Siddle skids through England, but 260 a resonable score

A birthday to remember - Siddle, a controversial selection for this match,selected  ahead of Bollinger, powered Aussies into a strong position with a career best haul including a hat trick, on the opening day of the Ashes series against England. On the other hand, England, has made another horror start of Ashes series and this time thanks to Siddle - Ashes series is now littered again!!

The 260 runs that England has piled up on Day1, should be reasonable enough - the pitch has bounce and swing and some turn too!! English bowlers will want to get a cracking in the 1st session on Friday!!

Siddle showed how to bowl on a slow surface, pitching the ball a touch fuller than is normal in Australia. Though not in the team since January this year, he had already justified his call with the key scalps of Peterson and Collingwood. Alastair Cook played calmly for his 67 and Ian Bell produced one of his finest international innings, but the visitors will feel they've let a golden chance slip and Australia closed on 0 for 25.


Bell played a wonderful innings that highlighted his development as a Test player. Left with the tail, he opened up in a manner rarely seen at the highest level, producing a string of a purring drives through the off side until lofting Xavier Doherty to deep cover to hand him his first Test wicket. Cook was one of England's batsmen to enter this series with an unflattering record against Australia. He pulled Mitchell Johnson through midwicket for his first boundary then started after lunch with a sweet clip and picked off Doherty with ease.