Blimey - Day Five at Brisbane

I’ve been watching test cricket for over thirty years. In that time, I’ve maintained a level of optimism that is suggestive of mental illness, but I’ve also had my share of ‘I was there’ moments, from Gooch’s triple century against India to Trott and Broad’s partnership against Pakistan. None of this, however, prepared me for waking up in the small hours of the morning and finding that England were declaring on 517-1.

Yes, it was a flat pitch and, yes, Australia’s heads dropped alarmingly, but even so it feels like a misprint. England aren’t the first side in test history to score over five hundred for the loss of just one wicket, but to do so in the first test of an Ashes series in Brisbane almost defies description. They were helped by some negative field settings early on, especially when Cook edged through a vacant third slip for four, by some pretty poor catching and fielding and by bowling that the Sydney Daily Telegraph described as ‘Shoddyline’, but nothing should detract from Alastair Cook’s performance in particular. Before the series started he was most people’s favourite for the axe, now he has over three hundred runs for once out and a record score at the Gabba. As for Trott, these things are becoming commonplace: this is the second consecutive test in which he has shared in a partnership of more than three hundred.

Momentum is an overrated concept, as the 2009 series told us, but there is no doubt which team will be happier as they travel to Adelaide. Mitchell Johnson, who averages almost forty with the ball and ten with the bat in a forgettable 2010, must surely be on his way out, but there will also be concerns about Hilfenhaus, who will surely improve, and Doherty, who may not. Having finished this test on the back foot after posting a first innings lead of over two hundred, Adelaide now takes on a psychological significance for Australia, especially as a defeat would mean that they would have to win two out of the last three tests. Dealing with pressure hasn’t always been their strength of late – we will find out a great deal about their character over the next few days.