After yesterday’s unbelievable scenes at the Gabba, Australian fans have woken to realize that yesterday did actually happen and it was not a dream. The sky’s are overcast in Brisbane and the forecast is for shower which present as an opportunity for the English to push for a draw.

Today is a big day for:

Alastair Cook

Michael Clarke has captained his side brilliantly so far, almost in spite of his bad back, whereas Cook seemed to let the game meander away from the English both on day 1 when Australia was 6/135 and even yesterday when he turned to Swann and Root in the shadows of stumps. The captain must find a way to extract 10 Australian wickets today for no more than 150 runs today to have a chance and can only do so with all out attack backed by quality plans.

Graeme Swann

While Nathan Lyon played a strangling role whilst Mitchell Johnson ran amok, Graeme Swann has thus far looked bereft of answers to the Australian’s attacking him. Wicketless to date and leaking runs like a sieve but now bowling on a wearing wicket today is the day that Swann must either return to his wicket taking ways or at least hold up an end whilst the Anderson and Broad attack.

David Warner

I have been one of the most negative about Warner’s place in the team and his need to score runs in first class cricket. I have also stated that Australia needs a long innings from him spread out over a day but not at a run a ball so that he can show his mettle under tough conditions. Today is the day for Warner: the conditions will be difficult today with much humidity in the air. If he is still in at tea he will be 150 and Australia will be in the box seat. Most importantly for Warner he will have gone a long way to gain the respect of those who historically have not rated him.

Brisbane fans

Thursday and Friday saw crowds at headquarters of 34,000 and 33,000. Today’s crowd needs to replicate those numbers to keep the naysayers, who posit that Brisbane did not deserve to keep the first test next year because of waning crowd numbers, quiet.

Day 3 is moving day in golf parlance but today at the Gabba it could either be the day England rest back the advantage from Australia or Australia makes its knockout blow. Either way it will be another fascinating day of cricket. Play commences at 10am.

What an amazing day of cricket at the Gabba! I have seen a lot of cricket in my time but today’s will be hard to top. Of course I say this as an Australian fan: if you are a fan of the English team it was a day to forget.

Australia are well and truly on top in this game now with a lead of over 200 runs and 10 wickets still in hand. For that position of health, the Australians must thank their bowlers profusely who have dominated the game so far.

Here are my talking points arising from day two:

The Maligned Rises Part 2: Johnson the dominant

Mitchell Johnson broke the game open with a scintillating spell of express bowling from the city end of the ground that left the English bereft and the crowd roaring. The dismissal of Carberry was the starting point to England’s collapse and was brilliantly thought out and executed. Johnson has gone a long way to prove a lot of doubters this game and for that he is to be lauded.

The Maligned Rises Part 3: Lyon Hearted

Many Australian fans have a soft spot for Nathan Lyon and his performances to date in the baggy green have been solid if not spectacular. His first spell today was a marvel of off spin bowling. 3 strangling maidens that contributed to Carberry’s wicket was the start of the spell and then he conjured two classic off spinning wickets to extract Bell and Prior.

The Brain’s Trust: I love it when a plan comes together

It was blindingly obvious that the Australians came into this innings with plans for all of the English batters and those plans came off. The brain’s trust from Australia of Lehmann, Clarke, Haddin and Watson (I include Watson because it was clear that Watson was part of the discussions on the field) have done their homework and done it very well.

It was a brilliant day: Australia now have England on the ropes and must tomorrow keep them there by batting for the whole day. If they do a lead of 220 will be transformed into a lead of 500 and the game will be theirs for the taking.

Well it is finally here: in less than 24 hours the first ball in a 5 test, 25 (hopefully) day odyssey of cricket between the oldest of cricketing enemies, Australia and England, will start. The weather has cleared up, Kevin Mitchell Jnr is putting the final touches on the best wicket in the country, the Barmy Army is warming up their vocal cords at the Pig & Whistle and Shane Watson’s hamstring is at 90%. All of this means: it is go time!

I commented earlier in the week that I have been somewhat nonplussed by the series coming up. I have to say though that with less than 24 hours to go my excitement levels have gone from about 2 / 10 to 14 / 10 and I can not wait now for 10am to arrive.

Australia Cricket is in a state of flux at the moment. Domestic T20 cricket is the focus of Cricket Australia as is appeasing their BCCI masters so Australia’s preparation has been less than ideal. Injuries have also again gone through the Australian bowling ranks like a dose of the black death circa the 14th century. The Australian captain has a bad back that is, apparently, being held together with the assistance of a machine developed by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s personal trainer. Australia’s premier allrounder, Shane Watson, has a dodgy hamstring again. Davey Warner has a new girlfriend.

England come into this game also with injury concerns, most particularly involving their wicketkeeper and vice-captain Matt Prior. The English preparation has been chequered with an ordinary performance first up against a Western Australia XI, 5 days looking at rain in Hobart and then a solid performance against an “invitational XI”. Their precocious batter Kevin Pietersen plays his 100th test match. They come into this series having won the last two series between the two combatants.

The last time Australia and England played in Australia the result was a 3-1 win for England in a series they, frankly, dominated with the bat. England is ranked 3rd in the ICC Test Championship rankings whilst Australia is presently ranked 5th.

The Gabba is a special place for the Australian team and Australian fans. Australia has not lost a test match at the Gabba in over 20 years. This is where Australia starts its test match summers for a reason: the team plays it best cricket here. It is telling to note though that when Australia has lost at the Gabba it has run into the best bowlers of the time: Malcolm Marshall (1984), Richard Hadlee (1985), Graham Dilley (1986) and Ambrose (1988).

Key Players:

Shane Watson: Watson is either loved or hated by cricket fans, both from Australia and abroad. His importance to the Australian line up is clear given that he has been selected for this test match, ostensibly, at only 90 per cent fitness. I am strongly of the view that Australia rely on him most with the ball and will do so again in this test match. On what presents as both an early seaming deck and then a flat batting deck depending on the day of the game, Watson’s overs could well prove the difference between a win and a loss. Of course his work with the willow will also be important as will his catching at slip. Watson is, really, Australia’s only triple threat and if he plays well it will go a long way to an Australian victory.

Jimmy Anderson: I mentioned the names Marshall, Hadlee, Dilley and Ambrose above and Anderson is certainly a similar style of bowler to Messrs Hadlee and Dilley in that he will exploit any seam / swing bowling conditions more than any other bowler in the game. Anderson’s bowling in the first test of the series in England was heroic (or heroically irritating if you were an Australian fan) and set up the English victory. He is the cornerstone of the English attack and will have conditions made for him to exploit.

The Toss:

Win the toss and bat: it is as simple as that is the usual mantra for the Gabba and for England I think that is the way to go again. There will be some green grass on the pitch but they have quality openers who can get through the nasty first hour but then cash in once the pitch flattens out. For Australia, on a green top, I would be taking a risk and bowling first. Johnson is in the team to break bones it would seem and there is no better time for him to do that than with the new ball on a green wicket.

The Weather:

Earlier in the week it was suggested that it was going to rain / storm for the first 3 days. The forecast has improved markedly and whilst there will some cloud cover it looks like it will be fine for at least the first three days.

The Winner and Why:

I actually think that this game will be a draw. The Gabba possesses the best wicket in the country but with questionable weather coming for the last couple of days I have real concerns that this fixture could end up a copy cat to last year’s test match which petered out to a draw off the back of an epic double hundred from A Cook.

Bring on Day 1!