A World Cup beforehand means the Ashes has not had the insufferable war of words and buildup of hype has been rather stilted. Well, the opening day of the 2019 series more than lived up to the hype.
It went back and forth, with 10 wickets, a potentially series-shaping injury, some sensational bowling and an innings for the ages. The sense is that we are in the foothills of a very fine Test match.
Through it all stood Steve Smith. On his return to Test cricket after a 12-month ban, he was booed to the crease, and taunted by the Hollies Stand, which was silenced by the day’s end. By then, England were 10 without loss, trailing by 274.
But Smith blocked out the noise to make his 24th Test century, and ninth against England. Few have been more important, few have been easier to admire: this was a truly epic effort, and a reminder that sandpaper will not define Smith, his cricket will.
Just like Virat Kohli’s at this ground 12 months ago, this was a magnificent innings, but it was a statement for the series too.
No other batsman reached 50. Smith had just 42 when the eighth wicket fell, and the score was 122-8 – which he more than doubled with just No10 and 11 for company.
He faced more balls and scored more runs than the rest of the top eight combined and masked some poor batting – and poor reviewing – by his colleagues. English players and fans more than had their fill of watching Smith in 2017/18, and they are no closer to working out how to get him out.
They changed plans constantly – sometimes mid-over – and tried some peculiar fields, including simply posting nine men on the fence.
None of them worked, and by the time he was bowled by Stuart Broad he had 144 of 284. There were still a few boos then, just as there were during his emotional celebration of the century, and he acknowledged the Hollies Stand as he sprinted off, knowing he had won the battle.
It will take more than a few jeers to disrupt his focus.
England were not helped by the loss of James Anderson, who bowled just four overs, three of them maidens, in the morning, then headed to hospital for a scan on his calf. It is the same calf that ruled him out recently, but in a different spot.
His participation in this match is doubtful, in the series surely questionable.
Without him, England did pretty well. But for Smith’s resistance, and support from Peter Siddle, who scored half of the 88 they shared, and Nathan Lyon they would have had a sensational day.
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