The Ashes, 4th Test, day 3

England 1st Innings: 255 all out from 100 overs overs
Kevin Pietersen 71, Michael Carberry 38
Ryan Harris 2-47, Mitchell Johnson 5-63, Shane Watson 1-11

Australia 1st innings: 204 all out from 82.2 overs
Brad Haddin 65, Chris Rogers 61,
Stuart Broad 3-45, James Anderson 4-67

England 2nd innings: 179 all out from 61 overs
Alastair Cook 51, Kevin Pietersen 49
Nathan Lyon 5-50, Mitchell Johnson 3-25Australia 2nd innings: (Target 231) 0/30 from 8.0 overs
Chris Rogers 18*, David Warner 13*

Plays: Come the start of the day we were batting. Come the close of day 3, we were batting and suddenly in a position to win this Test and go 4-0 up. Brilliant how things can change in a matter of sessions.

Our boys look so alive out there and once again I bring up the theme of unity. Nathan Lyon, who took his 100th Test wicket since debut in 2011, as well as a 5-fer (his 4th in Tests), made certain he gave raps to his team mates, notably his bowling mates. The self-belief is massive and today we saw how important unity is, as well as key players stepping up.

Starting the day trailing by 91 runs with 1 wicket in hand, Brad Haddin and Nathan Lyon were able to ensure we reduced England's lead to 51 runs. Every run they tucked away has been invaluable, and could be so in this chase.

Brad Haddin was oddly enough the one England were able to dismiss after he mistimed an attempted pull shot that came onto him a bit quicker than his body position allowed for come the execution of the shot. It didn't dampen the effort of our wicket keeper, who not only scored 65 runs (4 half-centuries, 1 century this Ashes series) but he also became the highest run scorer for an Australian wicket keeper in an Ashes series. A record deserved by a man who has fought some awful odds to be where he is at, after a very patient journey too.

Brad's fight to keep our 1st innings a float is a trend that has been apparent this series, a reason he is my Man of the Series right now, despite Mitchell Johnson's unreal performances.
However, as outstandingly pointed out by Brydon Coverdale (ESPN Cricinfo) if we look back to Newland's 2011, we didn't have the saving graces of Hads that day as we were rolled for 47. He can't do it all the time but thank our lucky Southern Cross he was able to bail us out again.

Nathan Lyon offered excellent support as the number 11 but come his efforts with the ball in hand, he's made his ultimate impression in that regard.

England got off to a strong start, suddenly really dominating the game in a way they have not at all this series. I texted my mate Sylvester just reminding him of Amazing Adelaide. I had a gut feeling that England had, if anything, just given us a wonderful opportunity to fight back and really test our self-belief and skills as a team. Soon after the collapse began. The challenge was accepted and we now find ourselves in a very realistic place to go up 4-0.

Nathan Lyon, he deserves every reward he gets. He was just another spinner in the line post-Warne and was selected on the basis of a remarkable story with the Redbacks and excellent performances in Twenty20 and List A cricket. He found himself debuting against Sri Lanka, and some credit has to go to the previously appalling selection panel, who gave him a chance. The new panel has kept faith in him, and he's repaid it. I am pleased most supporters have kept backing him. He was always the only option. He is still with us and now has 100 Test wickets. His story has been a joy to follow.

I remember meeting Nathan, who was alongsideTrent Copeland, at the nets by Newland's Cricket Ground two days after we were bowled out for 47 runs against South Africa. I asked him if it had sunk in yet that he was shortly before a member of the grounds team at the Adelaide Oval, and was suddenly a Baggy Green cricketer, a member of the Australian team. He laughed, thanked me for the support and just replied, "No mate, I simply can't believe it. I have to pinch myself some days". I bet he is still pinching himself.

He removed England's danger man Ian Bell for a golden duck, and lured England into the attack, having totally made them contradict their style of defensive cricket. It lead to their downfall and we had them all out for 179. He ended with 5-50, giving him 16 wickets at 26.93 for the series.

Mitchell Johnson though was the man under the spotlight once again.

The MCG was once harsh to him, now he has won over the crowds at the gladiator arena of international cricket. As the famous quote from the movie Gladiator goes, "I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd and you will win your freedom." You'd have to sense their is some similarity between that drive to entertain and be brutal come Mitchell Johnson, and Russell Crowe's character in that movie.

Mitch took a catch, he took the opening wicket, he took the closing wicket, and he ran out Joe Root with some highly athletic fielding with a solid technique on display too. The direct hit was a winner and that was our turning point and the boys knew it. Mitchell Johnson was all over the scorecard and all over the Poms.

He is killing their tail enders and they seem to be eager to leave the field no sooner than they've taken guard knowing Mitch is bowling. I love it.

He also had a good time getting stuck into Kevin Pietersen. Many will dismiss it as bad sportsmanship from these two, but with the ego of KP I think it is inevitable their will be some heat in the middle. They entertain. There was no physical contact but definitely physical aggression. I like it. It dates back the 70s with our team and of course the 80s. The ugly Australian tag is returning and I wouldn't have it any other way.

KP also bowed out of the way five times during his innings during our bowlers run up. It was just the right guy at the crease against the right bowler to add fuel to the fire. It was entertaining and Mitch won that round.

David Warner and Chris Rogers have gotten off to a steady start. We are 30 without loss, requiring another 201 runs for victory. We had two days to achieve this and this is against an English team that is seriously low on confidence. It is more than possible to win this based on their lack of confidence, our self belief and the trend that shows how we have shown greater consistency in our second dig.

Verdict: I am so mighty proud of my boys and just so blown away by the self-belief out there today. It was so inspiring. No other team can give you that emotion - no team, only Australia!

Still some massive work to do tomorrow. If the trend is followed, our collapses occur in the 1st innings. This 2nd innings seems to be when the group really up their game. Nice to see it reverse but right now I will take the trend continuing to see us reach that target of 231 runs. Rogers and Warner looked very relaxed out there and if they can hold the fort to set a strong foundation, this is ours. 4-0, but the challenge is on offer. Another big one for this team going forward.

Tomorrow the boys need all the support they can get.


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The Baggy Green team that regained the urn

I wrote many times that we would win the Ashes. I noted that if our batting clicked into place we would win as it would give our bowlers consistent opportunities to defend totals of competitive substance, rather than defend totals in desperate attempts to stay in the game. Consistency was a key, as was self-belief, balancing experience and upcoming players. Fortunately, this time around it occurred and it proved the theory, finally.

However, having stated this I will also be honest that I did go into this Ashes series with few expectations, reserving this execution of a winning recipe to be handled by our team day by day. No expectations creates a better platform for a team with a new coach reigniting the concept of pride and fun for the players and supporters. I kept this in mind and now in hindsight I am glad I took this approach with my writing in the build up to this series.

Here is my article looking at the team that has led us to an Ashes victory in 2013. More discussion via the Facebook page.

I had zero objections with this side heading into the Ashes. I wanted an unchanged unit because, as the word "unit" intends, unity comes from consistent selection policies. This was followed and as a result this team is the most united Australian team in many years. Even before we took that final wicket to bring the urn back (although not officially form Lord's) there was a strong sense of unity amongst the team. It's so uplifting.

Mitchell Johnson (23 wickets at 15.47, BBI 7-40, BBM 9-103/ 147 runs at 49.00, HS 64) has been praised for his performances. It seems as if he is the only man in this team though. I think this is both unfair and hypocritical on the media's behalf. Mitch has been treated like trash from the media in particular in the past. The way it's being portrayed by them (the media) one would think his efforts, while absolutely remarkable and rare to witness (Brisbane & Adelaide), were the only occurrence of excellence this Ashes series.

I am so proud of Mitch. I cannot emphasise this enough. There is no shame on my part that a few years back I wrote an article that the gap between his best (match winning) and worst was too great for the harsh nature of Test cricket. He is a confidence player and in a team environment with constant change and high expectation on him to show up like the star player, game in game out, was unfair and harsh upon his character. It was not enough to develop him. Limited overs cricket was a much better platform for him to rebuild his confidence for two reasons.

Firstly, it is a form of the game that is not as harsh a reality as Test cricket, allowing shorter bursts and erratic bowling spells to still produce erratic results. This came to light during Mitchell's IPL stints then his tour to India a few months ago.

Secondly, it would give him chance to still be a member of the Australian Cricket team and also allow him time to balance limited overs duty with State duty to rebuild his confidence across a variety of formats and realign both his focus and objectives. This was to return as a Test cricketer with performances to back his return and of course win an Ashes series to put away all that criticism and degrading he had to endure.

The time away from the game at the elite level was the best thing for him and now we see Mitchell Johnson, confident, refreshed, focused, settled, but most importantly backed by both a united team and bowling attack. The leadership is strong and Mitch is thriving. The environment is better able to accommodate his bowling nature. The results say it all. Welcome back mighty Mitch!

Despite this return, Mitch was backed by a consistent bowling unit consisting of Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Shane Watson and Nathan Lyon. Their input made Mitchell's performances possible and they all played a massive role in the result that sees us 3-0 up. That is why I find it unfair to put it all on Mitch, which also creates unfair expectation on him - a reason that led to his initial fall from great (media) heights. Time for people to get some perspective on what is a team sport and what was a bloody special team effort it has been!

Ryan Harris (12 wickets at 23.58/ 76 runs at 38.00, HS 55*) suffers through grueling body aches and the fear he could break down at any point. He still continues to take his catches, dive in the field, save boundaries, train hard, and above all do his primary job which is to charge in and bowl a ball around 140 - 145 km/h with swing. He hasn't been red hot but he's contributed, notably removing Alastair Cook for a golden duck at the WACA in England's 2nd innings. Cook was coming off a well fought half-century in the 1st innings and Ryano ensured the most beautiful delivery ended his contribution for the Test. It was massive.

Peter Siddle (11 wickets at 22.09) gets criticised, at times justifiably, for his lack of variation. Where he makes up for the tricks of the trade, is a burning ambition to succeed and unrivaled passion to play for the Baggy Greens.

When a track is dead, he finds something out of nothing on many decks and is able to bowl a line that probes and attacks a batsman whether they decide to defend or attack. He keeps coming at you and in times when the opportunities look slim he can pull out enough energy to pick the troops back up.

There is evidence that in times when desperately needed he hasn't been able to put in significant performances, but for Siddle to succeed you need bowlers around him with good pace, natural variation and a strong understanding of their duties. This is why he may appear the leader of the pack with a younger bowling unit, but they lack the experience and understanding Mitchell and Ryano have. With these factors he can play with greater significance. A few years back the combination with Ryano and Ben Hilfenhaus against India further proved this theory of mine.

He is a work horse and teams need those men. We have Siddle and this man was able to work over Kevin Pietersen - England's danger man - to the point where we have contained KP and the English critics want him gone. He has also rattled Matt Prior and these bunnies essentially add to the psychological demolition of the opposition. Personal battles but successful to come back to the concept of synergy. Sids is a big player and it's hard to not select him on this basis.

Nathan Lyon (10 wickets at 31.40) was only ever going to succeed through consistent selection. The more he bowls the better he gets, the more pitches he plays on, the more it forces him to look at his abilities (or enhance them). He initiated the collapse of England's batsmen yesterday and as a result we won the Ashes quicker than anticipated heading into the lunch break. It was a passage of play that may have defined him, just as Steve Smith's century in the 1st innings was a coming of age, the innings that has ultimately become his career defining moment.

Nathan took a 5fer on debut. He has struggled too, don't get me wrong. Many felt he didn't deliver when needed, but he has always been the right man for the job and until you've played as a spinner in multiple conditions against the best of the best, along with a winning team, it is a bloody tough initiation. He has come out on top and John Inverarity and his panel deserve the respect for this. We lacked consistency from the awful Hilditch regime and we have had this with the one position we were lost on. The spin bowler.

To add to Nathan's success as a spinner, a solid wicket keeper is needed. Enter Brad Haddin (15 catches, 325 runs at 65.00, HS 118, x1 century & x3 fifties from 5 innings) who, like Mitchell, was facing a high hill to return.

Matt Wade deserved his opportunities for us, I have no doubt about it. He had ticked all the boxes to make the Australian side and entered the mix at a time when Brad was going through a horrible time off the field which brought his game into a state of demise. His standards were low and it was not his time. Every player has a period of pain and this was his - sadly with personal matters as well which he fought through strongly for his family. That was the ultimate victory for Brad. Forget cricket.

Yet, when Matt Wade started to show chinks in his armor and Tim Paine still on the mend after his finger injury, Brad reawakened and raised the benchmark higher than his standards have been in years. The result was a keeper/batsman of an elite standards. Forget Adam Gilchrist, what you have seen here is a performance that most teams would give anything for from their keeper. Brad has delivered and he saw the opportunity for a return and made it count big time.

His keeping to Nathan Lyon's bowling was brilliant, with a technique Ian Healy waxed lyrical about from the outset. This has aided Nathan's output immensely and for this Hads must be added to the reward we have seen from our spinner. It is also a reason why Hads is, at present, my stand out player of the series.

His batting has been Michael Hussey like. He has stepped up when the team was in desperate need of a big innings and he's crushed England's winning edge, which in previous years would have not materialised. He's executed rescue missions and shown belief in our lower order.
A century at the Adelaide Oval, a near miss in Brisbane, performances in every other innings and then his partnership with Steven Smith in the 1st innings of the WACA Test. It all points to invaluable input with the bat from our keeper. England have not had this and it's been another huge difference between the teams.

Brad Haddin has been sensational and enhanced other players performances. Synergy once again.

Our batting has been hit and miss at times (a few small collapses requiring some remedy) but consistent in the fact that every single batsman, including newbie George Bailey, has stepped up as opposed to just Michael Clarke, which has been the case for too long.

David Warner (457 runs at 91.40, x2 centuries, HS 124) has become the top order destroyer we have missed since Matthew Hayden. He will have his blue patches but his cockiness has been most appreciated and his self-belief nothing but extraordinary when consider what this man went through off the field in recent months. It's been a personal relationship off the field that has helped him through this dark passage in his career and now look. It's a great sporting story.

He's been brutal with the bat and has now bagged two centuries, along with some high class fielding standards - another major difference between the two sides. Catches win matches but they also separate teams in terms of standards. Mike Young is back in the mix and his impact has been noticed.

Chris Rogers (156 runs at 26.00, 4 catches) hasn't scored a century but I don't care. I called for his selection in 2009, as I did now in 2013 before the English Ashes series. We needed to stick with him and once again the selectors have done so. He is the ideal partner for David Warner at the crease. He has experience, a well grounded game, and is able to quite likely put the right advice and encouragement into David Warner's mind in the battle zone.

I said I had few expectations heading into this series but right now I do have expectations of Chris to deliver big time in the final two Tests. I see a place for him in this team while Phillip Hughes continues to dominate the State field, and young batsmen like Nic Maddinson, Joe Burns, and Jordan Silk fine tune their craft for a while longer.

Chris, like Ryan Harris and Brad Haddin, realised that this was his final chance to quite likely be a member of a winning Ashes series. Ryano and Hads have endured one too many and now they have it. This was evident in the emotion Ryano displayed during the post-match celebration as his voice cracked and he held back the tears of relief. A raw moment in this harsh but great game.

Michael Clarke (331 runs at 55.16, x2 centuries), well, not much to write on this front as I have blurted it all before. He is our best batsman, recently winning the 2013 ICC Cricketer and Test Player of the Year awards.
He has executed his tactics well, rotated his bowlers on song, and he's used his referrals far better than the previous series with the DRS. Up until the match was won, Clarkey was the only player to have experienced a winning Ashes series. Now he is the leader of a winning Ashes campaign and he can be mighty proud of that coming in his 100th Test match.

Steven Smith (186 runs at 37.20, HS 111, 5 catches) had his coming of age with his century in the 3rd Test. He turned his public profile around in England, improving his reputation as a middle order batsman, specialist fielder and part-time spin bowler, as opposed to the variety of tags given to him upon his early Test appearances which did him more damage than good. He was all over the place as to what role he should play but once again, thanks to the selection panel and some brilliant performances from Steven for New South Wales, his position has been clarified.

He put in the performances at State level, which followed an Ashes campaign where we saw his drastic turnaround in his indentity as an Australian cricketer. It is still a very long road ahead for him and time is well on his side to become a solid Australian batsman. Below is what I had to write regarding his century of 111 runs.

It was about Steven Smith's century though which saw him roar in triumph to see his team through to stumps. A man given his Baggy Green too soon with an undefined role, has stepped back and crafted his own game over time. He is now becoming a Test batsman.

Well done youngster, well done!

The innings, from what I have analysed, was a mature one, seeing him leave many deliveries that needn't be played or were simply too tempting to nudge, and then picking the right ones to blaze away with no complacency. He didn't deliver in a dull moment, he did so when we seriously needed it. His pitch map tells a tale too, how many deliveries on a good length were simply dot balls. Patience folks, patience.

This was a massive moment, alive and fuming, demanding Smith to be the master and control it. He needed to secure it and he did so. This is about winning back the Ashes and in the past these small victories in these passages of play have not been present - or have come too late. This is day 1 against an English team low on confidence. This century could prove to be something very significant.

Then there is George Bailey (136 runs at 34.00, HS 53, 6 catches). Put into the team on the basis of limited overs form in India where he lead the side and dominated with the bat. It was a strange selection basis given his first class stats didn't quite stack up but he does have experience, and a good characteristic is he always has a smile on his face, loves his cricket and tries his best.

He took his catches for us, tried to play aggressive cricket - the brand the team is publicly promoting - and even found himself smashing James Anderson around the WACA to level with Brian Lara's most runs scored off an over in Test cricket - 28 runs.

Then finally there's Shane Watson (200 runs at 33.33, x1 100, x1 50, HS 103, 3 wickets) who found himself under fire for once again making starts and not converting or finding ways to gift away his wicket. Fortunately for Watto's confidence he was delivering maiden overs for us (35% of his overs have been maidens with an economy rate of 2.73) and has found ways to build pressure from his end just taking pace of the ball to keep the batsmen in no mans land, while also scrapping 3 wickets.

His batting came out with the desired result. A century with some big powerful shots. Although we were well ahead of England we still needed something else on the back of David Warner's ton, an innings that would crush England's presence on the field. Watto's innings did so and it was a spectacle to behold.

Shane Watson does have a poor conversion rate, he's never lived up to the potential that he definitely possesses and he knows it. Unfortunately, he has endured injury issues since his teenage years which has affected him but, as Brett Lee did so, he has found ways to reinvent himself and come back time and time again. That takes serious mental toughness. He finally has experienced winning as Ashes series and delivered when the team needed him too. Some may say one occasion too few, but I also say better late than never on the cricket field.

Watto is also one of the most respectful players come the supporters. Always taking time to talk to them, greet them, listen to them and play his role off the field with those who show up to back the team. This has always made me wish him all the success possible for our team. He's shown up in the Ashes and that is what has counted most.

After all I have written above, essential the differences between the sides is easily noticed in short:

- we had a bowling unit with more pace,
- we had a strike bowler high on confidence,
- a bowling unit with enough variation (well mentored by Craig McDermott),
- a wicket keeper showcasing elite standards who helped enhance our spin bowlers output
- our top order found centurions (7 versus England's 1 - Ben Stokes)
- we held our catches and had unbelievable intensity in the field versus England
- and of course this aggressive brand of cricket was backed by home support on home turf. 

We still have two Tests to play, followed by a series against South Africa, in South Africa. This means that even though this is a special feeling to have regained the urn and one to embrace, there is a hell of a lot of hard work ahead for the players and the supporters and we shouldn't get too far ahead. This game can change very quickly.

They (the team) need our support to continue through the highs and the lows. They know the battle goes on and that for now the focus is 5-0 and a continual push for consistency as come the series against South Africa, we may have the urn but they have the number one Test ranking, something we dearly want. More about this come the eve of that series, but for now it is just wonderful to see my team united and playing positive cricket.

When one man has a tough day, another man is fighting his hardest to have a beauty of a day. And best of all is that man who has the tough day is getting the support from his team mates and the coach, Darren Lehman. We, as the supporters, need to back them all and let's just hope that concept of unity continues to grow. It's great to have the winning edge again, embrace it and enjoy it.

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The Ashes: 1st Test, day 4 - victory to Australia

Australia 1st innings: 295 all out from 97.1 overs
Brad Haddin 94, David Warner 49
Stuart Broad 6-81

England 1st innings: 136 all out from 52.4 overs
Michael Carberry 40
Mitchell Johnson 4-61, Ryan Harris 3-28, Nathan Lyon 2-17

Australia 2nd innings: 7/401 dec. from 94 overs
David Warner 124, Michael Clarke 113, Brad Haddin 53, Mitchell Johnson 39*
Chris Tremlett 3-69

England 2nd innings: 179 all out from 81.1 overs
Alastair Cook 65, Joe Root 26*
Mitchell Johnson 5-42, Nathan Lyon 2-46, Ryan Harris 2-49

Result: 381 run victory to Australia (1-0)

Day 1 report, day 2 report, day 3 report.

Verdict: The rain came down over the Gabbatoir and washed away enough play to frustrate us. However, with patience, frustration, amusement, good fight and lots of positive weather reports from my Brisbane Baggy Green fanatics (playing weathermen) we bagged the final two wickets after some English resistance. Plenty of tension out there at the end with James Anderson in the middle of it all, but we have a Test victory, our first since January and we have taken the opening Ashes Test. 1-0 to Australia. YES!

Play: The man of the match award has been a hard tag to hand out, but despite Nathan Lyon's beautiful spells of spin bowling, Michal Clarke's scintillating century and tactical delivery for his troops, and David Warner's emotional ton, it was a toss up between Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson.

Hads was playing his 50th Test (a proud achievement given his challenges in recent years on and off the field) and scored two half-centuries, the first being a dog fighting effort from him to pull us out of turmoil and then his keeping standards were first class. He pushed the troops forward with high energy.

Meanwhile, Mitch was playing his return match for the Baggy Greens against a side he's had a troublesome time against. He's taken a long time to get into the previous contests and he's endured some disgusting criticism. Yet, he is already in this contest, made a frightening impact and delivered a spell of bowling during England's first innings which lead to their almighty collapse for 136 runs. He initiated it with scary speed and a cocky attitude, while his batting in the first dig with Brad Haddin set in motion a confident return, that confidence which makes him a deadly cricketer on his day. He also played a key role in the collapses England endured. In the second innings he was asked to try his best and he gave his best with some huge wickets. I think the write up between Hads and Mitch alone shows it was Mighty Mitch who just edged ahead to take the award. It was fitting he had a caught and bowled to end the match.

He took 9 wickets for the match, as well as 103 runs combining both his innings.

Despite England's efforts to keep us at bay, essentially it was the rain that caused the frustration more so than their defense. It did give our bowlers chance to re-energise though.

Mitchell Johnson's explosive spells have been a telling tale, but more so Michael Clarke's tactical execution for his men. The bowlers have bowled to the required line and lengths, while Clarke has ensured his fieldsmen were in their rightful places to capitalise upon England's mental short circuits. The removal of Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior were the perfect examples, one for both Lyon and Johnson.

There's still a lot of cricket ahead. We all know how Mitchell is "fragile" come his confidence, but coupled with his batting he is reminding everyone of the 2008/09 run, while Nathan Lyon has just delivered the goods for his team. He's had enough time to understand what is required and the analysis provided by Shane Warne come his bowling has been insightful.

Nathan would have sunk a bit after blundering a run out chance by smacking his elbow onto the stumps for what would have probably been a direct hit thrown from David Warner in any case, but fortunately we wrapped it up this evening. Tension.

England will feel the heat after this and mentally it will hit the camp hard. Our boys came hard at them, far more so than even I anticipated but I am going to enjoy this victorious feeling, the positive emotions this Test and the eagerly awaited home Ashes series where we have taken first blood. Above all, the team has set high standards and the brotherhood out there has been gripping, as well as the aggressive attitudes we've missed.

Our first win in 10 Tests, our first Ashes win in 8 Tests. It was also England's sixth heaviest defeat in terms of runs. Another four games to go with conditions that will better suit England in some cases, otherwise playing into our advantage. Hard cricket ahead, tough challenges ahead but I am going to soak up this one.

To quote Michael Clarke's closing words at the post match presentation, "Fantastic start, there were some fantastic individual perfofmances, Mitchell Johnson in particular. The Brisbane crowd have been great, all the boys are grateful and I really hope this bodes well for the summer. England will come back, it's only one Test but I'm really pleased. We didn't start too well with the bat but credit to the boys for coming back. England have shown they are a quality team and we have to do it again in the next match."

Bring on Adelaide where all involved at The Baggy Green Blog in some way over the last six years will unite.

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The Ashes: 1st Test, day 2

Australia 1st innings: 295 all out from 97.1 overs
Brad Haddin 94, David Warner 49
Stuart Broad 6-81

England 1st innings: 136 all out from 52.4 overs
Michael Carberry 40
Mitchell Johnson 4-61, Ryan Harris 3-28, Nathan Lyon 2-17

Australia 2nd innings: 0/65 from 22 overs
David Warner 45*, Chris Rogers 15*

Match status: Australia lead by 224 runs with 10 wickets remaining, 3 days play to go.

Verdict: The Baggy Greens took day 2 after the first day went to England. It was an elite performance from our mint bowling attack which saw Ryan Harris execute his immense skills with discipline, Nathan Lyon find success with an attacking field, Peter Siddle building pressure and mighty Mitchell Johnson marking his comeback with some ferocious bowling as the spearhead. Going to stumps with 10 wickets in tact and a healthy lead secured the days play for us.

I have had a grin on my face most of the evening. Watching the highlights package I smiled as Nathan Lyon took his first wicket. This wasn't because of the wicket as such but it was because I saw my Australian team fighting back into a Test match and a crowd roar in support with an atmosphere I almost have forgotten about. It's still three days play to go but it was a big step forward for us to get back into this Test match from a very worrying start.

Despite our bowling efforts, Brad Haddin deserves a big shout out for his determination. He's fought for us on a number of occasions with the bat and this was built for him. It was sad to see him fall short of a century through a run out but his effort was massive in the context of where this game may be headed. I was proud to see Brad's output.

With a score far from par and short of 300 it was perhaps worrying, but as I wrote yesterday, we still had to bowl (with our bowling being our definite strength), we had to bat again, it was still a Test match with a story to be written. For this reason pessimism kills me when people start bagging the team. Instant gratification? A lack of support or belief? I am not sure but it makes the success so much sweeter when you back your team to come back from a dire situation.

Mitchell Johnson batted in the first innings as he did so during his glorious run in 2008/09. I noted his confidence reminded me of that era and was hoping he'd bring it with the ball. He did. It was a bit loose at first and England made so quick runs off him but once Alastair Cook was on his way after a total beauty from my boy Ryan Harris, it was all about Mitch becoming the spearhead of our attack.

Short, fast, brutal bowling spells were delivered and with rhythm became contagious to watch. He worked over England's main batsmen as a man on a mission. It's early days in this series but instead of waiting for this to occur a few Tests down the road Mitch delivered now, when the team needed it. In his wake our bowling attack followed and complemented him with excellent results.

I noted the definite confidence and form in David Warner's first innings, and he's delivering in his second stand. Steven Smith looked good, and Chris Rogers is bound to deliver runs for us as he's found steadiness for Victoria already in the season. It's taken shape quicker than I expected, which was made to look daft given Michael Clarke and George Bailey being dismissed for single figures, as well as Shane Watson not going on from a start. It's easy to overlook these small signs but I noticed them and will boldly declare my belief in these boys. It's game on and Mitchell Johnson came to the show earlier than expected.

On the back of Mitchell's demolition mission, it was Ryan Harris' efforts that captured my imagination. His delivery to remove Cook was the ball of the innings for me. The perfect delivery to a left hander with a new ball, hanging in the corridor of uncertainty. Some nip off the seam probably helped a tough too. Sheer poetry.

Ryan Harris to Cook. The ball with the black circle marks how he
tightened the line to bring about the perfect delivery to find the faint edge
against a left handed opener. Brilliant. Courtesy: ESPN Crininfo Hawk-eye.

While Ryan continued to steam in, Peter Siddle built the pressure and deserved one wicket in the end. He nearly had Kevin Pietersen but dropped a caught and bowled chance. He didn't pay the price for it but it's those chances the guys know could make one hell of a difference.

Nathan Lyon contributed and claimed two wickets of a couple batsmen who can inflict some serious damage on their day. The short leg came into play as Michael Clarke set an attacking field. With a defensive mindset it worked in our favour with Nathan getting the Gabba crowd right behind him. It was encouraging to see Nathan get a few to grip well and turn - border line rip - off the track.

Our fielding was also of very high standards and is another area of our cricket which has dipped and cost us dearly.

The batting hasn't been splendid from both sides, but our bowling has hopefully dealt a blow to England's confidence and it's all up to our batsmen now to keep that attack. They've disappointed for some time now but this group all have enough skill and ability to keep it together as we look to secure this match in a position that to have so early on in an Ashes series is nothing but a blessing. It's just too good to let slip and it's all up to the batsmen as, once again, our bowlers delivered with world class quality. A few poor dismissals on England's behalf but 10 wickets is 10 wickets.

As I did so before this series I have no expectations. The same stands for day 3. All I will say is back the Baggy Greens, cheer loudly and proudly and hopefully we can put England out of the match tomorrow. Mental strength is everything now as we have not been in this position so early in an Ashes series for a long time now. 2009 in fact.

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An Australian summary - The Ashes 5th Test, day 5, The Oval

Australia: 9/492 dec. from 128.5 overs
Shane Watson 176, Steven Smith 138*
James Anderson 4-95

England: 377 all out from 144.4 overs
Joe Root 68, Kevin Pietersen 50, Matt Prior 47
James Faulkner 4-51, Mitchell Starc 3-92, Ryan Harris 2-64

Australia: 6/111 from 23 overs 
Michael Clarke 28*, Shane Watson 26
Stuart Broad 4-43

England: 5/206 chasing 227 runs for victory 
Kevin Pietersen 62, Jonathan Trott 59
Ryan Harris 2-21, James Faulkner 2-47

I am happy to eat my words written after day four was washed out. I wrote, "even if there is play tomorrow it will be a deflating display of defensive batting and tiresome bowling, with a few possible moments of excitement to play out for a drawn result."

We ended up getting quite a bizarre play of events in the end as England, probably reflecting on their batting on day three, came out with a more attacking attitude and we ended up seeing a game of it all. However, it was still a drawn result but it could have gone either way with England looking like favourites in the end until the umpires called for bad light. Worrying but exciting.

Michael Clarke's declaration was well timed in the sense that this game would have come down to the wire. England had to attack, they had to play out of their shells and we were tested in a limited overs sense prior to the limited series being just around the corner. Good on Clarke for making a match of it in the end, even if it was a nail-biting scenario and he opted for more conservative tactics after Kevin Pietersen's assault. Not sure of the crowds reasons for booing him though. Poor show after the crowd surely got a great days entertainment? Most puzzling indeed. 

Brydon Coverdale of ESPN summarised the tactics of Clarke really well on the final days play. In a way it highlights the slight confusion amidst our cricket ranks at present. Have a read at his article via this link.

This series will go down as one where the scoreline showed complete and utter dominance by a relatively stable English team. However, if you watched as much of the action as possible you will see it all came down to England's experience as a unit to win Test matches and having certain individuals stand up to the challenge having known how to do this from previous scenarios. It pays to stick with a side and show belief in the men who wear your teams caps, doesn't it?

Yesterday I summed it up, "the English team have been together a lot longer now and experienced winning Test matches. They know how to win those small passage of play which - ultimately - brings about the main result in the bigger scheme of things.

As a result the selectors will hopefully realise that the players who showed strong performances or indications of their true skill need to be retained for the home Ashes series - they must not chop and change. The players who didn't step up will need to play out of their socks come the Sheffield Shield. They will need to fight for the right to put their Baggy Green caps back on, while I am certain other players will be as keen to bag lots of wickets or pocket plenty of runs to get their opportunity. "

There will always be the bitterness regarding the Stuart Broad incident, which I prefer to put down to blind umpiring rather than Broad being a cheat. Andrew Symonds didn't walk against India in 2007/08 after a generous edge to MS Dhoni, so I'd be hypocritical to call him (Broad) a cheat even if he uses stall tactics too. Many players don't walk, period. They don't have to if the umpire doesn't raise his finger. It came down to the umpiring and it was a pretty bloody obvious edge too which made it infuriating and humiliating.

It has been a shocking series for the umpires and that decision ultimately changed many things regarding this series. The DRS came under scrutiny and the umpires have now become far more vulnerable to couch-umpire criticism. It could have been very different had their standards been better and had Michael Clarke been more strategic with his reviews, so bad luck has to come into it for The Baggy Greens.

Here's a look at the Tests. We fell 14 runs short in the first Test, just 14 runs after being down and out after a top order collapse - one of many. The second Test we were outplayed and I owe this to the manner in which we lost the first Test. I do believe this affected the teams confidence and self-belief immensely, whereas England just took the momentum home. We also have to wonder what if we'd caught Joe Root when he edged a delivery on just 8 runs and the slip cordon just watched it sail on by? He went on to score 180 runs.

The third Test was ours. I have seen enough cricket to know that any play that goes away due to rain or bad light cannot see potential results brought about my assumption. Anything could have happened had play resumed that day but yes, it looked like we had it in the bag. It was a bitter pill to swallow as I wrote at the conclusion of the Old Trafford Test.

The fourth Test we had it in the bag after Ryan Harris delivered another sensational spell of high performance fast bowling. Yet after a solid foundation set by Chris Rogers and David Warner it imploded and once again that lack of belief we saw after the first Test came out again. It was a humiliating loss which we threw away. It was once again a small passage of play which England just stamped with total dominance and authority.

We also had a first innings lead in four of the Tests but still didn't secure a victory. Further highlighting batting inconsistencies for a balance between good performances and shocking ones.

We could then perform an autopsy looking into the other aspects within each Test which brought about an English victory and further doom and gloom reports over the decline of Australian cricket. I can understand the pessimistic attitudes out there. We tossed many golden moments away, but I think we had many positives to take away from this series and if those can materialise with stability and consistency (along with selection consistencies - same old song) we have a massive chance to win back the urn next series and hang onto it for some time.

Chris Rogers was outstanding in my opinion. He came into this side with immense pressure as he would have been expected to perform from innings one given his county form and the circumstances surrounding his selection. He brought up his maiden Test century this series and even gave us solid platforms to work from, but our fragile middle order made his efforts seem lost at sea.

Ryan Harris was my Player of the Series for us and his delivery to remove Ian Bell at Old Trafford on day three was a beauty! He bowled his heart out and it kind of makes me sad to know that had his body been better equipped for Test cricket he'd be right up there with Dale Steyn. I spare a few thoughts for Ryano. He gave it his best and that isn't easy for a bloke whose endured so many injury setbacks. It must have been hard on his body to bowl as he did and with the success he had.

I wrote this about Ryano after the thumping at Lords:
"...Ryan Harris' body language was both sad and real. He worked bloody hard to grab a five wicket haul upon his return to the team. He made the Lord's bowling honours board and showed how proud he was to be back in the team. It was all in vain though as the batsmen burnt his efforts and you could sense his despair and sheer heartache. He was just going through the motions. That is the true frustration of the series thus far. We haven't secured vital passages of play, England has. Our batsmen haven't backed the decent performances of our bowlers, England has even if luck has been a major player in their fortunes."

Shane Watson finally scored a long awaited century which ended up being his highest Test score (176) and his first since 2010in Mohali, India. Watson is a frustrating cricketer because his ability is world-class but his application from a mental stand point is inconsistent. No one can pinpoint what it is but it was a relief to see him secure a massive score in the number three position. It came too late for us after he'd been disappointing with the bat but at least he did something a number three had not done since Shaun Marsh's century on debut against Sri Lanka in 2011.

Prior to Watson's century and since Ricky Ponting stepped out of the number three role (and ultimately retiring) we have used the following men at number three: Shaun Marsh, Ed Cowan, Rob Quiney, Phillip Hughes, David Warner Usman Khawaja and Michael Clarke. Took long enough. Watson also averages over 40 in the position.

Michael Clarke had to have an average series by his standards at some point. He couldn't continue to be the savior for our team. When he didn't perform with sublime output we saw how we desperately need guys to step up. Rogers did but ultimately it all came too late. Clarke's back will hopefully be ready for the home Ashes series. That is his biggest worry and could effectively end his career sooner than expected.

Steven Smith's century in the final Test was an important one. Like Khawaja he didn't really assert himself as a batsman making the position in the batting order his own and imposing himself as the man for the future to secure a middle order role for Australia. Yet one cannot deny it was a big moment for him to score a maiden Test century in circumstances where our team could have quite easily lost their fight and just handed England the match. He fought hard, batted with confidence and showed another sign he is slowly coming of age. I wrote my thoughts regarding Smith's turn of events on day two of the recently concluded Oval Test.

Nathan Lyon bowled with an attitude I have never sensed. He had a hop in his step and was really turning on the revolutions with his deliveries, foxing a few of England's best batsmen. His battle with Kevin Pietersen was fantastic to watch and, like Smith, this series gave an indication of Lyon coming of age. Perseverance with him will only benefit him as the Warne-days are now long, long gone and there will never be a spinner of that class again, even if Warnie was a leg spinner.

James Faulkner one and only appearance added a good dynamic to this side. His selection may have put some pressure on Shane Watson to perform, despite Watson having stacked experience in all forms of the game. Faulkner grabbed 6 wickets on debut and 45 runs. Nothing spectacular but a fairly good start compared some of the other Baggy Greens handed out like candy to a bunch of kids at party.

Ashton Agar's 98 on debut was awesome. "Awesome" is the perfect word for that display. He helped us stay in the game and showcased his abilities with the blade in hand, something I saw a bit of at The Adelaide Oval between Western Australia and South Australia in March. He was selected though as a spin bowler. Nathan Lyon is still our best and will be for some time. Agar will come around, he is just 19 but will need the correct mentorship and career management. I am not talking about "career management" as Cricket Australia markets it. I just mean I hope the selectors don't stuff up another young spin bowlers career by throwing him in to soon, making him suffer only to then pull him out for good.

Questions will be asked though.

Was this Brad Haddin's final Test for Australia? What if Matt Wade and Tim Paine get off to solid Shield starts? Haddin kept wicket extremely well this Ashes series, a big turn around for him if you think a few summers back. He's endured a tough run as a family fan off the cricket field so it was a big achievement for him to make this trip but is he too inconsistent now? He has yet to taste an Ashes victory as a member of the starting XI.

Is Mitchell Starc going to remain and pitch and match player? He continues to show poor discipline with his bowling and just cannot seem to build sufficient pressure from his end. On one hand I defend him because he is always in and out of the side so how can he build a solid game plan to match his abilities. Yet one has to ask is the reason behind his pitch and match selection due to the possible inability he has at present to build a game plan that compliments the other bowlers such as Harris, Siddle and Pattinson?

Phillip Hughes was a young man unbelievable confidence and he was piling on runs like no other young Australian batsman had done since Ricky Ponting. Then he had poor career management, endless advice and his game went to the crapper. He has been dropped four or five times now. How is a player meant to handle that? Surely he deserves an extended run? A man who has dominated a county stint and stacked up runs in Australia during different seasons surely deserves a run of consistency in the side? This is a batsman who has also dominated some of the best bowling attacks.

David Warner can belt a ball but is also becoming an inconsistent batsman to watch. Is he an opener or is he a middle order batsman? We all know the destructive player he is but until there is another batsman ready to knock down the doors to any possible batting order plans the selectors have for him, where is going to be placed? What is the plan for him?

Ed Cowan did all he needed to earn a Baggy Green cap but he just hasn't delivered the goods. He has been consistently mediocre and he must be the most confused man in the side as he show cased all that needed to be at state level. Why can't he bring it together in the Test arena? The same can be said for Usman Khawaja who has been on the sidelines a while but I have read and heard many cricket journalists and past-players mention a lack of determination and eagerness in his attitude. Only Usman can answer this.

We also need to see consistency come in the selection policies. The signs are there that there's enough ability in this teams batting line-up. Most of the players have a Test century coming against strong Test sides. Some have great experience, others are starting to come of age. If this can all click in one series as we saw against India in 2011/12 will this make players at state level work harder to earn a place in the side, to target a specific spot in the team to earn that Baggy Green cap?

Tough times ahead still. It seems whenever we get so close it all goes a few steps back. I do remain confident though we can win the Ashes back this summer.

Why? Read my opening paragraphs in this article. England won the small passages of play which ultimately brought about their series victory. They had a few players, just a few, step up when needed to in order to secure those passages of play. Those passages led them to victory. It comes down to those small moments, small differences between the sides which end up painting a much bigger picture than a scoreline indicates.

If our players can perform to the best of their abilities with synergy and start to win those small moments to ultimately win Test matches again we will get back the urn this summer. Don't stop supporting The Baggy Greens!

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The Ashes 5th Test, day 3, The Oval

The Ashes 5^th Test, day 3, The Oval

Australia: 9/492 dec. from 128.5 overs
Shane Watson 176, Steven Smith 138*
James Anderson 4-95

England: 4/247 from 116 overs
Joe Root 68, Kevin Pietersen 50, Ian Bell 29*, Chris Woakes 20*
Mitchell Starc 2-50, Nathan Lyon 1-41, Ryan Harris 1-41

In yesterdays review of day two I made a quick forecast for day three. I wrote, "Nathan Lyon will hopefully come into the equation earlier than expected, especially if Trott and Kevin Pietersen find their way to the wicket. Pietersen versus Lyon has become an exciting battle to witness."

It proved to be the hype of excitement yesterday as England looked set to drop anchor, dismiss their talk of a 4-0 victory and rather play for the drawn result - which is the English way. With rain due on Saturday it may not be a bad way to go for them to go unbeaten this summer, as we still search for a desperately awaited Test win.

Kevin Pietersen took three hours to reach his half-century, unusual by his aggressive, bold standards. Take this into account and it's amusing to note he also had the highest strike-rate of 37.59. Alastair Cook slugged away until his dismissal in the 32nd over, stamping the confirmation England's prized opener is just in a bit of a rut for the first time in some time. Jonathan Trott made another start but failed to go on, even though he looked far from inspiring or imposing as he has been so in the number three role. Joe Root upped his game for the first time since Lord's and this was likely a mindset factor rather than the manner with which he played our bowlers tactically. Now Ian Bell is there, England's golden boy for the Ashes and the ultimate difference between the sides this series.

All in all, it was dull cricket for the viewer but the intentions were understandable.

Ryan Harris soldiered in once again and is undoubtedly my Player of the Series for us. If anything he did look a bit worn out but who can blame him. His awesome bowling has been in vain due to our batsmen not playing upon his foundations set with the ball in hand. Even in the field he gave it his best go and I always admire this in a bowler. Harris' discipline remains top class in all aspects of his game.

Nathan Lyon was the stand out performer for me for the day. He found some great turn on the track and his immediate introduction to Trott and Pietersen saw him deliver with a hop in his step and unrivaled confidence, especially to Pietersen.

For a brief passage of play the man at short leg, Steven Smith, was in the game and both batsmen were lucky to survive some close calls amongst some shaky defensive strokes. His stats, like Harris', don't tell the true tale as to how he bowled yesterday. He's slowly coming of age and it's fantastic to see.

Mitchell Starc continued to be erratic and his bowling, according the commentators, was "unintelligent" at times. However, he still finds a way to get a breakthrough with a big wicket and often does so by accounting for one other big name. It wasn't as quick a succession as some of his previous efforts but he took down Trott and Pietersen as it looked as though the two batsmen would see it through to stumps. Starc has a lot of work to still do but it hasn't helped him that he's been a "strategic selection" and is in and out of the side a fair bit. Just needs to tighten those lines and the ball will do the rest of the work for him.

Even though the victory is looking slightly tricky as this stage taking the weather into account, I still see many positives for us as we look towards to home Ashes series. I will discuss this another day but this Test has ticked a few more boxes for The Baggy Greens.

Verdict: It was an evenly matched day but with the slow scoring rate, lack of wickets on a good batting surface and time running out in this Test, it would seem England's tactic to play for the draw worked in their favour for day three.

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The Ashes 4th Test, day 1, Chester-le-Street:

The Ashes 4th Test, day 1, Chester-le-Street:

England 1st innings: 9/238 from 90 overs
Nathan Lyon 4-42, Ryan Harris 2-70, Shane Watson 1-21, Peter Siddle 1-41, Jackson Bird 1-58
Alastair Cook 51, Jonathan Trott 49

The only thing that didn't really go our way on day one of the fourth Test is the fact we didn't get 10 wickets to give ourselves a fresh start with the bat come day two. The bowlers will still need to show up for the second day of play to ensure they grab that last English wicket as quickly as possible. The tail has already dragged proceedings on by another 24 runs and recent history has shown that wrapping up the oppositions lower order isn't a quick procedure for us. Still, it was good to come out on top of day one after our misfortune at Old Trafford.

The two English batsmen we have been waiting on to fire looked as though it was their day on a wicket that had a fair bit of drag in it and no real sense of an immediate threat for our right-arm bowling attack - having not selected left-arm Mitchell Starc.

Starc can definitely feel unlucky and the only reason I could see him being left out of the team is his inability to bowl consistent spells and build sufficient pressure from his bowling end. Just seeing how the bowlers toiled for day one of this Test was a clear indication this element is what got us through what could have been a spanking from England's top order. Pressure and bowling in tandem did the trick, so despite his collections at Old Trafford as well as a half-century, this decision to leave him out was purely tactical.

Jonathan Trott and Alastair Cook added 73 runs for the second-wicket partnership. Trott tried to impose himself to get every chance to play to his strengths and regain his confidence, which has oddly enough been slightly dampened. Meanwhile, Cook went along with the patience and resistance he showed against us in the last Ashes series, but there was always this sense I had that we'd get him well before a century as he was seriously showing restraint against straight bat shots - or just shots for that matter. After doing the hard yards at a strike-rate of 31.09, he left a delivery from Jackson Bird which swung into him just enough to trap him LBW without offering a shot. Aleem Dar sent him on his way with no hesitation. His resistance ended being his downfall, rather than a switch to impatience.

The first wicket of the day needs to be briefly discussed as it once again involved umpire Tony Hill (New Zealand) who has had a torrid series, even worse off than the players who generally get more criticism than an umpire - even though it is a thankless job, sadly.

Hill seems to have lost whatever confidence he has in his abilities as an outside edge off the early bowling change of Shane Watson, while slightly faint, was as clear as day to everyone on the field but Hill. Even Joe Root looked sheepish. Yet, Hill didn't give it and a referral then changed our fortunes for the ultimate dismissal. It was frustratingly another worrying sign that DRS is far from our main issue with decisions this series. Had this been India, Hill would have been on his way ages ago with the threat of a series boycott.

Earlier in the day Ryan Harris, Bird and Peter Siddle had all taken a while to get into their routines but fortunately Shane Watson was on song and provided his economical input as always and really mounted the pressure, allowing our bowlers to ease into the game. Soon enough our fast men where definitely get something out of a nothing sort of a track. It still wasn't looking all that threatening.



Enter our bowler who has been left on the fringes despite having taken 81 Test wickets to date from 24 Tests. The dismissal of Jonathan Trott was brought about by our right-arm off spinner, Nathan Lyon. Trott found the faintest of inside edges onto his pad which was well grasped by a diving Usman Khawaja at short-leg. It was a huge wicket but Lyon's ultimate victory came against Kevin Pietersen.

Pietersen has taken to Lyon's bowling and looked to attack him from the word "go". He did so at Old Trafford and again in this match. However, despite Pietersen's momentum and confidence to attack, Lyon had him just nudging at one which moved across him, bowling from around the wicket and Pietersen didn't cover the angle and outside edge carried to Brad Haddin, who has kept wicket excellently so far.

From that dismissal it was the Nathan Lyon show as he picked up another two wickets to take 4-42 from the day.

It was great to see reward go to Lyon as the best performer. He has had to graft really hard match in, match out with the fear he could be tossed into the junk yard of spin bowling rejects in the post-Warne era. Fortunately, the selectors have finally realised there will never be another great leg spinner and Shane Warne was one of a kind legend of the game. Therefore, we need a guy who can spin with subtle variation and bowls with both confidence and intelligence. This doesn't come from twenty Tests. This comes from perseverance, belief from the selectors and team mates, while most importantly being given the guidance and motivation to improve after every series he plays - not every game he plays.

Patience is the key and I have seen notable improvement in Nathan Lyon's performances after his outstanding debut against Sri Lanka back in 2011. Graeme Swann has become a world-class spinner because the English selectors have nurtured his development and kept him in the side. When other competitors have come about they've made him aware of this but he's only thrived off it and continued to find ways to be the best English spinner. Lyon can learn something from Swann and it seems our selectors are learning a lesson.

Lyon will have many, many more battles ahead but this innings was one where he took the initiative and helped the bowlers find a way forward on a track that looked like it would see day one at stumps with England in a dominant position. Well done Gaz!

All our bowlers chipped in and this evidently continues to be our strong point, especially having Bird come in at the expense of Starc to just boast our depth.

Come tomorrow we need to roll England before they reach 250. It will be a small victory in the context of this all important game. England have said they want to win 4-0 but it is not in their nature to be this aggressive. I anticipated them to become complacent knowing they have the urn and I hope this turns out to be the case so we can level this 2-2.

Hard cricket ahead as this seems to be a track where Swann will be used to bowl many overs and James Anderson has a killer average at this ground too, so watch out!

This Test is also important because someone other than Michael Clarke needs to step up. I get the feeling Shane Watson has two more Tests to show his value with the bat because recent years show he does not warrant a spot in the team, even though he is clearly having a mental barrier to his game as he is still playing brilliant shots. Bowling will only keep him in the side for so long, as hard as it is to accept this as a supporter. Chris Rogers needs to once again showcase his experience in English conditions as this ground is unfamiliar to this side. David Warner can play the villain and steal the glory from the hometown heroes, while Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith have another golden opportunity in the biggest, most historical Australian Test series to make their own history. Both have to do it soon as they can bat, no doubts there but are they strong willed enough?

All of these questions will be answered come tomorrow and it's going to be a massive test for the batsmen as should we get that last wicket soon enough, this is the moment where we need to finally bat as a top Test team. This is the moment!

Verdict: Day one goes to Australia, especially on the tactical front where we managed our reviews far better and Clarke used his bowlers effectively.


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The Ashes 3rd Test, day 5, Old Trafford

The Ashes 3rd Test, day 5, Old Trafford:

Australia 1st innings: 7/527 dec. from 146 overs
Michael Clarke 187, Steven Smith 89, Chris Rogers 84, Mitchell Starc 66*, Brad Haddin 65*
Graeme Swann 5-159

England 1st innings: 368 all out from 139.3 overs
Kevin Pietersen 113, Alastair Cook 62, Ian Bell 60Peter Siddle 4-63, Mitchell Starc 3-76, Ryan Harris 2-82

Australia 2nd innings: 7/172 from 36 overs
Michael Clarke 30*, David Warner 41
Tim Bresnan 2-25, James Anderson 2-37

England 2nd innings: 3/37 from 20.3 overs
Ryan Harris 2-13, Peter Siddle 1-8

Result: Match drawn, England lead series 2-0 and retain the urn.

It is a depressing morning waking up to read the headlines. My source for statistical information, ESPN Cricinfo.com, had the headline: "England retain Ashes on rainy day". Dare I read on? Now I still have to get on with my working day.

Having stated this, I am extremely proud of my team after the fight they gave England this Test. The first match at Trent Bridge was close and our batting - along with the Broad incident - saw us fall 14 runs short. The second Test we were slaughtered due to a batting collapse of Cape Town magnitude in the context of the series. After being 2-0 down and needing to win the final three Tests, it is fair to say we would have won this game had the rain stayed at bay. It didn't and Manchester's heavens above opened for the English supporters to smile as their team ensured they retain the urn.

It is mission failed for us, but we still have the opportunity to ensure they don't win the series in terms of the scoreline. We can still ensure it goes down 2-2, as opposed to 2-0, 2-1, 3-0 or 4-0. There is still reason to fight for some pride and a way for this team to further connect on and off the field, so come the home Ashes we may see few changes done to the squad as we have another crack at the English to get back the urn. Stability will be important. Darren Lehmann has an opportunity to build that synergy, back these players and expand the team spirit in tough circumstances.

In 2009 before the series began, Michael Clarke gave a presentation to the team showing nothing more than a video clip of England celebrating their victory in 2005. The message was clear: don't let this happen again! Unfortunately for Clarke he has now seen it happen three times in a row and once while he has been in charge, leading a side now described as the worst touring Australian side to England.

I still stand by my belief that this was the best side we had and just played below their potential. Plain and simple. Some tweaks here and there would have been good, along with some off-field drama aside and umpiring issues which would have helped, but I am confident Darren Lehmann's appointment as coach was timely and that this was the best side selected to win back the urn. Unfortunately our batting at Lord's cost us if we are to blame ourselves, along with tactical blunders.

The umpiring standards have been torrid this series, but that is a debate of political heights so we'll leave that for another day.

This is usually the time when all the haters and casual cricket viewers come out and bash the team - bring on the criticism, I love a challenge from a pessimist. I will stand by my side and support them for what is left of this series. And as a supporter I will address the positives as we look ahead to the next Test, while England can have their moment to celebrate a close shave to have not found the series at 2-1 with two Tests to go.

Ryan Harris: Ryano's dismissal of Ian Bell in the first innings was tactically and technically outstanding. Had injury not burdened him he'd be right up there in the league of Dale Steyn and James Anderson. His performance in the second innings was courageous despite the weather odds against us. To top it of, his performance at Lord's was terrific but sadly in vain due to poorly disciplined batting. Good to have him back. He has 11 wickets at 18.00 from two Tests.


Peter Siddle: He is always hard to leave out of a side because of his passion when playing for Australia. He's become a world class patch bowler, or burst bowler. He can find something in any track and every now and then can just get the ball to nip about or hit the seam to create something special. Like Harris, he gave it his best in the second innings.

Nathan Lyon: Lyon was destined to play in the final Test of the series and I am glad he got a run sooner than that. Despite Ashton Agar's debut performance with the bat, he never looked threatening with the ball in hand. Important to note this as he was selected as a spinner first. Having watched him at State level for Western Australia I still see him as a spin bowler to develop for the future. Lyon though has the experience and over seventy Test wickets. With confidence and support from Shane Warne he produced some beautiful spin bowling spells this Test. His wickets don't tell a true story. You had to have seen his performance.

He will also only get better the more he plays. Graeme Swann debuted in Test matches back in 2008, having come onto the scene for England in 2000. It took time for him to become a top class bowler and perseverance from the English selectors got him to where he is. It could happen for Lyon but we (supporters and selectors) need to back him.

Mitchell Starc: While Starc is still not able to assist with building the pressure, a crucial tactical element of bowling in tandem, he provides versatility in his game with both the bat and ball. His ability to get big wickets when he hits his line and length with consistency for a few overs goes a long way. More consistency and the ability to build pressure will see him come a long way.

Chris Rogers: Chris Rogers is given a hard time for his age - 35, so old! He's not exactly dead you know and the way he scrapped around that field, he put some of our youngsters to shame. He is quick between the wickets and his performance in the first innings of the Old Trafford Test was majestic. It was an elite innings in my opinion and the only issue was he didn't get that maiden-century. Stick with him until the home Ashes is done. We need the experience and keep in mind he has the second most runs for us this series.

Steven Smith: As I wrote on day one of this Test, "Smith has shown incredible application to his game when I think back to 2010/11 when he was plain and simply not ready for Test cricket. I was always frustrated with the selection of Smith as he was put into the Australian team well before he had sufficient first-class exposure.

This was made worse by the former selection panel not giving him a specific task. He was called in as a leg spinner, who was a part-time spinner at best. He was made to bat in a variety of positions but was impatient, fidgety and easy picking outside of off stump in the Test arena. Then he was just a specialist fielder, keeping out better players. It wasn't his fault but he took flack for it. The new selection panel kept him out the side until the time was right. He is now a better cricketer and is asserting himself as a batsman."

Brad Haddin: He kept wicket particularly well this Test and after being down and out with the bat following his near heroics at Trent Bridge, he gave solid input throughout this match. Pity we didn't get more from him at Lord's. His catch to remove Alastair Cook in the first innings was epic.

Usman Khawaja: Despite that awful, disgraceful howler of a dismissal, he may be the player for the number three role. He has two more Tests to try and find his feet. So far he's looked okay, not great but okay. Better than lost and out of place!

Michael Clarke: Last but not least the skipper. Tactically it has not been a good series for Clarkey and his time in the slips has seen better days with his "bucket-like" hands usually being as reliable as his batting has been the last two years. He put down Joe Root yesterday - a simple chance - and was stuck in cement when Alastair Cook edged Nathan Lyon behind onto Brad Haddin's leg, which then looped into the air and onto the turf. It could have saved us many runs, along with a poor use of DRS in the first two Tests, which cost us dearly.

It will hurt for Clarke having lost the game strategically, as he does have a good cricketing brain. Fortunately, he did arrive with the bat and he put together his highest innings against England and a big century (187), even though we would have loved a repeat of his performance in 2009 at Lord's. This one was a scratchy innings and far from his best, but there was a return of confidence and elegance that made his 2011/12 season so sublime. We need more of this and it seems the rest will follow.

Verdict: We still missed some big chances this Test. We secured victory for each days play but on the final day when we were right there to get the win the rain came down, Murphy's Law. England have had the good fortune at the best of times and this was the cherry on top. England won strategically this match, while performance wise we were the better side. The Ashes urn stays with them so the match goes to them. There's the bitter pill. 

 
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The Ashes 3rd Test, day 2, Old Trafford

The Ashes 3rd Test, day 2, Old Trafford:

Australia 1st innings: 7/527 dec. from 146 overs
Michael Clarke 187, Steven Smith 89, Chris Rogers 84, Mitchell Starc 66*, Brad Haddin 65*.
Graeme Swann 5-159

England 1st innings: 2/52 from 30 overs
Alastair Cook 36*, Jonathan Trott 2*.
Peter Siddle 2-7 from 5 overs

Proud to say it, but we have secured the lead for the first two days of the third Test at Old Trafford. Many were possibly awaiting a collapse from Australia, as the pattern has indicated, but our batsmen had alternative plans even though some additional milestones were missed out on.

Michael Clarke and Steven Smith went steadily during the first session, with Smith getting things underway with the scoreboard ticking over with his immediate display of determination, while Clarke settled into the days play.

Smith has shown incredible application to his game when I think back to 2010/11 when he was plain and simply not ready for Test cricket. I was always frustrated with the selection of Smith as he was put into the Australian team well before he had sufficient first-class exposure.

This was made worse by the former selection panel not giving him a specific task. He was called in as a leg spinner, who was a part-time spinner at best. He was made to bat in a variety of positions but was impatient, fidgety and easy picking outside of off stump in the Test arena. Then he was just a specialist fielder, keeping out better players. It wasn't his fault but he took flack for it. The new selection panel kept him out the side until the time was right. He is now a better cricketer and is asserting himself as a batsman.

Despite his application and positive stroke play, there's no denying he had so much luck in his innings. I have often stated that this is something Michael Hussey noted on many an occasion. You need luck in Test cricket! In a way the lives Smith had was some justice for the lack of luck we've had until this Test. Given this reason and the scenarios that worked for Smith, it would make him even more livid to have missed out on a maiden Test century. He's come so close but just fell short after losing his patience and trying to put away a loose delivery from Graeme Swann - who took 5 wickets for his team.

With Smith gone, it was a third centurion we could have had for the innings after Chris Rogers' high class innings on day one.

Enter David Warner and what a negative reception it was. I wasn't certain if the crowd was simply booing him, or whether there were taunts of "Root, Root". Either way, he smiled and didn't seem rattled but I doubt this was the internal feeling. It didn't take long for England to have their man as Graeme Swann had Warner as his fourth victim. The dismissal had some comedy for England, mild frustration for us. Warner played hard at a ball from Swann which angled away from him. He bashed his pad in the process at the same time the ball found the edge of his Grey-Nicolls Kaboom bat.

It was out and looked gone in live time. However, Warner perhaps felt a sense of shock and was adamant he had not nicked the ball. Sure, it could have been a case of feeling the bat hit the pad at the same time, but truth is I think he was just totally gutted he couldn't dish something out to the sour crowd reception. He reviewed it, despite Michael Clarke knowing his batting partner had edged it. Think this was a small loss for Clarke as he needed to be far more assertive. Trust your players, but also have some courage to stand up to them when you know the ball isn't in their side of the court. Warner was gone and more boos emerged. Alastair Cook avoided giving Joe Root a bowl, possibly for the best.

Enter Brad Haddin! He was immediately positive and danced down the track to execute some lofted drives and play some cheeky shots just using the angle of the bat with a sharp technique. It was fantastic to see positive play from Haddin, who has not been in the series since his near match heroics at Trent Bridge.

Michael Clarke pushed on at the other end, gradually gaining momentum and finding the middle of the bat, basically from where he'd left off from the latter part of his innings on day one. Powerful shots emerged from Clarke, finding runs wherever he could, steering the ball with expertise, working his feet with confidence and getting on with the job. He had the right partner in Haddin to keep the first innings total ticking over, especially with the ever present threat of rain lurking about.

On 187, Clarke's innings came to an end. It was his highest score against England and just 13 short of another double century. Even more impressive is it came in the number four position, a promotion that has not worked all to well for him. Sadly it wasn't to be and the numbers 87 creep into the equation while we also had a third batsman fall in 80 zone (despite Clarke having a century to his name already, so the 180 zone) leaving another potential milestone unturned.

It was still a sensational innings nevertheless and I am really proud of Clarkey. It was only a matter of time until he reached triple figures. Just amusing that he was the first, partially expected to I guess. Rogers was close, Smith was right there, Agar was painfully close but Clarke was the man to do it and it's exactly what you'd expect from the skipper. Well done Clarkey, but knowing him he will be ensuring this wasn't in vain, as has been the case for him with a number of centuries.

Brad Haddin was joined by Peter Siddle who fell playing a slog sweep across the line to Graeme Swann, giving Swann his fifth wicket of the innings. Mitchell Starc then strode out and wasted little time in playing a top class heave for four down to long on. We were back in control as Haddin and Starc pushed us along to secure an opening innings stand of 527 runs, their partnership setting in at 97 runs. Starc played like a stable middle order batsman, in the end switching this into the type of aggressive role you'd have expected from Haddin alone. The circumstances were set though and the platform was ideal for some quick fire power.

A run-rate of 3.60 with a score well beyond 300 has put a smile on my face, even though we have a way to go this Test and the series.

England came out to bat with a huge task ahead. Their bowlers had been made to toil and it was a rapid reverse in roles following the Lord's Test. James Anderson picked up his worst bowling figures in a Test (0-116 from 33 overs), while England then had two wickets down by stumps on day two.

Alastair Cook is due for a big score and his patience, amidst the rapid fall of wickets when Peter Siddle roared on to produce a Merv Hughes like effort, was admirable. He will be the big scalp for tomorrow and is currently joined at the crease by Jonathan Trott, another man who can drop anchor to make bowlers feel the fatigue.

Siddle's done the burst spell now a few times this series and this is what will always make him a definite selection. He doesn't have all the tricks of the trade, but knows how to be the work horse and get on with the job. His ability to hit the deck with good pace and attack will always create a chance early on in an innings and he did so when we needed it. Despite Bresnan being another victim to the umpire's questionable calls (enhanced by technology for us in our living rooms), it was the perfect end to a dominant day. We haven't had many of these to talk about.

I must also make mention of Nathan Lyon. He is our best spinner and I stand by this opinion now as I did before this series.

He has 76 Test wickets for a reason and has gained experience in a variety of conditions. People forget he is also 25 years of age and still has to fine tune his craft. Our constant turnover of spin bowlers has done nothing for our team, so I am glad he's been given the job as front line spinner. His input in this Test has already been noted and despite Ashton Agar's fight at Trent Bridge, which will be spoken about for years to come, along with the unquestionable evidence he is a player for the future, his numbers don't stack up at all against Lyon's. He was also relatively ineffective in the first two Tests, even though this is simply inexperience. Lyon offers more and knowing how this wicket would play out, he was a must have for the side. Welcome back Gaz.

Simple game plans tomorrow in theory, but not so simple to execute. England will try build that lead on a track that should begin to favour the spinners and perhaps a skid seam worker like Ryan Harris. We will look for 8 wickets restricting England's scoring opportunities to as few runs as possible, which may take some serious patience and ultimate pressure bowling to the relevant field settings. Hard work for both sides but I am sure many cricket fans will be glad some competitiveness has returned.

Verdict: Day two goes to Australia. We lead by 475 runs.

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