Australia v England - 4th Test, Day 1

Lunch - Australia 4-58 (Clarke 12. Tremlett 2-23, Bresnan 1-13, Anderson 1-19)

How confident are this English team? Confident enough that Captain Andrew Strauss can win the toss and bowl for a second consecutive Test, despite losing last week when he sent the Australians in at Perth. Confident enough that despite having the best weapon for bowling last, he'd still rather bowl first. Perhaps the fact that Australia was choosing to play four quicks and would have to bowl last might have also had a bearing.

Regardless, just as in Perth, the English bowlers have done their job, sending back four of the Australians by the time a shower ended the session five minutes earlier than scheduled. The significant difference was that the last of them - a couple of deliveries before the break - was Mike Hussey.

It was a morning which ran at a hectic pace. After only thirteen deliveries, Watson had been dropped twice from Anderson - Collingwood a diving effort low at third slip and Pietersen a dreadful miss in the gully - but the English didn't drop their bundle. Only an over later, Tremlett made a ball get big on Watson and it flew at a gentle lob to Pietersen to recant for his sins in the gully. Ponting a lot of time over getting his innings underway and when the first single came, it was almost at the expense of Hughes, who may have been run out if short leg Cook could throw as well as he bats. Ponting and Hughes had flashes of attack, the former playing two outstanding pull shots to end Anderson's first spell but in the over before drinks, the latter slashed a ill-conceived drive at Bresnan and Pietersen again took the catch. It was a dreadful shot and the very reason why Hughes should not be selected at this level.

Tremlett returned and picked up Ponting with a corker of a deliver. Admittedly, Ponting was again squared up and playing with his blade angled toward the open but he can wear no real blame for being dismissed by such a good delivery.

Clarke entered and played with intent with the always focussed Hussey. England used up both reviews in order to remove the left hander but instead turned up the pressure with tight bowling from Bresnan, Tremlett and then Swann which gave little away except to Clarke whose driving earned him two fours. Ten overs cost only 21 runs and with clouds threatening and lunch only an over away, Anderson was reintroduced and removed Hussey with a fine ball which moved across him and edged into Prior's gloves. Smith walked to the middle of the MCG, faced a ball and then ran off with the rest for a slightly early lunch.

Hussey's will no doubt be prone to indigestion.

England have made the same start they made to the Perth Test, with four Australian's gone by lunch and another four chances gone begging. If they finish the Australians this time - for less than 200 - they could well be on the final leg of their journey to retain the Ashes. With Hussey gone, Strauss will be certain to insist on no second chances.

This Session: England
Sessions This Test: England 1, Australia 0
Sessions This Series: England 19, Australia 13, Shared 5

Tea - Australia 98 (Clarke 20. Tremlett 4-26, Anderson 4-44, Bresnan 2-25)

Inglorious would be an understatement if used to provide a summary of the Australian batting but it would also be unfair to give any indication as to their abject failure which could be attributed to the batting. The truth is, the same truth which has been barely below the surface all series, England were far too good.

In overcast conditions, it was swing and seam which exposed the flaws in Australian technique so used to rock hard pitches and Kookaburra balls that just come straight up and down. As they did in England - in fact, as English seamers have across the whole history of Ashes cricket whenever the games are played in the Old dart - the English moved the ball about and hard hands thrust bats ill-advisedly in the direction of the ball's flight, only to find it had moved half a bat's width away. The revelation has been the ability of Anderson, then Tremlett and now Bresnan to do so in Australia. That achievement owes much to David Saker and Mark Taylor. Saker as the English bowling coach who bought a box of Kookas to training last August and Taylor as the man from Cricket Australia who toured the major grounds during the winter and suggesting more grass be left on the top of our pitches.

Today, in Melbourne, England bowled very, very well and Australia had no answer. Tremlett was superb but then, so was Anderson, who's 31 deliveries either side of the rain/lunch break earned him Hussey, Smith, Clarke and Johnson for 11 runs and turned the Australian innings into a parade of legless men. Yes the wicket seamed a little and yes the ball swung a little but it was the relentless pressure which caused the Australians to spend 43 overs making 98 runs and bleeding wickets all the way.

How good was the bowling? All ten wickets fell to catches behind the stumps and two others were dropped there. That's how good.

Australia won the Centenary Test from a similar position on the first day in 1977 but then, they had Dennis Lillee. From where I sit, all I see are shot ducks.

This Session: England
Sessions This Test: England 2, Australia 0
Sessions This Series: England 20, Australia 13, Shared 5

Stumps - England 0-157 (Strauss 64, Cook 80)

The elongated last session didn't just belong to England, it underlined all the things which England has done so much better than Australia throughout this series, with the exception of the first day in Brisbane and the last three days in Perth. In the morning sessions, England had bowled tight lines and pressured the Australian batsmen. The Australians, in response put their bats in harms way, drawing them like moths to a red, swinging flame and flicking peas to the gleefull English for them to for them to shell. Bats met ball on all sorts of angles and with such hardness and with little regard for danger.

In the afternoon, three quarters of a shocked 80 000 watched as the Australians bowled straight deliveries passed the Strauss and Cook's bored edges as the the English Captain and his heir apparent either showed straight or no bats held with soft hands. Hilfenhaus aside, no Australian bowler swung the ball. Harris and in particular Siddle were earnest honest and gave the best of what they had to the task but even then, they weren't good enough. Johnson was again back to dreadful and not one ball deviated ... the swing is once again gone from his lightning arm.

After 35 overs, the policy of four quicks was in tatters and even Watson could make no difference. Smith was eventually summoned and did his best but on a perfect first day wicket, now baking under the afternoon Melbourne sun.

England have the Ashes and they will achieve their goal of winning in Australia. After today, nothing is more certain.

This Session: England
Sessions This Test: England 3, Australia 0
Sessions This Series: England 21, Australia 13, Shared 5