Ashes T1 Day1: Honours Even On A Good First Day's Play

The day witnessed a typical Test upheaval and an intriguing opening day’s game at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff for the first Ashes Test between Australia and England.
After the rather somber lunch, England found their able crisis men doing the job, in that Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood added an identical ninety-three runs (same as the first session) in the session between lunch and tea without losing any further wickets. Their individual Test half centuries only added to the further stability for the hosts while it was generally considered the Australians were missing a quality spinner such as Shane Warne. The session’s honours were clearly with England after the duo’s performance.
But from 194 for three, England suffered a couple of awkward hiccups. Pietersen was reduced to sixty-four and out after a rather dubious shot selection against Nathan Hauritz and Collingwood played a similar innings only to be cut abruptly, giving Ben Hilfenhaus his second wicket. England appeared wobbly again at five down for 251 with twenty overs still left in the day’s play. But wicket keeper Matt Prior forged an eighty-six run partnership with Andrew Flintoff and it appeared the duo would steer England into day two.
Flintoff perhaps became a little ambitious, a loose shot seeing him bowled by Peter Siddle. Prior scored his own Test half century, a well deserved one, before Siddle picked him for his second scalp and England had only added two runs since Flintoff’s dismissal. From seven down for 329, England batted their way to 336 with no further loss with James Anderson and Stuart Broad at the crease.
While Australia and Ricky Ponting will feel they did a good job even as England tried to break free with a couple of partnerships, England will take heart from the fact that after the first session, they refused to be shoved into a shell but rather kept playing positively right through the day. That can be seen in the fact that while Australia picked up four wickets in the final session, England also scored their most runs in a session in the session after tea, 142 runs.
Another intriguing day awaits.

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