Sydney : Day 1 : This feels familiar

The final test of this bizarre Ashes series finally got underway, with most of the focus on just getting these matches over with rather than anyone actually particularly caring about the cricket. Sure, there’s the question over the first Ashes whitewash in a gazillion years, something that Australia are keen to achieve, and something England are keen to avoid. But being keen hasn’t really helped England so far in this series, so who knows what will happen. Instead, this match is heavily overshadowed by it being the final Test matches for three of Australia’s senior players (Warne, McGrath and Langer if you’ve been under a rock in the last couple of weeks) and the fact that it really is nothing more than dead rubber.

Flintoff won the toss for England and elected to bat, which in exactly the same fashion as at Perth could be considered awe-inspiring, or extremely curious. That’s what happened though, and despite an improved batting display by England’s top order, it really was a very familiar story, as at the close of play England were 234-4. Once again, each of England’s batsmen got in, but failed to go on and make match-defining score. Ian Bell hit 71, his 4th half century of the tour. At the end of the day Flintoff and Collingwood remained. All hopes would be on them to push England on to at least 400, but as I sit here and write this a frightening sense of deja vu is sweeping across me as I wonder how many times similar words have been said – “England have a start, and now must build on it” – only to see England crumble before the lunch the next day. I’m not going to go and count exactly how many times, and instead guess at “a lot.”