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Did Australia lose the match in the space of three balls and two moments of incompetence? Should Australia have taken the second new ball so quickly?
How good was Watson’s bowling?
How important was Bell’s innings? Can the Aussie bowlers match the reverse swing gained by the English? Is Pattinson lacking rhythm?
A shocking umpiring decision then a dropped catch
With England sporting a healthy lead of 236 and four wickets in hand, Australia were in dire need of a quick kill.
But in the space of three deliveries, their hopes of snatching an unexpected victory faded amid a cloud of incompetence.
Umpire Aleem Dar should prioritise an appointment with an optometrist after inexplicably failing to notice Stuart Broad’s hefty edge off the bowling of Agar.
The ball deflected off Broad’s bat and then Haddin’s gloves before ending in the paws of first slip who lofted the ball into the air in celebration.
The edge was so blatant that the Aussies scarcely appealed, instead converging in rapturous delight at the apparent crucial breakthrough.
The fielding side were gobsmacked when Broad cheekily stood his ground and Dar kept his arms by his side. It continued a run of confounding umpiring in the match.
Still reeling from one of the worst decisions by an umpire in recent Test history, the Australian side were crestfallen when just two balls later keeper Brad Haddin turfed a straightforward catch.
Ian Bell had edged a full delivery from Siddle low to the right of Haddin, who got his hand to it but fumbled what was an elementary chance for a gloveman. Just how significant will those three deliveries prove to be?
Should Australia have taken the second new ball so quickly?
England were in bother at five for 176, with the run rate just a touch more than two an over and the old ball reverse swinging generously.
Fresh to the crease was Matt Prior, a fierce strokemaker who delights in the ball coming on to the bat. An old, swinging cherry and a docile pitch were a solid recipe for containing the swashbuckler.
Yet just three overs after Prior came to the middle, Michael Clarke decided to take the new ball. Prior promptly struck three boundaries in quick succession and Australia’s grip on the match loosened.
Prior threw away his innings on 31 with a poorly executed pull shot but Bell prospered against the harder ball, as did number eight batsman Stuart Broad. Clarke may look back on his decision with regret.
Watson shows his value with the ball
When Australia selected an attack which, excluding Peter Siddle, boasted a collective 19 Tests of experience, it became patently clear Shane Watson would have to prove his worth with the ball.
Australia possessed enough firepower in its frontline attack but required a staunch fifth bowler to ease the pressure on the rookies and allow the quicks to go for the throat in short bursts.
Utilising the stump-to-stump method which has proven fruitful throughout his First Class career, Watson was shown great respect by the English batsmen who recognised his capacity for making pivotal breakthroughs.
Despite going wicketless so far in the Test, he has conceded just 18 runs from his 19 overs, which have included an astounding 13 maidens.
Watson will be a priceless change bowler for skipper Michael Clarke throughout the series if, of course, he manages to make sufficient runs at the top of the order to stay in the side.
A defining innings for Bell
Ian Bell seems intent on erasing his history of Ashes pain. Bullied by a phenomenal Australia attack in the 2005 and 2006-07 series, Bell used those experiences as fuel to become a valued veteran of the English side.
But he entered this series with his position in the team far from secure on the back of an uninspiring 18 months of performances in Test cricket.
He has now ensured that any debate about his position in the English line-up will dissipate following an innings of immense maturity. Bell braved first a tricky stint of reverse swing by the Aussie bowlers and then a new ball assault.
His efforts have all but guaranteed that England will begin the series in triumphant fashion, and that his humiliation at the hands of McGrath and Warne are an even more distant memory.
Can the Aussie bowlers match England’s reverse swing?
The Australians have often watched with envy as English bowlers have gained reverse swing from early in a Test innings, knowing their quicks were incapable of similar mastery of the old ball.
This imbalance between the pace attacks was a decisive factor in England’s home victories in 2005 and 2009.
After James Anderson hooped the old ball around to devastating effect on day two of this Test, it appeared history was being repeated.
But yesterday the Australian paceman showed signs they too are able to make the old ball swerve in an unorthodox fashion. Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Shane Watson all got the ball to swing towards its shiny side, particularly during the second session.
That quartet are still well shy of James Anderson’s skill with the old ball but have shown encouraging signs they can pose questions to England’s batsmen once the ball loses its lustre.
Pattinson lacking rhythm
Pattinson was viewed by many pundits, including yours truly, as the Aussie fast bowler most likely to skittle England.
The fiery Victorian has been Australia’s most incisive quick the past 18 months, unsettling batsmen with his vigour and searing pace.
In the 2011-12 Aussie summer he intimidated the Indian batsman while reaching speeds of up to 153kmh. On the subcontinent earlier this year, Pattinson again proved a handful for the Indians as he consistently delivered the ball at, or close to, 150kmh.
Yet so far this series the robust paceman has rarely exceeded 140kmh and operated mainly in the mid-130s. Rather than bowling within himself, Pattinson appears to be without rhythm.
Getting the ball to dip late back into Ian Bell and Jonny Bairstow, Pattinson impressed with the old ball in the second session yesterday.
But minus his trademark ability to hurry batsman in their strokes, he still fell short of his menacing best.
Ryan Harris or Jackson Bird could find themselves jostling for Pattinson’s spot come the second Test.