The First Day of the First Ashes Test

Thank you Cardiff for putting on a great first day of the first Ashes Test.

Thank you to Cardiff and Glamorgan County Cricket Club for putting on a great first Ashes Test Match. I feel I am qualified to give a measured opinion in this regard as a long-term cricket fan (of some thirty years) who has attended between 10 and 15 test matches at various grounds up and down the country. I was particularly anxious to be present on the first day of the first Test ever played in Wales and accordingly purchased my tickets online back in November last year.

I set out from Bristol early on Wednesday and made my way to Cardiff where I quickly joined the assorted band of spectators wending their way from the train station to the SWALEC stadium. I passed Cardiff Castle and made my way through Bute Park to the ground. As you would expect for a match of this magnitude there were a lot of press outside making sure you would eventually"read/hear all about it." I passed through the various layers of security/bag checks (which incidentally were a lot more friendly than at other stadia I have visited) and into the ground at 10.30 am. There was an opening ceremony in which the Welsh Guards played and various tenors sang the national anthems of Australia, England and Wales. Stirring stuff!

And so on to the cricket. England won the toss and batted first. The very first ball of this historic Test Match was delivered by Mitchell Johnson the Australian left-hander to Andrew Strauss. It passed harmlessly by. The cricket that followed was a microcosm of what was best about cricket at the highest level. In the morning session England made a tentative start before building their confidence and scoring more freely. This was punctuated by the loss of three wickets which you can either attribute to rash shots or first morning nerves.

The afternoon belonged to England however. Pietersen and Collingwood batted on in a partnership that eventually realised 138 runs. Pietersen mindful of the match situation was cautious at first before breaking through with some of his trade mark cover and square drives. Collingwood was his usual tenacious self. It made for listless cricket sometimes but was a necessary means to an end. What I particularly liked throughout this and the evening session was the way that the bowling alternated between spin and pace as it used to do in the old days.

The evening session was a real curate's egg. Australia struck back with quick wickets (Pietersen throwing his wicket away with a cavalier /reckless shot surprise! surprise!) and England retaliating with quick runs (mostly through a partnership between Prior and Flintoff.) This is what I most like about cricket, the way the game ebbs and flows between one side and another. At the end of the day England stood I believe at 337-3 and I feel that they just about held the upper hand.

In summary then ,very well done Cardiff. What I also liked about the match was the good natured banter between the respective sets of spectators. I feel that anyone making a first visit to a Test Match today would have been well entertained and would have left wanting more. I know I shall certainly be back.