The Ashes: Brisbane Day 1

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My attempts to follow as much of the cricket "live" last night were hampered by several factors. One was my inability to stay awake for so long (especially after a few beers); another, and the most important, is that we were rubbish.


“...the Ashes series tend to be defined by the first over. In 2005, Harmison hit Langer on the head. This year’s opening salvo was a wide that woke up second slip. For England, it was all downhill from there...” (The Corridor)

Australia's morning papers have dubbed Harmison's opening delivery as "shoddyline", and it's fair to say it wasn't the most encouraging of starts. There were some early glimmers of hope, but the wicket was excellent for batting and the Aussies took full advantage. Watching the BBC's 10-minute highlights package online reveals that – from an English perspective – that's probably about 9 minutes longer than necessary.

Australia (1st innings): 346-3
England aren't dead yet, but my gosh have we got some work to do.

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