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.
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