Lunch England 1 for 71 (Carberry 26*, Root 11*) v Australia
England's batsmen fought, nudged and scraped their way to a sound platform at lunch after being sent in to bat by Australia's captain Michael Clarke on the first morning of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
As a crowd of more than 84,000 settled into their seats, Peter Siddle claimed Alastair Cook for the only wicket of the morning, leaving Michael Carberry and Joe Root in stern occupation, albeit helped by a festive season's helping of good fortune.
Carberry was dropped in the slips from the bowling of Ryan Harris when he had made only 2, Steve Smith's outstretched right hand knocking the ball away when it seemed likely to be taken comfortably by Clarke. Moments before lunch he eluded an lbw appeal and referral from Harris, the ball not hitting enough of off stump to overturn the umpire Aleem Dar's decision.
Root was beaten repeatedly outside off stump by Siddle, who was the most precise of Australia's bowlers in front of his home crowd. Overcast skies and humid air had encouraged Clarke to send England in, in expectation that the MCG's drop-in pitch would offer most to the bowlers on day one before flattening out.
Clarke had named an unchanged side for the fourth consecutive Test match, the first time Australia have done so since 2004-05 when they were the world's undisputed best team. England's captain, Alastair Cook, named two changes to the touring XI after the loss of the urn in Perth, Monty Panesar replacing the retired Graeme Swann while Jonny Bairstow came in for the out of form and confidence Matt Prior.
A leg bye to Harris' second ball of the morning gave England the lead in a match for the first time this series, emblematic of their struggles so far. Cook was in a quite positive frame of mind however, cutting Mitchell Johnson behind point and driving him through cover to cause Clarke to call upon Siddle after only two costly overs from his left-arm slinger, then follow up with a quarter of early overs from Nathan Lyon.
At the other end Harris gained some useful movement, and Carberry was squared up by a delivery that seamed away after straightening onto the line of the stumps. The resultant edge seemed destined for Clarke's hands at second slip, but Smith dived eagerly across from third and deflected it from the path of his captain - a rare missed chance for Australia in this series.
Cook evaded one speculative appeal for caught behind from Harris when the ball brushed pad rather than bat, but his evident desire to get bat on ball would result in his downfall. Siddle changed ends to replace Harris, and soon angled across Cook, who sparred unwisely at one he might have left and nicked it straight to Clarke.
Root appeared hesitant to come forward on a pitch offering seam deviation to those bowlers who deigned to search for it, his preference to sit on the crease enhanced by a Johnson delivery that reared into his shoulder. Siddle beat Root's outside edge numerous times as the interval ticked near, but the absence of any more chances for the slips cordon made it a reasonably satisfying session for England in the circumstances.
England lay base after being put in
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England lay base after being put in
