The Ashes: Cook and Trott Batter Australia

So the first Test of the 2010/11 Ashes series is over. It ended in a tame draw that many predicted at the start of the fifth day. The finish to this game did not do justice to the first few days of the contest, which ebbed and flowed and made for some very exciting cricket.

England resumed the final day 88 runs ahead. There was still scope for an England collapse which could hand Australia the game. From the first ball of the day, this never looked like a possibility. Cook and Trott continued where they left off by accumulating their runs with consummate ease. There was the odd lapse in concentration, most notably from Trott as he edged to Michael Clarke at slip. However the simple chance was spilled and Trott continued merrily on his way. By the end of the first session Cook had brought up his maiden double-century and Trott had completed his 4th Test hundred.

The ease with which the England batsmen scored their runs on a fifth day pitch (albeit a very flat pitch) was striking. None of Australia’s bowlers seemed to trouble either Cook or Trott. Mitchell Johnson struggled the most as he was treated like a medium-pacer by the England batsmen. He seems to have lost all his confidence, his attitude in the field was poor (as evidenced by his dropping of Andrew Strauss) and his batting has gone downhill dramatically. There is no way Australia can continue to pick him. He has been branded as Australia’s attack leader but in my opinion Ben Hilfenhaus has taken over this mantle. He has been their most threatening bowler throughout the Test.

Australia have hinted at a change in personnel by adding Bollinger and Harris to their squad for the next Test. I think Hilfenhaus and Siddle are safe from the axe. However Mitchell Johnson’s spot is surely up for grabs, Dougie Bollinger would be a shoo-in if I was an Australian selector. He has been their best bowler in their last 10 Tests. The other spot which could be under scrutiny is the spinner’s slot. Xavier Doherty carried next to no threat during the Test, even on a turning Day 5 pitch. Marcus North picked up the solitary wicket in England’s second innings and was arguably their best bowler, getting through nearly 20 overs at a touch more than 2 runs an over. Australia might choose to play an extra batsman and use North as their spinner, or they might replace Doherty (and Johnson possibly) with Bollinger and/or Harris. This would add some extra beef to their attack but it would be very risky going in with the part-timer Marcus North as their lead spinner. It will be interesting to see which team make-up they will go for.

Now we come to Alastair Cook and Jonathon Trott. They were simply brilliant during their marathon partnership. Breaking a whole host of records along the way. They batted with supreme authority, they scored quickly and played some gorgeous shots (even Cook).

I have never seen Cook bat better this and I have watched the majority of his Test innings. His feet movements were sharp which is a feature of his game that is severely lacking when he is out of form. He drove and cut very well on the off-side, he did not seem vulnerable outside his off-stump. He also played the short ball well, pulling strongly on a number of occasions. He scored more runs in this innings than he did on the entire 2006/07 tour. Hopefully he can use this innings as a springboard for the rest of the series and his career.

If Cook’s innings was a bit of a surprise, Trott scoring his 4th Test hundred was not. He has become a very reliable part of England’s batting line-up and I fully expected him to convert his fifty into a hundred. Like Cook, he accumulated his runs without fuss. There was no Pietersen-esque bravado about his innings, but there never is with Trott. His cover driving was his hallmark, picking the gaps in the off-side field with amazing regularity.

This will have a very positive effect on England’s batsmen (even the ones who didn’t bat). They will feel they have the edge over the Australian attack now and will be confident of racking up some more big runs. I was hoping that Andrew Strauss would not declare today and would instead leave the Aussies out in the field for the whole day. A final score of 650-1 would have demoralised them even further. Although I can understand his decision, the way the pitch was playing England were never going to run through Australia. They were able to recover a little momentum thanks to Ponting’s quick fire half-century.

So 1 down, 4 to go. The series has got off to a good start and the platform is there for a brilliant series. We do not have long to wait until battle re-commences with the next Test starting on Friday. Bring on Adelaide!