Free The Ashes Diary by Michael Clarke

on this ground – but also, the longer a partnership goes on, the more that pressure shifts across towards the bowlers and fielders and their captain.
    It was going perfectly until the drinks break in the middle of the day. Shane and Chris had been together for 24 overs. First ball after drinks, Broad got a bit of inswing and Shane played slightly down the wrong line. Aleem Dar gave him out – which proved he had a finger, after all! – but Watto had taken a big stride forward and felt that the ball had swung enough to be missing leg stump, so he made the decision to ask for a review. That was okay, as he and Chris were going so well together, and I would back Shane in that situation. In the end, it was super-close. According to Hawk-Eye, it was just nicking leg stump, which meant the umpire’s call would stand. That meant a double loss for us: losing Shane, and losing a review.
    Eddie Cowan was on a king pair. Any time that’s the case, you’re nervous, but he worked his way through it. Meanwhile, Chris was given out, caught behind off a big turner from Swann, but immediately reviewed it. Even though the English fielders were carrying on, we felt pretty safe. When someone like Chris reviews a caught-behind decision that quickly, you know he hasn’t hit it. Sure enough, the ball might have made a noise when it grazed his pad, but it was nowhere near his bat.
    Ed and Chris worked well together for an hour. Now it looked like this could be the big partnership we needed to build our innings around. Finn came on, but Ed hit him and Swann for some nice boundaries. Chris brought up his First Test 50, and we were all very pleased for him. It’s been a long time coming, to say the least!
    They got close to tea. When the tension is so high, and the batsmen are locked inside their bubble of concentration, an interval is often the last thing they need. Replacing Finn after three overs, Cook brought Joe Root on to bowl a couple of overs of what looked like some pretty regulation off-spin. Chris dealt with his first over easily, but then, on the third-last ball before the break, which Root gave a bit of air, Ed edged his off-drive to first slip.
    Never a good waiter, I was eager to get out there. Chris and I were on the edge of the boundary five minutes before the umpires and the Englishmen came out to take the field. I was happy to make a statement of intent. I was very nervous, it goes without saying, but this was the type of situation I train for and live for. We needed exactly 200 to win.
    Root had to bowl two balls to finish his over, and I was lucky enough to get one on my pads to turn away and get off the mark. No matter what the situation, getting that first run takes the edge off my nerves.
    Cook went straight to Anderson and Broad, which was what I’d expected. Broad’s first ball to me was a long hop outside off stump, but I was still a bit rusty and chopped it down past my stumps.
    Chris and I set about building a partnership. It was very hot and muggy, with a feeling of rain in the air, but the clouds weren’t coming in our direction. When Anderson came on, he covered the ball and bowled reverse swing both ways, which is something not many bowlers can do. I had a good sighting of how much the ball was doing. In that over, though, I played a couple of very positive forward defensive strokes, which can give me as much confidence as hitting a four. More, sometimes – I’d rather play a solid forward defence to mid-off than nick a four through second slip!
    With the ball keeping low and getting soft, and the heat, it still felt like we were back in India. Broad got one past me that kept a bit low. I told myself to keep watching the ball and playing straight. The one that was on the stumps and kept low was the one to look out for.
    After a nervous first 15 minutes, I called for some new gloves. My inners were soaked through. But I could feel my confidence rising. We have placed so much emphasis on defensive batting,