The Ashes: Patience is a virtue

Usman Khawaja stamped his presence on Test cricket with a superb display of confidence and determination on debut

The difference a touch of equanimity can achieve certainly paid dividends for the respective teams and finally there is a day where we can say that neither England nor Australia dominated proceedings. But it was the tourists who emerged on top after taking the Aussies from 105-1 to 134-4 as the weather, which resembled that of Scarborough rather than Sydney, took a heavy toll on proceedings.

It was a strange decision to bat first on a pitch that had retained heavy green tinges whilst remaining fairly damp under overcast skies, but history has favoured batting sides and initially this was no exception. Andrew Strauss, slightly taken aback, welcomed the decision with open arms with his seamers ready to utilise the swing-friendly conditions.

Instead of coming out guns blazing as they did in the disastrous first innings at Melbourne, Australia displayed far more restraint in an opening session that yielded just 55 runs. Opening pair Shane Watson (45) and Phil Hughes (31) showed keen resilience that frustrated Englands frontline attack until the final ball before lunch when the latter fended needlessly at the kind of delivery that he had left nine times out of 10.

Yet it is the tightrope that dictates every players stay at the crease; it is a fervent battle that displays who will break first and it is what defines Test cricket at its best. All four wickets were unnecessary shots that proved in hard evidence Australia were beginning to crack under the constant probing being sent down ball after ball, over after over.

Step up Usman Khawaja (37), a fresh-faced left-hander who kept an ice-cool appeal about him from the moment he ! received his Baggy Green cap before play had even begun. Parents on-watching, the Pakistan-born player expelled a little nervous energy as he raced to 15 off his first eight deliveries.

Yet after that, the way he went about his business you would have thought he was an established Test cricketer with 50 caps to his name. Delightful footwork and precise timing brought the passionate New South Wales crowd to their feet upon every run scored by the local debutant.

It may well have been a moment of naivety that cost him his wicket on what was the final ball of the day, but the signs on offer suggest that Ricky Pontings replacement contains just the right amount of graft and determination that a number three needs. The trap laid out by Strauss allowed Graeme Swann to tempt the 24-year-old into a top-edged sweep that Jonathan Trott was never going to drop at square-leg.

A cry of oh no came from Watson when he glanced an out-swinging Tim Bresnan delivery into the England skippers grateful hands to bring the walking wicket of Clarke to the crease, anxious to rekindle any kind of form with the blade. But as luck goes with a man out of nick, a late cut found its way straight to gully to banish the Aussie back to the pavilion for a paltry four.

It certainly evens matters up after the confident, if a touch jittery, start by the home side. Englands faultless fielding performance displayed limitless determination, epitomised by two classy half-stops by Paul Collingwood that denied certain boundaries for Mike Hussey (12 not out) and Khawaja.

The war of attrition looks certain to continue well into this contest as we get back to old-school Test cricket at its very finest.

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