Australia won the first day of this final test of the English swing of the 2013/14 Ashes contest. In fact they won the day be a very long way off the back of Shane Watson’s rollicking 176 and the failure of the debutantes selected by the Poms.

Day 2 presents an opportunity for Australia to press their advantage in the game whilst for England they can regain their ascendancy with a strong showing. Here are my keys to Day 2:

1. Bat long Australia … bat very long

Australia’s position at 4/307 puts them in the box seat in this game but given the state of the pitch they will need to score many more runs today to secure their position in the game. One suspects that if Australia can bat till tea or, even better, stumps their position will be impregnable. Steve Smith and Brad Haddin, when he bats, hold the key to a big score for Australia. Smith is 34 runs away from a maiden hundred which will go a long way cementing his position in the team.

2. Early wickets … both for England and Australia, if they bowl

This wicket is at its best for bowling when the ball is new or newish so for England they need to collect early wickets in the first 30 minutes of day 2 whilst the new ball they took last night is newish. It seems likely that Australia will bowl at sometime on day 2 and given that they have only selected one spinner they will be looking to their new ball bowlers to get them off to a start which, if it does not arise, could see England very quickly on top.

3. Things can only get better for the debutantes … can’t it?

In order for England to regain the ascendancy in this game, if they are unsuccessful in the first 30 minutes of day 2 they will need their bowlers on debut to improve markedly on their day one performance. There are only so many overs that Graeme Swann can bowl so “Darryl” Kerrigan will be called to the crease at some point. If his stage fright remains from yesterday then he might be consigned to the ranks of Messrs Tahir and McGain in only 2 day of test cricket. That said, if he can return and take a couple of wickets he will not only help out his team but also regain some confidence.

4. Dusty, dusty, dusty … Is this the Oval or Madras?

This pitch took turn, albeit slow turn, within the first hour of play and, by that point, Graeme Swann was already at the crease bowling. The more turn the pitch takes the more England will be confident of resting Australia’s advantage in the game given the quality of Swann as a bowler and the lack of ability in the remaining batters for Australia in combating him.

5. Trott: he is due …. very due

I mentioned in my preview of the game that Jonathan Trott is a key man for England in this game and, noting his out of character and woeful form, he is certainly due for a big score. This is precisely the pitch that Trott thrives on batting on so him breaking his bad form line will be vital in England’s chase of whatever total Australia puts up.

Day 2 commences at 8pm Australian time (Eastern Standard) with Steve Smith chasing his maiden first class hundred.

It was Australia’s day in the final test of “part 1” of this year’s Ashes contest at the Oval. If you had have asked Michael Clarke whether he would be happy to accept 4/307 at the toss I am sure he would have gleefully accepted.

Here are my talking points from Day 1 at the Oval:

1. Watto Rises

I commented in my preview of this test match that S Watson was possibly the most maligned sportsman to play any sport for Australia currently and that he was the key player for Australia in this test match. What a fantastic response from a player under pressure. Troubled early by Broad and Anderson, Watson took advantage of some loose debutant bowling and suddenly was 80 not out at lunch. He himself admits (to Jim Maxwell on TMS / ABC) that the knock to the head from Broad gave him something to wrong other than getting to 100 but the courage to stay out there after such a knock can not be underestimated nad ought never be forgotten. The usual phalanx of Watson “haters” will cry that it was bad bowling and a dead rubber but at the end of the day this was a wonderful hundred and hopefully the first of many.

2. Pup Struggles

At the other end of the spectrum have you ever seen Michael Clarke play a more out of form innings for 7 runs in your life? He looked like a rabbit in the headlights facing Stuart Broad and could not seem to even pick up his bouncer let alone play it. It is troubling that he is getting bowled so often at the moment but it is even more troubling when you see him struggling so much to play a delivery that used to be his bread and butter and the source of one his signature scoring shots.

3. Kerrigan: In company with McGain and Ahmed?

Perhaps that is an unfair comparison after the first day of the test match but this was a debut to be forgotten as the left arm spinner nicknamed “Darryl” by Australians of the 90s lost his length, his line and his confidence. Either too full or too short he was taken apart by a rampant Shane Watson in the first session and his day did not really improve from there. Must improve on day 2 to avoid being consigned to the same scrap heap that is occupied by McGain and Ahmed after their less than stellar debuts.

4. Where are we playing? Mumbai?

I made this comment on twitter and will make it again here: what is going on with the Oval wicket? I remember it as being a fast and hard surface where the likes of Devon Malcolm scared the life out of opposition batters. The wicket for this test match is so dry and worn and that spin was in use from the 11th over and by the day’s end 38 overs of this form had been bowled. To be fair I am certain that number would have been more if “Darryl” Kerrigan could have found a line and length. Australia need 500 as a minimum to ensure they are not spun out by the Graeme Swann in the third innings here.

5. Boof: give yourself an uppercut!

Whilst not exactly related to the game, the comments of Darren Lehmann on an Adelaide radio station regarding Stuart Broad were out of line and inappropriate. I am all for the larrikan streak that Lehmann brings to the role of Australia coach but he is still a representative of this country when a speaks and needs to be mindful that comments like those made are inappropriate to say the least. An apology must be forthcoming.

It was a wonderful day for Australia but it will be all for nothing if by lunch tomorrow England are batting. It is obvious to say, but I will say it again yesterday, Australia’s target for day 2 has to be to bat for time. If they do the runs will come. If they do not and England are in after lunch then England will be in the box seat and Watson’s ton wasted.