Yes, that actually happened. You weren’t dreaming. Nor was it a hallucination brought on by a surfeit of egg-nog and brandy butter. We really did bowl out Australia for 98 – their lowest total against us since 1967.
If you add in our flawless reply with the bat, today’s play was the perfect Christmas present for all us England supporters whose morale dropped after Perth. There is still, of course, a long way to go – and we have to bat last on a pitch whose bounce is expected to become increasingly variable – but now is the moment for optimism, not reality checks.
What can’t be denied is how ridiculously unpredictable this series has become. Who would possibly have forecast today’s events, no matter how plausible an England fightback seemed? God knows what will happen next.
That said, there are two plus points for England which are hard to dispute, whatever tomorrow brings. Firstly, the Australians’ psychological filip from Perth has evaporated, and they are back under the pump. Secondly, the pressure is now resoundly back on their batsmen, not ours. We’ve dismissed them cheaply now in the first innings of three of the four tests – their batting confidence is low, and the individuals are playing for their places.
Today was our best bowling performance of the tour – and wasn’t it refreshing to see all three seamers pitch it up for once, and find the perfect length for this pitch. Another highlight was watching Super Mitch lose his mojo just as quickly as he found it at Perth. 0-42 off 7 overs, and a duck. The big question is – is it gone for good, or just taking a break till tomorrow.
There are clearly more twists and turns ahead in this test match, and don’t expect everything to go our way. But wouldn’t it be lovely to still be batting by close of play? The more scoreboard pressure we can build, the better.
Thoughts?
