You know it's the Ashes in Adelaide when...

You know the Ashes is approaching in Adelaide when you drive past a KFC which has been re-branded as a part of KFC Australia's campaign to ensure their colours of red and white (the English colours) be changed to green and gold during the Ashes, as well as funny chalk board outside of pubs and diners having a dig at the English team.

The Adelaide Test starts in a weeks time and I will be there for day one and four, as well as standing side by side with my mates Dan Stapo and Sylvester Tan, who have helped me at the Baggy Green Blog over the last six years. Will be epic to watch with my Baggy Green soldiers on the hill.

Below is a picture I took outside a pub in Glenelg yesterday afternoon. Kudos to the mind behind this one!



Now, below is a photo I took of one of the KFC stores in the northern suburbs, which has been re-branded to push KFC's campaign. Looks great and below is some more information I obtained regarding the objectives of it. Well done KFC on finding a way to spread awareness of Australian cricket! The press release is below the image.

KFC STORES TRANSFORM TO GREEN & GOLD IN SUPPORT OF AUSSIE CRICKET

"KFC Australia has unveiled its Green & Gold makeover to celebrate the summer of cricket across the nation. In a bid to ramp up support for the Australian team throughout the 2013-14 cricket season, KFC has transformed its trademark red and white branding to green and gold because its recognisable colours also represent cricketing rivals, England.

From iconic KFC buckets to awnings and LED signage, five restaurants across three states have undergone a complete green and gold overhaul. As the Ashes kick off at the Gabba, the Clayfield restaurant in Brisbane marks the first major unveil, while Sydney Airport, and Pennant Hills (NSW), Rowville (VIC) and Prospect (SA) have also launched a complete exterior colour renovation.

“The Ashes is renowned for igniting a fierce rivalry between England and Australia; and it also unites communities with energy and patriotism,” said Valerie Kubizniak, Acting Chief Marketing Officer at KFC Australia. “The green and gold transformation of our KFC stores fuses these two concepts.

“As proud and long-standing sponsors of Australian cricket, we’re committed to support our team with the nation,” she said.

Over 380 litres of paint were used to renovate the five flagship KFC stores which will remain green and gold during the 2013-14 cricket season. Across Australia, a further 600+ stores are supporting the transformation with around 25,000 staff bringing to life the green and gold spirit with rebranded uniforms, as well as transforming red and white product packaging – including over 300,000 green and gold buckets.

KFC is a Gold Partner of Cricket Australia, with the Green & Gold campaign forming part of its 11 year sponsorship. The campaign will be rolled out in conjunction with KFC’s Green & Gold SkyBox coming soon during the Sydney test matches in January."

"For more information about KFC’s Green & Gold rebrand visit www.facebook.com/KFCAustralia."

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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 3

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: 2/24 from 15 overs
Alastair Cook 11*, Kevin Pietersen 3*
Ryan Harris 1-7, Mitchell Johnson 1-7

Match status: England require 537 runs to win with 8 wickets in hand, two days play in tact.

Verdict: After losing Chris Rogers so soon to Stuart Broad for 16 runs, followed by Shane Watson in an attempt to aggressively push our lead forward, it looked like our advantage would be blown, but of course - as noted in the previous articles - David Warner looked in good nick first innings, following some cracking state cricket performances. He took it up a level by scoring the first century of the Ashes series, while Michael Clarke scored a century of his own to help us push the lead to a mammoth one. Ideally we needed two wickets before close of play and we did it. The day has gone to us, so it is England, Australia, Australia.

The day: It is understandable that many supporters will be fretting ever so slightly. It has been a long time since an Australian side was in such a dominating position so early in a Test series, an Ashes series for that matter. Throw in South Africa's run chase in 2008, followed by their defense at the Adelaide Oval last year, as well as this teams inability to secure key passages of play and it is understandable why many may have a restless night and some worries until those final 8 wickets get claimed.

My job as a supporter is to believe we couldn't be further ahead right now and back my boys to win. Seriously, we are in the most dominant position possible. We have two days play, a versatile bowling attack, and a team full of ambition and self-belief. There is little reason why we can't roll England tomorrow, but even I have those above mentioned ordeals in the back of my mind. To be honest it is more so the worry that these players have not experienced the "winning edge" for some time and will be haunted by the numerous moments they've been in these situations (not as good perhaps) and still blown it. This is the chance, this is the mental battle set out, this is the time to make it count and the opportunity to be seized. It will set in motion something sensational, but 8 wickets will require everything. We can do it and take note that England will need to bat for longer than any amount of overs in a fourth innings than any other match they have played.

The performances from Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson this evening were splendid but it's fair to say Michael Carberry's dismissal was filled with luck (something we haven't had much of for a long time too) and Jonathan Trott just lost his head completely with that shot! Kudos to Nathan Lyon on some brilliant fielding this evening. 

The key performances of the day were batting based as David Warner and Michael Clarke were the stars of the day with batting performances that imposed Australia upon the English bowling attack. Ultimately it announced the arrival of our team into this Ashes series, our key players at least. Sooner than later.

Davey was explosive with his straight and cross bat shots, with the most athletic effort with his running between the wickets. His attention to the game was outstanding and it was special to see him reach his century after a bloody tough time off the field over the last few months, while he's also had to change his personal approach to the game, noting one achievement being he has lost 8 kilograms.

It was a testament to a guy just stepping and showing us true supporters how much it means to him to play for Australia. It was tough work for him out there but he gunned it and did so in his natural manner. Well done champ! He's endured lots of flack in recent times and for me this it just made it so delightful to see him release his energy, jump as high as possible and fist pump the air with his helmet in hand.

Michael Clarke was bound to get a century this series and he's already done so. This was his 25th Test century, his sixth against England, his fifth at the Gabba, and the way he crafted that century was one which overshadowed the innings of Warner. Clarkey was onto the spinners in no time with elegant foot work and quick bat speed, while he had no fear attacking the English fast bowlers. His innings was one displaying all-round skills and his scoring rate resembled that of an Australian batsmen during the golden era. It was also filled with limited overs intent, but nevertheless one of Test quality from our ace batsman.

The platform was set come their departures and Brad Haddin wasted no time in playing some cheeky sweep shots and finding some thick outside edges to cash in on a second half-century in his 50th Test match.

Mitchell Johnson's confidence continued to ripple into his batting second time around as he blazed England's bowlers down the ground effortlessly, with shots that reminded me of his highest ODI batting effort against the West Indies in the Champions Trophy back in 2009. The damage was done by this stage and the two saviors of the 1st innings had another chance to entertain.

The call for a declaration dragged on but eventually Michael Clarke called his troops back to the pavilion after Peter Siddle decided he wanted to hit boundaries too. England started the day off well but walked off broken, with Stuart Broad being the only bowler to have shown any character or true fight, despite Chris Tremlett giving it some positive energy on his efforts later on. Perhaps Stuart Broad's "not walking" incident has just made him hungrier for competitive arenas? Either way he was on his own.

It will be a tense atmosphere at the Gabba tomorrow, with many of us just begging our bowlers, just hoping and believing we can get a Test victory back in our record books and for us to at long last take first blood in an Ashes series. We are so damn close and with two days to go, anything is possible, but it wouldn't be unrealistic to feel confident that we're close to wrapping this up if we maintain elite fielding standards and high intensity.

Come on Australia, it's so close for this one!


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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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The Ashes: 1st Test, day 1

Australia 1st innings: 8/278 from 90 overs
Brad Haddin 78*, Mitchell Johnson 64, David Warner 49
Stuart Broad 5-65, James Anderson 2-61

Verdict: Day 1 goes to England, despite our lower order resistance and tremendous fight!

Don't forget to follow the banter and discussion on Facebook!

The Gabba, the morning of an Ashes series opener, and a blank scoreboard. It's special and it's history. Come the close of play on day 1, the scoreboard tells a tale and the history of a new Ashes series starts to be written. This series has been a build up with a sort of low profile in Australia and the expectations haven't been high. However, the day is done and there was some good cricket to kick start this series as England look to hold onto the urn for four series, while we fight to regain it for the first time since 2006/07.

The day started off with George Bailey becoming Baggy Green number 436. He received his cap from Mark Taylor. He would have been so nervous but he would have known Test match cricket is completely different to the ODI arena he has thrived within. It's that form that gave him this chance. His dismissal came with just 3 runs on the board and he had one to close to his body which was tight to leave, hard to defend and it was good execution on James Anderson's part. Bailey was probably fighting for some bat on ball early on. Not impatience, just eagerness and heavy nerves. He has another chance soon, don't write him off.

Chris Rogers can be forgiven. That delivery was one that nipped off the seam, took him by surprise and was ultimately a bloody fine piece of bowling from Australia's favourite foe, Stuart Broad. Chris has been in steady form for Victoria and he had a beauty of a delivery early on in his innings - it happens, in form or not.

Broad claimed a 5fer, which was fully deserved and will be pumped up after copping some expected crowd abuse.

Perhaps the Gabba viewers should have avoided booing Broad and rather taken Allan Border's advice in giving him the silent treatment instead.

David Warner played with his natural game and boastful confidence. His shot selection was sound and his confidence was evident. His natural hitting and momentum brought about his downfall with a soft dismissal on 49, caught by his nemesis Kevin Pietersen. It's a good sign for us Australian supporters seeing how Warner went. This is only the first game of the series and he looked very good out there. I am positive on his output to come.

My worries regarding Shane Watson rest on his fitness. He was cleared to play with limited bowling duties to be expected - immediately a set back for us. However, no one is heavily knocking on the door to replace him so I am inclined to agree with the Watson inclusion but it's tough knowing he isn't one hundred percent come his body. He didn't get a chance to really put his hamstring to the test and despite the patient application shown, his dismissal was a push with firm hands to a delivery pitched full and one he could've left. The catch at second slip was too easy. Broad foxed him and it was patience from the bowler, not Watson, which contradicted his efforts.

On the note of foxing batsmen, Broad's finest moment was the removal of Michael Clarke.

Having watched the build up to that dismissal, Broad had pitched up his deliveries, making the batsmen play or decide whether to leave them or defend them. Then he sprung a surprise on Clarkey come the fourth ball of the over, as he dug one in short, just back of a length which nipped off the seam and had him in two minds. He'd committed to the shot but he'd also been beaten for pace, beaten for focus, and beaten tactically in the moment. All Clarkey could do was fend off the delivery with eyes off the ball. Our number one batsmen was rattled in his first innings of the series but, like Chris Rogers, received an excellent delivery early in his innings.

Steven Smith made a start and, like David Warner, was looking good but sadly his start went on by as a wasted opportunity. This has been a trend in Australian cricket for a long time. Despite having excellent batsmen, it's a case of players having to learn how to show more tenacious application. Steven Smith is coming of age and has been in brilliant form. He can convert it at the highest level and, like Warner again, he showed us he is in form and is in a good enough place to build his profile and stack his runs as we progress throughout this series, and progress we must.

Our downfall today as at team came from Stuart Broad almost as a one man attack on the scorecard. He claimed our top order and a resourceful Mitchell Johnson. We lost two key batsmen for single figures, and three having made starts to their innings. It made it very difficult for us to push on with enough runs on the board to dictate the game but we were lucky to have one man showing glimpses of his batting brutality dating back to 2009, while the other is fighting like a dog to hold onto his job as number one keeper/batsman in Australia.

Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin batted beautifully today, with strong, technically sound shots down the ground and powerfully into the gaps. The straight bat shots were brought out to attack, the cross bat shots were used to steer the ball around and rotate the strike. It's been refreshing to see the manner in which these two Baggy Greeners not only played their shots, but the way they fought for us and valued their wickets.

Haddin - playing his 50th Test for Australia (well done Hads) -  was fluent and on his day I have always written that he is one of the best stroke-makers in the business. Mitchy looked as confident as he did in 2009 against South Africa. His batting was as monstrous and his shot selection screamed "almighty confidence". I use the word confidence specifically and regularly regarding Mitchell Johnson given that is what drives the man. Some players can fight through self-doubt and still perform well. Mitch is either broken when low on confidence or the best in the world when he's high on it! Test cricket is harsh and limits his gap between his best performances and most disastrous ones. This series is the biggest for him.

Mitchell added 64 runs to our score, with 6 fours and 2 sixes before becoming Broad's fifth wicket. It was sad to see Mitch depart but he put runs on the board in a resilient partnership with Brad Haddin. Invaluable is the word to use now.

At one stage we were fretting at 6-132 before recovering to 246 runs. 114 runs added for the seventh wicket and it may be the most important runs for us in the series come a few weeks time. As a result we are just 27 runs away from 300 which is a mighty fine place to be after the turmoil upon us early in the day.

Brad Haddin is just 22 runs away from a century, one which will be respected by all Australian cricket supporters and be one of the best for him. However, this is jumping the gun and thinking too far ahead. I am watching this series for what it is, no expectations and just backing my team one hundred percent. Fortunately Ryan Harris was able to survive out there with Hads till stumps, playing some beautiful shots of his own.

Sure, it was not a good day for us but we were not bowled out on the first day, we still have two wickets in hand, still have a man in form at the crease and the track is still good for batting. Our bowling attack is our strength and if we can get beyond the 300 run mark it is something for our bowlers to defend. If Mitchell Johnson is also batting this way and had reminders today of 2009, perhaps, just maybe, by some great measure he will bowl like he did against South Africa in 2009!

Tough day for us but there's the positives and the realities. It's only day one of the series. If the guys have some immense fight in them and total belief we can get back into this series, given it was not an ideal start - far from it.

Come on Australia, come on the Baggy Greens!

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Discussing all things Ashes related on Facebook!

As mentioned a few months back, I will still be writing articles at the Baggy Green Blog, but a lot of the day to day ramblings I used to write about at the site I now post via the Facebook page, with some tweets here and there. So content delivered will be of a higher quality now.

Throughout the Ashes I will be writing match day or complete match analysis articles, while boosting the Australian squad where possible as the boys need all the support they can get. So, please go and "like" our Facebook page and get interacting with us through instant communication channels.

Recent articles posted here:

1 - The Adelaide Oval update: The building, the pitch, and chirps.

2 - Australian 1st Test Ashes squad announced.

3 - My Podcast interview with Radio Cricket, discussing the Ashes past and present.

Welcome to The Baggy Green Blog!
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To comment on this article, click on the 'Comments' tag at the end of the article.


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ADELAIDE Oval update: The building, the pitch, and chirps

To see where the ground was at during March this year versus now, please check out the link below. You may have to copy and paste the URL into your browser if the hyperlink doesn't work. http://thebaggygreen.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/the-adelaide-oval-progression-or-sad.html

Don't forget to read the opinion article regarding our Gabba squad announcement.

The building of the stands?

Put it this way. The ground is going to look unbelievable when complete and world class. I mean that. However, if you are sitting in the Southern Stand for the Ashes, at present you do not have a seat to sit on! It's serious crunch time for the construction boys. However, every time I see the ground there is progress so with them working round the clock I hope it will be all systems go. 

History.

Today's game went at a slow pace but it was good to be a part of the history for the first ever match at the new Adelaide Oval. I was at the last game on the original turf, also between South Australia and Western Australia, so this was an added bonus. Excellent crowd attendance too for Sheffield Shield standards as many wanted to be apart of the historical day for the State. Plenty of news crews there as well reporting on the day.

The pitch?

Adam Zampa and Johan Botha did most of the bowling today with fair success. There was little in it for the seam bowlers and it was a rather flat deck. The carry through to the keeper (Tim Ludeman) wasn't anything exciting either. Keen to hear what the players thought as they were right out there breaking the surface in.  The outfield is extremely slow, with stand still having to settle into the grass weaves. I expect this to quicken up a bit more if we have hotter, drier days building up to 5 December. We will be able to put together a good idea of the track come the conclusion of this match.

Marcus North - former Baggy Greener - scored a century for WA that had many shots of Brian Lara-like expertise and touch. Good use of the wrists, played too his strengths and it was a pretty flawless effort from him, given there was little threat come assistance for the bowlers from the deck. As mentioned recently in Michael Hussey's book, confidence will always be North's weakness and a reason I don't see a Test recall on the cards. Who knows though?
Below you can find a bunch of photos I took with relevant captions (photos by Ian Reid of The Baggy Green Blog).

A view of the Southern Stand (City End) from the West stands.

Brilliant attendance for the 1st session of the match. West stand from hill.

View of the Southern Stand from the Hill. Three slips & a gully for Sayers.

It's the Eastern stands. Roofing coverage being set now. Seats done 20%.

A more extensive view as to what the elevation is for the stands.

Screen is operational between the Southern and Western stands.

A snapshot of the action between the Redbacks and Warriors.

Yep, the construction blokes taking a breather. They'll need them now!

A picture of the new turf towards the wicket during the first drinks break.

A view of the Eastern stands from up top the Western stand. See the sand.

My favourite part of the Adelaide Oval with the Cathedral in view. Epic!

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The Ashes: Australian 1st Test squad announced

The 1st Test to be played at the Gabba is just 9 days away and I cannot wait for the battle to commence. The hype here hasn't been too immense and perhaps the low key approach - given we have lost the last three battles - may be the exact approach to just get on with the job.

In any case, below is the side that will head up to Brisbane to try go 1-0 up in this series as we aim to get back the urn and hope that life will once again make sense for Australian supporters.

This series has similarities to 2006/07 as a number of these players have experienced the pain in losing the Ashes - too many for some - while also accepting the fact they will unlikely be around come the next series. These players include; Chris Rogers, Michael Clarke, Ryan Harris, and possibly Shane Watson depending how long he fights injury off. Many of the greats of the Golden Era were shrugging off the 2005 loss and knew there time was running out. That desperation may play in our favour.

The side was pretty much to be expected, however there were two inclusions I am sure not everyone anticipated.

Chris "Stalwart" Rogers
David "Pitbull" Warner
Shane "Watto" Watson
Michael "Clarkey" Clarke
George "Blazing" Bailey
"Young" Steven Smith
Brad "Hads" Haddin
Mitchell "Mighty Mitch" Johnson
James "JF" Faulkner
Peter "Sid Vicious" Siddle
Ryan "Ryano" Harris
Nathan "Gaz" Lyon

Chris Rogers and David Warner will open at the top of the order. Shane Watson is not expected to face the new ball with Rogers, despite the two of them finding some sort of connection I had not sensed in Watson since his time opening with Simon Katich, but number three is likely his place after his 176 at The Oval.

Rogers has already put together one century for Victoria against New South Wales (117) and before this he just missed out, scoring 88. He's ready to have another go, this time in his home territory! I am also defensive regarding his age. This is Test cricket people. It's not about age, it's about bringing the skills, stamina, and a solid defensive game to the arena with a personal game plan. He has this so stop nagging about age. That stupidity brought the end of Simon Katich.

David Warner found some fine form for New South Wales, as he did so too in the Ryobi Cup. His approach is simple. Go big or go home. It will be no half measures. This will be Warner's most prolific series or his most forgettable. I am backing our strong left hander to give it to the Poms far more effectively than a swift upper cut.

Shane Watson could, in a way, count himself fortunate to be in our side. James Faulkner has been the only all-rounder with deadly intent to find his way into our side - which he has. However, Watson remains a guy who struggles to go on and fulfill his true potential so many of us see, but his moments during the final stages of this years Ashes series showcased he is perhaps ironing some technical dilemmas just in time for this massive series. His batting is essential for him to remain in our campaign as injury may rule out his very effective bowling duties - a big loss for us if he cannot perform all-rounder duties.

Michael Clarke hasn't kicked off his summer for New South Wales in big style, but he's been putting runs on the board, his body has been holding up, and he's just gearing up for what may very well be his final Ashes series for The Baggy Greens. A victory - in my opinion - may very well see him calling it a day if he experiences further back issues. He's worked bloody hard to stay in the zone.

Steven Smith has just stepped up in a way we've all been eagerly awaiting. As mentioned many times, I was hard on the youngster and I will never back down from my opinion he was put in the team too soon with an unclear role which ultimately destroyed the belief many supporters were expected to develop for him. However, with the right mindset, time, opportunities to rebuild his skill set and choose his own path in the game, we have a talented middle order batsman who has also been holding it together for New South Wales in pressure situations. This bloke is ready for it. It will be tough for him, but this is now Steven Smith's time.

George Bailey is not too old, he's just a happy-go-lucky guy who has stepped up when representing Australia. In India he was explosive and even with the high scoring run fests which saw us lose the series, he smiled away and went about his business in record breaking style. His selection was speculated but not a given. This has led to a Test debut and a fresh Baggy Green cap awaiting him.
This alone is a sign that he steps up at the elite level when the expectation on him is at a high price. Furthermore he is an experienced campaigner, while not statistically a recognised Baggy Green candidate, he has a wonderful attitude that we need. He's in Australia, he'll have our support, and this is his moment, his chance and he must own it!

Brad Haddin is also in his final Ashes series as realistically he will not be able to keep Tim Paine, Matthew Wade and Chris Hartley out for much longer. The keeper quality is steadily on the rise again and two of these keepers have played at Test level for Australia with relative success. Hads will be under pressure, but perhaps with the knowledge this is his last crack at the Poms he will play with a cool head, high standards, and help our team regain the urn.

Mitchell Johnson is, like Bailey, a selection not many saw as a definite but it was speculated. With James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc and Patty Cummins out of the mix it was a call that needed to be made. Do we bring in an experienced campaigner who can keep it stable, like Ben Hilfenhaus, or do we substitute these  youngsters with an experienced spearhead? Mitchell Johnson is the answer and even though I have always felt Test cricket exposes his inconsistencies and is far harsher on his natural game, he has performed for us before and is a brutal, terrifying bowler to face on his day. He's been in good rhythm as of late, but let's all shout loudly for Mitch as we hope those inconsistencies will be shoved aside and that this will be his golden summer.

Ryan Harris, well, not much needs to be said. He has the skills, the drive, the focus, but injury will be the worry. This is also his last Ashes series most likely, so he will also be looking to bow out victoriously and taste an Ashes victory. He's our best bowler and I seriously hope he owns the English batsmen. I want to see shattered wickets!

Peter Siddle has been fairly modest in his takings for Victoria but he'll rise to the occasion. This is his third Ashes series and even though he will probably be around for the next series, three will be too many for Sids and I think this will be the most ferocious we have ever seen him this summer. Alongside Ryano and Mitch I think we will see a very aggressive bowling line up, physically and mentally.

Nathan Lyon remains our spinner of choice. No doubt Gaz is facing competition from a number of guys, but he improves with each series he plays in and must now step up and believe he is the spinner of choice. He must just believe in his skills. With the right captaincy from Clarkey and the understanding from the supporters that spinners role in Australian cricket has changed since the Warnie days he may have a fantastic output for us.

Just 9 days to go to see how it starts to play out!

Next article will be some photos of the soon to be completed Adelaide Oval. I will be heading to the ground tomorrow to watch the historic opening match on the new pitch and surface between South Australia and Western Australia.

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