SECOND TEST - DAY TWO

Great start! Strauss let's one go and the Aussies briefly dared to dream

Today Australia needed a miracle to get back into this test.

The third ball of the opening over from Dougie Bollinger provided just the glimmer of hope that Australia needed to feel that they were back in the test match.

Andrew Strauss injudiciously left a ball that darted back and clipped his off bail. Bollinger leaped in the air with joy - "I'm back baby" - you could almost hear him saying. However, Australian joy was short lived as a few other chances to make further inroads went begging. Chances and half chances not taken hurt at test level - especially when you are as down on confidence as this current test team.

Alistair Cook and Jonathan Trott continued where they left off in Brisbane last week, by piling on the runs and looking so secure at the crease as to suggest that they could conceivably bat forever without alarm.

In the end it came as something of a surprise when Trott was dismissed. His demise was more from his own carelessness rather than any good bowling on behalf of Harris. Ponting held a good catch at midwicket and Trott had missed a gilt edged opportunity to add to his brace of centuries against Australia. Trott's innings of seventy eight was laced with eleven boundaries from 144 deliveries.

Kevin Pietersen strode to the wicket after having waited for more than nine hours combined over the last two days of the Gabba test and much of today. Pietersen however, showed no ill effects of his extended confinement in the pavilion by quickly getting into his stride with some marvellous strokes.

Cook adds to his collection of centuries

Cook and Pietersen batted out the day in complete comfort with Pietersen undefeated on eighty five and Cook registering his third century in as many tests by being not out on 136.

What of the reshuffled Australian bowling attack today?

They huffed and they puffed, but the English Keep stayed intact virtually unscathed.

With temperatures in Adelaide tomorrow promising to be a cooler 28 degrees compared to today's 37, bowling England out will be something of a challenge on this benign pitch. In fact, Ricky Ponting may be heartened to know that thunder storms and masses of rain are forecast for days four and five, so a face saving escape from this carnage is not out of the question.

You really are in trouble when you are hoping for rain to save your hide, and that is Australia's lot at this point of time.