Shabba at the Gabba

The first test match of the Ashes has drawn, quite literally, to a close and whilst it may not have been the greatest test in history, it was certainly a roller coaster ride and entertaining. England's ability to crawl back from what looked to be certain defeat is a feat that should be remembered for years to come. The number of records broken by the Alastair Cook and his partner, Jonathan Trott, is truly remarkable. Most runs by a batsman in Brisbane surpassing even the great Don Bradman, highest partnership for England in Australia, the first time since 1924 that the top three batsmen have all scored centuries and the list goes on.

Amongst all the records though, it has to be acknowledged that England very nearly lost that test match and if it wasn't for the inspiration of Cook and some pretty lacklustre Australian bowling, the press would be singing a very different tune.

The first day was a real eye-opener for the England batting side. Posting a score of merely 260 proved to not be good enough and would have been a cause for real concern. Peter Siddle's hat-trick demonstrated how vulnerable England could be and the only small consolation was that Ian Bell, who has been injured of late, looked in very fine form. Later in the test it would become obvious that the other Australian bowlers far from hat-trick takers, and even Siddle had difficulty later in the game.

Day two very much belonged to Australia and Mike Hussey in particular. We also saw the worrying sight of Graeme Swann failing to live up to his name as the number two bowler in the world. His failure to threaten the batsmen could be attributed to the condition of the pitch which is true, it most certainly wasn't a spinners pitch in those early stages. However, we have seen Swann use flight as an incredibly powerful weapon in the past, something he didn't do on the second day and instead we were forced to watch him bowl a lot of very short balls which were deservedly smacked away for four by Ricky Ponting.

Day three was very much a similar story. Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin broke the record for the biggest partnership ever at the Gabba, a record that was to stand for a mere two days. The lasting impression was that England would have to bowl a lot better (even though they were unlucky at times) to win the series and that Australia, despite all that has been said, haven't burnt out yet. The final wickets did eventually fall and Steven Finn, who I still think will grow into one of England's finest bowlers, looked in good form.

Days four and five was when we really saw what England can do and what Australia can't. The achievements of the English top three were formidable and set the standard for this series. The success of Cook can also be seen as extra special due to his recent poor form. England went on to pull the game back into their control, and whilst they weren't ever going to win, they stripped the Australians of what very easily could have been their victory.

A few things have become clear in this test match, primarily that it is not going to be easy for England to win this series. Our bowlers have got to adapt to the conditions of Australian pitches, none of the bowlers, English or Australian were good enough, especially in the closing stages when the pitch was falling apart and had plenty of cracks to take advantage of. I pray that the pitches in the coming tests are a little more lively, mainly for entertainment but also because the England bowlers will most probably take advantage of them. The Australian bowlers have not looked threatening enough to trouble the English batsmen, even on a bowlers wicket. Sadly Adelaide is renowned for being flat and in favour of the batsmen. Perhaps there will be more in it for the spinners and we sill see the return of stellar Swann.

I am also becoming increasingly impressed with Australia's opening pair, particularly Shane Watson, who proved that he has talent with both bat and ball in this test, was the pick of the bowlers on the first day before Peter Siddle took off. England will have a lot of work to do to get him and Katich out, but I don't think it is a challenge too far for the likes of Anderson and Broad.

England have the momentum now and have edged their noses in front, leading us into to what should be another great series... if the pitches are as lively as I hope.