Chin up

Let me take you back to November 22, 2003, the rugby World Cup final, England v Australia. Only six minutes into the game, Australia launch a speculative crossfield kick to the left wing where Lote Tuqiri flies in, outjumps Jason Robinson and scores the game's first try. England looked leaden-footed, bemused, there was a feeling of "here we go again". But we know what happened, England regrouped, started doing what they did best, bullied Australia and, despite some poor refereeing, won the day.

Reverses can happen early in any sporting contest. Let's not get too downbeat about England's chances in the Ashes just yet, despite suffering a Tuqiri-style hammer blow from Ricky Ponting yesterday. Here's ten reasons why we should be positive:

1) It's a perfect batting wicket and until both sides have batted on it you can't make judgments about who is in front. Australia will have set themselves a bare minimum target of 450 after winning the toss but they still have some way to go.

2) Stephen Harmison can't be that bad two days in a row, can he?

3) Andrew Flintoff looked to be bowling at or near to his best.

4) The second new ball seemed to be swinging much more than the first, and we know how Australia hate swing.

5) England held every catch offered. Geraint Jones made no howlers with his new beige gloves.

6) The Barmy Army were in excellent voice and will lift England.

7) Kevin Pietersen bowled very nicely; perhaps in a moment of crisis this might be the birth of KP as an all-rounder.

8) Australia scored their runs so quickly that England have lots of time left in which to make 600 and win with ease.

9) We were in a similarly dire position after Day 1 of the last Ashes and look what happened next.

10) England were just shocked by the hideously naff rendition of the anthems. Australia can't pull that trick again this match.

Comments

[Innocent Abroad]

The Aussies will want 600 and we'll probably do well to make 350 in reply; then they'll bat again - say 200-5 and goodness me, it's the fial hour of the fourth day and Mr Warne is smiling... I'm consoling myself with this one:

1st Test, Brisbane: Australia 601-8 declared, England 190 & 257.

That was Hutton's tour of 1954-55...