England of old would have folded and struggled when left at 2-1 after cook went early on, but not this team. Each batsman simply set off on another patnership with the new batsman, it was a joy to watch.
Australia’s bowlers played very well, bowled in the right areas, got good swing, etc, the difference was that this England batting performance didn’t lose two or three wickets once the Aussies got a breakthrough, they just started all over again.

A special mention though for two of the England bowlers today, Graham Onions and Graeme Swann.
Since the West Indies test matches, I’ve been of the opinion that Onions is the key to any chance of an Ashes victory this summer.
His bowling is dangerous, more by nature than design, he is unpredictable.
Bowling at fast to medium, he gets good swing bringing the batsman out of stance to play at shots and he often manges to swing a ball or two an over back inside. This makes him very difficult to read, if he finds a good line and keeps to it the wickets will come.
His best asset is his slower bowl.
Occasionally, Onions bowls a slower delivery, in itself a tricky proposition for any batsman who has got used to his constant pace attack, but this slower bowl has a twist!
Often when it comes in, his slower bowl finds extra height – very rare for a medium paced bowl – so the batsman is faced with will it swing in or out, will it be fast or medium paced and the best of all, will it stay low or bounce up?

Unpredictablity is a bowler’s best weapon and Graham Onions has it by the bucket load!

A special mention for Graeme Swann.
I love bowlers who can bamboozle a batsman, not neccessarily with sheer pace and agression, but with skill and trickery.
Swann completely destroyed Ricky Ponting today, with an over that had “Class” written all over it!
Ponting is no slouch with the bat, one of the top five run makers of all time, batting for Australia for almost 15 years, formidable would be a fare description of his batting abilities.
Today, Graeme Swann made him look like he was playing his first ever test match.
First, he drew Ponting out by tempting him wide of his leg side, next, he pushed him onto his back foot to block. Next up he got a shorter bowl which turned, then he was drawn out to the off-side to block, before an absolute peach of a delivery which dragged Ponting’s front foot out a good 3 feet across and out of his crease, on his off-side. Ponting played to block it (with fielders close by) but Swann dropped it about a foot shorter, forcing Ponting to play it with a flat bat instead of an angled bat, turning it in the rough, clean through any defence and on to Ponting’s middle stump!
A delivery/over of such quality I haven’t seen for many a year and one that the great Indian spinners and even Shane Warne would have been proud of.

A masterful piece of bowling, totally controlling the batsman, not just any batsman, but Ricky Ponting no less.
Will it continue? That’s the big question!