what the ^%$#?

It has to be asked - what the &^%$ are the Australian selectors doing? Hughes, after an amazing debut, averaging over 50 after his first five tests and smashing the South Africans, he is given only two Tests in England. He failed to dominate and was dumped. In his place, allrounder, Shane Watson, is brought in to replace Hughes as opening bat. Give me a frigging break!

If any batter needed to go, it sure as shit wasn't Hughes. How about Hussey - he has been struggling for a hell of a lot more than than two Tests. Hussey has totally lost the plot, being dismissed in two of his last three innings, bowled without even offering a stroke. It is Hussey who needs to be given a break to get his game together, not Hughes.

Even if we accept that the Australian bowling has failed to do the job sufficiently well, that didn't mean that the only option was to bring Watson in at the top of the order. Give Hussey a badly needed break to focus on getting his game together again, bring Watson in at number six and you still have Watson there as a bowler. Instead, the Australian selectors dump Hughes, who has done SFA wrong, and throw Watson to the wolves in the opening slot. Yes, Watson top-scored in that lowly first innings Australian total, but let's be fair - along with some lovely driving, he had more than his share of good fortune as well.

On day two of this Test, the English bowlers showed just how to use conditions where the ball is swinging araound. Jimmy Anderson will go down in the record books as the hero of the innings with five wickets, but it was Onions who got the all-important first three break-throughs on day two. The pair of them were near unplayable with their control in swinging conditions. What a contrast to the shower of shit the English bowlers served up in the only session played on the first day.

When the Aussies took the field, I expected to see Ben Hilfenhaus in particular making good use of the conditions. To my disappointment, he did not produce the movement I suspected. Peter Siddle got a little movement, but he is not a great swinger of the ball anyway. And Mitchell Johnson has continued his woes. I concur with the general opinion within the media - his action is far too low, causing him all manner of problems.

With about an hour to go on day two, I suspect that only rain will save Australia in this game. And unless they have a bigger comeback than Lazarus for the remaining two Tests, the Ashes will be returning to England.