But Australia have also mastered the art of climbing from their own deep holes. It was difficult to recall yesterday that on Thursday afternoon they were 86 for 5 and 190 all out, with a packed ground thinking that the Ashes might really be coming home. England had lost only one of their previous 18 matches going into this Test and had won five consecutive series, but the harsh fact is that they are now playing a different kind of Test cricket. There were three more dropped catches before the tourists’ second innings was concluded and then the fierce leg-spin of Shane Warne, allied to the speed of Brett Lee, utterly undermined England.

The top four in the order went in the space of only 32 runs after an opening partnership of 80 between Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss offered slender reason for hope. The last thing that England wanted to do was lose the First npower Test but Australia were relentless yesterday as much as England were insipid. England will go behind in the Ashes series sometime today or tomorrow barring miracles of the climatological or cricketing kind. Given the lack of incessant rain this summer and the fact that the home side are pursuing 420, and were 156 for 5 when bad light stopped play here last night, both the ozone layer and their batting are against them. This has been a feature of their play in the last two years and the tail have worked extremely hard at their batting. This, allied with Pietersen’s bold hitting, was the difference between a manageable deficit of 35 and one of 80.Australia unfortunately did not go easily. Michael Clarke played commandingly for 91, a score he may rue one day.

Nine runs short of a century at Lord’s and four years to wait for another chance. Then Simon Katich marshalled the tail as England dropped yet more catches.Warne embodied a truism, that Test cricket brings the best out of the players. His leg-spinner fizzed and his other variations were just as threatening. From the moment he came on there was a buzz, and England’s left-handers did not seem to read the one that goes straight on.

This comes out with a scrambled seam rather than the straighter seam of the leg-break.When Warne is playing for Hampshire, sometimes he gets hit for runs He is leaving something in reserve. This was a Test match, the Ashes, Lord’s, a slightly worn pitch, a shoulder ready to go. It makes for a potent combination.In an interview with Stephen Brenkley. Things got better and I made a hundred.This sort of thing is not going to work every time but it is worth trying in certain circumstances It gives him something to think about Maybe England’s batsmen could give it some thought. But credit where it’s due; McGrath was monumental.He was not as effective, thank goodness from England’s point of view, as the ball got older The seam movement was not quite there. The runs acquired by England’s tail in company with Kevin Pietersen were crucial. It has the effect of making him think of changing his length, helping the batsmen to hit the ball in the middle of the bat rather than having to use the top of it, and thus giving more control.Maybe I have used it as a last resort, first in the Test at Lord’s in 2001 in the second innings, when I made 81, then in Brisbane a couple of years later, when I scratched around for 20 and thought I had to do something because I really couldn’t get a bat on it.