So here we are at the end of day one after the much anticipated start to The 2009 Ashes Test 2009 at Cardiff and in the eyes of this correspondent, the honours between England and Australia pretty much even.
After fighting the way into a reasonably strong position earlier in the day, England, somewhat lost the plot in the last quarter of the session and gave away two late wickets to put the Aussies back in the match.
The close of play at the inaugural match at Cardiff, England was 336 for seven having won the toss, a solid if not exactly dominating total.
A inauspicious start saw England 90 for three in the opening session but a decent recovery was orchestrated by Kevin Pietersen (69) and Paul Collingwood (64) with a 138-run fourth-wicket partnership both preferring to take the singles on offer rather than the spectaculars which was a sensible choice.
A useful innings added by Andrew Flintoff (37) and Matt Prior (56), before Peter Siddle gave warning of the danger he can present to the home side with a decent spell of fast bowling taking both their wickets with the second new ball.
The first breakthrough of the innings for Australia came off of the bowling of Ben Hilfenhaus when Alastair Cook went for a disappointing 10 runs when he fended a wide delivery to gully. Michael Hussey made a spectacular dive to his right to take the catch.
Siddle first showed his promise but without any early luck, when his pace bowling smacked Ravi Bopara’s helmet guard with one ball and forced him to fend the next delivery perilously close to short-leg.
England’s Captain, Andrew Strauss made 30 before Mitchell Johnson bowled a vicious bouncer which touched Strauss’s glove and went high over the slips for Michael Clarke to take the catch.
Bopara (35) served up a bit of a curate’s egg of an innings, mixing sublime drives with a number of terrible shots but nevertheless was settling down when Johnson with a little bit of magic held the ball back with no detectable change in action and fooled Bopara into a making too early a shot, the ball being caught Phillip Hughes at cover.
With the score standing at 90 for three the Aussies had England in trouble but the Welsh pitch offered the Australian spin bowlers nothing and the afternoon session was dominated by the hosts.
Off-spinner Nathan Hauritz bowled 14 overs and left arm spinner, Clarke bowled 5, proved to be the leas successful Australian bowlers of the day.
The Australian captain Ponting retuned to his big guns after tea and his fast bowlers returned to the fray making an immediate impact after tea and when Collingwood was caught behind by Brad Haddin off Hilfenhaus from a pretty dire shot.
Pietersen at first rode his luck being struck on the pads by Hilfenhaus from a ball which looked as though it should have hit the stumps and with his very next over he was dropped on 66 by Clarke at cover.
Then Pietersen finally ran out of luck when Hauritz bowling from the Cathedral Road tempted him into dragging the ball outside his off-stump to leg and knock a catch to Simon Katich at short-leg.
Prior confirmed the selector’s right in putting him at number six. He six boundaries from 62 balls including two superb cover-drives.
Flintoff, on making his return from injury, was rewarded with loud applause with a powerful back foot drive for four and a superb pull to the square-leg boundary.
Unfortunately this did not last as he was bowled off an inside edge playing a school boy, flat-footed drive and Siddle defeated Prior’s attempted defensive shot to swing the game back Australia’s way.