That's the kind of start you want to the morning!!!

Although I missed both the wickets as I was a little late turning it on and wondered why Clarke was batting!!!

And Flintoff... he is a very good bowler, but he isn't a great bowler. To have played the number of tests he has and average outside 30 cannot be the sign of a great bowler. He has his days when he is very threatening and almost unplayable, but they have been too few and far between, and too often he bowls like he does this morning where it doesn't happen and isn't overly threatening.

The major difference though is that McGrath/Walsh/Ambrose/Akhtar/Bond etc all managed to consistantly take wickets which is something that Flintoff, despite being a very hostile bowler hasn't managed to do.

It doesn't make much sense that Flintoff hasn't taken more wickets than he has given that batsman don't seem to want to face him, but the truth is that he hasn't taken as many wickets as he should have done.

Even in this series, when he looks to have got back towards his best, Hauritz and Hilfenhaus have taken more wickets than Flintoff and have a better average, while Johnson, however awful his bowling has been, has taken more wickets than Flintoff has when he's barely managed to get the ball on the strip.

Flintoff is definately a very good bowler, but in my opinion, he's not a great bowler. You can have all the hostility and the ability to bowl long spells and so on... but the bowler still has to take wickets and a good average to back up all the other qualities he has.

5 for Jimmy

Kudos to Australia for batting out today.

Hopefully England can keeps their peckers up for Headlingley

We're definitely in the driving seat

Ha, but Cook, Bopara and Bell will be lined up to provide resistance. 

Ah, see what you mean  

I admit I did think Bell was best replacement for Pietersen, still probably do, but how many times was he out at Edgabston ? ?

And Bopara, jury ( well my jury anyway ) still very much out.

Think so far England's pretty dodgy batting lineup has just about resisted Australia's dodgy bowling lineup.

Australia drop fine young talent in Hughes and England keep Bopara in, think at least one of them is wrong.

Good to see Watson did enough to no doubt retain his place, because I don't think any way he should be replacing Hughes as opener, and I think he could well get his comeuppance.  And what bowling he did was pretty crap at Edgabston.

I do actually think Bopara has potential to be a test batsman going forward.

Should he be batting no 3 now in an Ashes Series ?   NOOOOO !