Australia vs England - First Test - Day 4

So clearly Day 4 belonged to England. You get the vibe that Australia are going to feel hard done by if England salvage a draw out of this. (England could yet win this Test). Anyway, should Australia feel that way?

Day 1, clearly Australia's. Day 4, clearly England's. Day 3, you'd have to say Australia's. Day 2, arguably England's when you consider Australia were 5 for 140! So 2 days each. Apart from a Hat Trick and a record breaking partnership Australia have offered little more.

Deep into a 300 run partnership, England in the field looked far more up beat and positive than the Aussies did today, with 1 for 300 on the board. There are signs of more belief in the England side under pressure than the Aussie's. They stayed positive and were enjoying their cricket even though the game was clearly slipping on Day 3. That will be important of 5 long hot Test Matches.

Australia need to stitch up a win here. Of course they still can, but surely a draw is now odds on. That's how the series started in '09 as well. Worrying signs now. But surely there are twists to come.

Surely too, Mitchell Johnson is now well and truly in the barrel. He has looked completely ineffectual. He made a duck, and dropped an important catch. From a distance he looks like a bit of a sook. A "front runner" that is not the man to dig deep and turn things around for his side. When things are good, sure, throw him the ball. But the intestinal  fortitude is missing. It all looks too hard for him at the moment. The bowling needs a freshening up. Who?  Has to be Bollinger at the moment I guess but I'd love to see big Stark in Perth!