Fourth Test - Day One

I was there...

As were 84,000+ other spectators to witness what can only be described as the cricketing equivalent of a perfect storm. Australia kept faith with the battering ram attack that demolished England in Perth, whilst England swapped tiring young wicket taking tyro Finn with no nonsense Tyke Bresnan. The toss was always going to be crucial and Strauss called correctly and inserted the Aussies. Under a slate grey Victorian sky England put themselves in a remarkably dominant position after day one of the fourth Ashes Test having bowled out Australia for just 98 in Melbourne.

Chris ‘Trembo’ Tremlett and James ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ Anderson swung the ball beautifully to take four wickets each after captain Andrew Strauss had won an important toss. Australia showed poor technique to contribute to their demise. And they were made to pay when Strauss and Alastair Cook pushed England along to a very healthy 157-0 in reply. Having lost by 267 runs on a much faster wicket in Perth to relinquish their 1-0 series lead, England's flawless performance on Boxing Day with bat and ball defied logic.

They have already put Australia, who recorded their lowest all-out total in an Ashes Test at the MCG, in a situation where defeat is a probability. In Australia's main excuse was the fact that cool, cloudy conditions up until tea had turned the early exchanges into something more akin to a May Test match in England, with bowlers able to extract swing and seam movement. But the reality is they were outplayed. With perfect timing for the tourists, the clouds melted away as Strauss - who ended the day on 64 - and Cook (80) strode to the crease. And barring one or two early deliveries from Ben Hilfenhaus the ball did not swing for the Australians.

Australia entered this critical match with only three batsmen in any sort of form. Mike ‘Mr Cricket’ Hussey had made an extraordinary 517 in the first three Tests, while Shane Watson and Brad Haddin had also produced some key performances.
This time, however, with England's three seamers locating a searching length from the off - and finding swing consistently, those three all failed. Michael Clarke FAC2011 and soon to be ex-Australian captain Ricky Ponting were due runs, but managed only 20 and 10 respectively, while Phillip Bradman and Steve ‘Gumby’ Smith do not appear to possess the necessary techniques for swing-friendly conditions.

Such was the one-sidedness of the early exchanges, that England could afford to drop Watson twice before he had scored - Paul Collingwood at third slip and KP in the gully were the culprits. Anderson was the unlucky bowler on those two occasions, but it was Tremlett who supplied the first wicket, Watson getting a nasty one that bounced up to an uncomfortable height - and gloving to Pietersen. Despite his double let-off, Watson had made only five. There was another catch for Pietersen in the gully when Hughes, craving anything wide outside off, flashed at one that he should have left to give Bresnan a wicket with his seventh ball in an Ashes contest.

The Yorkshireman had been a debatable selection ahead of Steven Finn, the leading wicket-taker in the series. But he showed some fine control at one end as Tremlett and Anderson probed away at the other.

Ricky Ponting suggested a possible return to form when hitting two fine pull shots for four, but Tremlett got one to fizz away from him off the seam and the Australian captain's edge was well held by Graeme Swann at second slip. England were in prime position at 37-3, but they still needed to send Mr Cricket back to the pavilion. They got their wish when Anderson snaked one away from Mr Knickit off a full length just two balls before a 90-minute rain break which incorporated lunch. Prior's catch was riotously celebrated, and Anderson remained in hot form during the afternoon; uncertain pushes outside off-stump caused the demise of both Steve Smith and Clarke -the Anderson-Prior combination doing the business each time.

A score of 77-6 became 77-8 when Haddin wafted Bresnan to slip, before Prior accepted another catch from Anderson's bowling to send the occasionally dangerous Mitchell Johnson on his way for a duck. Tremlett returned to wrap up the tail and Australia were all out in 42.5 overs - their lowest score against England since 1968.
Every dismissal had been as a result of a catch behind the wicket, Prior becoming the seventh England gloveman to take at least six in a Test innings. England's efficiency in the field meant they could turn their attentions to batting during the tea interval. Their progress was serene in the extreme as Strauss and Cook did what Australia's batsmen had failed to do - leave the ball well alone when necessary, or play it tightly in defence with bat and pad close together. Cook was given out lbw on 27 but called for a review which quickly revealed an inside edge.

There were some nice shots as well, such as Strauss's on-drive off Peter Siddle to bring up the fifty partnership and two straight drives for four by Cook off Hilfenhaus. Even as news filtered through that 84,345 spectators had watched the early exchanges of the afternoon session, huge swathes of them were already leaving the ground - though a delighted Barmy Army contingent remained in situ.

Strauss took England into the lead with a sublime on-drive off Watson, but Cook was playing with even more fluency than his senior partner and was just 20 short of a third century in the series when stumps were drawn.

I, like the remaining 20,000 English spectators could not believe what we had seen. Unfortunately the Aussies in the crowd and had all got "prior commitments" or "Family over for Boxing Day Supper", so sadly they missed the end of a truly remarkable day in the history of Ashes Tests.

The Jardine Report: Un-bloody-believable!