TICKNER'S WACA FIVE-FER: DAY FOUR

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Bell - played Warne impressively.

By Dave Tickner

1. Cook and Bell
Two possible future England captains suggested the future is pretty bright for England when it comes to batting. The really impressive thing about these two players is the way they have adapted their techniques during the series. Bell now plays Warne with assurance rather than panic, while Cook has devised a way to cope with the great legspinner even if he doesn't yet have the confidence to use his feet or sweep. Cook is the youngest England player to score an Ashes century for 70 years, and the youngest ever to score four Test hundreds, while Bell has the potential to be a top player if he can shake off this habit of giving his wicket away when set.

2. Shane Warne
Lies, damn lies and statistics. Figures of 31-4-100-1 really don't tell the story. Warne was magnificent today, using every one of his tricks ut through a combination of good luck and excellent play, England were able to repel almost all he could throw at them. There must be concerns about how often Warne can be asked to bowl this number of overs in a day, but it's always a better game when Warne has the ball in his hand. Especially when The Shermanator or The Ego is at the other end.

3. Ricky Ponting and Glenn McGrath
The Australian captain had a very ordinary day. As well as some perplexing field placings - notably the tendency to allow Bell easy singles down the ground off Warne - and unimaginative bowling changes. Andrew Symonds' off spin should have been introduced earlier, and too often Ponting's only plan seemed to be to throw the ball to McGrath and Warne and hope for the best while the impressive Stuart Clark remained crimially underused until the second new balls was almost due. The fact this plan worked says more about McGrath's brilliance than Ponting's captaincy. For an ageing fast bowler to produce one of the greatest overs of his illustrious career at the end of an exhausting and scorching day, and just when his team needed it most shows why he has the number of Test wickets he does. How he didn't get Flintoff as well is a mystery.

4. Nightwatchmen
I've got no time for them. England would have been four down this evening and things would just look that bit rosier even though the fifth wicket they've lost is 'only' Matthew Hoggard. Sending in a nightwatchman is just so negative, and the sight of Australia giving Pietersen a single to expose Andrew Flintoff - who had shown his reluctance to enter the fray by sending Hoggard to bat in his stead - must be a low point for the England skipper. Big runs tomorrow from Freddie will justify thte decision, but if a tailender is expected to see out the last few overs, then a proper batsman should be able to. The fact that opening batsmen never get the option of a nightwatchman when they have to bat two or three overs at the end of a day highlights the nonsense of the concept.

5. Over Rates
We've lost overs at the end of each of the first three days in this match. But Australia's over rate today, in trying conditions, was good enough for them to get the full 90 overs. And they got their reward with two wickets in the last three of those 90, overs that would not have been bowled on any other day. Imagine if England were three down at the close.