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The overwhelming feeling after the first Test in Brisbane is one of relief. Relief that the phoney war is over and the real action has begun. Relief that all of the averages, statistics and trends jotted down on pieces of paper that showed England were the better side have not been proven to be false scribblings.

Because up until that first ball is bowled, the cricket bettor has nothing else to cling to. On paper, he only suspects that one team is better than the other. And the great thing about the first Test was that in the very flesh there was proof.

We suspected England were the better team. They are the better team. They will retain the Ashes. Granted, you could be forgiven for scoffing at such a statement of clarity at such a juncture, particularly coming from a man who did not go to bed for four out of the five nights.

Sleep deprivation can do strange things but one of the side effects, it is understood, is not failing to recognise a poor cricket team when they are staring back at you, no matter how bleary-eyed you might be. Australia look a very poor side indeed.

The barometer for how bad they are is Alastair Cook. They made a batsman who has more holes in his technique that some of the fishing nets on the nearby river look like Bradman. Even decent Test bowlers expose Cook's leaden footwork, airy-fair bat lift and scant shot selection.

That he should so ruthlessly be able to put Australia to the sword is a damning indictment on the strength of their bowling attack. Ben Hilfenhaus is military medium at this level, Peter Siddle an honest trier who, somehow, has a Test hat-trick to his name and Mitchell Johnson a charlatan.

Johnson boasted at the start of the series that he was going to target Andrew Strauss. He would have been better advised to target the cut strip. For a player touted as potentially being the difference between the sides, he was disastrously bad for Australia.

They now have real selection problems. Johnson, wicketless and runless at the Gabba - he dropped a catch, too - is a doubt for the Adelaide Test, which starts late Thursday night. His replacement could be Doug Bollinger or Ryan Harris.

Neither will scare England. They may even be slightly relieved that Johnson is no more. He is the only Aussie capable of cranking up the pace and, hell, if he doesn't know where it's going the batsmen certainly won't.

The home selectors have also made petulant error in not dropping Xavier Doherty and going back to the respectable Nathan Hauritz. Oh and Marcus North's place is in doubt and Michael Clarke does not look fit.

England, meanwhile, know the XI they will pick for the next four Tests and several more beyond. Clarity counts for an awful lot. So by now it should be crystal clear for everyone: England to retain. Make it a big one.


By Ed Hawkins

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