England passed a number of batting milestones before declaring at 1-517 on the last day of the First Ashes Test in Brisbane. After being skittled by a Peter Siddle hat-trick on day one and trailing by 221 runs on the first innings, the English batted for over a day and a half while losing only one wicket, raising questions about the Australian bowling attack on flat wickets and taking considerable confidence into the Second Test in Adelaide.
Australia was given a potential 41 overs to bat on the last day with a target of 297 before play was called off early with the total at 1-107. Simon Katich was the only casualty for Australia, caught at first slip off the bowling of Stuart Broad for 4 with Ponting bringing up a half century and Shane Watson reaching 41 before the captains agreed to pull up stumps.
Alastair Cook Man Of The Match First Test Brisbane:
Alastair Cook was named man of the match after he remained not out on 235 at the England close, following on from his 67 in the first innings. With Jonathan Trott, who reached 135 not out, Cook built a partnership of 329 for the second wicket. It was Cook's highest score in Test matches, beating his previous best of 173 against Bangladesh.
In worrying signs for Australia, Marcus North, with his part time off-spinners was the only wicket taker for Australia, dismissing the English captain, Andrew Strauss, for 110 on day four. He finished with the figures of 1-47. Mitchell Johnson returned figures of 0-104 for the England second innings and 0-170 for the match and questions were raised about his spot for the Second Test. At one stage he resorted to bowling short at Jonathan Trott from around the wicket with two men set in the deep behind square leg but speared the ball down the leg-side, giving Brad Haddin no chance to prevent four byes.
Australia Spills Five Chances:
Haddin had a difficult day. In Doherty's 21st over he hit an area of rough on the stumps and when the ball spun prodigiously down the leg side, he was unsighted and unable to prevent four byes off consecutive deliveries. After dropping three catches on day four the Australians grassed two more opportunities. Trott had given a difficult chance to Michael Clarke when he was on 34 on day four. The ball stuck in Clarke's fingertips before bouncing out when he hit the ground.
With Trott on 75 Clarke put down a much more straight forward chance at first slip off the bowling of Shane Watson. The ball came to him at a comfortable height, about waist high to his right hand. Clarke got both hands to the ball but it came straight out. Watson was unlucky again when Cook, on 122, was put down by Ponting, diving to his right one handed from a wide first slip.
On 209 Cook clipped the ball to short mid-wicket off Doherty and the Australian captain claimed a catch. There was little jubilation from the Australian players and Cook stood his ground. Umpire, Aleem Dar, referred the decision to the video referee who concluded there was not sufficient evidence to give Cook out, raising doubt that Ponting had gathered the ball before it touched the ground.
England Sets Batting Records in First Test Brisbane:
Cook and Trott's partnership was only the third time English players have shared a 300 run partnership in Australia. They went on to pass the record for the highest partnership in Australia for England of Jack Hobbs and Wilfred Rhodes of 324 and relegated Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood, who were partners for 300 runs in Adelaide in 2006, to third place on the list of highest partnerships by English players in Australia. It was the second 300 run partnership of the game after Michael Hussey and Brad Haddin's 307 run partnership in the Australian first innings.
Cook became only the fourth English player to score a double century in Tests in Australia following Walter Hammond (who did it three times), Reg Foster and Paul Collingwood. 1-517 was the most runs ever scored by England before the loss of a second wicket and only the second time the first three batsmen in the English batting order had all scored centuries, a feat last achieved in 1938.
Stuart Broad bowled with hostility in the period Australia batted, getting bounce from the placid wicket. Katich was hit on the glove, fending at a ball, before he was dismissed. However, when Finn was introduced to the attack he overdid the short ball, feeding Ponting on his favourite pull shot. Ponting's 50 came off only 40 balls, including 4 fours and a straight six off the bowling of Graeme Swann. Swann created the only other chance for England when, in his first over, Watson (on 17) was dropped at first slip by the usually reliable Collingwood. After tea the Australian batsmen were rarely troubled on the docile pitch.
Scores First Test Australia v England, Brisbane 2010:
England Second Innings 1-517 (Cook 235no, Trott 135no, Strauss 110, North 1-47), Australian Second Innings 1-107 (Ponting 51no, Watson 41no, Broad 1-18.)
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