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.