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