The second day of the Perth Test proved to be wonderful for the Aussies as they dismissed England for just 187 runs in their second innings.
After being bowled out for 260 in their first innings, experts believed that Australia might stumble to yet another defeat at the hands of England, but the way Australia made a comeback through their bowling is commendable.
Mitchell Johnson, who was discarded after the first Test, was the hero for Australia when he took 6 wickets to reduce England to 187 in their first innings. It was a complete display of professional bowling as Johnson came back to his best and reminded everyone
why he is considered as the strike bowler for Australia.
England started confidently from their overnight score of 29-0, and showed a lot of dominance over the Aussie bowlers. Cook looked positive and carried his form from the second Test. He played well for his 32 and struck a six in his innings.
Cook and Andrew Strauss contributed 78 runs for the first wicket and it was looking like a positive start from the English players. But soon their good start was given a different presentation when Johnson struck for the Aussies in his opening spell.
Alastair Cook was the first man to go for England, when he went after a ball from Johnson that shaped away from him and he was caught at gully position by Hussey. Johnson was bowling well in his morning spell and was showing a lot of promise which was lacking
in his previous spells. Australia had another success when Trott (4) was trapped leg before of the bowling of Johnson. It was an in swinger which moved a lot and would have struck Trott’s off stump. It was the second wicket of the morning for Johnson.
Two balls later, Australia had the prize wicket of Kevin Pietersen (0), when he was beaten by the movement of Johnson and was adjudged leg before wicket. It was yet another delivery which swung a lot into the batsman and Pietersen could not have done much
about it.
Strauss, after developing a small partnership with Collingwood, was dismissed by Ryan Harris when he edged a delivery that climbed on him and was caught by Brad Haddin. The next over, Australia took the 5th wicket of England when Collingwood (5)
became the 4th victim of Johnson’s in-swing bowling.
England were 98-5 in the 32nd over, and it was turning out to be a perfect morale booster for the Aussies in the series. A 47-run partnership for the 6th wicket between Ian Bell and Matt Prior gave some stability to the English total.
Bell played well for his 53 and did not play any irrational shot. Peter Siddle struck for the Aussies, when he bowled Prior out for 12 runs. It was an interesting dismissal in which the ball bounced off Prior’s body and made its way to the stumps. Bell and
Graeme Swann developed a partnership of 36 runs for the 7th wicket and gave some hope to the England total of passing the 200-run mark.
Harris picked his second wicket when Swann was caught behind by Brad Haddin. After some runs, Bell was dismissed when he was caught by Ponting at second slip off the bowling of Harris. Johnson picked the wickets of Anderson (0) and Tremlett (2) to restrict
England to just 187 runs in their first innings.
For http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, it was literally like rising from the Ashes and what could have been more encouraging for them than to see their strike bowler returning to his best. Harris also bowled well and picked 3 vital wickets.
Australia started positively and reached 34 without the loss of any wicket. England bounced back with two wickets in quick succession, when Hughes and Ponting were sent to the pavilion by Steven Finn. At the score of 64, England had another success when
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120, after playing a quick knock of 20, was bowled by Tremlett.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Watson-c96326 and Hussey contributed a partnership of 55 for the fourth wicket, and helped Australia to stretch their lead further. At the close of the play on Day 2, Australia were 119-3, with Watson (61*) and Michael Hussey (24*) still at the crease.
The day clearly belonged to the Aussies with Mitchell Johnson being the star of the day with his 6-wicket haul. The third day promises to be nothing less than a thriller.
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