England Destroy Australia to Retain Ashes

For the first time in 24 years, England have retained the Ashes on Australian soil and what a way to do it! Beating Australia in Australia is notoriously hard to do, even when their team is as average as the current side. England have come to Australia and not just beaten them, but hammered them. Before this series Australia had not been beaten by an innings in 18 years. England have inflicted two innings defeats in the space of a month. In one of the other games, they amassed 517-1. This shows the complete domination they have enjoyed over Australia.

There was a blip in the road when a Mitchell Johnson inspired Australia briefly fought back on a spicy WACA pitch but this turnaround was short-lived, extremely short-lived. Australia had entered the match with hope, hope that the fiery atmosphere of the MCG would inspire them to another much needed victory. It didn't. It all went wrong from the minute the coin went up in the air. Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to bowl on a helpful pitch with grey skies above. Australia's fate was sealed.

Of course, Australia were not down and out already, if they could survive until Lunch the pitch would have flattened out and batting would become much easier. All that was needed was a bit of grit and determination to get through the first session. This was easier said than done. As they have been unable to do all series, the Australian batsmen failed to dig in. They played unnecessary shots to balls they could have left alone. Once again they lost 3 early wickets, once again they needed Michael Hussey to bail them out and for once, he failed to deliver. Without Hussey's runs, Australia were completely incapable of recovering from their perilous situation and in the end crawled to 98 all out.

An Australian team of the past might have been able to recover after losing Hussey but this team, with Steve Smith at No.6, never looked like doing so. Smith will become a good Test Match player but he is totally out of his depth at the moment and in my opinion, his selection was one of the key reasons Australia lost this Test as convincingly as they did. He is a bits and pieces selection, the kind of player England would have selected in the 1990's. Not exactly the best template for success.

From this point on, it was always going to be extremely hard for Australia to get back into the game. To stand any chance, Mitchell Johnson would have to bowl in the same brilliant way he did in Perth. He didn’t. Unfortunately for Australia the Brisbane version of Johsnon re-emerged, on the first day his seven overs leaked 42 runs. This gave England a great start and they ended the first day on 157-0. Sure enough, as predicted, the pitch had flattened out and the sun had emerged. Batting was far easier than in the morning. Some will say that England winning the toss was the reason for their victory but it wasn’t. It was merely a push off the start line.

England bowled extremely well on that first morning. Australia did not deserve a single run more than the pitiful 98 they managed. It was a combination of very good England bowling and very poor Australian batting. Some determined batting from Australia could have kept them in the game, given them a chance. Instead of grinding it out however, they seemed more concerned with going at a run-an-over, such were the ridiculous shots they offered in response to England’s disciplined bowling.

After that crazy first day there was only ever going to be one winner. Barring one of the most miraculous turnarounds in cricket history (it really would have been). The next 2 and a bit days were merely a procession towards England’s eventual victory. Although that’s not to say England didn’t have to play well. They did. On the second morning it even looked like Australia might drag themselves back into contention as they removed both openers early on. Unfortunately for Australia, that was as good as it got for the remainder of the match. They were repelled by Jonathon Trott for 499 minutes and it would have been even longer were it not for the fact he ran out of partners. He found support in the form of firstly Kevin Pietersen and then Matt Prior. They proceeded to grind Australia into the dust, whilst doing so they amassed the greatest ever lead in Ashes history after batting second. This was one of many records which tumbled at the MCG during the course of the match.

It was not just the weight of runs which demoralised Australia and more specifically, Ricky Ponting. It was the misfortune along the way which eventually led to Ponting having a spat with the umpires, a petulant act which earned him a fine from the match referee. From close run-outs, wickets off no-balls and a controversial referral (the thing that finally set off Ponting’s fuse) nothing was going right for Australia. It basically summed up their whole series.

For the first half of the third day, Australia did finally play well. They fought back to bowl England out for 513, just 69 runs more than their overnight total. Shane Watson and Phil Hughes then came out firing after lunch. After 10 overs they were 50 for no wicket. By no means was this a fight back, England were still leading by over 350 runs at this point, but it did briefly give Australia’s fans something to cheer about. Briefly.

Obviously, Shane Watson had decided they were playing far too well and were in danger of turning the match around. Thus he decided to run out his young partner. His suicidal call left Hughes high and dry and once again, Australia were in trouble. Ponting valiantly tried to defy the England bowlers, who were by this point reversing the ball, but it was to no avail. He had scratched his way to 20 before chopping on to his stumps. It was about 200 short of what Australia needed from their captain and as he walked off, for possibly the last time at the MCG, their were murmurings all over the ground about his future.

After Ponting had failed, the rest of the batting order seemed to take their own words too literally. They have been saying for weeks now how they will find inspiration from Ponting, that they will always support and follow him. It appears that also applied to his batting. Watson had already fallen after leaving a hooping in-swinger from the brilliant Tim Bresnan. Out once again in the fifties. Watson has been a success story at the top of the innings but his conversion rate is absolutely abysmal. I have no idea what is stopping him from converting his fifties into hundreds but he must figure it out soon because that is what separates the good from the great.

Whilst Watson is struggling to convert fifties to hundreds. Vice-captain Michael Clarke is struggling to get to fifty, I’m sure he would kill for Watson’s problems right about now. Once again he looked scratchy, even to Swann which shows just how out of form he is as usually, he is Australia’s best player of spin.

There is not much to say about the rest of Australia’s line-up. They folded like a deck of cards. Even Mike Hussey could not add an air of respectability to the performance as he failed for the second time in the game. For a while, it even looked like England might be able to force the result on the last day. If they had taken one more wicket they probably could have taken the extra half-hour to try and win the game. Although they didn’t quite manage that, they entered the fourth day needing only 3 wickets to retain the Ashes. It would have been 4 but unfortunately for Australia and Ryan Harris, he suffered a stress fracture in his ankle and will now be out of action for 3 months. A serious blow to both their Sydney prospects and looking further ahead, their World Cup ambitions as Harris had established himself as a key player in their one-day side.

Australia had started the day well and even though a comeback was never really on the cards. They would have loved to have put up more of a fight. Their batting performance in the last two sessions was embarrassing. Batting conditions were good and they had just been taught by Jonathon Trott how to bat well on the pitch. Instead of learning from their mistakes, they made the same ones all over again. Playing at balls they could have left and in Watson’s case, leaving one he should have played. It is unthinkable that Test Match players can have such fundamental problems with such an essential part of the game, knowing which balls to play. Australia have to find some way of learning this skill because currently, they are disgracing the great teams that have preceded them.

The last day was merely a warm-down for England. The game was won, it was just a matter of time before it was official. Mitchell Johnson went early which sparked hopes that the game could be finished within minutes. Thankfully for the few thousand very committed Australian fans that turned up to watch their side lose, they did have something to cheer about as Brad Haddin and Peter Siddle cut loose and posted a 50 partnership in the most hopeless of causes. It was Graeme Swann who finally ended the Australian’s fun, having Siddle caught on the boundary trying to repeat his earlier six.

England were already celebrating. The Barmy Army were in full voice, Kevin Pietersen was even joining in with the singing and dancing. Sure enough, the real celebrations were not far away. Ben Hilfenhaus got an inside edge off Tim Bresnan and Matt Prior dived to his left to spark wild celebrations amongst both players and fans alike.

It was a special moment. One I am very proud to have witnessed in the flesh. It was one of England’s most dominant performances over Australia, right up there with the Adelaide mauling only a few weeks ago. England totally deserve to retain the Ashes, they have been by far and away the better side this series. They will however want to make sure they go on and win the series. If Australia win in Sydney it will be a grave injustice to the domination this England side has enjoyed over Australia during the series.

England will be desperate to win the series in Sydney. Andrew Strauss has said their ultimate goal is to be the No.1 side in the world. I fully believe this England side will not rest on their laurels after retaining the Ashes. They want to be the best and winning in Sydney will show they really mean business. Keeping a winning streak going has been a problem for them in the last couple of years. This problem has come up in the 2009 Ashes, against South Africa in the winter and even here on this tour when their crushing Adelaide win was followed by their WACA nightmare.

Having said that, England should win. Australia have lost an important bowler in Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson is back out of form, Hussey has hit a blip which means that none of Australia’s batsmen can be relied upon to score runs. To make matters even worse for the Aussies, we are heading for the most spin-friendly surface in Australia. Michael Beer should come into the side but when you compare him to Graeme Swann, this should be a straightforward England win. However, cricket is never straightforward.

For now however, England will reflect on this fantastic victory. Either that or they will be nursing some sore heads after their celebrations last night. One thing is for sure, this England unit has a bright future.

Australia Lets Down Loyal Fans

Australian fans poured into the MCG at the start of today praying for a miracle. They started well enough by dismissing England for 513. And when Phil Hughes and Shane Watson came out fighting after lunch you could sense the Aussies hopes of a recovery were improving. However, this Australian side is an unfamiliar one to the great sides of the past two decades. Previous Australian sides would have fought tooth and nail to save this game. Can you imagine Steve Waugh casually throwing his wicket away in a game like this? No, me neither. Unfortunately for Australia, they do not have a Steve Waugh and they only made their task more difficult when Shane Watson called Phil Hughes through for a suicidal single. It was an implosion of epic proportions.

If any Australians still harboured optimism of a positive outcome to this match, they would have been seriously, if not terminally dented by this cataclysmic cock-up. Only a team in such strife as Australia could shoot themselves in the foot this badly. If Australia had managed to put on a massive opening partnership it would have sent confidence all the way through the batting order and would have given Australia a real chance at saving the game. Instead, they will have felt deflated and this is a recipe for disaster in the face of such a large task.

Possibly the worst aspect of the run-out was that Ricky Ponting was once again at the crease early on. The way he is struggling at the moment he needs all the help he can get. It was the openers job to make sure the ball was soft and movement-less by the time their captain was needed at the crease. When Ponting entered, the ball was not soft and it was most definitely not movement-less. The England bowlers, seemingly able to move the ball in any conditions, had found reverse-swing as early as the 18th over. This spelt doom for Ponting as he has played the moving ball terribly all series, as have all the other Australian batsmen. Sure enough, Ponting failed again (he did put up a valiant fight mind you, but ultimately never looked comfortable). Ponting's dismissal spelt the beginning of the end for Australia. The Ashes were within grasp for England, it was just a matter of gripping tight.

At the end of the days play, England have all but one of their fingers clasped tightly around the little urn. Australia didn't even put up a fight. In good batting conditions, Australia's attempted resistance was a pitiful display for the Australian fans who turned out in their droves to support their team.

68,000 fans turned up at the MCG today. This is a massive number considering the hopeless position Australia were in, especially when you consider Australia's penchant for not supporting a losing team. The fans were vocal and provided all the support Australia needed to inspire a fightback.

Despite Australia's current on-field woes, the Australian fans are surprisingly upbeat. They do not begrudge England's success. They accept that the current Australian side is just not good enough. They have even enjoyed the English pastime of making fun of their own side, as many fans made jabs at Ricky Ponting's form and poor Steve Smith's position in the team (most believe he will become a good player, but the consensus is that he isn't ready as either a bowler or a batter just yet).

When pressed on the subject of Ricky Ponting's captaincy, there was a clear feeling amongst the fans. 'He's gotta go', is how one fan summed it up nicely. Who can argue? His form has tailed off dramatically and his captaincy has been criticised consistently since he first lost the Ashes in 2005. How can the first Australian captain to lose the Ashes three times possibly be retained as captain? Well, there is only one possible way Ponting will stay on as captain beyond the SCG Test. Lack of other options.

The man in waiting, Michael Clarke is in a run of form almost as bad as Ponting. He also seems to lack a tough side to his game, that unquantifiable quality that was made famous by the likes of Steve Waugh. All the Australians I have spoken to are not keen on the idea of Clarke taking over the captaincy. So I ask, who else then? This question invariably prompts a thoughtful phase after which no alternative is offered.

England need just 4 wickets to regain the Ashes tomorrow (probably three after it emerged that Ryan Harris has fractured his ankle). No doubt the Barmy Army will be out in full force to watch England get their hands back on the urn. The same cannot be said for the Aussies. Despite turning out in force today, the absolute hopelessness of their situation and the downright pathetic nature in which they got there will almost certainly keep all but the most loyal of fans away.

England will regain the Ashes tomorrow and it will probably feel like a home game when they do. Could you possibly blame the Australian fans for staying away? No, I think they have suffered enough this series without having to watch what should be an embarrassing day for Australian cricket.

Even though the Australian fans have reacted in a surprisingly positive manner to their new found position in the world game, make no mistake, they will be desperate to return to the ways of old. Just how they can possibly get back there is the question on every Australian's lips.

Trott Shows His Worth

Today Jonathon Trott showed just how important he is to this England side. He produced an innings of such ease and composure that you could not possibly imagine him being dismissed. He has played these types of innings before, most notably on his debut at the Oval in 2009, when he scored a calm under pressure hundred to help win England the Ashes. This type of innings from Trott is becoming a wonderfully regular occurrence. He has more than earned the title of England's batting rock.

Trott's innings today was vital to England closing out this game. Cook and Strauss had both departed early and the potential for a collapse was in view. There were cloudy skies above and Peter Siddle was on a roll, spurred on by his home crowd. This did not seem to bother Trott, who batted as if he had entered at 300-1 with clear blue skies. He found an ally in Kevin Pietersen which made his early task easier but when Pietersen fell for 51, another mini-collapse could have derailed the innings. Collingwood and Bell both went in quick succession attempting poorly judged pull shots. This would have panicked any other batsman (in the same way Brad Haddin was panicked yesterday after a flurry of wickets). However Trott was in no mood to surrender.

He continued his steady accumulation with a minimum of fuss, seemingly oblivious to the events occurring around him. In the early stages of Trott's partnership with Prior, Trott played a key role in a big moment. Prior had been caught at slip but as he trudged off, Trott was talking to the umpire saying he had spotted a no-ball. The umpire, unsure of the legality of the delivery went upstairs and the decision went in England's favour. A big moment as Prior, then on 5, went on to make 75* at stumps. Perhaps another batsman would not have spotted that no-ball, in fact I doubt many others would and Prior would have gone. This is a testament to Trott's powers of concentration, they are the key to his batting and the reason he is able to bat for such long periods of time without becoming flustered.

Whilst this was a great day for Jonathon Trott, it was also a brilliant day for England. There was potential for the innings to be dismantled early on but they recovered well to put themselves in a position where it is almost inconceivable they could lose. England are now 346 runs ahead with 5 wickets left. They could bat all day tomorrow if they wanted to since there is still so much time left in the game.

If I were Andrew Strauss, the skies would determine my declaration. If it is sunny all day tomorrow then I would bat for as long as possible. If the clouds come in later on in the day then I would declare on the spot, to get Australia batting in unfavourable conditions. If the sun is shining, I would not consider a declaration tomorrow.

Ricky Ponting has been strangely calm throughout the series but today all his worries and tension boiled over. After an attempted referral against Kevin Pietersen had been unsuccessful, Ponting remonstrated with both umpires for at least a minute. He gestured towards the big screen, seemingly convinced Pietersen had nicked it. The rest of the stadium seemed to think otherwise. After a while the large contingent of England supporters around the MCG started to boo Ponting. It was poor behaviour, something that did not belong on a cricket pitch and something that hopefully, Ponting will be fined for. It is unacceptable for a role-model like Ponting to act in that way.

Things did not get any better for Ponting as Trott survived a very close run-out from the skippers boundary throw. This will have aggravated Ponting as he was once again convinced of the dismissal. If that was not enough. Australia were denied a cast-iron wicket when Matt Prior edged to slip. Jonathon Trott's eagle-eye this time frustrating the Aussies as he spotted Johnson's no-ball. Ponting must have been close to breaking point. There was nothing he could do as he watched the Ashes slipping further and further into the distance.

Australia are staring into the abyss. Not even Jonathon Trott could save them now.

Australia Suffer Christmas Hangover

If the Australians were hoping that their Boxing Day would cap off a memorable Christmas, they were correct. But perhaps not in the way they were hoping. Australia as a nation entered this game very hopeful and full of optimism on the back of their convincing victory in Perth. They ended the day knowing that only a miracle can save them from losing the Ashes on home soil for the first time since 1986/87.

Unlike many England fans, I started today full of optimism and hope (much like my Australian counterparts). I fully believed Perth was a minor blip on the road to Ashes glory. There were two main reasons behind my unwavering belief. The first was Australia's over-reliance on Michael Hussey. The second was Australia's selection of Steve Smith as their sole spinner, which I think weakened both their batting and bowling. I just hoped that England could expose these flaws in the Australian line-up (mainly by getting Hussey out early).

Happily, England did manage to expose these flaws, quite brutally. Once again Hussey was at the crease early. He arrived at 37-3 and once again looked in the zone, he was not scoring quickly but you could see no reason why he would not post another big score and dig Australia out of trouble. However this was before Jimmy Anderson had had a crack at him.

Anderson was tantalizingly good. He was swinging the ball both ways at will with immaculate control. This proved to be too good for the previously immovable Hussey. He did not go easily, it was a brilliant ball to dismiss him. A hooping away-swinger that most batsmen would have got nowhere near.

Once Hussey was gone Australia seemed to be clueless, almost as if their entire strategy was based on him scoring a hundred with no Plan B. Steven Smith did nothing to dispel the general feeling that he is not ready to bat at No.6 and the less said about Brad Haddin's batting the better, brainless is the word that comes to mind.

Despite Australia batting poorly, England also bowled fantastically well. Anderson, Tremlett and Bresnan deserve all the praise they get for a performance that should see England retain the Ashes. The best thing about their bowling was the way they hunted as a pack. They were trying to earn wickets for the team, not just for themselves. Their economy rates were all under 3 and all of them contributed wickets.

New boy Tim Bresnan seemingly had the job of tying down an end with tight, nagging accuracy whilst the more explosive Anderson and Tremlett attacked from the other end. It was a tactic that he executed perfectly, with incredible results.

The performances of Bresnan and Tremlett show just how strong this England squad is and with Ajmal Shahzad still in reserve, there is no sign of a possible let off for Australia.

This is only half the story of this incredible day. All England's brilliant work in the field could have been undone with some careless batting. They needed to be ruthless, to grind Australia into the dust and ensure a win. Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook had clearly read the script and were in no mood to mess up their lines. They batted with calm, soothing authority and ended the day unbeaten on a formidable 157-0.

This is not to say that Australia bowled poorly, they did have a bit of bad luck. A few edges not quite finding fielders and when they did finally secure a wicket Alastair Cook immediately referred the decision, successfully. What England's 47 overs of batting did prove is that playing Steven Smith as the sole spinner was a mistake. It took a while for him to enter the frame and when he finally did, Cook and Strauss milked him around with consummate ease. His figures flatter him as Strauss shut up shop towards the end of the day. Not that it will probably matter now, but I cannot see Smith providing a threat at any point in the Test, let alone bowl a side out on the fifth day.

Another worry for Australia will be the dreaded return of the Brisbane Mitchell Johnson instead of the continued presence of the Perth Mitchell Johnson. Johnson bowled 7 overs today and was carted for 42 runs. He bowled short, wide and at times off the pitch. Remind you of a certain Lord's Test in 2009? Ah yes, the game England won which defined the series. Johnson's continued inconsistency will be infuriating Australia, not least Ricky Ponting who depends on him to be his strike bowler and attack leader. I do not know what Australia will do about him. You cannot continue to play a bloke who will most likely be terrible but might, just might, be brilliant.

It may be worth pointing out at this stage that I had the ultimate pleasure of being present at this historic day of cricket (historic in the sense that England have probably never dominated a day of cricket to such an extent in history). When you walk into this incredible arena, you just cannot believe it. I have never experienced a view of cricket like it (I was in the top tier). You feel like you are right on top of the action yet you are so high up that you can hardly see the ball. Not only is the view spectacular but the atmosphere is deafening, when Australia hit a boundary (admittedly there weren't many) you could hardly hear yourself think.

England were fairly well represented throughout the ground with the Barmy Army providing staunch support as always. As the day unfolded and Australia's woes mounted, the percentage of England fans inside the MCG grew and grew. By the end of the day, there might even have been close to a 50:50 split such was the mass exodus of Australian support.

England have managed a first, they have made my Boxing Day better than Christmas for the first time ever. It will take a miracle for Australia to salvage anything from this game now. They will probably be regretting having that extra slice of turkey now.

Boxing Day Test Overshadows Christmas

If you thought the media frenzy surrounding the Ashes was intense before the Perth Test. You certainly would not have been prepared for after it. As soon as the Test had finished, people were clamouring for MCG tickets (I am safe in the knowledge that my prized seats have been booked months in advance). The reason for this mass demand for tickets is that all of a sudden, out of the blue, this series is once again alive and interesting. If England had won in Perth they would have regained the Ashes and the series would be all but dead. Now, the series is poised at 1-1 with all to play for.

It has taken me quite a long time to be able to write about the massacre that we suffered in Perth. I have been hibernating for the last week, unable to step outside in the Australian sun for fear of taunts that seemed unimaginable a few days earlier. Horrible flashbacks of 2006/07 were flooding my brain. My bold 4-0 prediction was nested comfortably at the bottom of the bin and my confidence that England could soon be a dominant force in world cricket had been shattered.

I have however found some solace in the knowledge that because of Australia's remarkable turnaround this Boxing Day Test promises to be one of the best in living memory. There is a good chance there will be a record Boxing Day crowd. I'm sure the cricket will be exhilarating, such is the high stakes nature of the contest. As for the atmosphere, well, I can only imagine. As I eluded to earlier, I have already booked my place at the MCG. It will be an incredible experience (one you can read about after the first day's play).

Australia come into this Test with all the momentum after their crushing victory at the WACA. But is this a good thing? Recent Ashes history suggests the team with momentum is the team in trouble (think Ashes 2009, when results swung all over the place). For the optimistic England fan, this spells doom for Australia. In reality, it probably doesn't. The MCG pitch should be quite placid. Bowlers will have to work hard to take their wickets (as evidenced in the recent tour game there). It should be quite an attritional game of cricket which should last 5 days and could quite possibly end in a draw (a tense Cardiff-esque finish could well be on the cards).

Australia should be unchanged coming into this Test. The only doubt is whether captain Ricky Ponting will recover from a broken finger in time for the game (it looks likely he will). The rest of their side is settled although there are still some doubts over the batting. If Michael Hussey finally fails then Australia will struggle to find someone to replace his runs. After their terrific performance in Perth, the bowlers will be full of confidence. I personally have doubts over their lack of a specialist spinner (Steven Smith did not bowl a single over in Perth, although he was far from being required). It should be different in Melbourne however, spinners should come into play in the latter stages and if the pacers are struggling then so will Australia.

England are becoming less settled with every day that passes. There are doubts over their team with rumours circulating that Steven Finn will be rested. It seems unthinkable that the leading wicket-taker in the series could be rested but Finn did look terribly out of sorts in Perth. He went at 5 an over and did not look very threatening. I would imagine Tim Bresnan would come into the side at Finn's expense. The England management seem to value his skill and nous on placid pitches, not to mention his batting ability in the lower order. There have also been some suggestions that Paul Collingwood's place is under threat but I would be shocked if he were jettisoned from the side. He has had a tough year but you can never count him out. He always seems to save his finest for when his back is to the wall so I would keep him in the side for the rest of the series.

England had a bad game in Perth but this is a different England side to the ones that have toured Australia in recent years. They are a strong, confident and cohesive unit and will look to bounce back strongly in Melbourne. Their confidence will not have been shot and do not be surprised to see another dominant England performance, especially if Mitchell Johnson cannot continue to swing the ball like he did at the WACA.

I don't think I have ever spent Christmas Day looking forward to Boxing Day but I think this year will be a first. My Christmas has been totally overshadowed by the excitement of the MCG Test. Now I'm just hoping my New Year will be overshadowed by celebrating the retention of the Ashes.

Johnson Ignites Contest

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday I boldly predicted a 4-0 score-line to England in the wake of their dominance over the previous 9 days. Today showed me once again how cricket can surprise you.

England started in the fashion I had expected (as did Australia when a nick from Strauss in the third over sailed through harmlessly between the keeper and first slip). England were 78-0, going at a good run-rate and looked for all money like they were going to post another big first innings total.

Then Mitchell Johnson came on. When he was brought into the attack I actually made the comment, 'Oh no, not Johnson, we're in trouble now'. As it turns out, my sarcastic jab at Mitchell Johnson proved to be right on the money. He produced his best spell of bowling since he dismantled South Africa here in Perth during the 2008/09 series.

During his devastating spell he removed Cook, Trott, Pietersen and Collingwood. Three of those batsmen had series averages of over 100 and are all regarded as key wickets. None more so than Cook who has been imperious in the series so far. Normally when England lose 5 top order wickets for 20 runs there is a host of criticism thrown their way. On this occasion however, Johnson was simply too good. He was quick and most importantly, he was swinging the ball.

The Australian media had been very critical of Johnson spending two weeks in the nets before this game. It had been suggested that he should have been playing for Western Australia instead of doing net bowling. It seems the decision has been justified. Many people wondered how Johnson had got back into the team just by bowling in the nets. He must have rediscovered his swing with Troy Cooley whilst grooving his action. Obviously this was enough to convince the selectors and as we saw, when Mitchell Johnson is swinging the ball, there is hardly a more dangerous bowler in world cricket.

Johnson was the centre of most of the pre-series talk. The general consensus was that if Johnson fired, Australia would win. If Johnson continues to bowl like he did today for the remainder of the series, England will have to bat brilliantly to keep hold of their advantage.

I wrote yesterday that this series may not be an epic tussle between two evenly matched sides like some of the recent series, rather a changing of the guard with England taking up the mantle of the dominant force. Judging by today's evidence this series could be a very tight, engrossing contest (if Johnson continues to bowl like this anyway).

Mitchell Johnson you have made me eat my words. As an England supporter I may begrudge your remarkable return to form. However, as a cricket lover I have to thank you for igniting a contest that was seemingly very one-sided. This series has been turned on it's head in a day. Keep your eyes peeled!

Changing of the Guard

As the England openers walked off together at the end of the day, surely no-one was very surprised at the dominant performance that Australia has been on the receiving end of during the course of the first day (Cook and Strauss had not batted all day undefeated but England's bowlers had bowled out Australia for 268). If there have ever been 9 days of consecutive Test Match cricket where England have dominated an opponent to such an extent (barring the annihilation of Bangladesh in 2005) I would love to know about it. In reality, what we could be seeing in this series is the biggest thrashing England have ever meted out to Australia (there haven't really been that many). When you consider that the series is being played in Australia, against a team that hasn't been ravaged by World Series Cricket. It is quite remarkable.

By no means am I suggesting that this is because this England side are the best England side ever, or even the current No.1 side in the world (although on this evidence they surely have the potential to be). It is probably more down to the fact that a poor Australian side has encountered a well drilled, confident, ruthless and skillful team. A very un-English England side.

All the pre-series predictions were of a very close series. I myself first predicted a 2-1 win for Australia before changing my mind in favour of a 2-2 draw. How foolish and silly these predictions look now. I think these two sides on paper still look quite even. However, whilst the entire England team is in a rich vein of form only Michael Hussey can claim the same for Australia.

Australia have chopped and changed much like the hapless England sides of the 90's. England have shown they are capable of making big hundreds, they have a strong pace attack with good back-up (Chris Tremlett's performance proved this) and a world-class spinner who can win them games almost singlehandedly. Much like the all-conquering Australian side of the 90's and 00's.

Obviously, I am now going to have to change my pre-series prediction. Based on the last 9 days of cricket I am going to boldly plump for a 4-0 score-line. This England team closely resembles an unstoppable juggernaut at present and the Australians have presented me no evidence to suggest they have found a way to stop it. I don't think even a dead rubber at Sydney would be able to halt England in their quest to embarrass Australia in a way England know only too well after their 2006/07 mauling.

If Australia are to prove me wrong they will need an inspirational turnaround. Most likely from their captain Ricky Ponting. If he continues to struggle, I see no way back for Australia. Only a cataclysmic cock-up from England (something that admittedly is not too far fetched) could then save Australia from their doom.

So while we may not be watching a closely matched contest for the ages, a la 2005. We may very possibly be watching a changing of the guard. Could England be the next Australia? Well, if they keep playing as they are. There's no reason why not.

The Ashes: Perth Preview

So we have finally had a bit of a break from the Ashes (well, sort of). There has hardly been any respite for both players and selectors alike. Since Adelaide, Australia have called up the unknown Michael Beer to their squad, a decision that has sparked much debate in Australia. They have also called other players into their squad however none sparked nearly as much controversy as this decision.

All that remains to be decided for Australia now is the make-up of their bowling attack. Will they go in with 4 quick bowlers (plus Smith and Watson)? Or will they opt for the untested Michael Beer? No-one really seems to know which way Australia will go. I don't think Australia really know yet either, such is the unsure nature of their side. It might just come down to how the pitch looks on the morning of the game. Ricky Ponting has already come out and said he may want to play 4 quicks and bowl first if it's a green top.

For the first time this series, England's preparation has not been as near to perfect as it had been before the first Test. Their leading bowler, Jimmy Anderson, has flown halfway around the world and back again in order to attend the birth of his second child (whilst he has insisted this will not affect him, it is hardly ideal preparation for a Test Match). Another leading bowler, Stuart Broad, has been ruled out of the series due to injury. This meant the tour match against Victoria at the MCG would be a bowl off between the three seamers vying for Broad's spot. They took one wicket between them in 76 overs, not the best way to stake a claim for a Test spot. Andy Flower described the experience against Victoria as a much needed reality check, which I thought was a pretty good spin on an overall quite negative performance (much better than we have heard on past tours for sure).

Despite England's troubles, I still feel they head to Perth as favourites. How could they not be after the mauling they handed out to Australia in Adelaide? Their entire batting line-up is in form after Matt Prior's hundred in the tour game. Despite the unsettled preparation of the bowling line-up, they still have a strong pace attack with the brilliant Graeme Swann in support. In contrast, only Michael Hussey is in form for Australia (Shane Watson could be added to this list but his inability to convert fifties into hundreds excludes him). Their pace attack is about as far from strong as you could possibly get after conceding over 1000 runs for the loss of only 5 wickets in Brisbane and Adelaide (one of which was taken by the spinner Doherty). Finally, whilst England possess undoubtedly the best spinner in the world. Australia have a man who has 5 first-class games to his name and was playing club cricket only last year (I am not including Smith as I think he is included more as a batsman and part-time bowler).

This is a pivotal point in the series for both sides. If England win, they will have regained the Ashes on Australian soil for the first time since 1986/87. If Australia win, the series will be level at 1-1 with all to play for in the remaining two Tests.

What is for sure is that it will be another engrossing contest. The Aussies will be desperate to bounce back strongly from their embarrassing defeat in Adelaide whilst England will be keen to end their tour unbeaten.

Brace yourselves for another fix of exhilarating Ashes cricket. Although perhaps not quite as exhilarating as the start of the Adelaide match, I don't think I could handle another one of those!

Australia Call for Beer

The news that the Australian team have called for Beer in the wake of their Adelaide mauling at the hands of England comes as no surprise. That is until you find out that the Beer in question is actually a 26 year old left-arm spinner who has 5 first-class games to his name. I think the other kind of beer might be of more use to them.

Of course there is no guarantee that shock selection Michael Beer will play. I think Australia will plump for a 4 man pace attack with Smith and Watson to supplement it. Although even if Beer does not earn his baggy green next week, his selection in the squad still hints of desperation from the selectors. By picking him in the squad they have indicated how little they think of the spin bowling options currently knocking around Australia.

You cannot help but think Beer's selection was almost entirely based on Shane Warne's assessment that "maybe you play a local guy, someone who knows the conditions". Maybe the selectors thought, 'well if we can't have Warney, we might as well select the guy he light-heartedly suggested'. When you consider the fact he has only played 3 first-class games at the WACA and hails from Melbourne, he doesn't even fill Warne's loosely suggested criteria. If he does earn his first cap next week it will have been a meteoric rise. Last season he was plying his trade in Melbourne Grade cricket, for St Kilda, the same club Warne grew up playing for. It seems Beer's decision to move to Western Australia to further his career has proved mightily successful. Not only is he playing domestic cricket but he could be in line to make his international bow. What a move!

There were more changes to the squad that will face England in Perth. Phil Hughes has come in for Simon Katich, the most straightforward swap. Whilst Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus have both come back into the squad. Steve Smith has seemingly replaced Marcus North and should slot in at No.7 with Brad Haddin moving up one place in the order.

The selection of Johnson seems a strange one. They dropped him so that he could rediscover the groove that made him the worlds most feared bowler. Will this have returned in two weeks of net bowling with Troy Cooley? Doubtful, very doubtful. I can't see what will have changed for Johnson and what will stop him from bowling just as terribly in Perth as he did in Brisbane. Surely someone like Mark Cameron, a bowler who is in form and bowls quick would have been a better option.

The return of Hilfenhaus is less surprising. I thought he was unlucky to be dropped in the first place and he will most likely have the job of utilising the 'Freemantle Doctor' (the strong wind in Perth).

The only thing that remains for Australia to decide now is what the make-up of their bowling attack will be. If they go with Beer, they will have two spinners, not usually the way to go at Perth. If Beer plays it will be a fight between Hilfenhaus and Johnson for the remaining slot. If this were to happen, my guess would be as good as yours as to who would win.

Beer will probably not play at the WACA. All the selectors managed to do by selecting him was showcase the lack of spin options around the country and prove that they are too stubborn to recall Nathan Hauritz.

At the moment nothing is going right for Australia, even when they're not on the pitch.

Australian Camp Has Problems

Australia are losing an Ashes series on home soil, they need to win 2 of the remaining 3 games to reclaim the urn. This scenario is unheard of in the lifetime of many young Australians. Something must be done to change the fortunes of this underperforming side.

As these two sides came into the series it was widely considered that they were very equally matched. This has not proved to be the case. For the last 7 days, England have totally dominated Australia. On paper the teams still look quite close but on form, they could not be further apart. Most of England's players have hit form at just the right time, most notably Cook and Pietersen. Whilst almost all of the Australians seem totally out of nick, with the exception of Mike Hussey who is enjoying a spectacular renaissance.

At the moment, Australia have an uncanny resemblance to an England side from the 1990's. They have just been dominated by their oldest rival, they have no-one who comes close to matching the spin king who has just bowled them to defeat and they are ringing the changes to an unsettled side. Eerily familiar isn't it?

As much as Australia will want to resist the temptation to make further changes, I cannot see any other option. There are so many misfiring players in their line-up. There is one change that they have no choice but to make and unfortunately for Australia it is one of the players who they would have least liked to have dropped. Simon Katich will not be taking any further part in this Ashes series after damaging his achilles tendon. There is not too much debate about his replacement, Phillip Hughes is the man in waiting for the openers slot so it would be a great surprise if he missed out.

Whilst that selection is relatively straightforward, there are a host of other problems that are not quite so simple. First of all, the No.6 slot, currently occupied by Marcus North. He has been in poor form all series and has not looked like making runs. Even more worryingly, he looks completely at sea against Graeme Swann. He wouldn't be much use when chasing down a total on the last day then, as Swann would most likely be sending down nearly half the overs. In my opinion he has to go. I would be choosing between Khawaja, Ferguson and Steve Smith to fill the vacancy. Smith would be my ideal choice but I think that might make the batting order look a little too weak. I think it would come down to a bat off in the state games between Khawaja and Ferguson for the slot.

OK one down, a few more to go. Doug Bollinger did not look fully fit during this Test, his pace dropped dramatically towards the end and thus carried far less of a threat. Unless he can prove to the selectors otherwise I think this might see him omitted from the side. Since I thought Ben Hilfenhaus was unfairly treated in the first place by his omission from the Adelaide XI, he would be my pick to come in. He has been one of Australia's best bowlers over the past year and more than deserves his place in the side. Another thing that may well be a factor in the selectors minds are the foot holes created by Bollinger during the Test. These foot holes were a perfect target area for Swann against the right handers and significantly increased his threat (they were certainly a factor in Michael Clarke's dismissal). Since Swann is a key weapon for England, Australia will want to reduce his threat as much as possible and dropping Bollinger may well be a way of doing that.

Australia are not only having problem's with England's spinner but also their own. Xavier Doherty has been as ineffective as it is possible to be in his first two Test matches, it is a sign of how badly Australia have struggled that he is their second highest wicket taker (after Siddle with the 6 he took in his first innings, since then he has gone wicketless). Even though the selectors may not admit it, Doherty's selection was mainly an attempt to shackle Pietersen. It failed, spectacularly (I don't think his eventual dismissal after plundering 227 really counts as a win for Doherty). There is no way he can be selected again. The only two contenders for the slot are Steve Smith and the recently jettisoned Nathan Hauritz. If Smith came in for North then Hauritz could also play in a twin-spin attack, but this is highly unlikely.

Both spinners have different selling points. The main thing going for Smith is his batting. If he were selected, he would make the batting significantly stronger at No.8. I'm sure this would appeal to the selectors after the batting performances in Adelaide. However there are severe question marks over his credentials as a bowler. Ian Bell took him apart in the 'A' game at Hobart and he will probably bowl a loose ball an over. Australia cannot afford their spinner to leak runs as it takes all the pressure off the batsmen. Warne has publicly backed Smith but that may not be enough to get him the spot.

Hauritz seems like the more likely option. He has a good record in Australia and performed well against England in the 2009 Ashes. He has also hit form recently with a 5 wicket haul for New South Wales. The only thing in his way is the stubbornness of the selectors, it would not reflect well on them that Hauritz was dropped then re-called just two Tests later. This is definitely the best way to go for Australia as Hauritz would offer good control if not a wicket taking threat. This would allow the seamers to rotate from the other end with some pressure on the batsmen. Will the selectors suck it up and admit they were wrong? Time will tell.

With a lot of uncertainties hanging around, what is for sure is that the Australian camp has problems and they aren't going away in a hurry. Not even a flurry of changes will change that.

The Ashes: A Tense Final Day

Yesterday I wrote that whatever happened on the final day, it would be an enthralling day of Test cricket. Happily, I was right.

The first blood seemed to go to Australia as England took the new ball early on. This seemed strange at the time (especially to the Australian commentators) as Marcus North looked a lot more comfortable against pace than Graeme Swann's spin. He showed just how comfortable he was as he crunched an away-swinger from Anderson trough the covers for four.

Things didn't get much better after that for Australia however as Mike Hussey was out attempting to pull a rising Steve Finn delivery which landed in the safe hands of Jimmy Anderson. This wicket was a huge boost to England as Hussey has been Australia's in form batsman and looked very good at the crease throughout his stay.

England were on a roll and when Graeme Swann was brought back into the attack with a relatively new ball, you could sense he was going to do something. He should have had Mike Hussey out caught behind before the new ball was taken, Prior shelled the chance. Thankfully for Prior and England, the potentially costly drop had not caused any damage. With the newish ball, Swann continued where he left off. He found more bounce thanks to the harder ball and was getting the ball to turn and bounce sharply from the rough patches.

It was not Swann however who got the next vital wicket. Jimmy Anderson had, unsurprisingly, found some swing with the new ball and had already beaten Brad Haddin outside the off-stump on a few occasions before finally finding the all important edge. This was the big wicket. Not only was the in-form Haddin gone but Australia's long tail was exposed. It was now only a matter of time before Australia capitulated. The only question was, would the rain beat England to the punch?

Jimmy Anderson certainly didn't want to take his time about it. From the very next ball he curved one back into Ryan Harris, to which he responded by shouldering arms (clearly he didn't much like the idea of having to bat when it started raining). Harris made a bee-line straight for the dressing room, seemingly content with his King Pair. Marcus North had decided however that the decision was worth referring (clearly the right choice after being hit in front of all 3 pegs without offering a shot). Despite the seemingly pointless referral, it was actually quite close as eagle-eye showed the ball was only just clipping the top of the stumps. Not quite close enough to overturn the decision though.

Now, only Marcus North stood between England and glorious victory. Here was his opportunity to prove himself. He had the chance to be the hero for Australia, to pull off a draw from this seemingly hopeless position would have been an outstanding achievement for North. All of Australia's hopes were resting on his shoulders... and he collapsed, without a fight. He lasted only 1 ball of Graeme Swann's next over before succumbing to his nemesis. It was a tame defensive prod that brought his demise as the ball clipped his pad before hitting his bat (the same thing had happened earlier on). As before, it was given not out and as before, England referred the decision knowing a successful appeal would all but guarantee them victory. The replays showed that the ball was missing leg and off stump whilst hitting middle half way up. It was plumber than plumb. The England players started celebrating as soon as they saw the big screen. They did not wait for the official decision, neither did North as he commenced his slow trudge back to the dressing room.

It was now just a procession for England. The last two wickets took only 8 overs to collect. With Swann grabbing both of them to earn himself a deserved 5 for. The ball which took the final wicket of Peter Siddle was an absolute cracker. It lured him forward then spun sharply through the gate to clip the off-stump, it was classic Swann and sparked wild scenes of celebration from the England players and fans alike.

And that was it 1-0 England. The threat of rain did not materialise as England took only 20 overs to take the final 6 wickets. It was a complete performance from England. Ricky Ponting admitted as much in his post-match interview. I certainly cannot remember a more dominant performance from England in the 7 years I have been watching Test cricket. If anyone has any contenders I would love to hear about them.

The bare statistics sum up the dominance England had over Australia throughout the game (literally from the 4th ball of the game when Katich was run out without facing). England won by an innings and 71 runs, the first time they have beaten Australia by an innings since 1985. Considering they did this after losing the toss and having to bowl first on a good batting track makes it even more impressive. Over the match, England lost 5 wickets compared to Australia's 20. This just shows the superiority England enjoyed in both the batting and bowling departments (not to mention the fielding).

There was some bad news for England as Stuart Broad was ruled out of the rest of the series with an abdominal injury. Whilst this is bad news for England, they have more than capable replacements in the squad. This strength in depth was evidenced during the the tour game in Hobart where Tremlett, Bresnan and Shahzad tour through the Australia A batting line-up. The logical replacement for Broad would be Tremlett as he is a very similar bowler and should enjoy the pace and bounce which the WACA offers.

Australia need to win 2 of the remaining 3 games to regain the Ashes (whilst drawing the other). They will need to turnaround their form dramatically if they are to do so, otherwise, England may have their hands back on the urn in Melbourne. If the thought of that happening doesn't inspire an Australian turnaround, nothing will.

The Ashes: A Crucial Day in Adelaide

As both sides walked out at the start of today's play, they both knew it was a crucial day in this Ashes series. England knew they needed to score some quick runs and declare as soon as possible in order to give themselves enough time to bowl Australia out in the face of some dodgy weather forecasts. Australia on the other hand had to prepare themselves to bat for the best part of two days on a wearing Adelaide pitch in order to save the game and go to Perth all square at 0-0.

Kevin Pietersen hit a few lusty blows early on to take him to his highest ever Test score before departing. Xavier Doherty found a touch of turn from the rough and found the edge of Pietersen's bat as he attempted to slog-sweep the under pressure spinner into the next stratosphere. As the Aussies allowed themselves a faint smile (fair enough since Doherty had executed Australia's plan perfectly by dismissing England's main man, albeit 227 runs too late), Pietersen walked off the ground to a well deserved standing ovation after one of his best Test innings to date.

It got better for Australia when they had Matt Prior LBW for 1. This was quite important for Australia as Prior is a dangerous batsmen and could have added some very quick runs. Unfortunately for Australia however... Prior decided to review the decision, successfully. As I said, Prior is a dangerous batsman and did add some very quick runs with Ian Bell. 52 runs in 5.4 overs to be precise. At this point Andrew Strauss decided to end Australia's torture by declaring with a lead of 375.

With 5 and a bit sessions to bat, Shane Watson and Simon Katich had a monumental task ahead of them. To make things even worse for Australia, Katich was clearly struggling with a heel injury. The Australian openers were clearly unfazed by this however as they got off to a rapid start. Some of the shots they played were unconvincing, with quite a few boundaries down to third man. Without doing a disservice the pair, there was also a large collection of very good shots. Crunching drives through the covers from Watson and a couple of straight drives, if you can call them that, from Katich were the best of the lot. Anderson in particular was quite wayward, he struggled to find the length that made him such a handful in the first innings.

England did recover relatively quickly. The introduction of Graeme Swann providing the catalyst for the momentum swing as he probed away at the rough areas outside off-stump and gave nothing away.

It was Swann who eventually got the vital breakthrough as he induced the finest of edges from Katich. At this point Swann had found his rhythm and was bowling quite brilliantly. He had the batsmen tied down and was also threatening to take wickets with plenty of men around the bat. Ponting seemed eager to not let Swann settle, he was quick to get on the front foot (exactly what Swann would have wanted). He was almost out when he defended the ball with hard hands, the ball caught the edge after spinning sharply and could have easily ended up in the hands of a close catcher. Ponting proceeded to play a very uncharacteristic yet very effective slog sweep off Swann.

Could this be the day that Ponting announced himself in this series? No, is the answer, as from the very next ball Swann had his man. It was a very clever piece of bowling from Swann. It was delivered with over-spin rather than side-spin and the ball went straight on which was enough to find an edge, brilliantly taken by Collingwood at slip. Ponting simply could not believe it. He stood at the crease for quite a long time, so long that I thought he was going to refer the decision. But no, it was just pure disbelief that he had failed in his quest to save his team from an embarrassing defeat. And an embarrassing defeat is what looked very much on the horizon as the out of form Michael Clarke strode to the wicket.

Thankfully for Australia, their vice-captain and heir apparent to Ponting finally found some form with some classic drives (the very same ones that were getting him out only days earlier) and pulls in front of square. England kept plugging away and whilst both Watson and Clarke were batting well, you could sense that the English bowlers were never far away from getting a wicket. And so it proved as the impressive Steven Finn found some extra movement to get rid of Watson. It was a defensive prod that took the edge and was expertly taken by Strauss at slip.

England's catching typifies how the team is playing. They are catching everything in the slips (a trademark of great teams) whilst Australia have made plenty of blunders with both their catching and ground fielding. England seem to be on top in every department currently.

Finn had started to find some reverse-swing and was bowling better than he had at any point in the previous 8 days. He beat Hussey's outside edge on a few occasions from around the wicket and looked quite threatening. At the other end Swann was twirling away, getting the odd ball to really spit out of the rough. Despite the threatening bowling, Clarke and the re-born Mike Hussey looked relatively at ease and brought up their hundred partnership near the end of the day. It looked for all money that Australia would be ending the day 3 wickets down and quite content about their days work.

However since it is the Ashes, obviously it was not going to be this simple. Andrew Strauss tossed the ball to Kevin Pietersen for a couple of experimental overs which turned out to be a masterstroke. KP's Test was going well and it got a hell of a lot better when he got a ball to turn sharply, it found the edge of Michael Clarke's bat and landed safely in the hands of Alastair Cook. Clarke seems to have a nasty habit of getting out right at the end of a crucial day in an Ashes series (think of Edgbaston 2005 and a Steve Harmison slower ball, that dismissal proved extremely costly as I'm sure you all remember what happened the following day...). Australia will pray that this dismissal will not prove quite as costly although it was definitely a massive blow to Australia which gave England a huge advantage going into the final day (surely only the rain, or another monumental Hussey/Haddin partnership can save Australia now).

Personally I cannot see any other outcome but an England win. With Graeme Swann operating from one end throughout the day, the seamers will be rotated around at the other end. KP might even get a few more overs since there is some lavish spin to be found on this wearing surface. Swann will be a real handful on this last day pitch, there will definitely be the odd ball which does something spectacular so the batsmen will have a real task on their hands.

What is for sure is that it will be an enthralling day of cricket tomorrow, whatever happens. Australia will want to get in front of England as soon as possible then bat for as long as they can, there might even be a tense run chase at the end of the day. I cannot wait to see how this vital day will unfold.

Now can we all bow our heads in prayer. Please God, don't let it rain, just don't let it rain.

Pietersen's Ego Returns

Yesterday was a very good day for England. But it was also a very good day for Kevin Pietersen. He started the day on 85 not out and it would've taken a brave man to bet against him getting to his first Test ton in 21 months. Sure enough, Pietersen got there. He showed how much it meant to him with a leap and a broad grin spread all over his face.

However he was not satisfied yet. He wanted more. His innings resembled the Pietersen of old, the Pietersen that thrashed Australia all around the Oval in 2005. In recent series he has looked unsure of himself, the bat coming down at all sorts of strange angles. The key to Pietersen's batting is his ego. He needs to believe that he will dominate the bowlers every time he walks to the crease. He has not believed this recently.

Pietersen's innings of 158 at the Oval in 2005 demonstrates this perfectly. Despite surviving a flurry of chances early on in his innings, he continued to play aggressively. The enduring image of that innings was the way he continued to hook and pull Brett Lee for six, despite the fact that there were two boundary riders. It takes someone with complete confidence in his game to continue to take that shot on and succeed. This kind of batting has not been seen from Pietersen in the last couple of years. He had seemed to have mellowed down in his approach to batting. Maybe it was because he was maturing, maybe it was because he realised he was the linch-pin of the batting order. Whatever it was, it did not suit him. Pietersen is at his best when he is dominating the bowling. There are not many bowlers in world cricket who can bowl to him when he is going well, let alone the hapless Australian bowlers.

This innings was classic Pietersen. He scored at a strike rate of 73 (quick by anybody's standards, except maybe Virender Sehwag). All the classic Pietersen strokes were there. The one legged flick through mid-wicket, the crunching drive through the off-side and the fearless pull shot (a shot which brought him 3 successive fours when Peter Siddle tried in vain to bounce him out).

I will admit I was one of many who had doubts over Pietersen coming into this series, especially when Doherty was selected. I am very happy to see that Pietersen has proved me emphatically wrong. I really should have seen it coming. Pietersen loves a big stage and there are no bigger than an Ashes series down under. Remember the 2006-07 tour (I know you probably don't want to), Pietersen scored 400 runs in the first 3 games. He only scored 90 in the two games when the series was dead. He is a big game player, it fuels his ego.

As far as I'm concerned, I hope his ego continues to grow so large that he truly believes he is the equal of Sir Don. If he believes this, then the extents to what he could achieve are limitless.

The Ashes: Cook Continues to Dominate

When today's play started, England will have known they had a brilliant chance to take hold of the match and the series. The Adelaide pitch was a great track to bat on and they had just skittled Australia out for 245.

The day did not start the way England wanted however, when Andrew Strauss decided to leave a straight ball from Doug Bollinger. It was a flabbergasting decision from the England skipper. The ball was straight and was always heading for off stump. You would have hoped he had learned his lesson from the Gabba when he was perilously close to being LBW first ball after a similarly incomprehensible leave. This wicket left England 3-1 and in danger of collapsing in a similar way to the Australians.

Thankfully for England however the two men at the crease were Cook and Trott, the men who shared an unbroken stand of 329 together at the Gabba. After some early scares for Trott, including a run out chance and a dropped catch from Mike Hussey in the gully. The pair picked up where they left off at the Gabba. They made the Australian's look like net bowlers. Trott was imperious on his legs, mercilessly clipping anything on the stumps to the leg-side boundary. Cook was more circumspect, yet did not once look like getting out. He left the ball well outside off-stump and when the bowlers dropped short, he was onto it in a flash.

This series looks like it could be Cook's watershed, the springboard from which he will finally fulfill his undoubted talent. Up until now, he has never been very consistent. He would usually have a lean patch which would be followed by a big score. He has never really racked up a big total of runs in a series (something that will definitely be changing in this series). He looks a completely different player to the one that struggled through the Pakistan series this summer. Normally he is very scratchy and gives the feeling that he could get out at any moment. When he is batting currently, he looks completely at ease and it would be a total shock if he managed to get himself out (he has now been batting for over 17 hours since the start of his Brisbane innings and few would bet against him adding to that tally tomorrow). I would be very surprised if he does not reach his second consecutive double century, such is the ease with which he is batting.

Cook was blessed with terrific support today. Firstly with Trott, then Pietersen. Trott continued on in exactly the same fashion as at Brisbane and it came as quite a shock when he was finally dismissed (despite the chances he had offered early on). I must admit, I had doubts over KP coming into this series. They were magnified when Doherty was picked, such was Pietersen's apparent weakness against left-arm spin. Thankfully, Pietersen has expelled these doubts with a truly commanding innings. The like of which has not been seen from Pietersen's bat in some time. Apart from an early scare against Doherty (a thick outside edge which just looped wide of point) he looked in complete control against the left-armer. It was a typical Pietersen of old innings. He took the attack to the bowlers, never let them settle and made them dance to his tune. It was very refreshing to seem him bat in this way once again.

Australia's two new bowlers, Bollinger and Harris, had mixed fortunes. Bollinger removed Strauss at the start of the day but this was more due to Strauss' poor judgement rather than brilliant bowling. For the rest of the day he was largely ineffective whilst going at 5 runs an over (Mitchell Johnson-esque you can hear people saying). In Bollinger's defence, he should have had Trott caught in the gully when he was on 10. This would have dramatically changed the course of the game. Pietersen would have been exposed to the new ball and Australia would have been on a roll. However it was not to be and ultimately Bollinger did not perform to expectations. The same cannot be said for Ryan Harris as he pounded in over after over with real purpose. He was easily the quickest bowler of the match and regularly made the England batsmen play and miss. His dismissal of Trott was the least he deserved, especially since he had just been dropped by Haddin a few balls previously.

Xavier Doherty again struggled. He went at nearly 5 an over and did not pose any threat. He could not even trouble Pietersen (supposedly a left-arm spinners bunny). At one point he was cut for 3 fours in a row by Cook (a shot Cook played superbly throughout his innings). At this point you could see the frustration on his face as he realised there was nothing he could do to stop the England juggernaut.

Despite the changes to Australia's attack, they once again looked toothless in the face of some good batting from England. Will the selectors look to change the side again? I suppose it will depend on how the rest of this match progresses but Bollinger will have to improve quickly and Doherty will also be feeling the heat. Especially since Nathan Hauritz has recently found form.

This game seems within England's grasp, I would imagine that England will look to bat all day tomorrow (perhaps leaving Australia a short period before stumps). They will probably aim for a lead of around 400 before pushing for the win. Judging by today's performance I can't see how Australia are going to get back into this game, especially because of the dominance Cook and Pietersen had over the Aussies.

It seems my pre-series prediction that England's batting was too weak to reclaim the Ashes has to be re-assessed (mainly thanks to Alastair Cook's incredible form, I am even contemplating betting on him scoring 1000 runs for the series!). England are in the ascendency and it will take something remarkable from Australia to spark a turnaround. But it is the Ashes, we all know anything can happen. Brace yourselves for another great day tomorrow!

The Ashes: Day 1 in Adelaide

These two sides may not be the best sides in world cricket at the moment. They are however very closely matched and this is making for some incredibly exciting cricket. After the drama of the opening day in the 1st Test, surely there would not be a repeat. There wasn't. It was much more dramatic. After Ricky Ponting had won the toss on a good batting surface and opted to bat. England were already on the back foot. A big 1st innings from Australia would put a lot of strain on England's 4 man attack.

Unfortunately for Australia, their innings never got off the ground. A packed house at the iconic Adelaide Oval provided a brilliant atmosphere which must have set the pulse racing. It certainly had an effect on Shane Watson as he hared off for a single without consulting his opening partner, Simon Katich. A mix-up ensued, which ended with Katich being run-out for a diamond duck. The throw from Trott was calm and composed (not something that can be said for England's celebrations after the wicket). Suddenly Australia were 0-1 and their hopes of a big first innings total were resting squarely on the shoulders of their captain, Ricky Ponting. A fired up Jimmy Anderson had other ideas however as he unleashed a perfect delivery which caught the outside edge of Ponting's bat and was brilliantly caught by Graeme Swann at slip. 0-2, Ponting gone for a golden duck. Cue wild celebrations from both the English players and fans.

It was a truly incredible start and it got even better for England. Michael Clarke's 6 ball stay at the crease was completely unconvincing. He flashed at a succession of balls outside the off-stump before finally edging Anderson to second slip. Australia were 2-3 and the Test had been turned on it's head. This had all occurred in the first 15 minutes of the game. If anyone can remember a more dramatic start to a Test, I would love to hear about it. Thousands of fans were still queuing outside the ground whilst the Australian innings was being dismantled. It was truly brilliant Test cricket and a great advert for the game.

It could have got even better for England. A couple of edges fell agonisingly close to fielders and Anderson could not quite hang on to a tough caught and bowled chance from Mike Hussey. That would have made it 11-4. Hussey and Watson just about weathered the storm and set about rebuilding the innings on a good batting track. They looked completely at ease during their partnership, showing that the pitch is very good to bat on. They capitalised on the loose offerings of Steven Finn and looked set to dig Australia out of the hole they found themselves in. Enter Jimmy Anderson. He came back into the attack straight after lunch following his brilliant first spell. He then carried on where he left off as he got a ball to move away from Watson a touch which was slashed to Kevin Pietersen at point.

This brought the under-fire Marcus North to the crease. He did not look convincing and apart from a couple of crunching drives through the off-side was very scratchy. North eventually departed for 26 from 93 balls. He got out to a tame shot, trying to guide a ball from Finn down to third man but only succeeding in edging to Prior. England now only needed one more wicket to expose Australia's long tail. Brad Haddin joined Hussey at the crease in an ominously similar situation to the one they found themselves in at Brisbane. For a while it looked like they might repeat similar heroics as they once again showed how good the pitch actually was with a bit of application. Hussey was repelling Swann with ease, dancing down the track to almost every ball to nullify his threat. Haddin also looked at ease during his stay, picking up where he left off in Brisbane.

It was Swann who eventually broke their stubborn 51 run partnership. Hussey was the man to depart, for 93. The ball from Swann turned more than Hussey expected and he only succeeded in prodding the ball to slip, where Collingwood made no mistake. Some controversy followed as Swann removed Ryan Harris first ball. It was an LBW shout which had been given by the umpire. Harris immediately called for a referral, indicating that he had hit the ball. Looking at the hotspot cameras, there was a faint, yet relatively clear mark on the edge of the bat. This led most to believe the decision would be overturned but it was not enough to convince Billy Doctrove, who upheld the on-field umpires decision.

The remainder of the innings was rapped up pretty quickly by England, despite some lusty hitting from Brad Haddin. More confusion between the wickets led to another run-out for Australia. This time Doherty was the culprit as he was caught ball watching. The innings was concluded when Haddin top edged a pull down to Steven Finn at fine leg. This gave Stuart Broad his first wicket of the innings.

The wicket for Broad was just rewards for a very disciplined bowling performance which saw him give away only 2 runs an over. He has never seemed to have much luck with his bowling and so it proved again today. Despite his lack of wickets, he still did a very good job for England by tying down the runs. Another England seamer who had not had much luck in Brisbane, Jimmy Anderson, finally reaped the rewards for some brilliant bowling. This is definitely the best I have ever seen Anderson bowl, his control and slight movement of the ball made him a very challenging prospect and so it proved as he took 4-51. This was the least he deserved after another display which has surely silenced any doubters of his ability to bowl in Australian conditions. He is the bowler of the series so far, without a doubt (early days yet I know, but they are promising signs).

After a difficult game in Brisbane, where he struggled to contain the Australian batsmen. Graeme Swann also did a brilliant job for England today. He had complete control over his line and length (I can hardly remember him dropping a ball short). He even kept his cool when Hussey was continually advancing down the track. His determination finally rewarded him when he got the wickets of both Hussey and Harris in successive balls. This is the job that England need him to do. Tie down an end whilst the seamers are rotated at the other end. He will come into his own in the last innings of games, when he is entrusted with the job of winning the game for his team (a role which he thrives in)

The England openers survived a lively over from Ryan Harris to end the day unscathed on 1-0. Tomorrow's play is set up to be another thrilling day of cricket. It will be interesting to see how Harris and Bollinger perform after being brought into the side. Xavier Doherty's performance will also be watched closely after Nathan Hauritz put pressure on the selectors by taking 5 wickets in an innings for New South Wales. One thing is for sure, England have the chance to take the game by the scruff of the neck with a commanding batting performance. They might just be thinking of another 500-1.

The Ashes: Adelaide Preview

The 2nd Ashes Test of the summer is already upon us, after a short 3 day break. After an encapsulating first Test which lived up to all the pre-series hype (although eventually petered out into a dull draw). We are ready for another fix of Ashes cricket. The Adelaide pitch may not be the best one to provide this (it has a reputation as a batting paradise). Although there has been a bit of rain around (as Kevin Pietersen's Twitter followers will know) which might make the pitch a bit more enticing for the bowlers.

The big news in the lead up to the game was the dropping of Mitchell Johnson (however a completely justified decision). Johnson will surely be replaced by Doug Bollinger, who I thought was unlucky to miss out in the 1st Test. There is also talk that Ben Hilfenhaus' place is under threat from Ryan Harris. This seems like a knee-jerk reaction from Australia, worthy of a 90's England side. Hilfenhaus was their best bowler on the tour of India and I thought he bowled relatively well in Brisbane. The reasoning that he was not very threatening has not got much weight to it. All of Australia's bowlers were toothless (apart from a 3 ball spell from Siddle) throughout the match. Their new star spinner (part-timer Marcus North, not Xavier Doherty) was their best bowler. Taking the solitary wicket in the second innings.

Whilst Australia's preparations have been surrounded by speculation over who would play and who wouldn't. England's lead-up to the game has been relatively quiet. There is absolutely no chance the starting XI will be changed (barring an unfortunate injury). The only drama the England camp has faced has been the inevitable Twitter outburst from Kevin Pietersen. It was aimed at the Adelaide ground staff for not covering the practice nets when rain came.

It looks like the toss could be the most important moment of the match. The Adelaide Oval is widely considered to be the best batting track in the country, only on Day 5 is it expected to assist the spinners. Thus, it will be imperative to win the toss and bat, post a big first innings total then leave it to the spinners on the last day to win you the game. Graeme Swann and Australia's newest spin sensation, Marcus North will be licking their lips at the prospect of filling their boots on the last day.

There were a few under pressure batsmen coming into the first Test (from both sides), but all of them are coming into the 2nd Test with a weight off their shoulders. Alastair Cook, who averaged 26 in 10 Ashes Tests was under pressure to perform but he responded in the best possible manner. Breaking a whole host of batting records on his way to a match total of 302 runs (more than he scored on the entire tour in 2006/07). England will be hoping he can continue in this rich vein of form and form a strong partnership with Strauss at the top of the order. Trott and Bell were the other players in the England side being watched closely but both players came through the Test with flying colours. Trott making his 2nd Ashes hundred in as many games and Bell making a typically classy 76 in the 1st innings.

Mike Hussey and Marcus North were two players under intense scrutiny concerning their places in the team. Both their places are now secured. Hussey after his superb 195, which was not a normal Hussey innings as he looked to dominate the bowling (and succeeded) instead of accumulating his runs. The fact that North failed in his only outing to the crease is academical. His place is now secured as a specialist spinner, who can bat a bit (if you have not detected the sarcasm about North's ability as a spinner in this article as of yet, please note. I do not think he is a great spinner and in my humble opinion should be dropped for the leg-spinning all-rounder Steven Smith).

We approach the 2nd Test of this series in much the same way as we did the first. England are very settled and carry the 'momentum'. Australia are an unsettled side unsure of their starting XI (although in different areas this time) and we enter the game with the series still all square at 0-0. One can only hope we see a riveting Test Match that will provide intrigue into the depths of the last day. And judging by the recent meetings by these two sides (Adelaide in 2006 especially) we might just get a cracker.

The Ashes: Cook and Trott batter Australia

So the first Test of the 2010/11 Ashes series is over. It ended in a tame draw that many predicted at the start of the fifth day. The finish to this game did not do justice to the first few days of the contest, which ebbed and flowed and made for some very exciting cricket.

England resumed the final day 88 runs ahead. There was still scope for an England collapse which could hand Australia the game. From the first ball of the day, this never looked like a possibility. Cook and Trott continued where they left off by accumulating their runs with consummate ease. There was the odd lapse in concentration, most notably from Trott as he edged to Michael Clarke at slip. However the simple chance was spilled and Trott continued merrily on his way. By the end of the first session Cook had brought up his maiden double-century and Trott had completed his 4th Test hundred.

The ease with which the England batsmen scored their runs on a fifth day pitch (albeit a very flat pitch) was striking. None of Australia's bowlers seemed to trouble either Cook or Trott. Mitchell Johnson struggled the most as he was treated like a medium-pacer by the England batsmen. He seems to have lost all his confidence, his attitude in the field was poor (as evidenced by his dropping of Andrew Strauss) and his batting has gone downhill dramatically. There is no way Australia can continue to pick him. He has been branded as Australia's attack leader but in my opinion Ben Hilfenhaus has taken over this mantle. He has been their most threatening bowler throughout the Test.

Australia have hinted at a change in personnel by adding Bollinger and Harris to their squad for the next Test. I think Hilfenhaus and Siddle are safe from the axe. However Mitchell Johnson's spot is surely up for grabs, Dougie Bollinger would be a shoo-in if I was an Australian selector. He has been their best bowler in their last 10 Tests. The other spot which could be under scrutiny is the spinner's slot. Xavier Doherty carried next to no threat during the Test, even on a turning Day 5 pitch. Marcus North picked up the solitary wicket in England's second innings and was arguably their best bowler, getting through nearly 20 overs at a touch more than 2 runs an over. Australia might choose to play an extra batsman and use North as their spinner, or they might replace Doherty (and Johnson possibly) with Bollinger and/or Harris. This would add some extra beef to their attack but it would be very risky going in with the part-timer Marcus North as their lead spinner. It will be interesting to see which team make-up they will go for.

Now we come to Alastair Cook and Jonathon Trott. They were simply brilliant during their marathon partnership. Breaking a whole host of records along the way. They batted with supreme authority, they scored quickly and played some gorgeous shots (even Cook).

I have never seen Cook bat better this and I have watched the majority of his Test innings. His feet movements were sharp which is a feature of his game that is severely lacking when he is out of form. He drove and cut very well on the off-side, he did not seem vulnerable outside his off-stump. He also played the short ball well, pulling strongly on a number of occasions. He scored more runs in this innings than he did on the entire 2006/07 tour. Hopefully he can use this innings as a springboard for the rest of the series and his career.

If Cook's innings was a bit of a surprise, Trott scoring his 4th Test hundred was not. He has become a very reliable part of England's batting line-up and I fully expected him to convert his fifty into a hundred. Like Cook, he accumulated his runs without fuss. There was no Pietersen-esque bravado about his innings, but there never is with Trott. His cover driving was his hallmark, picking the gaps in the off-side field with amazing regularity.

This will have a very positive effect on England's batsmen (even the ones who didn't bat). They will feel they have the edge over the Australian attack now and will be confident of racking up some more big runs. I was hoping that Andrew Strauss would not declare today and would instead leave the Aussies out in the field for the whole day. A final score of 650-1 would have demoralised them even further. Although I can understand his decision, the way the pitch was playing England were never going to run through Australia. They were able to recover a little momentum thanks to Ponting's quick fire half-century.

So 1 down, 4 to go. The series has got off to a good start and the platform is there for a brilliant series. We do not have long to wait until battle re-commences with the next Test starting on Friday. Bring on Adelaide!

The Ashes: England Fight Back

What can you say about this Test Match? It has ebbed and flowed and there has been some encapsulating cricket from both sides. Thankfully, I was not able to watch the 3rd day when Hussey and Hadding were churning out their 307 run stand. I was playing my own game of cricket (once again interrupted by rain, bloody Australian weather!). Having read many articles about the day, I have gathered that England did not play particularly badly (James Anderson bowled quite brilliantly by all accounts). It just seems that a combination of bad luck and good batting conspired against them. Once England did make the breakthrough, Australia capitulated. Losing their last 5 wickets for 50-odd runs. It was days like this that made the decision to play only 4 bowlers seem like a risky one. I do feel however that there won't be too many more days like this one and I think England definitely have their best side on the pitch.

If Day 3 couldn't have been much worse for England, then Day 4 couldn't have been much better. England started the day 202 behind Australia, albeit with all 10 wickets remaining. Surely even the most optimistic England fan couldn't have predicted what transpired throughout the rest of the day. I personally felt that a typical English capitulation was inevitable.

And yet it could all have been so different if Andrew Strauss hadn't received a big slice of luck first ball. Strauss inexplicably decided to leave an in-swinging ball from Ben Hilfenhaus first up. In real time it looked plumb. A room full of Australians were jumping and shouting around me. I was too afraid to take my hands from my face. After a few seconds however I did not hear Aussie cheers. Aleem Dar had, quite brilliantly (and as it turns out, correctly) denied the appeal.

This moment of play showed how such thin margins can make such a big difference in cricket. From Michael Hussey's first ball edge which fell just short of second slip, to the inch or so that saved Andrew Strauss from a pair. Both men went on to make pivotal hundreds which have changed the game.

I have not yet mentioned Alastair Cook. I must admit, I have been one of his many detractors and I thought he would struggle in this series. I am very happy to say that he has proved me wrong (although it is early days yet). He is not a pretty player (and never will be) but he has churned out some very valuable runs in this Test and hopefully his good form will continue over the next 4 games.

If Cook has been impressive, Mitchell Johnson has been at the other end of the scale. His pre-match declaration that he was going to give Strauss some chin music has not come to fruition. He has not found any swing and his pace has been way down. He has carried almost no threat with the ball (Shane Watson has looked for more likely to take a wicket) and has also dropped a catch and recorded a duck. Not the best of games for the 2009 ICC Cricketer of the Year. In my opinion he has to be dropped for the impressive Doug Bollinger. It seems the only thing keeping him in the team are his past achievements, he is clearly not the same man who destroyed South Africa in 2008/09.

Today was perhaps not a classic day of Test cricket (a day with only one wicket falling rarely is). It was however a brilliant fightback from a seemingly hopeless position (5-0 predictions were flying around the dressing room as Hussey and Haddin piled on the runs). This Test Match is now seemingly heading for a draw. It will probably be quite a dull finish to what has been a very exciting Test (but you never know, another surprise could be sprung).

What this match has shown, is that these two teams are incredibly evenly matched and I am quite confident that the series will go all the way to the wire in Sydney.