THIRD TEST - DAY TWO

Mitchell Johnson is mobbed by enthusiastic teammates after one of his six wickets today.

At the beginning of day two Australia's chances of fighting their way back into the third test and the series was to take some quick wickets and at the very least limit England's first innings lead. After twenty four overs the score was 0 for 78 and Australia's prospects looked bleak to say the least. Something approaching a miracle was required just to keep England from racing away with the game and killing off the series.

Mitchell Johnson chose this very moment to rediscover the ability to swing the ball at pace late through the air, something he had not done for around twenty months since he launched a one man full frontal assault on the South African top order on the High veld in early 2009. With both batsmen looking extremely comfortable, out of nowhere Johnson had Cook caught by Hussey in the gully when he spliced a ball going away from him.

1 for 78.

Next to depart was Trott who was flummoxed by a Johnson delivery that swung through the air late trapping him plumb in front. This was some bowling as Trott had looked virtually indestructable since the second innings of the first test, so for this ball to decieve him in such way, it was something special.

2 for 82.

In strode Kevin Pietersen fresh from scoring a maiden test double century in Adelaide and surely in unstoppable form. However, even Pietersen was powerless to stop the Johnson juggernaut which was in full cry by now. Pietersen was immediately bamboozled in the same manner as Trott by the big inswinging yorker which trapped him in front.

3 for 82.

Almost forgotten at the other end of all this carnage was Strauss who had made the most of his good fortune with a number of streaky shots dropping short of slips, bisecting the slips and in between playing some wonderful shots as well. Finally, Strauss fell for a valuable fifty two when his luck eventually ran out when he edged behind to Haddin off Harris.

4 for 94.

If ever a man was born for a crisis, it is Paul Collingwood. The tough as teak Northerner has saved England from precarious positions many times with his sensible batting and a clear headed appraisal of situations. Not today. Johnson was on fire and was smelling the blood in the water. The normally unflappable Collingwood was roughed up with a brute of a short ball from Johnson that clearly unsettled him. The very next ball was yet another late inswinging yorker that trapped Collingwood in front LBW for five.

5 for 98.

Collingwood is roughed up by a fired up Johnson.

Prior and Bell set about rebuilding the English innings as Johnson took a well deserved break. After a partnership of forty seven, Prior was dismissed by Siddle after he too was roughed up by some brutish deliveries culminating in a Siddle kicker that struck his body, freakishly bounced back onto the glove and inexplicably down onto leg stump. As bizarre a dismissal as you are ever likely to see.

6 for 145.

Swann battled gamely adding thirty six with the rampant Bell, when he too was caught behind by Haddin off Harris for eleven.

7 for 181.

Bell finally fell for an imperious fifty three when he lashed out once too often at Harris and was caught well by Ponting at slip. Bell has often been stranded in this series as either the tail has folded around him, or declarations have cut short a promising innings. With the glorious touch he is in, one wonders why he is not promoted up the order to take advantage of this rich vein of run scoring. At the very least, Bell and Collingwood should swap places in the batting order.

8 for 186.

Ian Bell was his usual fluent self today.

Johnson re-entered the fray and you got a feeling he threatened Ponting with grievous bodily harm if he was not given the ball. The effect was instantaneous with Johnson accounting for Tremlett with a delivery that sent the off stump cart-wheeling out of the ground and then picking up a gun shy Anderson who hung his bat out meekly to edge to Watson at slip for a duck.

All out for 187.

This was as stunning a turn around as one could ever witness. An hour before lunch this morning Australia looked simply dead in the water and it was a question of "how far England"? From road kill to an eighty one run first innings lead in the blink of an eye was truly remarkable and a testament to the riveting experience that only test match cricket can provide.

The much maligned Johnson finished with the superb figures of 6 for 38 attained by a sustained spell of swing bowling at pace on a bouncy pitch. The English batsmen and public who were Mitchell Johnson agnostics finally saw up close what the South Africans were talking about. On his day, Johnson is almost unplayable and today was one of those days. Ryan Harris chimed in with 3 for 59 and Peter Siddle picked up his first wicket since the first innings at the Gabba - albeit rather luckily.

The English bowlers must have fancied their chances of making early inroads after what they had witnessed, but Watson and Hughes doggedly held out for thirty one runs when Finn found the edge of Hughes' bat and the ball flew straight to Collingwood at slip who made no mistake. Phil Hughes was unlucky to be dropped eighteen months ago when he was in good form. Conversely, Hughes was lucky to be selected in this test as his domestic form this summer has been nothing short of atrocious.

Ponting who is also facing his own demons with the bat failed yet again being strangled down the legside when he finely gloved a delivery through to Prior as he attempted a pull shot. Out for one and suddenly Australia looked precariously placed with all the early good work being undone. Ponting must be wondering where his sure form has deserted him, such has been his run of outs in this series.

In strode purposefully Michael Clarke who announced his intentions with a thumping pull shot for four off the first ball he faced from Finn, followed up with three more frenetic boundaries before chopping onto his stumps chasing a Tremlett delivery that was best left alone.

Australia was now 3 for 64 and in some difficulty when Watson and that man Hussey batted with ease to stumps take the score to 3 for 119, a lead of 200 with three days remaining. Watson finished on sixty one not out and Hussey twenty four not out.

Shane Watson finished the day strongly on 61no.

England will still feel they are in with a big chance should they break this pairing tomorrow morning and run through the rest of the Australian order thus reducing the target. Australia will feel that if they can add a further two hundred and fifty runs, then the game will be relatively safe - though nothing can be taken for granted.

No matter what happens, day two of the third Ashes test belonged to Mitchell Johnson who finally gave Australian fans something to cheer about in this often bleak summer and gave English fans a glimpse of his destructive powers that catapulted him to the recipient of the ICC Cricketer of The Year last year.

Game on.