Clarke on a Hot Tin Roof - Day Four at Adelaide

With the resistance of Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey coupled with the weather forecast, Australia will sleep a little more easily tonight than on any of the previous three days, although the fall of Clarke to what turned out to be the last ball of the day and the prospect of a wearing pitch may cause more twitches than they would like.

After Ian Bell and Matt Prior had further hastened the end of Xavier Doherty’s test career, for surely not even a match saving hundred can save him now, this was a real test of character for an Australian batting line-up for whom the first innings at Brisbane seemed a long time ago. Watson and Katich got off to a flyer, aided by James Anderson’s desire to bowl miracle balls rather than simply concentrating on good areas (he needs to talk to Monty Panesar), but gradually became becalmed against good England bowling, hampered to an extent by Katich’s immobility. The pitch hadn’t completely fallen apart, but there was certainly enough there to keep the bowlers interested and the openers did well to make it through to lunch.

Not long after the interval, things were looking less promising. First Katich feathered to Prior and then Ponting, the ball after a glorious slog sweep, prodded tentatively to slip, his feet an ungainly mess, leaving the out of form Michael Clarke under more pressure than he would have liked.

Clarke, probably Australia’s best player in 2009, has looked horribly out of form of late, both here and in India, and responded by looking to bat positively. His footwork to Swann could easily have been described as reckless had it not worked, and the close fielders were certainly kept interested, but he played with real character. Having lost Watson, who once again squandered a start with a hard handed edge to slip, he and Hussey, who is batting as though the previous eighteen months haven’t happened, almost took Australia to the close three down. It was rather surprising that Kevin Pietersen in the end produced the ball to dismiss him, but somehow inevitable given the match that Pietersen has had. As returns to form go it’s been pretty impressive.

England lacked some of the inspiration of the first day and also lost Broad to an injury, but their out cricket remains excellent and the bowlers were well supported on a hot day. They will certainly feel that they are a couple of wickets away from being able to wrap the match up since it is difficult to imagine Australia’s tail hanging around for long, but for the first time in a few days their opponents have shown the sort of character and skill to suggest that the series is not yet a done deal.