Lunch Australia 1 for 46 (Warner 29, Watson 10*, Rogers 7*) v England
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
England, gambling on two spinners to haul themselves back into the Ashes series, lost what could be an influential toss at the start of the second Test in Adelaide as Australia reached lunch on the first day with the promise of much batting bounty ahead. There was relief for England, though, in the dismissal of David Warner, who had looked in the mood to strut his stuff before he self-destructed against Stuart Broad.
Warner took an immediate liking to Adelaide's first drop-in pitch, and had 29 from 32 balls when he toe-ended Broad to Michael Carberry at backward point. It was an intemperate moment, part of Warner's batting DNA and accepted by England with great relief. They must have been fearing a repeat of his better than a run-a-ball hundred made on this ground against South Africa a year ago.
The mood of the Adelaide Test could not have been more divorced from the Gabba, where England had endured a 381-run drubbing. In place of intimidating batting conditions was a sedate drop-in pitch. Heat and humidity gave way to an unseasonably chilly morning with squally showers which forced three stoppages before the lunch and restricted the session to 14.2 overs. The crowd even decided it would be unseemly to boo Broad.
Somehow, in a Test that looked bound to be a long haul, England had to find a way to take 20 wickets. A cheerless, blustery morning, with temperatures around 14C did not immediately revive memories of the manner in which Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar had bowled so successfully in tandem a year ago as England recovered from 1-0 down in India to win the series, but that was the undertaking they faced.
Panesar's inclusion meant that England gave Ben Stokes a Test debut, his cap awarded by the former England captain, Andrew Strauss, before start of play. It was a risk for England to field Stokes, the rumbustious Durham allrounder, as high as No.6, and rely on him to fulfil the third seamer role; promising as he is, his form for England in one-day cricket and tour matches has so far been unremarkable. He had also batted at No.8 in the one-day series against Australia in the English summer, which did not exactly suggest a connected thought process.
The new-look Adelaide - now a multi-sport stadium with AFL the dominant partner - has been largely commended. Even dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists conceded that, as stadiums go, it possesses more style than most. The protected Moreton Bay figs still stand behind the old scoreboard at one end of the ground and you can even still see the cathedral if you are seated in the right place.
England's attention, though, rested exclusively on 22 yards of South Australian soil. Initial conclusions were that it would heavily favour the batsmen, much like a normal Adelaide Test surface, and all that remained to be seen would be whether it would deteriorate quickly enough to justify England's selection. It was markedly dry, with a moisture reading of 28% compared to the 68% at the start of the Test in Brisbane.
The pitch was flat enough to convince Chris Rogers that this was an opportunity not to be missed, but not flat enough to draw him into many shots. He played cagily - the first ball he received, a half-volley from James Anderson, was patted cautiously back as he tried to build the big score he needs to cement his place in the side. Broad conjured up a bit of away seam once or twice, but Anderson took time to warm to his task.
Warner was more fulsome, as Warner tends to be. A resounding straight drive against Broad encouraged chat about the 5 for 482 made by Australia on the first day against South Africa last year, but one chancy drive over gully against the same bowler gave England hope. When their good luck came, and Carberry held the catch, they accepted it with relief.
England's decision meant there was no place for the Yorkshire duo of Gary Ballance, who had been strongly fancied to bat at No.6 and Tim Bresnan, who had proved his recovery from a stress fracture with the England Performance Programme squad in Brisbane. Joe Root was scheduled to bat at No.3.
Shane Warne suggested on Channel 9 before start of play that England had ordered extra chest pads and arm guards to combat the short-pitched menace of pace of Johnson. If that is so, on the evidence of the first session, many of them will remain unpacked until Perth.
