its gone high

right toward that beautiful blue sky – odonnell

early on nothing for england to hold on to. harmison is a very different kind of animal. he brings the game alive but this life anticipates width with a cruel humour – harmy flies into the outer reaches of ridicule. its kinda sad to watch. he has the ability and the limbs to throw everything back into those cruel laughing faces, if only he can regain control of those arms those long bones. today his width seemed infectious. england bowled poorly all morning.

slowly, overtime, they clawed their way back into some sort of distinction. thanks to concerted work by flintoff and hoggard there were glimmers of an england that could be competitive at some point in the series. by the end of his long long days in the field even harmison was at least improving.

things became very frivolous when warne came to the crease, a nice relief after the intensity of pontings effort. australia have learnt how to modulate innings. when they got their chance to bowl they (as always in the old days when we used to hold the ashes) gave england a lesson in how to bowl.

mcgraths 2 openers in 2 balls was a highly emotionally charged little period. after months out of the game at janes side, after the speculation as to whether he could ever get back, and playing in quite possibly his last test series in australia… the sentimentality in those 2 deliveries was huge.

warney bowled the flipper first up and it had kp fooled for a moment. love his frivolity. love the way he disseminates information. cracks and pointed gags.