In contract to the fiery adrenalin packed rush that was the first day at Lords 4 years ago, the first day of this Ashes series, on an odd shaped little ground in Wales was quite sedate.
Mitchell Johnson trundled in at what looked like half pace and tossed down a few gentle overs, to light applause from a polite crowd.
There was no chanting, no Barmy Army, no Harmisson bouncers and little inspiration. Until that is, Mike Hussey chimed in with a blinder in the gully to get the Aussie's started and Peter Siddle pulled the finger out and started bouncing Bopara.
I think it was a great toss for Ricky Ponting to lose yesterday. Starting the tour, together, as a team in the field, let's nerves settle and everyone get rolling together. It also blunts the impact of a fired up England opening bowler with the crowd behind him, and the damage that can do.
Of course thats only a tiny part of the whole deal, but I wasn't sad to see the Aussies take the field at all.
At lunch, I was actually pretty happy, although still willing KP to missing one of those full pitched deliveries and lose his off stump.
So dirnks in that middle session was enough for me...sleep beckoned and England were fighting back.
It turns out they fought back well. 7 for 336 puts them in a position (bowling last) from which they "shouldn't" lose the match. I said awhile back, in a rant about falt wickets and millions of runs being scored, that a good day of Test Cricket should see 7 or 8 wickets, 300-ish runs with some reward for both batman and bowler. On those criteria, we've just seen a great day's cricket. Honours at this stage slightlky with England you'd think. The Aussie top order will have to be the ones to do something about that.
We (Aussies at least) can all remember the last time we turned up to the cricket expecting three quick wickets and then some run making...
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