Australia v England - 1st Test, Day 2

Tea - after Australia marginally won the first session of the day, England stormed back into the game with a strong performance that converted the pressure their bowlers where able to bring to bear on the Australians. Ponting, Katich, Clarke and North were all sent back as the Englishmen continued to keep the ball on good lines and apart from Swann's first three overs overs of the day, they also bowled an immaculate length. Watson had departed before lunch, apparently more intent of chatting Anderson than keeping him out and played a poor shot to snick to Strauss. Along with lbw, allowing himself to get involved in verbals with bowlers is a weakness for the big, blonde pin up boy.

Ponting was falling to the off when he flicked at a ball which would have been well down the leg side from Anderson and provided Prior with the catch only two balls after the lunch break. It was a loss of concentration by Ponting, something that is more prevalent in his game than when he was a focused, murderous younger tyro. Only three overs later, Katich somehow managed to scoop a catch for the uba tall Finn to take an athletic catch low down in his follow through. The ball didn't swing or dip, the wicket didn't hold up and Katich didn't appear to suffer a fatal crisis in decision making which will sometimes lead to these things. If he were a Pakistani, we might be smelling rats. Regardless, it was smart catch for a big man.

Hussey snicked an early ball from Finn to a point just short of Swann at 2nd slip and the shock at this near thing surfaced in a blaze of shots against the fieldsman when he came on to replace Broad. For the rest of the session he pounced on short balls and sent them to mid wicket and backward point with both power and precision. He hardly looked like a player who was just surviving in the team and a lot more like the old pro he is. The attack he mounted on Swann signaled an intent to refuse to allow the offie dominance and it worked for a while. At the other end, Michael Clarke seemed totally out of sorts. He played and missed at least ten times to anyone Strauss sent into the battle and was struck on the head as Broad mounted a fabulous spell across the middle of the session. His tangle with Swann, much anticipated as an Ashes highlight this summer was only warming up when after 80 minutes, he swished at a short ball from Finn passing over and outside off stump and nibbled it to Prior. His was a most unconvincing innings and he was probably out much early when technology failed to convict him. North came and went for yet another sub 10 total, fixing his bat beside his pad before a Swann off break arrived and then letting the edge go to Collingwood at slip.

Haddin timed one of those wonderful straight drives he plays to get underway and Hussey sent another pull to mid wicket and another gripping session ended.

I'm a great believer that winning Test matches is about concentrating on each session and your performance over those two hours. Win the most sessions and you'll win the match. By my reckoning Australia won one yesterday and the other two were shared. I'd give Australia the first session today, marginally and England the second with comfort. By that maths Australia is one session ahead but that's not far enough to leave the TV screen yet!

Rain/Stumps - this session was another one right from the Test cricket text book and dripped with tension as Hussey and Haddin batted with great application and added 52 in the 90 minutes before rain and light curtailed play. Just as the second new ball was about to start whistling down, the rain tuned up instead giving justification for the umpires pausing play two minutes earlier for light. Strauss and his team mates were visibly unhappy at the light decision but in their defence, with the big lights fully illuminated, they couldn't have seen the darkness of the cloud bringing the rain. Mind you, given the game situation, ten overs with a red cherry would have been desireable even to bowlers who had worked hard.

To those who doubted the changed nature of this England side after yesterday's last session collapse against Siddle, the application of Anderson, Broad and Finn to the task of keeping the Australian under pressure was admirable. Australia scored at 2.67 runs per over today in losing five wickets a very solid indication that they also worked hard. It is this refusal to collapse under pressure that gives England its enhanced reputation and it could be seen in the batting of Bell yesterday. This summer really does look to be one of the most competitive seasons of Test cricket cricket followers have seen for decades. Even Swann, collared early by first Katich and then Hussey, with 0-34 from his first four overs, stayed the course. The next sixteen cost him only 25 for an income of North's wicket.

England were vocal in the field and just the right mix of intensity and comradare. No matter whether the camera caught individuals or groups, the Musketeer code seemed evident. Strauss captained well and was unlucky to lose at least one of his referrals, when Clarke looked out regardless of how the technology whisered in thrid umpire Paul Riffel's ear. He changed his men about well and didn't panic when Hussey took after his prized possession - rather he swapped ideas with Swann and made subtle changes, encouraging the off spinner to resolve this assault.

He did.

Michael Hussey's batting looked four years younger. Back was the purpose, the intense focus and the controlled aggression as he smote the ball to mid wicket and past point with almost laser guided accuracy. Was past his fifty, we finally saw hs confidence so high he unleashed that beautiful off drive and the Mr Cricket was batting in capitals again. Nice blokes, apparently, can win.

Australia's session. After six sessions, they have three of them and three have been shared. Seems a triffle unfair for an England who have been so highly competitive in all but one of them so far. All this and more tomorrow!

Click on the CA symbol for a video summary of the day.