England Crumble On Big Day

England stumbled to 307 for 8 on the first day of the fifth test at The Oval after winning the toss, and subsequently began by slowly but surely gifting Australia the initiative in this decisive final test.

On a pitch that is already beginning to disintegrate, Ian Bell was England’s top scorer with 72, and put on a 102 run partnership with captain Andrew Strauss who made 55.

The rest of England’s batting line-up yet again flattered to deceive with Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior and Andrew Flintoff all failing to surpass 30.

Debutant Jonathan Trott made 41 after being run out brilliantly by Simon Katich, in an impressive first test start.

Australia’s unusual decision to not choose a front-line spinner on an already crumbling pitch at The Oval would have been eased after taking eight England wickets on the first day.

Peter Siddle orchestrated the fight back after a morning session dominated by England, with four wickets, including the scalp of Alistair Cook who yet again failed with the bat.

The form of Cook in this series so far went slightly under the radar over the past week, but that’s probably down to the lack of competition around the county circuit.

Joe Denly who was recently called into the one-day squad for the up-coming series against Australia might get a chance to stake his claim.

England may also be rueing the decision not to pick an additional spinner on a pitch that looks like becoming more like a sandpit by day three.

Part-timer Marcus North excelled with the old ball after around 70 overs, and who knows what turmoil Graeme Swann, a front-line spinner, can cause.

Ponting decided to go unchanged into this final test so therefore declined to included Nathan Hauritz, a crafty move considering the shift in momentum in the series, but maybe a naïve one given the dryness of the batting surface.

Time will tell whether Ponting’s decision was a shrewd one or not, but England have given the Australian captain plenty of encouragement that he can proved right even after just a single day.

Experience Shunned as Trott gets the Nod

England’s desperation to revive their Ashes hopes in the fifth and final Ashes test has forced them into the rash call-up of un-tried Warwickshire batsman Jonathan Trott.

The 28-year old was an un-used member of the last test squad at Headingley, but after the poor form of Ravi Bopara, whose been dropped from the squad for this final test, and Trott’s own impressive county form in which he averages over 90 he was given the call up ahead of Mark Ramprakash and Robert Key.

However the selector’s desperation, and the scant replacements for the struggling Essex batsman has been highlighted by this call up, which considering Trott has no test match experience is massive gamble.

As if giving Trott his debut in an Ashes test isn’t enough, giving him his first run-out in this critical fifth test, one that England have to win is a call that the selectors might live to regret.

There’s no doubt that Trott has the pedigree in first class Cricket, and he couldn’t be entering the test match arena at a better stage of his career.

The experienced Ramprakash and Key were overlooked for Trott and these snubs for the duo confirms the ECB’s mindset on closing the door firmly in the face of former England players.

It’s encouraging that they’re keen to bring players through, but with it being a one off test match, there would have been no harm in introducing one of those batsmen, or even Somerset’s Marcus Trescothick.

Trott’s experience, one sure to be daunting for the Warwickshire man might scar him for the remainder of his international career, if all goes badly.

His team-mate Ian Bell has been retained after his mid-week hundred, and the England batting line-up will mirror the one at the pairs county with Bell coming in at three and Trott at four.

Elsewhere England are yet again considering the choice of two spinners, with Monty Panesar re-called for the fifth test.

Steve Harmison and Graeme Onions will now compete for the final birth in the England bowling line-up with Ryan Sidebottom, who impressed the selectors with a fine return to form at Trent Bridge last week.

However the trio are sure to be competing for only one place with the expected return of Andrew Flintoff, but if a second spinner is preferred all three bowlers will have to watch from the sideline.

Australia warmed up for the fifth test by scoring 340 for 9 in their tour match at Canterbury against the England Lions, with Shane Watson yet again missing out on a century.

The opener scored 95 off 85 balls in truly blistering style while Michael Hussy made a credible 65.

Sunday will be vital for Australia in terms of their selection for the final test, with Brett Lee returning with the ball for the first time on the tour.

His lack of cricket may well work against him when selection is finally discussed, but his hostile treatment of batsman with the ball, and his experience in the lower order could be priceless in this pressure filled test match.

But with four days till the beginning of the final test match, England have all but revealed their team with Australia seemingly keeping their cards close to their chest.

England Consider Changes As Series Hangs In the Balance

England’s humiliating innings defeat at the hands of a revitalised Australia brings to the fore a number of issues ahead of the series decider at the Oval, but more than anything else the swing of momentum in favour of the tourists might make any changes England make in both their performance and their team irrelevant.

This convincing victory for the Aussies gives them the impetus going into the final test, knowing a draw will gift them the Ashes for another eighteen months.

Andrew Strauss’ side gave the same anonymous performance that their opponents had showed in the two tests at both Lord’s and Edgbaston, but his side’s failure to convert their chance in Birmingham, when Australia were on the back-foot could end up being the teams downfall.

Selection dilemmas will dominate both teams in the following nine days before the fifth and final test, but after a pitiful performance in Leeds plenty of the England middle-order in-particular will fear for their place.

Ravi Bopars will surely be dropped in favour of an out and out number three, possibly Robert Key whose been much talked of for a possible recall.

The Kent skipper has been in the international wilderness for nearly four years, and with a highest score of just 52 against Australia in the 2002/03 series his pedigree isn’t much to shout about.

Key would bring some much-needed experience, but it’s unlikely his call up would strike fear into the Aussies, or more importantly be the catalyst for an England win.

Obviously the concerns over Andrew Flintoff’s fitness will hit the back pages for the next week or so but you have to think that after a convincing defeat without him, the all-rounder’s inclusion is pivotal in England’s Ashes hopes.

It will be Flintoff’s bow in test match cricket, and despite his injury you would expect that he’d be given every chance of playing.

If fit, for me he should replace Bopara in the side, while retaining his batting position at seven.

Matt Prior, consistently one of England’s highest scorers should start to take more responsibility and therefore be moved up to five, with Stuart Broad coming in at six.

Andy Flower seemed particularly cynical about the struggling middle-order and hinted that changes would be made, especially to Bopara’s place in the team, whether it be lower down the order or out of the team altogether.

Changes do have to be made, but everyone must remember, especially the supporters who stayed behind to boo captain Andrew Strauss during the post-match presentations, that this is the same team that had Australia on the back foot, a test down and on the final day at Edgbaston staring down the barrel of going two tests down.

While it may seem that I’m requesting wholesale changes, England haven’t become a bad side overnight, they were simply outplayed for the first three days of a test.

The bowling attack might need a re-shuffle, but not through loss of form like the batsman, but because of the state of the wicket at the Oval, which might be conducive for spin bowling, and therefore a second spinner.

Steve Harmison and Graham Onions will fight to not be dropped for the final test, but James Anderson is no certainly either with issues surrounding his fitness.

Calls have also been made for the batsman, hopelessly out of form, to play for their counties in preparation for that final test and give a chance for the likes of Paul Collingwood, Alistair Cook and Ian Bell to go away and rid themselves of the demons of Leeds.

However the overriding feeling of this match is that its no coincidence that England, without their premier players Flintoff and Pietersen, have been thrashed in this forth test.

It’s an issue that’s been lost upon most of the media and the ECB, and shows the frailties of England without their two main talisman.

Pietersen and Flintoff’s Injuries expose England's Frailties

England have been left chasing the 4th test after just the first day at Headingley after being bowled out for just 102 in their first innings.

The hosts were shocked by the news that Andrew Flintoff will miss the match with his knee injury, and then by a back injury to Matt Prior in the warm up.

It was thought the Sussex keeper would miss out, but a fitness test revealed he’d be fine to take to the field, and it’s just as well he did as he top scored for the team with an unbeaten 37.

Peter Siddle who was under pressure for his place from Brett Lee and Stuart Clark took 5 for 21 as all four Australian strike bowlers struck in England’s innings.

England’s bowling was then taken apart with some short and wide stuff that was dispatched by Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting.

Ponting made a brilliant 78 with some typically expansive shots, while Watson firmly staked his claim to open the batting beyond this series with his third successive half-century.

England look obviously weakened by the loss of Flintoff, and when it’s compounded with Pietersen’s injury as well they look a far cry from the side who won the Ashes four years ago.

Any team that lose their best two players is going to struggle, and expecting England to play with the same intensity without them is ambitious.

Today showed how weakened they are in both batting and bowling departments without them, and how the players remaining aren’t stepping up to the mark.

Australia on the other hand have seen their bowlers step in for the injury Brett Lee, and Clark, who probably would have missed out if Lee had been fit, came back and bowled beautifully first up this morning.

He took 3 for 10 in a great spell, and although Siddle will get plenty of the plaudits for his five-wicket haul, Clark should not be forgotten for his important contribution.

Contributions will have to improve for England themselves tomorrow, and with a struggling James Anderson to deal with England will look towards Stuart Broad for answers on day two.

Clarke's Class a Sign of Things To Come

Moments in the evening of the 22nd July 2005 used to haunt Michael Clarke to his very core.

In the 1st Ashes test at Lord’s, while on 91, Clarke swiped at a delivery by Mathew Hoggard, the ball found his inside edge, hit the back of his heel and rattled the bails off the stumps.

It was a disappointing end for the youngster, but his innings left Australia in a strong position in the match and despite further wickets falling before dusk, his side recorded an emphatic 239 run victory with a day still to play.

To win a game in such style in the first match of a series was unprecedented, but in the first match of an Ashes series it was largely unfounded, many had the Aussies down as clear favourites for the rest of the series.

As for Clarke, in spite of his match winning display he’d blown the chance of having his name written on the famous honours board at the home of cricket.

Not many players have the chance to achieve such a feat, and for one so young it was hard to take to come so close.

In truth Clarke struggled for the reminder of the series, never once hitting the heights he did on that fateful evening at Lord’s.

Ever since the dismissal Clarke rued his decision to open his blade and chase down that most illustrious of scores, and he was confident the next time he closed in on the score he wouldn’t make sure a mistake.

"I can't wait to get back ... and I guarantee if I get to 91 this time, I won't be playing the shot I did in 2005."

Four years on and he’s gone not one but two better, with two centuries in three Ashes test matches this summer, scores which included him banishing his nightmares of four years ago with a breathtaking innings at Lord’s.

On Monday, on the firth day at Edgbaston the pressure really was on ‘pup’, but an 185-run partnership with Marcus North calmed any nerves in the Australian dressing room, and then with the precision he lacked in 2005, he went on to record his fourth century against England, the twelfth of his career.

It’s rare in any sport that you can take pleasure out of your own sides misery, but watching Clarke batting this afternoon was one of the greatest sights I’ve seen on a cricket square, a joy to watch.

If you think it’s taken this long for Clarke to mature as a cricketer you’d be wrong, as his career best score was recorded in the early stages of his calling, his debut test match in-fact, as he fired 151 in Bangalore against India.

Now for many batsmen, especially for those from alternative continents, scoring runs in Asia is the biggest challenge of all; Clarke completed this challenge at the first time of asking.

As his series in this country four year ago showed, he was far from the finished article but now 50 test matches on he’s heading towards becoming one of the countries greats.

He averages fifty in tests, a figure that he’s improve since the beginning of this tour and can debatably be called Australia best player right now.

Ponting recently became the countries highest runs scorer, but with Clarke having over 3,500 runs already to his name and at the beginning of his ‘peak’ years; the coming of age could yet see that record conquered.

For most Australia fans it might be an irony that Clarke’s 91 guided the side to a convincing victory at Lord’s, whereas his two scores on this tour have yet to see the side record a win, something that Clarke I’m sure is keen to set straight.

England Prepare to Make the Biggest Step of them All

England knew after Saturday’s wash out, that a full day dominated by them could give themselves a real chance of snatching victory from the most unlikely of situations, and in true fantasy fashion they’ve done just that to leave themselves at the doorstep of dominance in this Ashes series.

A brilliant knock by Andrew Flintoff, who is currently the games top scorer with 74 helped England to create a lead of 114 over their Australian counterparts.

The hosts then went about hunting down Aussie wickets before the close, and they were successful as they sent Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting back to pavilion.

Onions who took the wicket of opener Katich, came close to adding Michael Hussey to his scalps but the ball fell just short of the Durham bowler as he dove attempting to convert a caught and bowled chance.

‘Mr Cricket” dug in and along with Shane Watson denied England a potentially decisive third wicket, Watson particularly showed why he’s be drafted in for this third test.

His durability at the crease could be crucial for Australia tomorrow, and along with Michael Clarke hold the key to the result in this match, one that the tourists still trail by 25 runs.

Swing is yet again important if we are to have a result tomorrow, and with the ball 31 overs old we’re entering the sort of time the ball started to move in the air in the first innings.

Anderson will be licking his lips at the thought of giving the Australian middle order a going over, and with conditions set to be overcast we can only dream of what chaos we could see in the middle at Edgbaston on Monday.

Conditions are set pretty fair for tomorrow, but yet again just a sniff of rain could disrupt England’s stab at victory.

England certainly know they can’t lose the Ashes series tomorrow, but in terms of winning it they can take a huge step to regaining that all so precious of trophies.

Saturday’s Rain Might Be England’s Gain

With Saturday being a complete washout at Edgbaston, chances of a result, with England in the early stages of their first innings are pretty remote.

If indeed we get two successive days without a break then with 18 England wickets to take Australia are almost certainly without any chance of levelling the series in Birmingham.

For a team who have yet to take 20 wickets in the series hopes of taking two short of that in two days yet alone over five are rather ambitious, but for England however they might have more than a sniff of doubling their advantage this summer.

It may be conditional on the remaining 196 overs being completed, but England could well bat throughout tomorrow, and then stick Australia in on the final day with a 200-odd run deficit still to be recovered.

It’s a long shot I admit, but given how little play we’ve had to have even a glimmer of hope that we might have a result is testament to the rollercoaster nature this Ashes series has produced to date.

Andy Flower however has already poured cold water over any hope of having a full day tomorrow due to the dampness of the outfield.

"(Groundsman) Steve Rouse has said we might get 70 overs in, and that would be a godsend if we did.

"To put them (Australia) under pressure, we need to bat well all day tomorrow, get a lead and then put them in on the final day."

It’s positive to hear the England team director talking up a result at this stage, after what has been a relative cautious approach from the backroom staff in recent matches, in particular on the tour to the West Indies.

Obviously a draw still gives England a huge advantage with jus two tests remaining after Edgbaston.

Australia need to at least draw the series to retain the Ashes, and could look ahead to Headingley next week as a way of getting back into the series.

The tourists have beaten their Ashe counterparts eight times at Leeds including in three of the last four series’, but as England showed at Lords’ history means very little when your in an Ashes series.

Anderson Swings England into the Ascendancy

A thrilling display of swing bowling by James Anderson and Graeme Onions has given England the upper-hand going into the third day of this 3rd Ashes test.

Andrew Strauss scored an unbeaten 64, but both Ravi Bopara and Alastair Cook failed to make an impact for the third successive test.

Cook’s 95 at Lord’s is his only significant score to date in this series, while Bopara has continually failed throughout this summer.

But Anderson, who record his best figures of the summer (5 for 80), and Onions who was called into the side for the previous test at Lord’s have performed admirably throughout the series, and today’s performance was the confirmation of the hard work the seam duo have done.

Both were on hat-tricks at some point of the Australian innings, with the latter blasting through the tourists middle order with impressive ease.

Australia rarely got into the day’s play, with wickets tumbling at regular intervals and during the England innings they failed to get hold of the England captain, with Mitch Johnson struggling again.

Johnson will see himself unlucky not to have pickup the wicket of the returning Ian Bell however, especially after his own lbw dismissal seemed to miss the stumps entirely.

Bell looked a little nervous at the crease, and he’ll be susceptible to an early dismissal tomorrow morning if he doesn’t up his game.

Strauss however will be looking to improve on his impressive century conversion rate, and help England push ahead of the poor Australia total.

Resuming on 123 for 1, Ricky Ponting’s side would have had ambitions of batting on for the rest of day two, and having a go at England for half an hour before the close.

Those aspirations were dashed shortly after lunch with a clutch of wickets, with the afore mentioned swing duo creating havoc from the first ball of the day onwards.

Onions picked up two wickets in successive balls, and then the prized scalp of Ponting for just 38, but not before the Australian captain became his countries leading test match run scorer.

As for tomorrow, if Ben Hilfenhaus, the pick of the Australia bowlers again, can find some much needed swing then England could experience the same problems they created for the Australian’s today- if there opponents can utilise it then we could be in for another thriller in Birmingham.

Watson Vindicates Opening Spot

Despite losing six hours of the day to rain and wet outfield conditions, Australia were still able to stamp their mark on the 3rd test at Edgbaston in the 30 overs permitted at the end of the first day in Birmingham.

After winning the toss the tourists finished the day on 126 for 1 with opener Shane Watson vindicating his countries decision to give him his first start at the top of the innings with a well crafted fifty.

Simon Katich went earlier on, lbw to Graeme Swann, who was the most effective bowler of the five used by captain Andrew Strauss.

Whether damp conditions on the outfield were affecting the run-up’s of the seamers or not, but none of the four including injury hindered Andrew Flintoff were able to hit top gear in the evening session.

This might be down to the ultra flat pitch we have in the midlands this week, and with the outfield bound still to be wet the ball would have been doing very little for the bowling quartet.

The omission of Phil Hughes was the main story of the day before play began, a development that was broken on his own twitter page by his management company; a curious way of announcing you’ve been dropped for a test match.

Watson in truth diminished all thought of Hughes’ tweet, with a superb innings of 62, not one of a player opening the innings for his country for the very first time.

Nor was it a performance of an England side who had taken a rare early lead in an Ashes series, very soon after the Australian batsman got set did the mood become somber in the field.

A huge 22 boundaries were thrusted through that field, and with Swann achieving the only break through, Andrew Strauss will have plenty to think about ahead of what we hope is a full Friday.

It sounds like any of the play we got today was down to the hard work of the ground staff, who I’m sure will get a slating in the press tomorrow over the time it took for play to start despite the beautiful overhead conditions.

The only worry for the Australian’s will be the injury to Brad Haddin, who has been replaced in the test side by Graham Manou, a late change after the toss had been made.

A passing thought ahead of tomorrow’s play and any more lost play in the rest of the match; why on earth did we go off when conditions overhead were perfect?

Yes, had we had 90 previous overs before the end of play then a break would have earned by both players, but we had just 30, was there not time for another half an hour’s play to make up for some of the lost time?

I know I’m effectively arguing with the rules here, with a finishing time usually arranged for 7 pm or the end of the permitted overs, whichever first, but maybe there should be some room for manoeuvre from the ICC, especially when so much time has been lost already.

The umpires can bring the players off at any time in the match, why can’t they keep them out there for a few more overs to help eek out the time we’re already lost, and as it usually goes it’s never made up fully.

Will either side be rueing this decision come Monday evening? We’ll wait and see.

The Pressure of the Ashes Comes to the Fore in Birmingham

After the loss of Kevin Pietersen through injury for the rest of the series both sides know that this 3rd test at Edgbaston could go a long way to deciding the destiny of the Ashes trophy.

An Australia win would turn the momentum in their favour, while England will be fretting about how to replace a player who has been he difference between winning and losing so many occasions.

An England win however, while guaranteeing they couldn’t lose the series outright would be a huge physiological blow with the Australian’s left scratching their heads as too how to beat this England side, without their best player at the helm.

His presence on the injury list is enough to provoke a reaction whatever the result is after these five days in Birmingham, with either side set to claim a massive physiological advantage, and possibly a decisive one if they turn out to be the winners.

A draw will keep us all guessing, but we’re sure to have more of an idea of the impact of Pietersen’s absence after these five days than ever before, with the pressure firmly on the shoulders of both sides to produce when the star batsman isn’t around.

The Australian bowlers, who have used the time between this and that last test match to find some form will be keen to strike back in a series they have been on the peripheral of for so long.

Mitchell Johnson is expected to keep his place in the side, and could well be joined in the attack by both Shane Watson and Andrew McDonald who impressed in the warm-up game at Northants over the weekend.

With the Edgbaston pitch set to play very much in the batsman’s favour, a strong, deep bowling attack might be a wise move by Ricky Ponting.

England have always had the strength in depth in their bowling attack to call upon, but the fitness of Andrew Flintoff is becoming a constant issue, with only a handful of balls bowled by the fast-bowler in practise since the 2nd test.

It seems obvious that despite the selectors being defiant that they won’t pick a less-than 100% fit player, that both Pietersen, and now Flintoff have played through the pain barrier to attempt to play a part in this Ashes series; as yet it’s hasn’t been a detriment to Flintoff’s form like it was for Pietersen’s, but time will tell.

Ian Bell, who himself has an injury concern, is set to fill Pietersen’s shoes at number 4, but with issues surrounding his previous form against the Australians shadowing the Warwickshire man’s belated comeback the pressure is truly on for him to perform.

And that is the word of the day tomorrow; pressure.

Whichever team deals with it for the entire test is sure to hold the key to the remainder of this Ashes series.

Australia Warm Up Well as Watson Stakes Claim

Australia have warmed up for the third Ashes test at Edgbaston with a comfortable win over Northamptonshire at the County Ground.

Setting the Division Two side an unlikely 352 to win inside two sessions on day three the home side fell 135 runs short with Andrew McDonald taking 4 for 15.

The medium pacer has certainly showed Ricky Ponting that he has a role on this Ashes tour but the real impression was made by Shane Watson, who made a half-century in each of the Australian’s innings.

However with the Aussies bowling attack the main concern over the side, Watson’s match figures of 3 for 54 might not be quiet the impact with the ball that the tourists need.

Watson could replace either the misfiring Mitchell Johnson, seamer Peter Siddle or opener Phil Hughes in the side, with McDonald also waiting in the wings for a call up.

Marcus North’s place could also be under threat, as the middle order batsman struggled in both this match and the previous test at Lord’s.

The consistency of the rest of line-up could mean North is left out at the expense of another bowler along with Siddle and Johnson.

Given that Edgbaston is meant to provide a slow batting friendly pitch this may be a smart move for Australia, given the huge workload both sets of bowlers are likely to encounter.

Hughes had some time at the crease against Northants, but it may not be enough to keep him in the side with Watson looking the favourite to replace him.

It’s a good selection headache for Ponting, and speculation as to the side to start the third test will grow and grow before Thursday’s first day.

Bell is Perfectly Placed to Step In

No one may want to believe it, but Kevin Pietersen has been officially ruled out for the rest of the Ashes series due to a troublesome Achilles injury.

The talented batsman has played through both the Twenty20 World Cup and the opening two test matches in this year Ashes series with the injury but after an operation on Wednesday Pietersen has been ruled out for a six-week period, thereby destroying his chances of appearing for his country in the remainder of this series.

His loss to the team is obviously a huge blow as his unique ability with the bat has made him one of the most feared batsman in world cricket, and as his average would suggest he thrives on playing against the men from down under.

His form in this series hasn’t helped his reputation however, with his injury clearly a distraction from his expansive batting technique.

Despite him playing on with the injury it was hurting the side’s batting line-up and run rate, not something the side should justify just so an injured player can play.

If England are now to go on to lose the series maybe the petulant journalists in the press who were asking for his head after his dismissal in Cardiff might think again before slating England’s world class batsman, his loss to the side is that huge that the series is now in real doubt.

His replacement is sure to be Ian Bell, a man in the form of his life with his county after two first class centuries already this season.

The Warwickshire batsman has really gone about his business well trying to reclaim his England place and he looks set to be rewarded after Pietersen’s injury scare.

Bell could even have been drafted in to replace Ravi Bopara who has seemed overwhelmed by the Ashes experience, but now it seems like the two will line up together at Edgbaston and beyond.

Bell doesn’t just bring a solid batting approach to the side, but in the field he is electric at short leg, and although Alastair Cook has taken up the position as late I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bell inserted their the next time Graeme Swann lines up to bowl.

His exuberant batting style is very much in keeping with Pietersen’s, so in terms of ticking the runs along he certainly has the ability; the only reservation might be over his pedigree against the Australians.

In his twenty innings against the Aussies he has six fifty’s but four ducks at an average of 25, not particularly impressive for a man whose set to lead England’s Ashes quest.

Bell’s average really is poor against the greater nations Australia and India while he excels against the likes of Pakistan whom he has four centuries against.

But Bell is a greater player than he was when he met the Aussies last in 2007, and now he’s been given a second chance in international cricket he is sure to grasp it with both hands.

So even with Pietersen’s departure from the series, and the Aussies delight at his absence there’s a player who more than ready to step into his boots, and with the third test due to be played at Bell’s home ground of Edgbaston the stage is set perfectly for his international renaissance.

First Blood To England as Australia Are Left To Ponder

Well it might have taken 75 years but England have finally beaten Australia again in an Ashes test match at Lords, and after this particular 115 run victory the momentum is firmly with the hosts.

In terms of the margin of victory it doesn’t do justice to the performance of both sides.

England were dominant from start to finish, only allowing Australia to occasionally dictate proceedings.

In 2005 many people believed the series swung England's way with their aggressive nature in the second test match at Edgbaston, and the way Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook started up on Thursday morning mirrored the effort of Strauss and Marcus Trescothick just four years ago.

Of course the endeavour of Andrew Flintoff will be the everlasting memory of this test match, but whether his 5 for 92 in the final innings warranted a man of the match award ahead of Strauss’ 161 is slightly debatable-but the effort of the Lancashire man certainly isn’t.

The contribution of James Anderson and Graeme Swann who took four wickets in the first and second innings respectably shouldn’t be forgotten, neither should the excellent knock of 61 by Matt Prior in the England second innings a score that helped push England beyond a lead of 500.

Australia have some serious re-building to do, with the biggest problem being the form of their seamers.

Mitchell Johnson, despite his score 63 on Monday will do well to keep his place in the side, with Brett Lee and Stuart Clark waiting in the wings for a call up.

The form of the batsman, apart from Phil Hughes-who has been well and truly found out, is pretty good but for me maybe an extra bowler in the side could help the team push closer to those elusive 20 wickets.

It’s the second time they’ve failed to reach that target, and with the inclusion of Lee or Clark instead of maybe Marcus North could give the team that added firepower.

With nine days before the next test there’s time for some rest and relaxation, particularly for Kevin Pietersen who will be a doubt for Edgbaston already, and for some time to think about possible changes to the Australian side that need to re-group ahead of the cauldron of Birmingham.

England Fail to Stamp Authority as Australia Chase Unlikely Win

In any form of sport tightening the screw upon your opponents when they’re on their knees is essential if you’re to achieve a positive result, and Andrew Strauss will be rueing this evening how his side wilted in the field when their Ashes opponents Australia looked all but beaten.

Chasing an unlikely 522 to win England allowed the tourists back into a contest they had no right to even partake in-as Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin’s unbeaten 185-run partnership left Australia just 209 runs short of their target, with five wickets remaining.

The failure of Strauss’ side to twist the knife, even when Australia were 128-5 is in stark contrast to the way they punished any Australian slacking in the corresponding series in 2005.

The hosts declared early this morning, refusing to build upon the seemingly unassailable lead they had built on the previous day.

The decision seemed vindicated with the early removal of openers Simon Katich and Phil Hughes, and with a hint of movement in the air England did seem keen to rid of the remainder of the Australian batting line-up, hoping to leave Monday’s fifth day superfluous.

After the terrific dismissal of Marcus North by Graeme Swann the Ashes holders looked forlorn in their mammoth run-chase.

But Clarke scored his first ever Ashes century in this country, and wicket-keeper Brad Haddin continued his awesome form with the bat with an unbeaten 80.

Haddin came into the series with big boots to fill, and while questions will be forever be raised about his ability to fully replace Adam Gilchrist maybe the 31-year old should start to be appreciated as a player in his own right, rather than live in the shadow of the former great.

Gilchrist infamously struggled on tour in 2005, but the Cowra born keeper has thrived on these batting friendly wickets while Clarke, who had had a similar fate to that of Gilchrist four years ago, played an innings of class and panache; one that could turn out to be a match winning one.

England’s bowlers, albeit toiling on a perfect surface for batting seemed to lose heart mid-way through the evening session, and it will be up to Andy Flower and Ottis Gibson to lift the side ahead of a series defining day tomorrow.

Not that the team need to motivation for tomorrows climax, but maybe they need to the belief that these two can be prized from the crease, and with that the match will swung back their way.

Given the skipper’s decision not to enforce the follow-on yesterday the England team will be ardent on not letting this opportunity slip through their fingers, but breaking the hold of Haddin and Clarke will be first on the agenda before there’s any thought of ducking and diving the media’s painful words.

Strauss Saves Middle-Order's Blushes

Andrew Strauss produced a captain’s knock on the first day of the second npower Ashes test at Lords with a brilliant 161 not out as England finished on 364-6.

After winning the toss Strauss and his partner Alastair Cook put on 196 for the first wicket, but the Essex man fell five short of his century as he was caught lbw by Mitchell Johnson.

At 222-1 England looked in a strong position but the next five wickets fell for just 111 runs, to leave the spoils equal going into day two.

England’s five man middle order will again be asked questions about their shot selection as tame dismissals yet again dominated an England innings on a flat deck.

The hosts suffered the same problems in the first test at Cardiff, with Ravi Bopara especially set to come under pressure as he failed again, scoring just 18.

He was a victim of a superb spell by Ben Hilfenhaus, the pick of the Australia bowlers who did for Andrew Flintoff as well, who began his final four test matches with a disappointing four.

Australia had to deal with the out of form Johnson, who went for over 100 runs on the first day, and an injury to Nathan Hauritz who dislocated finger on his bowling hand which left him unable to bowl for the remainder of the day.

England will be disappointed how they let their early domination slip away, as they let Australia back into a match that looked far from their grasp.

The day belonged fully to Andrew Strauss, who hit 20 boundaries on his way to a huge century, and he’ll be looking to complete his double century early on day two as the England tail began to be exposed.

Strauss’s record at his home ground for his country is one of the best around as he averages 60 in tests, and now has recorded his best score at the ground with today’s 161.

His opening partner Cook was unlucky not to record his tenth test match century, but his expansive drives has shown that he has replaced the void left by Marcus Trescothick.

Cook’s average, number of runs scored and centuries made are higher than Trescothick after 45 test matches played, and proves how Cook has taken to the task of replacing the Somerset man with consulate ease.

England perceived weakest area, that being their middle order, has come to fruition for the second match in a row and could yet again be behind an under par England total.

England will aim to bat for as much of tomorrow as possible, and with Strauss still at the crease a total over 500 is still possible, something that has to be achieved if England are too hit the front in this second test.

Why the Pace of Lords Could be the Australian's Undoing

So after England dug in on the final day Cardiff, in a match where only two sessions were lost to rain, we move to Lords where a result with or without rain is almost certain to crop up.

In 2005 we saw 17 wickets fall on the opening day at the home of cricket, and with another bowler friendly pitch predicted for this test match we could see much of the same this year.

The pitch is sure to be a far cry from the one we saw in Cardiff last year, which saw a deluge of runs and plenty of anguish for the England bowlers.

Recent history has told us England rarely take 20 wickets on a batting friendly pitch, the tour to the West Indies showed us that, so the pitch they should be confronted with on Thursday they should thrive upon.

The loss of Andrew Flintoff on a pitch such as this will be a big one, and if the Lancashire allrounder is ruled out the onus on Steve Harmison will be even greater, not the sort of pressure the seamer would have wanted on his return to the test side.

The Durham bowler infamously gave the Aussies a hostile reception in the first test at Lords in 2005, cutting Ricky Ponting early on before taking eight wickets in the match.

For selection in this match he jumps ahead of Graeme Onions, given his track record on this surface and his ability to rough up the Australian batsman, who had an easy time of it at Cardiff.

Onions however doesn’t deserve this shun as he’s the leading wicket taker in county cricket and given his performance on his debut against the West Indies on this same ground it’s disappointing to see him miss out, but does he provide the same fear factor as Harmison?

I’m of the opinion he doesn’t but given Flintoff’s injury we might see both of them included, which would probably be the fairest compromise and give the selectors an easy decision to make, something they wouldn’t have had if Flintoff had been fit.

Australia’s seamer don’t have the same bounce and immense pace at their disposal, assuming of course that Brett Lee will miss out due to the form of the side from Cardiff.

Mitchell Johnson does provide a certain amount of bounce, but Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus will reply on similar swing and seam movement they received at Sophia Gardens, something that is not always on offer at Lords.

Ricky Ponting’s selection headache is just as painful as England’s and it will be fascinating to see the two sides at the toss on Thursday morning, but as with Cardiff we might be in for a few surprises both in the teams and in the result.

England Thwart Australian Dominance

A monumental batting display by England’s tail enders gave Andrew’s Strauss’s men an unlikely draw on the final day of the first npower Ashes test against Australia

James Anderson and Monty Panesar were left not out at the end of the day, as England were reduced to 233-9 with over 40 minutes of play still remaining.

Paul Collingwood top scored with a resilient 74, but when he departed for the ninth wicket England looked as good as beaten.

Ricky Ponting’s men threw everything they could at England’s batsman, but they fell just a single wicket short in a agonising climax of the match.

The finale brought back memories of the Old Trafford test match between the two in 2005, where the tourists tail enders defied England’s bowlers to salvage a final day draw.

Both sides are sure to take positives from the end result, with Australia outplaying England for four days, while the hosts will be glad they go to Lords unscathed after a disappointing start to the series.

It’s debatable that Australia couldn’t have done much more to win this most recent test match, with the wicket doing very little for the bowlers in the five days, and only England’s inept batting display being the reason behind Australia’s success with the ball.

For England plenty of ‘soul searching’ as Ricky Ponting put it will need to be done as well as some questions over selection for the second test starting on Thursday.

Stuart Broad and Monty Panesar could well miss out, with Steve Harmison and Graeme Onions looking set to replace the duo.

The fifth day did show that England have some grit in their side, and in Collingwood have a batsman that proved to be near invincible in Cardiff.

The Durham man has constantly been under pressure for his place in the side, with his defensive batting style always under scrutiny as the likes of Ian Bell continue to press their claim.

But it’s occasions likes yesterday that shows Collingwood’s worth to the side, and his world class ability to dig in was the difference in winning and drawing the test match.

No matter what you say about Anderson and Panesar at the back end of the innings with Collingwood’s five-hour knock the tail enders wouldn’t have stood a chance at saving the match.

Maybe now after this match-saving performance Collingwood will be appreciated as a significant member of this England test team, and all the ridiculous talk of him being dropped might finally be extinguished.

Ponting’s Brilliance Puts Australia On the Brink

Australia will go into day five of the first Ashes test with a real chance of taking a 1-0 lead in the series after leaving England 22-2 as rain halted play on the penultimate day in Cardiff.

After declaring on 674-6 and with a lead of 231 England lost both Alistair Cook and Ravi Bopara in the final seven overs before rain saved the blushes of the rest of the England batting line-up.

Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus found much needed swing in those closing overs, something that was lacking from the England attack as a third successive day in the field produced scant reward.

Brad Haddin scored a superb century along with Marucs North whose showed England’s batsman that even a restrained innings could produce decent results in an innings that fashioned four Australian centurions.

The hosts will now have to bat out the entire of day five in hope of saving a match that from day two onwards had been dominated by the tourists.

A day after eulogising over Ricky Ponting’s batting display, it was the Aussies captaincy that came to the fore after an astute declaration gave his seamers half an hour before tea to work over the England openers, with instant success.

Bopara can however consider himself unfortunate to be dismissed after being caught high on the pad above the knee role by Hilfenhaus, but not so Cook who got no-where near a swing delivery from Mitchell Johnson,

The England bowlers will be particularly baffled by the amount of swing both Johnson and Hilfenhaus were able to create in the seven over spell before tea, an attribute that did for both Cook and Bopara.

The two who will be opening up for England tomorrow morning both have points to prove, and for Andrew Strauss in particular an opportunity to draw an equal with his Australian counterpart.

Ponting’s innings was not only a classy batting display, its was the driving force behind Australia’s huge total as he set an example of how to take an Ashes test by the scruff of the neck.

Strauss needs to make the same impression tomorrow, and as for Kevin Pietersen he needs to shun all the criticism he’s received since his first day dismissal and take the game to the Australians.

Personally I felt the criticism that came his way was slightly unfair, as like any other batsman it was a lapse in concentration.

Maybe if some of England’s other middle order came to the party more often we wouldn’t complain about our only world class players’ lack of judgement.

England do have an uphill struggle tomorrow, and Pietersen and Strauss are key to any chance of them saving the game.

On the fifth day of any test match you would assume that the pitch would give enough to the bowlers to all but right off any chance of the batting team protecting eight wickets, but not on this pitch.

With swing hard to come by, until this evening’s play under the lights, wickets will be difficult to find as England’s bowlers will tell you.

If swing comes the way of the Australian seamers and Nathan Haurtiz bowls a best ever spell then Australia have more than a chance of winning this match, if not, then we’ll be heading to Lords on Thursday all square with England having lived for another day.

England Bowlers Short of Fire-Power as Australia Pull Away

Australia pressed home their advantage on this third day of the first ashes test as they took a 44 run lead over England, who toiled on a pitch still not doing much for the bowlers.

Ricky Ponting continued his batting master class reaching 150 before succumbing to Monty Panesar who was the better of the two spinners, as Graeme Swann continued to fail to reach his best.

James Anderson did pick up two wickets in the morning session, a period that the hosts dominated just like the previous day, only to wilt to the Aussie batsman who again dug in at Cardiff.

Simon Katich was first out in the morning for 122, along with Ponting and Michael Hussey who was Anderson’s second victim.

Michael Clarke and Marcus North put on a 142 run partnership on day three to all but take the game away from England.

Clarke was eventually out 17 short of his first test century in England, while North was left unbeaten on 54 with Brad Haddin.

Despite Australia’s minor lead England will worry that today was the chance to turn the match in their favour, and with chances in the field few and far between it’s clear we haven’t seen the best of this bowling attack.

It also seems that the criticism that came the way of Nathan Hauritz after his display earlier in this match was totally unwarranted, and that his performance on a first day wicket was quiet brilliant.

England will have to hope that rain dominates tomorrows play, as predicted, as Australia look to eradicate the chances of an England victory.

The late wicket of Clarke has given the side a glimmer of hope, but it seemed that all day wickets were coming more through attritional bowling rather than after a concerted amount of pressure.

Even Andrew Flintoff seemed slightly off colour as he struggled to gleam much pace or dangerous bounce off this pitch.

In truth things look bleak for the English team, a pitch not doing much, a bowling attack out of form, and a captain who looks clueless and unimaginative with his field settings.

Strauss seems more worried about keeping the run rate down, rather than taking game changing wickets.

His un-attacking field, even this morning after the new ball was taken showed that Strauss was almost uninterested in squeezing the pressure on the tourists, something captains of yesteryear including Michael Vaughan was famous for.

Both Strauss and his bowling attack need to find that added vest if they are to succeed in this test match, or have any chance of retaining the prized Ashes urn in the coming weeks.

Katich and Ponting Put England to the Sword

If there was any debate as to which of these two Ashes rivals were on-top after the first day, there’s no doubt who is after the second day of this first Ashes test in Cardiff as Australia cruised to 249-1.

Both Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting made unbeaten hundreds in a partnership worth 187 at the end of the day.

Katich’s opening partner Phil Hughes went cheaply for just 36, the single breakthrough England could muster after a frustrating day in the field.

The brilliance of both Katich and Ponting though was difficult to ignore, and despite England’s at times inept bowling the duo were superb in the middle.

Ponting surpassed 11,000 test runs as well, becoming just the forth to do so, surely confirming his status as one of the best players of the modern era.

Even with the burden of captaincy Ponting seems to still deliver the goods in the middle, and with 38 hundreds to his name he can be held in high-regard in International cricket history.

However this day will belong to the centurions alone, and be remembered as the day Australia firmed stamped their mark on this test series.

A further 99 runs were added to England’s overnight score of 336-7, to give Andrew Strauss’ side a excellent score to bowl at, but after this one-sided day those late runs from the tail seem vital for the England cause.

England will worry about how easily Ponting and Katich exposed the weaknesses in their bowling attack, which could well lose Stuart Broad for the rest of the match with a calf injury.

James Anderson found little swing in his 13 overs, while Flintoff provided plenty of energy with just the single wicket as a reward.

Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar did turn the ball even on this second day, but were stifled by the Aussie pair.

Despite what has been a brilliant day for the tourists, they aren’t as far ahead they could have been at the end of day two, mostly down to what is a wearing pitch at Cardiff.

England’s run rate for their 435 was over four runs an over, while Australia just topped 3.50 an over, a clear sign that even the stroke making of Ponting couldn’t bring a strong flow of runs.

So there is evidence that the pitch is slowing down, and with Australia still another 186 runs behind they still have work to do.

But they have an excellent pair at the crease still, and with Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke they have all the tools to even up the scores.

England will worry about the lack of swing already, and will look towards the new ball in nine overs time, as Australia will look to bat just the once in this game.

The hosts have a dreadful record in the opening match of any test series in the Ashes, and after day two things yet again look like going Australia’s way.

Australia's Late Show Turns Things Their Way

In the lead up to this years Ashes Series, plenty of the talk was about how closely contested these two sides would be, and after day one of the first test at Cardiff things seem to be going to the script.

England won the all-important toss and rightly chose to bat, a decision that despite today’s developments that should make them firm favourites going into the closing days in this opening test match.

The early wickets of Alistair Cook, Andrew Strauss and then Ravi Bopara put the hosts on the back foot, but a stunning partnership between Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood set England back on their way.

However both departed in the 60’s, leaving the batting side five down for 241.

Matt Prior and Andrew Flintoff then upped the rate for England with some super hitting, with Prior reaching his half-century at almost a run-a-ball.

Flintoff, who was looking back to his best played on off Peter Siddle for 37, and with nine balls in the day remaining Siddle did for the wicket-keeper as well.

Night-watchman James Anderson and Stuart Broad closed the day out with England on 336-7.

Both sides will be happy with their days work, but two late wickets for the workmanlike Siddle may have swung the momentum back in the tourists direction.

Ironically enough swing was not the dominant force that captain Ricky Ponting would have hoped after losing the toss, but Mitchell Johnson showed that he was no one-trick pony as his variation of pace did for both Strauss and Bopara.

However after bowling just 18 overs in the day, question marks have to be raised about his overall fitness.

Ben Hilfenhaus was the impressive seamer with the ball today, finishing with 2 for 61 from his 23 overs.

Nathan Hauritz struggled overall, but seduced Pietersen into a wide-sweep that pitched far too wide for the number four to even contemplate, or so it seemed, as the ball skewed up to Simon Katich at short leg.

Is was a poor way for Pietersen to get out, but with the nature of the talented batsman's game dismissals like this are bound to occur.

Australia did look a little still and quiet in the field during when Pietersen and Collingwood were at the crease, and looked clueless when trying to dismiss the middle-order batsman who contributed to their own downfall when they were eventually sent back to the pavilion.

England will certainly take plenty of positives from the day however, with over 300 on the board and consistent if not spectacular scores right through the order, and of course two spinners in the locker.

But you have to say that Australia will be the happier of the two sides after day one, with seven wickets falling and England’s tail fully exposed.

Harmison and Bell Waiting in the Wings

Steve Harmison has been left out of the First Ashes Test at Cardiff due to start on Wednesday, after being overlooked for Durham team-mate Graeme Onions.

Both players played for the England Lions against Australia last week, with Harmison finishing with match figure of 6 for 125, including the dismissal of Phil Hughes in both innings, but Onions has been preferred in this first Ashes squad.

Onions has taken over 50 wickets in County Cricket this season, and after a 5-wicket haul on debut against the West Indies the 26 year-old has been the front runner for a test start.

It’s yet to be seen whether Onions will be preferred to second spinner Monty Panesar, on a pitch that is expected to spin early on.

Harmison however should not be too downhearted about the first test snub, with the second test taking place at Lords, a ground famous for its vicious pace and bounce.

The Durham man took five wickets on the first day of the first test at Lords in 2005, and caused the Australian batsman plenty of problems despite England’s crushing defeat.

His performance there, and last week at Worcester proved he still has the weapons to disturb the Aussies and his chances of being chosen for that second test is highly likely.

Elsewhere in the squad Ian Bell is the back-up batsman in the squad, with Paul Collingwood’s place set to be under scrutiny yet again.

With England’s middle order looking like one of their main weaknesses, Collingwood’s role at number five is crucial and with Bell in pretty good touch every move by the Durham man will be watched keenly by the selectors.

For the Australian’s they look set to chose four strike bowlers as oppose to a single spinner for the opening test, with Brett Lee set to complete the quartet.

However a rib injury to the 32-year old means he is now a doubt for the Cardiff match, meaning Nathan Hauritz or Ben Hilfenhaus could take his place.

Lee and Panesar stake their test claim

Bowlers Brett Lee and Monty Panesar today started their campaign for selection in next weeks opening test in Cardiff.

Lee’s superb spell of swing bowling resulted in him taking 5 for 53, while Panesar overshadowed Adil Rashid’s wicket-less display at Edgebaston as he took 3 for 10 in a 7.4 over spell.

Panesar’s display could well have secured his place his the side for next weeks test match at Cardiff as Rashid toiled for the Lions on a pitch doing nothing for the bowlers.

Lee however showed that even during his time on the sidelines he’s learnt the art of swing bowling-the main attribute of the Australian’s downfall in 2005.

The tourists had little to smile about elsewhere however, as their bowling attack was hit every which way during the Lions potent batting display, headed by local boy Stephen Moore, whose hundred alongside Joe Denly’s 66 showed huge potential for the future of England’s top order.

Denly in-particular showed why is one of the most potent opening batsman in the County Championship, and why he ousted team-mate Rob Key from the original squad.

The Lions finished the day just 56 runs behind the Australians on 302 for 6, but the only blotch on the copybook was the first ball duck of Ian Bell, whose prospects of being selected for the upcoming test series took a serious blow.

The Warwickshire man was a victim of Lee’s superb swing bowling display, a showing that might have confirmed his presence in Cardiff next week, seven days after I had all but written off his chances of success during this tour; think he took it personally?

For the full test team James Anderson was the star of the day taking his own five-wicket haul in a blitz of the home teams middle order.

Kevin Pietersen however will fret over his form in this match, with just seven runs flowing from the bat of the talented batsman in the two innings against Warwickshire.

Australia’s batsmen have a similar mountain to climb to find any form before the first test match, with Marcus North consistently struggling in the middle order.

Maybe the youngsters decision to play a one-day series with Australia instead of playing the longer form of the game with Hampshire this summer might come back to hurt the chances of a call up for the Victorian.

North did play a role in the Aussies spin attack however, which looks like the main concern going into next weeks Ashes curtain raiser as Nathan Hauritz continues to struggle.

North and Michael Clark bowled nine overs between them without success today, while Hauritz finished with 0 for 80 from his 18 overs.

It will surely give captain Ricky Ponting plenty to ponder for the next week on whether Haurtiz is worth the gamble in Cardiff, as England look certain to field a second spinner alongside Graeme Swann.

Will Lee be Left in the Dark?

Australia stamped their authority on their opening tour match with Sussex, closing the day on 18 for 0, after bowling their opponents out for 311 earlier in the day.

The tourists have opened up a lead of 56 runs ahead of the third day’s play, after declaring over night on 349-7.

Phil Hughes was left unbeaten on 17, while his partner Simon Katich was unable to get off the mark during his 17 deliveries.

After getting a good look at their impressive batting line-up on the first day, it was today the turn of the Australian bowlers to attempt to turn the match in the away side’s direction.

Stuart Clark and Brett Lee each took three wickets, with Lee taking the prized wicket of the big hitting Luke Wright to leave Sussex at 151 for 6.

But Australia let their opponents back into the match when they simply had no right, as the County Championship side piled on another 160 runs for the final 4 wickets.

Andrew Hodd and Robin Martin-Jenkins put on an 86 run partnership at the back end of the innings to start the re-build, after Chris Nash has earlier top scored with 45.

Wicket keeper Hodd made 45, but the real day belonged to the pace attack of Lee and Clark who showed their Ashes Opponents they’d lost none of their threat from the previous Ashes series of 2006/07.

Clark really made his burst onto the international scene on the tour to South Africa in 2006 taking 20 wickets in the three match series.

After a baron series in Bangladesh, he went into his first Ashes series as a unknown quantity, and to his advantage as he took 26 wickets to wow the cricketing world.

Two years on and Clark is now no-longer first choice with the international team after a drop in form, and an unfortunate elbow injury.

He’s since got back to full fitness and form after playing club cricket in the United Arab Emirates, and his inclusion in this Ashes squad is sure to strike fear into the England top order.

Clark hasn’t played a test match at all this year because of injury and another player who has suffered the same fait is Brett Lee who also took three wickets at Hove today.

Lee’s ankle injury has restricted his time in the test team since the Boxing Day test against South Africa.

The usually hostile Lee, banging the ball in at 90mph is a forgone memory in Australia and across the world, and after the selection of the two and not Mitchell Johnson in this side, proves that’s it’s a straight fight between the two for that final fast bowler position.

After today’s performance both players seem poles apart.

Clakr bolwed with intent and accuracy, while Lee relied on his immense pace to knock over the top men from Sussex, only for him to overstep four times in his first five over spell.

Yes he did take wickets at the back end of the day, and same number as Clark it must be added, but never could you put the two in the same breath in this particular showing.

Ricky Ponting has a difficult decision to make ahead of that first test, in which he is expected to field both Nathan Hauritz and part timer Marcus North in the side.

Does he go in with an in-experienced attack, into conditions, which Peter Siddle, Johnson and Clark have rarely experienced?

Or does he field the experienced pace-man whose record in England is less than impressive.

I mentioned earlier how Lee showed he’s lost nothing from the Ashes in 2006/07, which is true he did help turn the tide during today’s play, but does his previous record in England maybe pave the way for the new bread to take the Ashes by the scruff of the neck?

Lee has taken an average of less than 3 wickets a match during his two tours to England, and has on three occasions gone for more than 100 runs in an innings.

He showed his lack of fizz in the last series here going for 193, 160 and 182 during the matches at Edgbaston, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge respectively.

Will today’s performance have given Ponting food for thought? Or just hammered home the fact that Lee offers very little to the Australian pace attack that it doesn’t already have.

Haddin and Hauritz save Australia's Blushes

Australia were given some early scares before ending day one of their opening tour match against Sussex on 349 for 7.

The early loss of Phil Hughes for just 15 and then skipper Ricky Ponting for 8 put the tourists on the back foot, but two superb partnerships re-built the innings to leave the men from down-under on-top after day one

Fellow opener Michael Katich made 49, before Michael Clark (45) and Brad Haddin (69) came to the crease to build a partnership of 114.

After the two were dismissed Australia showed that their inexperienced bowling attack could bat a little as Brett Lee (47 not out) and Nathan Hauritz (65 not out) put on an unbeaten 117 partnership.

There is only so much you can learn on the first day of a tour match, but from Australia’s perspective they will know their front line bataman will need some more work before being ready for the opening test match in Cardiff in under two weeks.

Hughes who has been the number one batsman in the County Championship this season, failed early in the innings as he was bowled by Pepler Sandri, who made a name for himself taking three Australian scalps on the first day.

The South African born was a thorn in the Aussies side all day, and he also took the prized wicket of the well set Katich and then Marcus North, who after scoring just a single must be sweating over his test place.

But the real stars of the day were the Australian lower order, and in particular Haddin, who after a controversial year seems to have found some form just at the right time.

Many would agree that he has had one of the more difficult jobs in world cricket-replacing the immortal Adam Gilchrist.

Gilchrist started the trend of the wicket-keeper batsman with his breathtaking hitting and faultless form behind the stumps confirming him as the best keeper since the turn of the century.

Haddin had worked under Gilchrist for a number of years, learning the trade slowly and eventually after Gilchrist’s retirement taking the place of the New South Wales born keeper.

He started well in his career, and as his part in the side became more permanent his form then followed, and soon his debut test match century came against New Zealand late last year.

But it was against the Kiwi’s this year that Haddin had his first hiccup in international cricket, and one that has changed the opinion of him across the cricketing world.

During the first one-day international between Australia and New Zealand a ball by Clark beat batsman Neil Broom for pace and appeared to hit the top of off-stump, and be immediately caught by Haddin behind the stumps.

Nothing was made of the dismissal until a replay was seen following the ‘wicket’, where is showed Haddin knock the bails with his glove without the ball hitting the stumps at all.

He took the ball from in front of the stumps and wheeled away to celebrate with bowler Clark, without calling back Broom to admit his dreadful error.

The act sparked a fury of exchanges between Daniel Vettori and Ricky Ponting, and hurt the reputation of the wicket-keeper.

Haddin showed today however that everything gone before was forgotten, and looked the top class player Gilchrist had helped nurture, with some classic on-drives and three sublime sixes.

Whether he will truly be able to get past the incident in Perth earlier this year is hard to say at this stage, but he gave his reputation with the bat a huge boost ahead of the biggest two months of his career.

A quick word should be spared for Hauritz who made 65 today, at an extremely quick rate off 78 balls no less.

A man who has been more suited to the one-day aspect of the game has been called into this touring squad after playing just four test matches for the Aussies.

He’s started his tour with a bang with the bat-now lets see how him and the rest of the fierce bowling attack get along with Michael Yardy and Luke Wright set to be the biggest threats for the visitors, on the second day at Hove.

England's Ashes Squad- The Bowling Plan

So three quarters of the training squad is down and here goes trying to piece together the remaining men who are in line to attempt to regain The Ashes.

Six batsman, an all-rounder and two wicket keepers make up 9 of the sixteen-man squad, and it’s the men instilled with taking 20 wickets during each test match this summer that remain.

You may wonder why seven men are left aside for the bowlers on this occasion, well that is simply because of the possibility that two spinners may play throughout the series, so three may well make their way onto this training squad.

It’s been rumoured that England will field two spinners in the opening test match at Cardiff, and if so there could be a major role for any of Monty Panesar, Graeme Swann or Adil Rashid.

Panesar in truth is probably the least likely to take the field in that first test in Cardiff-due to his recent form, which resulted in him being dropped during the away series in the West Indies, and his omission from the two-match series against the same country last month.

He’s been accused of having one stock delivery, and not putting enough action on the ball to really impress on the big stage.

Now while most of these accusations could well be true-it doesn’t take away from Panesar his brilliant debut performance against the Aussies, where he took 5 for 92 on the first day of the third test after a host of calls for his inclusion ahead of Ashley Giles.

What will always let Panesar down is his contribution in the field and with the bat, something that you can never lay at the feet of Swann, who gives England a added dimension with the ball and allows the tail to wag as far down as seven or eight.

Swann took five wickets in just his second test match, adding to the 19 he took on the tour of the West Indies to fully lay his mark on the team.

Ever since he’s been an ever present in every England team whether it be one-day international of Twenty20 matches he is a vital player for the England cause.

The third spinner in contention for a call up is Rashid, and after an encouraging Twenty20 World Cup this man could well feature for the test team this summer.

He was called up to the series against India, only to be overlooked when it came to selection but even then the selectors had signalled their intentions.

He was selected alongside Swann in most of the Twenty20 World Cup matches and was one of the rare highlights from the tournament, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the two combine to similar success against Australia.

Yes he is yet to make a test match appearance to date, but due to the nature of Panesar’s form it would be foolish not to select a third spinner to accompany the two experienced men, if nothing else it would be a great experience for the 21 year-old.

For me all three men have to be selected, if England are serious about selecting two spinners for the first test they need to give each one an equal chance.

Even at this early stage I would be tempted to go with Rashid and Swann, given the raw talent that Rahid possess he could give the Aussies some real problems.

So with three spinners in the squad, we need to look at the fast bowlers and England’s problem position in the test team.

As I’ve said before James Anderson and Stuart Broad are sure starters for the first test and therefore inclusion in this squad.

That leave two more spaces preferably, even with Andrew Flintoff around, with plenty of seamers queuing up for selection for this summer.

Steve Harmison (Durham)
Pros: His career highlight came against the Aussies during their last tour when he took the final wicket at Edgbaston in the middle of a dream series for the Durham man. He has the bounce and height to trouble any batsman in world cricket
Cons: A dramatic loss of form was summed up by the last Ashes series in which he bowled a hideous wide as the first ball of the series. Since then he has barely re-captured the form that saw him a one time ranked as the world’s number one fast bowler, his form for his county has improved, only for him to be overshadowed by another England seamer.

Graham Onions (Durham)
Pros: Took 10 wickets in his first two test matches on home soil against the West Indies, including five for 38 on debut. He was the first player to reach 50 first class wicket this season, ahead of team-mate Harmison.
Cons: His experience is very limited, just the two home tests against the West Indies and nothing more. With no One-day or Twenty20 experience this is his first venture into the international set up, and despite his brilliant start there are still doubters against his pedigree.

Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire)
Pros: In just 21 matches Sidebottom has taken no less than five 5-wicket hauls already in his career against a variety of nations. In the six matches he played against New Zealand this year he took 41 wickets, including 7 for 47 in Napier. He produces demon swing, which famously bamboozles the Aussies and he could be the catalyst for another thrilling Ashes summer.
Cons: Injuries in the recent months have halted his progress, and allowed the likes of Onions to go maybe even ahead of him in the pecking order. It shouldn’t be forgotten what he brings to the team, and that before his injury he was first choice in the test team.

Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)
Pros: Over 200 wickets in first class cricket for Yorkshire brought him to the attention of the England selectors earlier this year, with the seamer making his debut against the West Indies in the two test matches in May
Cons: While it was expected that he would make a bit impact in the side, he was almost not needed in the side with plenty of the wickets going to the first change bowlers of Broad and Onions, before Bresnan could even get in on the act. He took just three wickets in the series, and he begged the question what would he add to the England pace attack? Not enough it seemed to bowl more than 31 overs in two matches against the West Indies. It seems that Bresnan’s fate may well have been sealed with Onions superb form in that opening match.

As with Michael Vaughan, Harmison has been attempting to recapture form after a series of injuries and it seems just like Vaughan his summer may not go further than his home county.

The strike bowler has always looked off colour when given an opportunity back in the test team, and now England have developed there own match winning bowlers in Anderson and Broad.

For me Onions hasn’t put a foot wrong for either his county or Country, and he deserves at least a call up to the squad, if not a start in a test or two along the way.

Sidebottom seems to have done enough to assure himself an Ashes place, but it looks like a straight fight between him and Onions for a starting place in the team, that’s if the selectors resist with the twin spin option.

So there you have it, near enough the sixteen-man squad due to be announced tomorrow has been accumulated.

They are as follows: Andrew Strauss, Alistair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell, Andrew Flintoff, Matt Prior, James Foster, Monty Panesar, Graeme Swann, Adil Rashid, Ryan Sidebottom, Stuart Broad, Graham Onions and James Anderson.

Now I don’t profess that this will be the exact squad that will be announced, but it will be near enough to that that will fight for the Ashes this summer against Australia.

England's Ashes Squad- Prior's Understudy

So after selecting a credible list of batsman, and with the addition of Andrew Flintoff England’s possible Ashes squad looks in good shape.

The next stage is to add a wicket keeper, for which Matt Prior has occupied the position for sometime in the side.

However for this England squad, in what is set to be a long summer a second keeper could be needed if nothing else to keep Prior on his toes.

England are blessed with a number of up and coming keepers, for which there skills are currently being displayed in this years county championship, and here are the contenders;

James Foster (Essex)
Pros: Stared behind the stumps for England in the recent Twenty20 World Cup with some quick work with the gloves. Has previous experience against Australia after appearing in Melbourne for the side before injury began a seven-year run without an International appearance.
Cons: His last test match appearance came seven years ago, so he’s hardly got a whole lot of experience under his belt. His in-ability to score with the bat for his country will be a concern as well. He struggled to pick up the run-rate during the recent world cup, but as he would appear mostly as an understudy keeping him in the set up has its advantages.

Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire)
Pros: Was at one time the first choice keeper for England until bad form struck the teams progress, and Ambrose was a victim of a re-vamp. His ability with the gloves has never been called into question, with 31 dismissals in 11 matches to his name, but other areas of his game might mean he’ll miss out in this squad.
Cons: Just the single century when playing against the likes of New Zealand and the West Indies, two of the weaker test playing nations is not favourable and with the current mindset instilled in the England selectors, who are more likely to pick multi-skilled keepers Ambrose always looks like he might miss out. However he is the most experienced keeper remaining, and if Prior was to become injured at any point his previous performances might stand him in good stead.

Steven Davies (Worcestershire)
Pros: The most prized asset in County Cricket right now, and a certain England player of the future. He’s currently subject of bid by Surrey after the player made it known he wished to move on in his career. His two hundreds in County Cricket already show his true potential.
Cons: Selectors have made mistakes calling up the likes of Foster and Chris Read too early in their careers and both have since struggled. They will be wary about doing the same with Davies. He may be given more time in County Cricket for now, but be sure to listen out for this impressive keeper-batsman.

All three contenders are at different stages of their career, and in terms of a realistic call up only Foster and Ambrose are looking towards Monday’s squad announcement.

For me the England team need a new breed of players, and picking Ambrose in this squad for me would be the easy way out.

Foster had such a good time of it during this year’s World Cup that it could be hard to leave him out, and I’ve always been a fan of keeping a core of players throughout every England squad.

It’s a tough call for me, but I’d give Foster the edge, if nothing else because I believe he’s the better wicket-keeper and maybe that above all other factors is the important issue when talking about Prior’s number two.

England's Ashes Squad-Is Freddy Ready?

Andrew Flintoff’s profile in this countries sporting dynasty draws plenty of parallels with British sportsman of past and present.

His ability to pick up injury after injury is very similar to that of Jonny Wilkinson, the man who was consumed with the media spotlight after winning the Rugby World Cup with a single swing of his right boot.

He’s even been able to fall of the wagon now and again, an unfortunate incident involving a pedalo during the 2007 World Cup similar to any of the escapes of footballer Paul Gascoigne.

But maybe the thing that holds him above either of those is that after every hiccup that has been confronted by the bruising Lancashire man, his commitment and desire is unmatchable every time.

Wilkinson has never recovered fully from a series of knee and shoulder injuries since that triumph in 2003, while Gascoigne’s broken leg in the 1991 FA Cup final, signalled the beginning of the end for the talented individual.

Flintoff however has never known when to stop, and while controversies and mainly injuries have threatened to consume him he still comes out fighting.

Maybe his drive is simply down to the fact an achievement like staring in a World Cup tournament has never presented itself to him, although a match winning performance during the last Ashes Series, particularly at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge is surely close to such a feat.

It’s this drive and determination that is unrivalled by any English Cricketer means that despite his lack of time with bat and ball he is a shoe in for the England team this summer.

Shane Warne, who has previously been guilty to a ridiculous predictions down the years, described Flintoff’s inclusion in this year’s series as the difference between and Englands ability to regain The Ashes.

Despite his sometimes-ambitious predictions of yesteryear, never has a truer word been spoken from the sun-creamed lips of the legendry spinner.

Without Flintoff England seem at time hapless, and that’s why any attempt to call up a replacement has been abolished to the disgruntlement of Dimi Mascarenhas and Graham Napier.

The latter two are now heavily involved in England’s one-day side alongside Flintoff (when fit), but the almost unique contribution that Flintoff brings to the side means that neither can be considered to replace the iconic all-rounder.

I for one have no doubt he’ll be around for that first test at Cardiff, and for the rest of the series, it will take a massive injury to keep Flintoff out.

He’ll want to prove a point after a 5-0 drubbing as captain in the last series in Australia, and can you blame him?

Flintoff’s reputation as a player took a massive knock after that series defeat, as it seemed the England man had finally bitten off more than he could chew.

This year he’ll be at ease with his bowling, which has as ever-slotted right back into place, and know that after a 54 against Hampshire this week he’s starting to gain some form with the bat.

If Warne is right and Flintoff does become the difference you can be assured that 110% will be given by the former Sports Personality of the Year, even if his fitness levels aren’t quiet at the same stage.

England Ashes Squad-Batting

After England’s exit from the Twenty20 World Cup coach Andy Flower was quick to turn the teams attention to this summers Ashes series.

He revealed that a squad of up to 16 players would be selected to be involved in training days with the squad up until that first test in Cardiff.

This training squad is set to be revealed on Monday, with players sure to be left elated as well as disappointed at the decision.

As with every squad you have your shoe ins and your outsiders, and over the next few days we’re going to evaluate the four areas of the team and who will make it into that final 16.

For all intense and purposes we can count out Andrew Strauss, Alistair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad and James Anderson as they all look like certainties for that Ashes squad.

They’ve been the backbone of the test side for sometime now, and it’s extremely difficult to see any of them being left out of Monday’s squad announcement.

So you can tick those seven off your list, and look ahead to trying to fill those coverted nine places.

Today we’re going to look at the run scoring department, and with four recognised batsman already in the squad, we’re looking for just two more to fill the list.

I’ve drawn up some of the candidates already, and with your help we’re going to try and shape this England squad, that could guide us to similar scenes we encountered in 2005.

Ravi Bopara (Essex)
Pros: Well three hundreds in 6 matches tell it’s own story. He may well have solved the role of number three for the national team and after an impressive Twenty20 World Cup he is well in the running for a call up this summer.
Cons: Well his first series against Sri Lanka hardly struck fear into the world as he record three ducks in six innings. And his centuries have all come against the same side, the West Indies one of the weakest test playing nations around. His experience against the hostile Aussies is almost non-existent, with jus the two ODI played against the men from down under, and his success limited.

Owais Shah (Middlessex)
Pros: Made an impressive 88 on his debut match in India and a second half-century followed on the tour to the West Indies earlier this year.
Cons: Having played the same amount of matches as closest rival Bopara and not made a century to date puts him in deep trouble of usurping the Essex man. His average over those six matches is also pitiful, and it is hard to see why he was ever stuck with in the England side. He might make the squad just to fill the numbers, but never a realistic number three.

Ian Bell (Warwickshire)
Pros: Unlike his competitors Bell has plenty of experience against the Aussies, having played in each of the last 10 matches against their Ashes rivals. He has a highest score of 87, one short of Shah highest career score and has played 40 more matches than either Bopara or Shah. He has 10 career centuries to his name at a credible average of over 40. Since his omission from the test team his response with the bat has been awesome, averaging 85.25 the perfect response from the Warwickshire man.
Cons: Despite his 10 matches against the Aussies he was targeted from ball one as a weak link in the England side, he made a pair in the first test match, and followed it up with a pair of 3’s in the next. Whether he’s still part of the selectors plans or not is still up for debate, but have the rest done enough to keep him out or not if a different story.

Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire)
Pros: Probably the most successful batsman against Australia since the turn of the century. Four of his 18 career centuries have come against the Aussies, three of which came in 2003 during the tour down under. His average against Australia is higher than his career average of 41.44, and of course he led the England side to a 2-1 series win over this years opponents in 2005.
Cons: After a succession of knee injuries that kept him out of the series in 2007 a return to form hasn’t been as swift as the former skipper would have liked. After giving up the captaincy last year he hasn’t turned out for the side as the younger group of England players take over the side. And after the debacle of Kevin Petersen’s captaincy, would another former captain in the side destroy the team’s chemistry?

Special mentions should go to the likes of James Hildreth, Rob Key and Mark Ramprakash whose early season form has suggested a possible call up to this most illustrious of squads, but maybe their progress is slightly too late to make an impact on this squad.

All four have an excellent chance of making the squad and that first test in Cardiff.

But you can’t help but feel that Shah has missed his chance at three, and that the man holding onto the jersey in Bopara will keep it until at least the first test.

When your looking at the two experienced men, Vaughan just hasn’t had the time at the crease that the selectors would have liked, certainly not enough to warrant selection.

So for me the raw talent of Bopara and the experience and class of Bell would be a good way to complete the batting line-up.

Tomorrow I’ll be covering the all-rounder position and analysing whether Andrew Flintoff’s injury hit season could get in the way of his Ashes ambitions.