Australia 126-1 v England
Australia recovered from another disrupted start to an Edgbaston Ashes clash and enjoyed their best start of the series during a rain-hit opening day to the third npower Test.
Four years on from the turning point of the 2005 Ashes series, when Glenn McGrath turned his ankle stepping on a ball during the warm-up, the tourists suffered an even more unsettling start on their return to Birmingham.
It began with opener Phillip Hughes leaking the news he had been dropped when his manager posted the news on his Twitter account several hours before the scheduled start of play.
They also lost wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who suffered a suspected broken left ring finger during the warm-up and had to ask the permission of England’s management and match referee Jeff Crowe to replace him with reserve Graham Manou after the toss had been made.
But having suffered such a troublesome build-up to the Test, Australia responded aggressively to reach 126 for one by the close of an opening day truncated to 30 overs by rain with makeshift opener Shane Watson hitting an unbeaten 62.
The success of Watson, who had never previously batted higher than number six for Australia in a Test match, solved an immediate problem at the top of the order as Hughes battles to overcome his weakness against the short ball.
Prolific during a short spell with Middlesex at the start of the summer, 20-year-old Hughes was expected to be one of the main threats to England’s hopes of regaining the Ashes until Steve Harmison exposed his frailty against short-pitched bowling for the Lions.
Forced to wait for his unexpected chance by rain delaying the start until 5pm, Watson was given an immediate opportunity by captain Ricky Ponting winning the toss and deciding to bat first after winning the toss.
Ponting’s decision was in stark contrast to his bold choice to bowl first four years ago despite the loss of McGrath and watched England score over 400 runs on the opening day.
This time it was Australia’s batsman taking advantage of good batting conditions to hit 22 fours by the close as England struggled to find the right line and length to cause problems.
Clearly nervous as he walked out to bat in front of a hostile and packed Edgbaston crowd, Watson was happy to curb his inclination to play aggressively and approach the start of his innings conservatively.
But from the moment James Anderson provided him with a wide delivery to claim his first boundary with a cover drive in the fifth over, Watson remained intent on punishing any loose deliveries from England’s attack.
That was particularly true of Durham seamer Graham Onions, preferred to Harmison for the second Test running despite Shane Warne’s prediction he would be “smashed around the park”.
Onions’ arrival in the attack was greeted by successive boundaries.
Simon Katich was equally positive and also hit Stuart Broad for two boundaries in his first over of the day. Those aggressive shots helped Australia celebrate their best opening stand of the series – overhauling the 60 added by Katich and Hughes during the opening npower Test in Cardiff – and halted any momentum England had gained in winning their first Lord’s Ashes Test since 1934.
It took the introduction of off-spinner Graeme Swann in the 19th over of the day as a replacement for Onions to finally halt the 85-run opening stand.
Katich had already been given one reprieve on five when Anderson had a strong lbw appeal rejected by umpire Aleem Dar and Swann almost struck with his second ball when Watson, who was also given the benefit of the doubt attempting to sweep.
But with the final ball of his first over Swann dismissed Katich four short of his half-century when he missed an attempted pull.
