Pakistan vs Australia Second Test Day One

A man with much to scowl about

My first “over” of observations on each day of this Test.

Ball One – It’s long been a bit of an obsession of mine that bowlers, especially opening bowlers, do not bowl at the stumps as often as they should. In England, and this is more the case at Headingley than anywhere, the new ball must not be wasted flung down the leg side or simply left outside off stump. Targeting the stumps was just one of the reasons why Glenn McGrath and Curtly Ambrose were so effective in English conditions  – the tactic reached its apotheosis at The Oval in 1976, when Michael Holding delivered one of the greatest performances in Test history, taking 14 wickets of which 11 were LBW or bowled. Mohammad Asif , Mohammad Amir and Umar Gul looked up, saw the clouds and bowled straight – and that was enough to see off the cream of Australian batting.

Ball Two – Possibly a parochial point, but Australia’s last six Tests in England have yielded first innings totals of 215, 263, 445, 160, 253 and 88.  If the  next Ashes series were held in England, such evidence would lead to England being big favourites, for nothing is more important than first innings runs, but in Australia things will be different… won’t they?

Ball Three – Despite being rated Number 3 in the world, Mitchell Johnson does not have a stock ball – he’s pretty much a mix of wicket-taking deliveries and four-balls. Ben Hilfenhaus, after some exemplary performances in England, couldn’t bowl to a plan at the start of Pakistan’s innings and a swing bowler without a plan is a danger to his own team. Dougie Bollinger was predictably admirable, but with only the handy seam-up of Shane Watson and the tyro spinner, Steven Smith to call upon for variation, Punter’s attack looks a little unbalanced. Peter Siddle will be available for selection soon, but unless he replaces MJ (which seems unlikely) Punter may still be short of options come The Ashes.

Ball Four – I guess that Australia must have had worse days in Tests, but I can’t recall one. It’s not just the scorecard, but the Australian body language (by which the likes of Stephen Waugh set great store) has been poor and, always a mark of a bad day, but Australia’s extra count is currently 21 from a total of 131/1. That’s the sign of a side ill at ease.

Ball Five – Is this day of disciplined bowling and batting the start of a new dawn under Salman Butt? Of course such judgements are formed over years rather than days, but there are precedents of captains picked young who shape their teams into their image. Salman Butt is not yet Graeme Smith, nor Hansie Cronje, but there’s just a twinkling of hope that he might be.

Ball Six – Test cricket is as unpredictable as it has ever been – and it’s all the better for it.