Day five at the Adelaide Oval

Former England player Mike Gatting has fond memories on his travels to Australia, not least the 2-1 win they claimed over Allan Border's side during the 1986-87 tour. The burly England skipper, infamously known for being Shane Warne's first Test victim, is the latest England captain to have left Australia with the little urn.

Andrew Strauss is in danger of repeating this feat following their demolition of an Australian side devoid of organisation, incisiveness and confidence as they suffered their heaviest defeat to England since 'Gatters' career highlight 24 years ago.

It took less than an hour-and-a-half for England to banish the memories of Adelaide in 2006, Graeme Swann (5-91) claiming his tenth five-wicket haul in 25 Tests by bowling Peter Siddle (6) through the gate. It is England's biggest victory over Australia since Bill Lawry's side capitulated to lose by an innings and 81 runs at Sydney in 1965.

Now many fans would have been waiting for the inevitable England collapse that is standard procedure on every Ashes tour in recent times, but for some reason or another this team has some fight in it. Ranked fourth in the world Test rankings, the chasm in class that was on show underlined England's vast improvements in all departments.

You simply could not take anything away from England, it was the perfect game. With the benefit of hindsight, waking up to an England collapse on an Ashes Tour Down Under was almost a formality, so much so that anything other than a heavy beating would make any supporter choke on their toast.

Stuart Broad suffering a severe abdominal injury was the only downside to this scintillating performance. It will leave the 24-old-old unable to take any further part on the tour.

In their last two innings England have scored 1,137 runs for the loss of only six wickets, that in itself tells the story of how the Baggy green's bowling attack lacked depth, precision, consistency, I could go on but for the life of me I will run out of superlatives.

Pure and simply they looked ordinary, maybe that is because we have been exposed to the dazzling performances of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden, and many more who gave every nation they came up against a schooling in cricket. We were almost expecting a continuing trend that failed to materialise, and this has brought Cricket Australia back to earth.

To follow on from such national heroes was always going to be difficult for Australia's new front-line attack, but fans all across the country will be turning in dismay, waiting and hoping that order can be restored. Shane Watson averaging 48, and Michael Hussey averaging 113.3 are the only two players who have shown real fight for the hosts' in this series.

England's top four now have top scores of 110 (Strauss), 235 not out (Cook), 135 not out (Trott) and 227 (Pietersen), a statistic that will leave England fans happily dumbfounded. So 1-0 it is, and with Perth next I think England can afford plenty of optimism.

Day four at the Adelaide Oval

After singing Kevin Pietersen's (227) praises for much of yesterday, he again proved to England why he is such an asset to the team. As a player he is undoubtedly talented, but his influence on the field has been a far greater gift, a talisman by name and nature.

Despite only adding 14 to his overnight score before falling to victim off a slog-sweep off Xavier Doherty (1-158), KP made his highest ever international score, beating his previous best of 226. Receiving a warm round of applause from all corners of the ground on his departure, the 30-year-old has hit form just when needed, leaving Ricky Ponting in a dire frame of mind.

Two scores of 158 and now a 227 will tell you that Pietersen is settling into a good trend against the Baggy Green. At the Oval in 2005 he saved England's second innings, seeing them home to the draw they craved when defeat seemed inevitable. The other was at this very ground four years ago, but as we all know, England imploded spectacularly.

Ian Bell (68 not out) continued his rich vein of form while Matt Prior (27 not out) survived a pair by the skin of his teeth before entering one-day mode to pile the misery on the Aussie bowlers. So 375 runs separated the respective first-innings' totals, an interesting reminder of the gulf in class for this match.

Simon Katich (43), suffering from an Achilles injury, finally faced his first ball after four days of waiting, but was unable to provide any serious heroics. Ponting (9) became the outstanding Graeme Swann's second victim to round off a poor Test for the captain.

Shane Watson (57) once again failed to convert a gritty half-century into something more substantial, nicking Steven Finn to Andrew Strauss. With his new status as a 'walking wicket' weighing him down, Michael Clarke (80) produced a stirring knock to keep his critics at bay.

You could not have written a script for this series, and another day ended in curious fashion, part-time spinner Pietersen providing the perfect end to the perfect day by taking the wicket of Clarke with the final ball as the sun sank behind the stands. With confidence soaring, a jubilant Pietersen claimed, "I'm an all-rounder now".

Steady Kev, keep that ego in check, on second thought it could be the first time an international side has beaten the Aussies in their own backyard by an innings since 1993. Maybe we can afford a little excitement.

Day three at the Adelaide Oval

I'm beginning to run out of superlatives to describe how well England are playing, while at the same time struggling to describe how badly the host's game is falling apart. The bowling has been disciplined and well balanced while the batting has been nothing short of mesmerising.

It has given England fans renewed confidence in their team having been the whipping boys for Australia during the host's golden era. To have scored 517-1 in the first Test, only to continue that trend by reaching 551-4 at the end of the third day of the following Test will have many English fans curiously, but happily scratching their heads.

Another breathtaking innings from Alastair Cook (148) was emulated by a man who had not scored a century in 16 Tests since March 2009. Kevin Pietersen (213 not out) ended the day as the hero, displaying the kind of swagger and confidence that took him to his current status within the England setup.

Off the legs he was sumptuous, his cover drives were precise, and his pull shot was lethal, dispatching everything Ricky Ponting had to offer to the boundary. Aided beautifully by Paul Collingwood (42) and the in-form Ian Bell (41 not out), Pietersen went about his work in devastating fashion.

A recent trip to South Africa to play for province side Kwa-Zulu Natal has seemingly brought renewed vigour into the 30-year-olds game, working closely with former coach and close friend Graham Ford to eradicate the cracks within his game.

On a bowling note, Graeme Swann will be licking his lips at the sight of the growing rough patches appearing on the wicket. Part-time spinner Marcus North found tremendous spin that surprised many, and with Xavier Doherty struggling to find his stride, Nottinghamshire's Swann could well be the key player in the business-end of the game.

The question is how long will England bat before putting Australia in? Taking 10 wickets on a pitch as flat as this will not be easy, and Ricky Ponting will not need telling twice how important their second innings will be.

Day two at the Adelaide Oval

In 1928 Wally Hammond, only 25-years-old had the Test series that defined his career. On the tour of Australia, the Kent-born batsman averaged 113.12 after scoring 905 runs, including four centuries.

England won the series comfortably 4-1, with Hammond almost doubling the total amount of runs scored by Australian Jack Ryder lying behind him. It remains one of the strongest performances by an English team in Australia.

Alastair 'the chef' Cook (136 not out) is in danger of outgunning one of England's greats, having made 438 runs in three innings. He has scored with an air of confidence far beyond his years, refusing to give the host's any glimmer of hope as England began to turn the screw against a misfiring bowling attack.

Ryan Harris, a replacement for the out-of-sorts Mitchell Johnson, was the only man who made the tourists work for their runs, conceding only 51 runs in 19 overs. Doug Bollinger, Peter Siddle and Shane Watson felt the brunt of England's top-order, consistently failing to find a good line and length.

The less said about Xavier Doherty the better; the Tasmanian living up to his first-class bowling average of 48.10 with a series of short deliveries that offered the batsmen enough time to have played the shot twice. But we must praise the brutal display by Andy Flower's team, Jonathan Trott (78) riding his luck but retaining his good form, before Kevin Pietersen (85 not out) finally arrived at the crease after waiting a total of 574 minutes with his pads on following the unbroken 329 partnership between Cook and Trott at the Gabba.

Cook produced a scintillating combination of drives and cuts that England batting coach Graham Gooch will be swooning over. Form such as this defines a series, and when you realise that Hammond was 25 when he put the Baggy Green to the sword on the 1928-29 tour, Cook, of the same age, now has an opportunity to match if not better him.

Now 72 runs ahead with eight wickets in hand, England have Ricky Ponting's men in the palm of their hand. To top it off, Essex-man Cook overtook Nasser Hussain at the top of the charts for an Englishman unbeaten at the crease by a mere 60 seconds, reaching 1,022 minutes at the close of play.

Day one at the Adelaide Oval

England have rarely enjoyed success in Australia in recent tours, but the Adelaide Oval in particular has given the the English nightmares. The last three attempts at leaving the city with anything other than defeat saw them disappointed.

The latest will have hit the team and the fans the hardest, falling to a six-wicket loss having posted 551-6 in their first innings. The demons of the past need to be put to rest, and what England would give for stalwart Paul Collingwood to notch another big innings after scoring 206 here in 2006.

The incredible comeback at the Gabba in Brisbane was a perfect advertisement for Test cricket, taking each team to the brink before settling on a draw. There was everything from record scores to hat-tricks, so could the second Test emulate this? It didn't get off to a bad start if your an England supporter.

Simon Katich (0) departed without facing a ball following good work by Jonathan Trott at mid-wicket, Ricky Ponting (0) recorded only his fifth golden duck in his career after nicking through to Graeme Swann off the consistent James Anderson. The Lancastrian picked up the walking-wicket of Michael Clarke (2) whose inconsistency shone through in his brief spell.

Marcus North (26) stuck around for a painstaking 93 balls while the ever-present Mike Hussey (93) rode his luck to torment England's bowlers once again. A long tail does not want to be called upon in the first afternoon, particularly when the side have only made 207 before Ryan Harris strolled to the crease.

A pitiful 245 was all that Ponting and co could muster, and England must now seek to eradicate the poor Adelaide history to replace dampened memories with a morale-boosting win. Time for the batsmen to follow up an excellent start by the bowlers.

Day four and five at the Gabba

Defiance is a term England batsman are unfamiliar with, year after year we see them attempt to recover from dire situations only to implode with consummate ease. Andrew Strauss (110), Alastair Cook (235 n.o.) and Jonathan Trott (135 n.o.) took this record and tore it up to rewrite Ashes history.

The tourists' seem more acquired to falling like Italian striker's who have had their knee grazed, yet they stood taller than the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai. When everyone doubted the man they dub 'the Chef', he has put all of his critics, including myself, to bed.

The trio broke a total of ten records including Cook reaching his top first-class score, achieving the highest ever partnership (329) by two batsman (Cook and Trott) at the Gabba, while the Essex batsman also claimed the highest score in a Test match after he passed Sir Don Bradman's 226.

But 517-1 is a score that I recommend that you print off and frame, for it is one that will struggle to be replicated for the foreseeable future. Strauss appeared in a different nous by showing a vast array of attacking strokes, Cook showed maturity beyond his years, and Trott reached his fourth ton for England after gaining starts on plenty of occasions.

There were some comical drops in the field, most notable Mitchell Johnson when Strauss was on 69, and Michael Clarke when Trott was on 75. Two catches that you would not expect to see in international cricket, but it summed up the body language from a miserable Aussie side.

Only part-time bowler Marcus North claimed a wicket on wicket showing so many cracks in it that you could probably lose a lifetime's worth of keys down them. Mitchell Johnson will be called into question, a wretched run of form was epitomised by his 0-170 in this Test.

Doug 'the rug' Bollinger was brought into the 13-man squad for Adelaide along with Ryan Harris, but there will be serious doubts that either team can claim 20 wickets in a match after only 11 were claimed by the respective sides. Two partnerships of over 300 underlined how much of a batting paradise these pitches are proving to be, and both captains' will need to identify bowling line-ups that they believe have the ability to wreck their opponents chances.

Simon Katich's (4) failure summed up a sorry last few days for Ricky Ponting and co, but now they have time to regroup, but also prepare for the barrage of criticism the bowling line-up will take for being as ineffective as it was.

So the Adelaide Oval is the next port-of-call, much like Brisbane, I'm expecting a high-scoring encounter. Until then, let me leave you with the fact that England's trio of heroes are the first to all achieve centuries for the nation in a single innings since 1924, when a certain Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe opened the batting.

Day three at the Gabba

When England first boarded the plane at Heathrow on the 29 October, fans, pundits and former players were saying this was the best chance in 24 years that they had at achieving mission impossible, winning the Ashes in the Baggy Green's backyard.

It's not every day that Ricky Ponting's side go into a series as underdogs, but with several first team players misfiring, and an initial 17-man squad selected, no-one was questioning it.

Yet day three at a sun-drenched Gabba saw the Aussies bring their opponents back down to earth with thump. Mike Hussey (195), who scored an confidence-boosting knock of 118 for Western Australia against Victoria eight days ago, recaptured this form is sublime fashion.

When Australia lost Marcus North yesterday at 143-5, the match was walking a tightrope and could have fallen either way. As it was, over the course of the third day the Aussies not only passed England's mediocre score, they almost doubled it.

Now England skipper Strauss should hang his head in shame for a good part of what took place in the second session today. Clearly frustrated at the lack of wickets coming their way, a series of negative field placements to dry up the run flow coming from Hussey and Brad Haddin (136) will have driven several England fans in the UK to bed.

A defining moment, amidst the endless boundaries ebbing from Hussey and Haddin, the latter lashed at a wide delivery from Steven Finn after passing his century that would have gone straight down second slip's throat. An anguished look upon Strauss's face said it all, outstretched on the deck having been the closest to the ball, the skipper knew that desperate times had caused him to remove all remaining slip catchers.

Aside from Haddin gaining reprieves through dropped catches from Paul Collingwood and Alastair Cook, the former catching him later in the day, Australia batted with delightful craftsmanship and superb intelligence. They deserve to be in the position they have put themselves in, as despite a spirited performance by debutant Steven Finn who took 6-125, the day belonged to the hosts.

A tale of two men has given this game a plot, and now Strauss and co must give the story another twist in order to avoid going one down. The memories of Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad's partnership of 332 against Pakistan, or James Anderson and Monty Panesar against Australia at Cardiff in 2009, need to be called upon to recreate what many now say would be a miracle.

The saying is, 'form comes and goes, but the talent is always there', and if England are going to wade out of this mire, it is crucial they perform with the bat. To end the day unscathed after 15 pivotal overs was the perfect start, but the job is long from finished, and they will need to bat for at least the next four sessions if they are to get any kind of result in this game.

It is clear that the hosts' were not too fond of the underdog tag, and while Hussey and Haddin prepare to dismantle England once again, Strauss will be pondering what they have done to find themselves on the end of a potential drubbing. Chapter four, ready when you are.