At 11.15 today Perth time the Ashes were as good as going back to England. The obituaries for Ricki Ponting were being written. Experimental teams were being discussed for Melbourne and Australian Cricket in general was in a total state of disarray. I even hear that an internet bookmaker was paying out on bets for England to win the series.
The Poms were 70/0 looking untroubled against an attack that had taken on average a wicket a day for the last 5 and the signs were very very encouraging.
In the space of an hour of bowling not just this match but the direction of this series has been turned on its head. The English were all out for 180 and the Aussies end the day 120/3 with a lead of 180 on a pitch where chasing much more than 300 will be incredibly difficult.
From the position they are in now Australia should win this test match, whether they will or not will be seen tomorrow most likely but they should. Then they would go to Melbourne with all the momentum and in Mitchell Johnson a genuine strike-bowler who looks back to the peak of his powers.
A 5-match test series which had essentially been one-way traffic since its 3rd day has now completely swung around and right now I would have the Aussies winning back the Ashes as a very realistic prospect.
It is just such a beautiful sport when a game that lasts 5-days and has about 40 hours of playing time can be turned on its head in the space of 40 minutes.
As an impartial observer, this is so fucking good for the series. Great distraction from the black caps
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