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Jimmy Anderson’s deadly swing and Graeme Swann’s world-renowned off-breaks have bowled England to a position of early dominance in the Second Ashes Test here in Adelaide. Anderson’s opening spell reduced the Australian batting line-up to a hurried mess, as they lost 3/2 in the opening stages of an unbelievable first hour.
From ball one, Anderson had the Kookaburra on a string, swinging it more than Tiger Woods on a good day (however you’d like to work that). So much for the theory that the English quicks couldn’t make the Kookaburra dance like the Duke.
Anderson, who finished the Australian innings with the superb figures of 4/51 from 19 overs, firstly removed Ricky Ponting with a perfect outswinging delivery that drew Ponting in with its length, and Ponting could then only watch as the ball took a big edge and finished in the hands of Swann at second slip.
Then, just to prove he could do it again, he did it again, dismissing Michael Clarke almost identically. The ball to Clarke moved slightly later than did Ponting’s dismissal, but still left Clarke playing the same waft-drive that brought the captain undone.
Shortly after, Anderson and England referred a very big LBW appeal upstairs, after it was originally turned down. Though trapping Shane Watson right in front, the projection would show the ball missing the bails and the decision stood.
When Anderson dropped a sharp caught-and-bowled chance off Mike Hussey before he’d got going, you really had the impression that Anderson was going to have quite the day.
And quite the day he had. After lunch, he drew Watson into an errant swipe outside off, which also took a thick edge and headed to the hands of Kevin Pietersen in the gully.
Just as Watson and Hussey had survived, and even thrived, in the period after the carnage, Anderson forced Australia right back into their crease.
After his exceptional bowling displays in Brisbane went largely unrewarded, where the lanky Steve Finn finished with the numbers, this was finally a case of Anderson getting his just deserts. The plaudits coming his way today are thoroughly well deserved too, for he has clearly been the dominant bowler of the series so far.
Post match, he spoke of just having more experience and being a better all-round bowler than the Jimmy Anderson who came to Australia in 2006/07, and that his current form is more a matter of keeping things simple.
Anderson also said that while he felt he had bowled well in Brisbane with nothing to show for it, he had put it all behind him and figured there was no point getting down about it. Obviously it worked, because he picked up here in Adelaide exactly where he left off at the ‘Gabba. Damn near unplayable.
For Swann, yesterday was more about perseverance than it was about dominance. Where in Brisbane he tended to bowl a touch short, especially to Hussey, yesterday he was much fuller. This in turn meant that Hussey mainly played Swann by leaving his crease, and his ability to turn full balls into low full tosses meant that Hussey maintained the upper hand.
However, Swann would ultimately get his man, and on 93, Hussey pushed forward only to have the ball take his edge and Paul Collingwood happily accepted the catch at slip.
Swann then trapped the recalled Ryan Harris in front with the very next ball and the umpire’s now-skyward finger meant that once again Australia had lost two wickets in two deliveries.
But we weren’t done yet, and Harris immediately referred the decision up to the review system, so confident he was that he’d got bat on it first. Though there were two noises apparent, unfortunately for Harris, Hotspot would prove inconclusive. Different angles seemed to show contradictory evidence, and the decision would ultimately stand.
Xavier Doherty would survive the hat-trick ball, but by now Swann was back to his buoyant, bouncing best. He would shortly after have an unsuccessful LBW review against Brad Haddin, and showed in those last overs of Australia’s innings that he’ll still have a big role to play in The Ashes this summer.
Doherty himself should have taken heart with the amount of turn Swann was able to extract from one of the better batting decks in the country.
For Australia, yesterday is, like the last two days in Brisbane were, probably best forgotten. This will be infinitely easier for the team than it will be for supporters, but the sooner everyone moves on, the better. Cricket is a funny game, and there will be days like this in Test Matches.
To harp on why this player played that stupid shot fails to give credit to England’s dominance with the ball anyway.
But Australia needs to utilise exactly the same conditions this morning as did Anderson and co yesterday. Harris and Doug Bollinger were brought into the side to add spark and anything else that was missing in Brisbane.
The time to do that is first ball this morning. The rest of the series, and indeed, the relocation of The Ashes depends on it.