howardj said:
Pretty disappointed with the whole day, to be frank.
Firstly, there wasn't much of a contest between bat and ball today. Harmison showed no ticker, as usual; Anderson got treated like a club bowler; and Hoggard never really looked like breaking through. On the flipside, Giles I thought bowled fairly well and Flintoff was very good.
Secondly, I expected singing and chanting from the crowd. It was extremely tame. The whole day just seemed to lack atmosphere - or it certainly didn't have the atmosphere I expected from a full house.
Finally, and most disappointingly, I can't see this series, as least as far as a contest is concerned, reaching any great heights. That's because, on the evidence before me, I certainly can not see how England can take 20 Australian wickets at anything like reasonable value.
The one beacon from today was Ponting. Say what you want about the man or his captaincy, but geez the bloke can bat. Volcano Ponting has been bubbling away since September 12 last year. The lava is just going to spew out over the next six weeks. He's lean and hungry.
My thoughts are essentially the same (crowd observations excepted 'cause I wasn't there). Yesterday affirmed most of my worse fears - that the England bowlers are out of form and may really struggle to control Australia's bats this time around. How well Flintoff bowled was really a surprise, although England really needed someone to knock over 4 or 5 in good time to compete here, and there seems to be something in the wicket for the pacers.
Ponting was absolutely magnificent, outside of the strokemaking it was just an amazing display of concentration. Is his innings still chanceless? I haven't caught much of the first session today. His pulling was really amazing, don't know many players that have ever looked better on that shot than he does. He's showed clear intent to grind the England bowlers under his heel, but has also been so disciplined. Great display.
The Harmison issue is a really tricky one. Yes, he has been very poor, although I think it's a matter of particular spells being abysmal rather than one whole block of abysmal like it's being suggested by some. I know that people (particularly the English) are probably very frustrated by his apparent lack of heart, but I still think he's the bowler (apart from Flintoff) most likely to run through the Aussie lineup in more than one test, and that's IMO why he's considered a critical player - 'cause I think if that doesn't happen, there'll likely be not much of a contest this series, unless Anderson can really lift. I don't expect big things from Hoggard this series, really. Things may get very hairy for Harmison's selection though if England wish to play Panesar with Giles at Adelaide.
Of course, this test is far from over. England cannot win, but a draw is still very much on the cards, depending on how their bats fare. Walking away with a draw having lost the toss I'm sure would be seen as a fairly good result, all things considered.
