The Ashes 2013: 5th Test, Day 1 - Flops of the day

Australia captain Michael Clarke walks back after being dismissed by James Anderson of England during day one of the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval on August 21, 2013 in London, England. (Getty Images)

It was a forgettable day in the office for the English as Australia powered to a healthy total at stumps, losing only four wickets in the process. After an early breakthrough, the bowlers toiled hard without much success as the visitors galloped towards a big score, riding on Shane Watson‘s magnificent third Test hundred and Steven Smith’s unbeaten half-century.

This lack of penetration from a new-look attack needs to be addressed quickly as two rookie specialist bowlers were handed shock debuts yesterday. Still, it’s only a matter of time before they get used to the rigours of Test cricket.

Here are the flops of the day:

David Warner (6 runs off 11 balls – 1 four)

After a chanceless knock in the second innings of the fourth Test, much was expected of the pocket-sized dynamo in good batting conditions at the Oval. He was lucky to get an inside edge off a length-ball from Stuart Broad; it ended up travelling to the fine-leg fence. However, James Anderson had him in all sorts of trouble as he extracted some purchase from the wicket and off the air.

The left-hander finally poked at a delivery around off without moving his feet, getting a thick edge that flew into Matt Prior’s gloves as a regulation catch. “Mario” needs to return to the basics and put the Joe Root controversy behind him. Clearly, he hasn’t yet recovered from it.

Michael Clarke (7 runs off 39 balls)

One would have expected the Australian captain to come up with yet another solid batting display, especially in light of a heavy series defeat. He pushed and prodded around for a while, making just seven runs in 39 deliveries; certainly not the kind of approach the Aussie fans would have liked to see.

Finally, Anderson put Clarke out of his misery by getting a good-length delivery around the off-stump to edge off his pads and clip the off-bail. Another batting failure by the skipper, especially a lack of proper footwork, has ended up hurting the side.

Simon Kerrigan (0/53 in 8 overs)

It was a nightmarish debut for the young left-arm spinner as he had the misfortune to run into a rampaging Watson. The Australian all-rounder belted 28 runs off the two overs that he faced from Kerrigan, including four boundaries in one over alone. Such was the brutality of his assault that Kerrigan completely lost his head and with it, his line and length as well.

Trial by fire? Kerrigan went through a towering inferno; a rather painful baptism into international cricket!

Chris Woakes (0/52 in 15 overs)

The other debutant for England in this game, Woakes also went through a fiery induction into Test cricket, courtesy Watson and Smith. The former blasted three boundaries in one of his overs, while the latter simply swatted an attempted short ball into the fence with hardly any follow-through.

Woakes ended up conceding 52 runs in his 15 overs without a wicket to show. He will be looking to make amends on the morning of the second day and try to turn the tables soon.