then motored on to commence building a lead.

As stumps were drawn early due to bad light stopping play, Cook and Trott left the field with the score 1 for 309 and a hard earned lead of eighty eight. A scenario almost beyond the dreams of the most optimistic English supporters.

Today Strauss was magnificent, punishing loose deliveries to the boundary with almost monotonous regularity. His 110 was a captains innings of the highest order - an innings that was born of desperation and executed with courage in the face of adversity. Alistair Cook also played his part to perfection, displaying a willingness to knuckle down to the task of saving the game. Cook played some wonderful shots, but his finest achievement was the level of deep concentration he gave to the task at hand. Even more so than Strauss, Cook curbed his natural attacking instincts for the greater good of the English cause. Trott also played his part and both he and Cook safely saw out the remainder of the day with a minimum of fuss.

At stumps Cook remained unbeaten on 132 and Trott on fifty four. A growing feeling that England having started the day attempting to save the test had now maneuvered their way to a position where they might be in with a shot of winning. There is still a long way to go in this test before any result will be determined, but today at least, England stood tall and roared back into a game that was seemingly lost - perhaps a harbinger of how the remainder of the series will play out.

Jonathan Trott gets in on the act too with an unbeaten half century

What of the Australian bowling? Perhaps the less said, the better.

Whilst the Aussie bowling was not insipid, nor did it appear threatening other than for very short periods. How must Ponting wish he could turn back the hands of time and throw the ball to a Warne or a McGrath to make an incisive break through? It has become de rigueur in Australian circles to criticize the Australian selectors for their seeming inability to identify the successors of the legacy of Lindwall, Lillee, McGrath, Warne et al who could take wickets at will, especially at key moments.

The truth of the matter is that the present reality is far removed from the past embarrassment of riches. Australia's achillies heal in it's steady slide down the world rankings over the last two years has been the bowlers inability to close out games that have been set up by the efforts of the batsmen. Today was another additional question to the continuing conundrum of how Australia can regenerate it's bowling stocks...and there seems to be no short answer.

Whilst a draw is the most likely result tomorrow after England's stoic efforts today, anything can happen.

FIRST TEST - DAY THREE

Good onya mate! Hussey and Haddin batted with determination

If the first three days of this test are any kind of indication of what's in store for the rest of the 2010/11 series - then we will truly have a memorable classic Ashes campaign to add to the canon of near biblical series of the past.

We have had three contrasting days of cricket, each of them self contained classic chapters of an unfolding thriller.

Yesterday in the early afternoon session, England had Australia on the rack, reeling at 5 for 143 after clawing back the situation from the fine opening stand of seventy eight by Watson and Katich that threatened to take the game away from England. With four quick wickets and Australia's chances going south faster than Lehmann brothers, England's seamers had seized the upper hand and Australia's immediate prospects looked rather bleak. It was at this point that Ricky Ponting was surely reaching for his Swisse multivitamins to ease his stress. 1

Enter stage left Mike Hussey, a man that conventional cricketing wisdom suggested was two years past his sell by date and not likely to contribute to this series in any meaningful manner save for the soap opera theatrics of every man and his dog wondering out aloud "when are the selectors going to call time on his career?" and Brad Haddin, himself out of the team with a chronic arm injury for virtually the whole year making his comeback to the national colours. A hardly promising pairing for Australian supporters praying for a miracle fightback.

However, a miracle is what we saw.

I will be sending a DVD of this epic 307 run monster stand between the much maligned Hussey and the long absent Haddin to Pope Benedict for confirmation of a miracle. Hussey will surely be canonised as a Saint of lost causes after this back-from-the-dead display that will be talked about for years to come.

Pope Benedict reading all about Mike Hussey's miracle

If yesterday's Hussey was full of bravado in his attacking flair, today Hussey set up a picquet2 at the crease and defied anyone to budge him from the place that he considered to be rightfully his. It was the stuff of legend as first Hussey and Haddin defied some wonderful English seam bowling with the second new ball in the morning session before accelerating in the afternoon session with some of the most commanding batting that a cricketing purist could hope to see.

Haddin was sublime. The stroke play was of the highest class and the scribes were in universal agreement that this was the finest innings that Brad Haddin ever played at any level. Haddin was eventually dismissed by a deceptive Graeme Swann delivery that caught the edge of the bat and was well taken at first slip by a diving Paul Collingwood in his right out-stretched hand.

Haddin's 136 encompassed 374 minutes, 287 balls with sixteen boundaries and one mighty six off Swann to bring up his century. The partnership with Hussey yielded 307 runs - a record for any wicket at the Gabba and second only to Bradman and Fingleton's sixth wicket record partnership of 346 achieved way back in 1937 against the old enemy.

Haddin acknowledges the Gabba crowd's generous ovation for his glorious 136

When confronted by the day one heroics of Peter Siddle taking a historic hat-trick to rip apart England's middle order to the epic partnership overlapping days two and three from Hussey and Haddin, you can well understand Sir Len Hutton's famous assertion that "you have to be 25% better than the home side to win in Australia". After the first three days of this series, the English players would understand this only too well. Australia may have lost it's aura, but they still play like men possessed in their own backyard.

Hussey's vigil came to an end after 462 minutes - eighteen minutes short of eight hours - when he uncharacteristically pulled into the air trying to bring up his double century with a six rather than going the safer route along the ground. He picked out Anderson who was just about the only fielder in the wide expanse on the leg side. Hussey's 195 was an innings of enterprise, courage and fanaticism. Having one fortunate let off when he was given not out by Aleem Dar when he appeared palpably LBW in the morning session, no one can dispute that Hussey deserved some good fortune after some of the wretched decisions he endured in the 2009 Ashes series in England and some howlers in general over the last couple of years. Who said nice guys always finish last?

The tail folded quickly thereafter gifting Steven Finn a six wicket haul, that none the less was a reward for effort for a young bowler who will surely have a long and illustrious career. Of the other English bowlers, Anderson bowled rather well with little luck and Broad was average at best and rarely threatened. Swann on the other hand, despite his two scalps was not his usual self, bowling too short and giving up easy runs. He will come into his own on the more spin friendly tracks in Adelaide and Sydney.

Steven Finn takes a maiden Ashes five wicket haul

England had a tricky fifteen overs to negotiate before stumps and with Strauss on a pair, the first ball from Hilfenhaus straightened up sharply to which Strauss padded up, appearing to be trapped in front as the Australians went up as one and the roar of the crowd reached a deafening pitch. Holy mother of God, can we take much more of this drama? In all this excitement Aleem Dar remained unmoved and the subsequent referral showed what a great decision it was with the ball appearing to be just passing over the top of the stumps. Strauss and Cook thereafter negotiated the remaining overs with little bother and live to fight another day.

Where to now for England?

Firstly, it goes without saying that they will need to bat out of the skins over the next four sessions to make a game of it. A 400 plus score will give their bowlers something to bowl to in the fourth innings in order to make things as nasty as possible for the Australians in their anticipated run chase.

If England's batsmen fail and post anything less than 300, then they will simply be road kill and the Aussies will take a one nil lead in the series and they will be difficult to toss from there.

The pitch has flattened out and is a good one - despite the cracks in the surface - so, England's batsmen need to show some grit and tough it out. They already showed at Cardiff last year and in the series in South Africa that they are capable of dogged game saving rear guards.

They will need to draw on these experiences to save, or even set a potentially winning target in this test. Paul Collingwood is the man for the task.

We shall see what the fourth day of this marvellous test match brings.


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1 http://www.swisse.com.au/#/MEDIA/TVCS/Ricky_Ponting/Ricky_Big_Hit/
2 Archaic English term where a soldier(s) maintains a vigil against an enemy advance. Not to be confused with the similarly spelt medieval punishment/torture technique whereby the unfortunate sufferer would be suspended from his thumb while standing on a stake. Suffice to say, after Hussey and Haddin's efforts today, English fans would feel like they have endured the latter rather than the former.

FIRST TEST - DAY TWO

Shane Watson looked good early

If the first day honours rested with Australia largely built on the herculean heroics of Peter Siddle, day two was less decisive with the pendulum swinging one way then the other over the course of the day with neither team landing a decisive knock out blow.

England desperate for early inroads in the first session were held at bay by some solid batting from Shane Watson and Simon Katich. The Australian openers offer up a contrast in styles with Watson batting in a largely orthodox manner being all grace and text book perfection, whereas Katich with his "step to the left" style as the bowler is about to let go of the ball is something of a paradox to what your average youth is taught as good batting technique and he will never make any appearance in the MCC coaching manual as a model of batting technique.

All the same, Watson and Katich advanced the score to seventy eight when Watson finally fell to a good ball by James Anderson that took the edge of the bat and flew to Strauss at slip who comfortably pouched the catch. Ponting strode to the crease amidst uncustomary boos - who said the British pounds devaluation to peso equivalent status would keep the English fans away?

In the pre-lunch period Ponting made his way to 10 not out and at lunch the Australian camp would have been happy to have advanced to 1 for 96 and seemingly the high ground. All that was to change just after lunch however , as momentum and the initiative was to swing back in England's favour with an inspired post lunch fightback with the ball.

First to go was Ponting who became Anderson's second wicket of the day when in the first over after lunch Ponting feathered a catch to Prior down the leg side - one of the unluckier modes of dismissal, but none the less, they all count and a disappointed Ponting was on his way.

This brought Michael Clarke to the crease who immediately appeared restricted in his movements and as time wore on was uncharacteristically stroke-less and devoid of his usual flamboyancy. It ultimately came as no surprise that after Katich was brilliantly snapped up caught and bowled by Steven Finn to be the young giants first Ashes wicket for a typically dogged fifty, that Clarke himself should perish to the same bowler caught behind by Prior from a half baked pull shot to a ball that was neither short enough nor far enough away from the body to be successfully negotiated.

Finn takes his first Ashes scalp with a wonderful return catch

Clarke contributed a painstaking nine that tested the resolve of even the most patient Australian fan in its colourless compilation. It is hard to see how Clarke will be in a position to meaningfully contribute with the bat in the second innings of this match let alone be in any fit state to play in the second test in Adelaide.

This brought Hussey and North together - an ironical pairing as both are playing for their cricketing lives. It has been reasoned by many critics and pundits that Australia can afford to perhaps carry one of the ageing batsmen this summer - but not both. So this partnership was shaping up to be something of a shoot out to help the selectors determine who would be the one worth persisting with before generation next makes its long overdue presence felt.

Sadly, North succumbed to one of Graeme Swann's better balls for the day and departed for one, caught at slip by Collingwood off the edge of his dobbing forward prod. Hussey on the other hand was sublime. In stark contrast to the limpet like displays of the last couple of years where Hussey has batted with a "survive at all costs" mentality, today Hussey rewound the clock back four years to the time when he truly was "Mr Cricket" and was the toast of the cricketing world.

Hussey made a lasting statement by going after Graeme Swann and dispatching the same bowler to the boundary and even over it with some mighty smites. Hussey chose his shots well, pulling anything that was remotely short and driving through the covers with fluidity. It seemed that all the conjecture over his future had crystallized Hussey's mind and he played with a clarity of purpose that has been largely lacking over the last three years to finish on eighty one not out at the early termination of play due to bad light and thunderstorms. Brad Haddin provided able support with his own contribution being twenty two out of a vital unbroken partnership of seventy seven.

Hussey salutes the crowd upon reaching his crucial half century

The English seamers had performed magnificently in the afternoon session when they threatened to take the game away from Australia with some very good bowling - but Mike Hussey was not to be denied, and his performance with the bat when his back was against the wall was an innings for the ages. What remains to be seen is whether this was a genuine rediscovery of the form and touch of the Hussey of old, or if it was merely a brief flash back - a last hurrah if you will - of an ageing champion pulling out one last magical reminder of his glory years.

For that, we will have to wait for the definitive answer which will be revealed in the fullness of time.

The English seamers will relish bowling with the second new ball tomorrow morning and will be looking to wind up the Australian innings as quickly as possible to try and get a slender English lead, or at worst some level of parity. Hussey, Haddin and co conversely will be trying to build a substantial Australian lead if they are at all capable of surviving the early morning onslaught of the English bowlers.

Until then, see you all tomorrow!

Vic Nicholas

Melbourne

FIRST ASHES TEST - DAY ONE

Peter Siddle claims the prize wicket of Kevin Pietersen.

What a first day!

Ashes cricket throws up some incredible days and the opening day of the 2010/11 Ashes series is no exception.

Sitting back in my chair, I barely had time to make myself comfortable when BANG! the first incident of the series occurred before my eyes. Third ball of the first over from Hilfenhaus and English captain Andrew Strauss tried to cut too close to his body and merely guided the ball directly to the safe hands of Michael Hussey at gully.

You can bet that dismissal is going to be replayed time and time again in the coming years.

Cook and Trott set about rebuilding the England innings when Trott seemed to play all over an innocuous looking ball from Shane Watson and was bowled for a well made twenty nine.

That brought the out of sorts Kevin Pietersen to the crease to the resounding boos of the Gabba crowd. KP is one of my favourite English batsman, but having said that, I always pray that he doesn't get too many as he is a match changing player. Today he dug in and played pretty well and would be disappointed with himself getting out caught at slip off the irrepressible Peter Siddle who would have an auspicious day.

Pietersen made forty three and was starting to find the kind of touch that had deserted him for nearly two years. Time will tell whether he has truly turned the corner or if this was merely a dead cat bounce.

Siddle then got Paul Collingwood with a sucker punch in a similar manner to KP. Given how experienced Collingwood is and how utterly determined he is for the fight, I was surprised at his meek dismissal. Definitely not what his country needed today.

While all this was playing out, Alistair Cook was hanging in there like a redback spider on your toilet seat. Cook was seemingly headed for a century when he was removed by some intelligent bowling by Peter Siddle who by now was steaming in like a man possessed.

Next ball Siddle tilted back Prior's off stump and he duly achieved his hat-trick in emotion charged scenes when he trapped the hapless Stuart Broad LBW with a full yorker that struck the batsmen on the toe in line.

All this on Siddles twenty sixth birthday...

Unbelievable.

Siddle next removed Graeme Swann to leave him with figures of 6 for 54 - a stunning return for a player that many felt shouldn't have even been in the team for the first test.

Today Peter Siddle was the gladiator in the Gabba coliseum - he stood tall and galvanized the crowd and his teammates with one of the most stirring bowling spells in Ashes history.

Was it match turning? Probably.

Is it series shaping? Probably not.

What we do know is that Peter Siddle has just joined a select band of bowlers to have taken an Ashes Hat-trick - eleven of them to be precise, ten of them in Australia. Siddle joins Australians Spofforth, Trumble (twice) and Warne.

If there were any doubts about Siddle - it would seem he now has a place in Australian cricket's Valhalla sitting along side this nations greatest sporting sons.

All this hyperbole and it is only the first day!

Prior was next in the Siddle onslaught...

It would be remiss of me to neglect to mention the fluid stroke play of Ian "Sherminator" Bell who displayed an artistry of technique that is sadly lacking in so many batsmen in the modern era. It was some of the most sumptuous batsmanship that a cricketing purist could hope to see.

Bell's seventy six was not his highest test score by a long shot - but I doubt that he has ever played better.

Got him! Siddle traps Broad in front to complete his hat-trick.

England were ultimately dismissed for a sub par 260 and Australia cruised to a comfortable twenty five without loss at stumps.

The first session on day two will be crucial - nothing new there. England's bowlers need to make some early inroads or Australia will simply bat England out of the game with a 400 plus first innings score.

Whatever happens from here on end, day one of the 2010/11 Ashes series will be remembered for Strauss first over brain explosion and Peter Siddles historic hat-trick.

All this and it is only day one!