It had to happen at some point in this series. Someone was going to win the toss, bat, and not collapse. Like old style test cricket.
At the previous four venues the side batting first had endured a string of collapses. Strauss went to the third ball of the series. Australia were 2-3 at Adelaide, 69-5 at Perth and 98 all out by tea at the MCG.
But at Sydney, on a green tinged pitch under overcast skies, Clarke won a toss he was desperate to lose and confidently announced that Australia would bat.
What followed was a morning session of delicious intensity. Tremlett especially and Anderson intermittently beat the prodding bats of Watson and Hughes. Edges didn’t carry. Watson left expertly on length and Hughes drove with panache if at all times looking too much like Clayton Lambert to be believable as a test match opener.
Strauss even gave Swann an extended spell before lunch in his desperation to take a wicket in what felt like favourable bowling conditions.
So attritional was the cricket that Australia’s opening stand, when it finally ended to the last ball before lunch, was their slowest completed opening partnership of 55 or more runs by balls faced since records began. It was, without the slightest hint of irony, thrilling test match cricket.
It ended, however, in mundane fashion as Hughes hung his bat out to dry and was easily taken by Collingwood at 3rd slip.
At last it meant the arrival of Khawaja. And we weren’t disappointed. Within two balls he’d flicked a ball off his legs in the manner of Graham Thorpe and pulled a ball beautifully for four in the manner again of Graham Thorpe. He’s the first Australian Graham Thorpe impersonator to play for Australia.
Suddenly the whole tempo of the innings was raised, assisted by shorter, ill directed bowling from the England seamers. Watson, who had never scored 19 as slowly as he had before lunch, began to follow Khawaja’s lead and for the first time batting looked easy.
But Collingwood, of all people, stemmed the flow, Strauss took out his slips and once more the innings stagnated.
It’s normal for Watson to reach fifty before playing an ill advised waft that hints at a lapse in concentration. But not today. His 45 looked assured, gritty and the stuff of an opening batsman. The problem is that suddenly and without warning, Watson finds a way to get out. Bresnan was the delighted recipient and soon after the rain came.
To our surprise, and slight disappointment as an early finish was just the ticket for the Sofa crew after the excesses of New Year, the players returned. The pitch was if anything greener, the skies more gloomy and conditions perfect for England seamers.
But on a day when nothing was quite what it seemed, the ball failed to move in the air or off the seam.
It did, however, move quite wonderfully off the bat of Clarke into the hands of Pietersen in the gully and the much maligned stand in skipper was on his way for a forgettable four from 21 balls.
Khawaja continued to impress but the introduction of Swann as rain clouds gathered did for the debutant as he played a half hearted sweep and top edged to Trott at square leg.
It had been the innings of the day from Ponting’s replacement. Apart from an occasionally stiff front leg he looked the part and you had to wonder what possessed the Australian selectors to pick Smith ahead of him at Perth and Melbourne. Whatever filth he bowls in the nets can’t be so much worse than Smith’s so called leg spin. And he can certainly bat.
But he’s young. And this Australian team needs to magic a ready made Steve Waugh or Damian Martyn from the ether. Because once more it’s down to Hussey, Haddin and the tail to rescue the innings.
Maybe Clarke should have been bold and stuck the English in. But to do that would be to challenge Ponting’s authority; to be staking a claim for the top job.
Cricket Australia doesn’t know, or hasn’t told the players yet, what Ponting’s future is either as captain or player in this test side. And until it has, Clarke will only be captain by proxy.
Meanwhile Strauss and England, for the most part under par today, simply wait to reap the dividends.