The Ashes: 3rd Test Day 2

England 52/2 (30.0 overs)
Australia 527/7dec. (146.0 overs)
England trail by 475 runs

Australia cemented their strong position in this test by declaring with over 500 runs on the board. Michael Clarke made 187, his highest test score both outside Australia and against England. Clarke was in an attacking mood this morning and was hitting some big drives down the ground. He was dropped at cover albeit a tough chance. Steve Smith though would be disappointed he missed out on a hundred as he went for a big hit off Swan on 89 and was caught in the deep. It wasn't a very smart shot by Smith, but he's relatively inexperienced and will learn from it. He has certainly impressed throughout this tour and is poles apart from the man who made his test debut three years ago.

David Warner came in to a chorus of boos as expected after his pre-series indiscretion with Englishman Joe Root. He laughed it off but it was the crowd who were laughing at him when he referred a pretty obvious edge. Warner nicked the ball which rebounded off the keeper's gloves before being caught by slip. He talked to Michael Clarke and it appeared (and later confirmed) that the captain thought he hit it as well. Warner was adamant though that he didn't and the replays revealed that he had smashed his pad with his bat which must have stopped him from hearing the edge. The English crowd were delirious though and Warner had to walk back to many jeers.

Haddin came in and played in an attacking fashion, before Clarke was dismissed by an inswinging Broad bouncer. As seen throughout the series Broad has been deploying the short ball tactic against Clarke regularly, and this time it got the wicket (albeit after 187 runs). Siddle came in and went but Mitchell Starc came in and reminded us of his batting ability. He made a run a ball 66 before Clarke called an end to the batting side's innings. Starc is certainly a capable batsman but he tends to only score runs on tracks that aren't doing anything. He has struggled immensely in swinging conditions as evident at Trent Bridge. I guess though I might be being a bit harsh as he is a tailender and it is not like he is the only Australian to struggle against swing.

Swann managed to pick up 5 wickets which is a telling sign of what is to come on this dry and turning pitch in Manchester.

England started off alright although they would have been worried by some probing deliveries from recalled spinner Nathan Lyon. It was Siddle though who provided the spark for Australia (yet again) snaring two crucial wickets before Stumps. He dismissed Root with an intelligent wider of the crease approach, before having nightwatchman Bresnan caught behind. On closer replays though it showed that Bresnan had not hit it at all, the ball brushed his hip instead. He inexplicably decided against reviewing though which meant that he had to go.

Hero of the Day: For once there is no real standout for the hero. Clarke made another 60 runs, which was matched by Haddin and Starc. Swann completed a five wicket haul, while Peter Siddle picked up two key wickets before the end of play.

Villain of the Day: I guess the real villain for the England crowd was David Warner who was booed upon entering the ground. He did though provided some much needed joy when referring an obvious decision which left him being jeered while leaving.

Who won the day? Australia consolidated their first day's domination to be in a commanding position. There is rain predicted over the next three days though which may leave them with not enough time to push for a win. The pitch is still a good batting track and England will need to make the most of it on Day 3 to ensure they can at least get away with a draw and therefore retain the Ashes.