1st Ashes Test Finally Over | Inside Story

After all the hype and build up, the 1st Ashes Test is finally over. And what a 1st Test it was!

Day 1
Finally the 1st Test was upon us and we won the toss and decided to bat. We were very happy to have won the toss, the wicket looked good and we played two spinners as we thought the pitch may deteriorate.

It was a nervy 1st day from both teams and we finished the day on 336 for 7 and I was not out overnight having been sent in, in what is becoming my familiar position of night-watchman!

Day 2
We were eventually bowled out for 435 with me and Graeme Swann putting on a 68 run partnership for the 9th wicket. We thought we were a few runs short of a good 1st innings score but thought if we could bowl well we had a good chance of bowling them out for less.

But they dominated with the bat and we didn’t bowl as well as we can. They finished the day 249 for 1 with Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting both not out 100.

Day 3
Another tough day for the bowlers. We bowled better than the previous day but they stuck to their task well and finished the day on 479 for 5 giving them a lead of 44 runs. I managed to get two wickets with the second new ball but apart from that the batsmen dominated again.

Day 4
Australia’s batsmen yet again put us under pressure. They piled on the runs and finally declared on 674 for 6 with hundreds for Marcus North and Brad Haddin. That left us a tricky seven overs before Tea which saw us lose two wickets leaving us on 22 for 2. Rain then came in and washed out the rest of the day, so no night-watchman duty for me!

Day 5
What a day this turned out to be! I don’t think anyone thought we were going to see out the day especially when we were 102 for 5 at Lunch and 169 for 7 at Tea. It took an enormous effort by Paul Collingwood, who batted for 344 minutes and faced 245 balls for 75 runs. There was great help for him along the way from Fred, Broady and Swanny but when Colly was eventually out it was up to me and Monty to try and bat for the last twelve overs or forty minutes.

If I’m being honest I think when Colly got out I was unsure as to whether we could bat for that length of time. Monty played and missed at his first ball but from then on he played as well as I have seen him play. There was some talk in the dressing room after of him being a cross between Brian Lara and Yuvraj Singh! You can make up your own mind on that!

We chatted a lot in between overs on what to do and how long was left. We were always encouraging each other, saying ‘We can do this’, whether we actually believed it or not. When they brought Marcus North on to bowl, who is a part-time bowler, we then really believed we could save the game. And we did!

The atmosphere was electric for last few overs and then when Ponting came to shake my hand to call it a draw, the crowd erupted. They had been great all game and I think all the players are happy we salvaged something for them as well as us.

So, after not playing at anywhere near our best, we managed to hold on for a draw. This means we go in to the Lord’s test on Thursday with the series level which is a big boost for us considering the position we were in at Cardiff.

We have two days now to practice hard and work out the areas we need to improve for Thursday.