Ashes 2013 1st Test: Five things Australia can take away

Australia can hold their head high inspite of their 14-run defeat at the first Ashes Test of Trent Bridge as they made an uninhibited effort to win the game to give us a delightful spectacle as well as a match that will go down in history as one of the most memorable Ashes Test matches.

They have a lot of positives to take away from the Test match and they will need to replicate those in order to turn around the deficit. The squad has answered their critics who maligned them cruelly prior to the tournament. The effect of Darren Lehmann was evident on this group of players as they played fierce, yet fair, cricket in hostile circumstances.

They move onto the Lord’s Test now within the blink of an eye. The brief-gap between the Test heightens the pleasure for the fans but it can be dangerous for Australia if they are not mentally and physically rejuvenated by the time. Only rejuvenation is not enough either, they need to acknowledge their failures and find a way to address them and assimilate those changes.

Here is a list of five things that Australia can take away from the first Test:

Chris Rogers

5. Watson and Rogers can do it

The opening-pair of Shane Watson and Chris Rogers was hastily put together ahead of the first Test as Darren Lehmann brought the two players with contrasting styles together.

While Shane Watson looked like a bundle of nerves in the first innings flirting with balls floated outside the off-stump and eventually losing his wicket, Rogers doggedly defended his wicket until a James Anderson delivery crashed into his pads.

The pair showed their true colours in the second innings when the side needed a stable platform to chase the record 311 run-target set by England.

They ensured they negotiated the early phase of swing bowling but also capitalized upon the hardness of the ball to get quick runs as they were aware that once reverse-swing sets in and the ball is softened runs are harder to come by. They put up 84 runs together before Watson was dismissed and it’s a pity that the middle order could not capitalize upon that successful start.