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Melbourne: Mitchell Johnson made the most of the second new ball, taking two late wickets in front of a world record crowd Thursday to leave England on a precarious 226-6 at stumps on the opening day of the fourth Ashes Test against Australia.
Potent fast bowling and slow scoring dent English hopes
The subtle change of fortunes that helped underpin England's belated day of stilted Ashes defiance also contained a telling thumbnail sketch of Shane Watson's enigmatic career.
For the first time in a month, the tourists could feel relieved, if not buoyant, having laboured to 6-226 at stumps after Michael Clarke's growing sense of confidence convinced him to gamble and bowl first in the Boxing Day Test.
That scenario would have been vastly changed had England's batting shown more enterprise or if the Australians not squandered several chances to remove Kevin Pietersen, whose overtly subdued knock of 67 not out in more than four hours could have been easily curtailed on six and 41.
The home team's mood might also have been darker if not for Mitchell Johnson's fiery spell late in the day when he blasted through Perth century-maker Ben Stokes (14) and Matt Prior's replacement Jonny Bairstow (10) with the second new ball.
The Australians' failure to seize a number of the few chances they created indicated that the luck that had helped carry them to a three-nil series lead and a return of the Ashes might finally have started to level out.
But it was the sight of Watson gingerly making his way from the field midway through a bowling spell in the afternoon session that would have given the world record crowd, and millions more viewers and listeners, cause to wonder if Australia's gilded summer was suddenly losing its lustre.
Watson was diagnosed by medical staff with pain in his right groin, and he returned to the field half an hour after tea.
But he did not bowl again in the day and his lack of sprightliness in the in-field was noted by his skipper who sharply summoned him to occupy Clarke's own position at slip in order to accommodate his comparative immobility.
The frustration and concern were compounded by the fact that his injury scare came barely an hour after he produced perhaps the delivery of the summer to remove England's obdurate opener, Michael Carberry.
Having batted almost three hours for his 38, Carberry again fell to Australia's around-the-wicket ploy when he shouldered arms to a snaking inswinger that curled past his upraised bat and left hip to rattle the top of off stump.
While England could console themselves they showed admirable stickability in the face of disciplined and at times scary – Johnson was shown to have exceeded 155kph at one stage – their day one position was hardly dominant due mainly to the rate at which they scored.
Their urgency and intent contrasted with the celebratory occasion, with a record Test match crowd of 91,092 filing in on a day that began under low, leaden skies but was played – for the most part – in steamy Melbourne sunshine.
The crowd topped the MCG's previous best for a day of Test cricket – the 90,800 who attended day two of the famous tied Test series between Australia and West Indies of 1960-61 – and surpassed the first day record of 89,155 set during Australia's Ashes whitewash of 2006-07.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland paid tribute to the people of Melbourne and the countless visitors to the city who ensured it was a record-breaking day.
"It's yet further evidence of the sustained drawing power of Test cricket and Melbourne's undisputed reputation as the capital of Australian sport," Sutherland said. "In years to come Melburnians will remember Boxing Day 2013 as the day their city created sporting history."
Clarke created his own precedent earlier in the day, having fought hard against his natural instincts to bat first on a pitch that, historically, has offered a little to bowlers in the opening hour but considerably less in the ensuing hours and days.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but we'll have a bowl," Clarke told an international television audience when the coin toss he hoped to lose landed in his favour.
It was only the fourth time in his 33 Tests as skipper – and the 19 in which he's won the toss – that he's defied the conventional 'always bat first' skippers' law.
That indifference then seemed to percolate through to Clarke's premier strike bowler when play began under heavy cloud and the occasional light dusting of rain swept through.
As if encumbered by the expectation that the ball would perform magic tricks and put paid to an already gun-shy English batting ensemble by dint of the conditions, Johnson's opening overs were his worst of the summer.
But as the sun came out and England's batsmen retreated into their own shadows, the discipline of Ryan Harris (2-32 from 20 overs) and Peter Siddle (1-48 from 22) enabled the Australians to build sufficient pressure that wickets invariably fell every time England might have pondered making hay.
Earlier, Australia captain Michael Clarke won the toss and elected to bowl in the fourth Ashes Test against England at an overcast Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.
The hosts named the same side that won in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while England captain Alastair Cook lost his fourth straight toss and confirmed the team had dropped vice captain and wicketkeeper Matt Prior in favour of Jonny Bairstow.
Spinner Monty Panesar also comes in for Graeme Swann, who retired from England and first-class cricket during the week.
Teams:
Australia: Chris Rogers, David Warner, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (captain), Steve Smith, George Bailey, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Nathan Lyon
England: Alastair Cook (captain), Michael Carberry, Joe Root, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Monty Panesar, James Anderson, Tim Bresnan
Brief scores
England 6 for 226 (Pietersen 67*)
