MELBOURNE FIVE-FER: DAY TWO

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Symonds - had his best day in Test cricket.

By Dave Tickner

1. Matthew Hayden
Lucky to reach day two unbeaten, he always looked determined to cash in on his good fortune with a big score. That determination was magnified when Australia lost three quick wickets and found themselves in trouble. He picked his moments to open his shoulders, and was particularly severe on Monty Panesar and the part-timers. He battled when he needed to battle and also played a big part in helping Andrew Symonds get through his torrid start to register his first Test hundred. Before nicking a good one from Saj Mahmood, the only chance Hayden offered was a run-out chance shortly after reaching 50.

2. Andrew Symonds
Looked like two different players. Came in with his team in all sorts of trouble and scratched to an unbeaten four off 32 balls at lunch. But after the break he made sure he made full value of that early hard yakka, dominating the England bowlers to belatedly reach his first Test century and finally come of age at the highest level. The fact that it came when not just Symonds but also the team were under huge pressure makes it even more impressive, as does the fact he's gone on to make it a big century. Worryingly for England, he'll be there to add to his 154 on day three.

3. Rudi Koertzen
After a couple of bad decisions in the last match, Koertzen seems to have decided to simply remove lbw from the game. His umpiring in this match - in both innings - smacks of a man scared to give a decision, which seems massively out of character. England will rightly feel they twice had Matthew Hayden lbw on day one, but he made an even worse decision today. Symonds had just reached 50, and Australia's lead was yet to reach insurmountable heights, when he missed an attempted sweep against Panesar. The ball pitched middle, straightened, and hit the back leg. It would have rocked middle stump below halfway. Panesar and the England fielders looked on as one in open-mouthed disbelief when the finger stayed down.

4. England's plans
While the embarrassment at England's private bowling plans being revealed to the world is understandable, they actually came to light on a pretty good day for England. Ponting has a tendency to pull in the air early in his innings? Check. Hussey is vulnerable to the swinging ball early on? Check. Clarke has a weakness outside off stump? Check. Gilchrist unsure of his off stump from around the wicket? Check. The Hayden inswinger plan would also have worked perfectly if only it included a caveat about ensuring Rudi is not the man officiating. In truth, there was nothing much in the leaked document that wouldn't be immediately obvious to anyone watching the game. A man on the drive for Hayden, Ponting playing around his front pad - these things have been much in evidence for this series and longer

5. Flintoff and the captaincy
Can't fault his efforts with the ball, but some of Flintoff's field placings were infuriatingly negative. Yes Hayden hits hard down the ground, but almost throughout his innings he was able to push down the ground for a single while the England captain was far too quick to resort to four men on the boundary when Symonds started attacking. The speed with which pressure was released by England after lunch was startling and unsettling. Great player that he is, Flintoff's captaincy still looks a long way short of the standard set by Michael Vaughan in 2005, and even that of Andrew Strauss last summer.