Australia hold strong after day 1
Again, another day of tense cricket has passed as Australia finish at stumps sitting on 4/209.
England winning the toss and electing to bowl was a fairly odd decision, to say the least, considering the flatness of the pitch. Well, things did not get any better for England as they bowled exceptionally poor from the start of the first session. Despite being economical to some extent, the Australian openers where looking unchallenged. However, much like the nature of test cricket, luck can play a huge part in the shift of momentum. Which is certainly what happened after tea. The loss of communication between the openers saw Bancroft being stranded at the non-striker's end leaving Australia at 1/33.
The introduction of Usman Khawaja certainly got Australia back on track. His fluent and graceful play allowed him to answer his critics to some extent and stamp his authority. The dismissal of David Warner only leads to more headaches for the English bowlers. England simply had no answers for Steve Smith who looked unstoppable and stubborn at the crease. It was great to see that the players were getting stuck into each other. I think this is a part of cricket that demonstrates how much the level of competition means to them and it creates brilliant theatre for the game of cricket.
Australia cruised to the drinks break leaving England with plenty to think about their poor tactics and intent. But as it is known, "England come alive at night", and that was certainly shown as Usman Khawaja fell very softly for a classy 53. Moreover, Craig Overton announced himself on the world stage by taking the wicket of Steve Smith for 40.
With Australia sitting at 4/161, it seemed that with a loss of another wicket, the scales would tip towards England. But, the resistance of Shaun Marsh (20*) and the unorthodox nature of Peter Handscomb (36*) saw Australia through to stumps at 4/209.
At this stage, I see Australia in a decent position given that they do not lose an early wicket tomorrow, to go on and post a total over 350. On that note, I believe that 350 is around par considering the nature of the pitch and the rapidness of the outfield. However, what the scorecards have shown, is that the pink ball on that pitch is making it harder for batsmen to settle. Thus showing why players have been getting starts and not going on to compile a big score.
Therefore, if Australia can post a score of over 350 runs they have given their bowlers a very decent target to bowl at and restrict England. In saying that, England need to be aggressive in the first session tomorrow. They must not come out with a defensive mindset like they did early on day 1. The loss of one or two wickets early tomorrow could see Australia all out under 300, which would certainly see the game balance towards England. I predict that Australia will go on to post a score of around 350 tomorrow and have a chance with the ball late in the last session of the day.
Let's hope for another enthralling day of test cricket on day two at Adelaide.
England winning the toss and electing to bowl was a fairly odd decision, to say the least, considering the flatness of the pitch. Well, things did not get any better for England as they bowled exceptionally poor from the start of the first session. Despite being economical to some extent, the Australian openers where looking unchallenged. However, much like the nature of test cricket, luck can play a huge part in the shift of momentum. Which is certainly what happened after tea. The loss of communication between the openers saw Bancroft being stranded at the non-striker's end leaving Australia at 1/33.The introduction of Usman Khawaja certainly got Australia back on track. His fluent and graceful play allowed him to answer his critics to some extent and stamp his authority. The dismissal of David Warner only leads to more headaches for the English bowlers. England simply had no answers for Steve Smith who looked unstoppable and stubborn at the crease. It was great to see that the players were getting stuck into each other. I think this is a part of cricket that demonstrates how much the level of competition means to them and it creates brilliant theatre for the game of cricket.
Australia cruised to the drinks break leaving England with plenty to think about their poor tactics and intent. But as it is known, "England come alive at night", and that was certainly shown as Usman Khawaja fell very softly for a classy 53. Moreover, Craig Overton announced himself on the world stage by taking the wicket of Steve Smith for 40.
With Australia sitting at 4/161, it seemed that with a loss of another wicket, the scales would tip towards England. But, the resistance of Shaun Marsh (20*) and the unorthodox nature of Peter Handscomb (36*) saw Australia through to stumps at 4/209.
At this stage, I see Australia in a decent position given that they do not lose an early wicket tomorrow, to go on and post a total over 350. On that note, I believe that 350 is around par considering the nature of the pitch and the rapidness of the outfield. However, what the scorecards have shown, is that the pink ball on that pitch is making it harder for batsmen to settle. Thus showing why players have been getting starts and not going on to compile a big score.
Therefore, if Australia can post a score of over 350 runs they have given their bowlers a very decent target to bowl at and restrict England. In saying that, England need to be aggressive in the first session tomorrow. They must not come out with a defensive mindset like they did early on day 1. The loss of one or two wickets early tomorrow could see Australia all out under 300, which would certainly see the game balance towards England. I predict that Australia will go on to post a score of around 350 tomorrow and have a chance with the ball late in the last session of the day.Let's hope for another enthralling day of test cricket on day two at Adelaide.
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