Alastair Cook leads England stars stepping up as visitors enjoy best day Down Under - 5 things we learned
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Loading... - Kasia Johnson
- 27 Dec 2020
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England had their best day of the Ashes so far as bowlers and batsmen played their roles to perfection with the four most senior men on the trip stepping up.
First it was Stuart Broad and James Anderson with the ball, followed by Alastair Cook and Joe Rootwith the bat to show that England are capable of so much more than they had previously shown.
A first innings 327 from the Aussies was eaten into by England's 192-2 with both Cook and Root still there.
Can day three live up to the excellence of day two?
Only time will tell, but here are five things Dean Wilson learned on day two of the fourth test...
1. Broad shows his fighting qualities
It has been a tough old tour for Stuart Broad who has found wickets hard to come by, until this match in Melbourne that has brought the best out of him. His figures of 4-51 were just rewards for a big determined effort full of skill and character.
There is no doubt that Broad was desperate to do well out here. He sees it as the ultimate Test of an England cricketer which is why it hurt him to miss out on three games of the 2010/11 tour with injury. And well he performed well in 2013/14 it coincided with another whitewash.
He had gone 69 overs without taking a wicket which is the longest of his career and there was a real chance he might have missed out on this game, but credit to Joe Root for sticking by his senior bowler and he got the performance he wanted out of him.
2. Curran learned the hard way
After having his first Test wicket scratched out by a no-ball Tom Curran could have gone into his shell and retreated, but he bowled his heart out on day one and then got his reward on day two and what a stunning scalp it was too.
To get Steve Smith, the best batsman in the world, was a moment he will never forget and it doesn't matter that it was a rank wide long hop outside off stump that the Aussie skipper chopped on to his wicket. In the scorebook it just says Smith b Curran.
The wicket also provided him with a bit of touching cricketing history as he bowled to both Shaun and Mitch Marsh at the MCG. Years ago the three boys would play cricket together in Zimbabwe while Geoff Marsh was coaching the national side and for a time they even lived together.
Tom's late father Kevin would surely have been proud to see the three of them competing again on the biggest stage.
3. Anderson on the hunt for McGrath
And then there were two.
James Anderson insisted he only wants to do his bit to help England get a win in Australia and he is straining every sinew to make it happen.
However a happy by-product of his team ambition is that he is now out on his own as the fifth most successful bowler of all time with 521 and when it comes to pace bowlers only Glenn McGrath stands in front of him on 563.
He has specialised in taking wickets with swinging beauties all his career, but he's got the skills to take wickets on all surfaces in all conditions and when he became the third bowler to get a chop on with Tim Paine under edging a pull, he wasn't complaining.
4. Cook has still got lots to offer
He might have scored more than 11,000 Test runs but Alastair Cook is still hungry for more and determined to show that he's still got what it takes at the highest level.
That determination has been tested though in a rough patch of form since his double ton against the Windies last summer, but his 32 Test ton ended the doubts and answered the critics. He has been out of sorts in OZ until now and his 104 not out was just what the doctor ordered, as too was the slice of luck that he has been missing when Smith dropped him at slip on 66.
His knock ended a run of 10 innings without passing 50 and he looked like he was back to his old self in terms of his movement, his timing and his shot selection.
Like any batsman he will be in and out of form, but his ability cannot be in doubt.
5. Root can follow as well as lead
With three of his senior players standing up to be counted on day two at the MCG it was only right and proper that Root should join them.
He played with the swagger and tempo only seen once so far in the series from him in Adelaide, but allied to the ease with which he batted was a determination not to give it away. He has watched the way Steve Smith has cashed in on his starts and made life so hard for the England bowlers, now it is his turn.
With no Mitchell Starc and with Pat Cummins struggling with a stomach upset, the Australian bowling attack has appeared far less threatening here, but the runs still have to be scored and Root made sure he did his bit.
The big question though is, can he turn his 49 not out into something really substantial tomorrow?
