WICKET! Travis Head c Stone b Carse 29 (Australia 46-1)

Matthew Short is showing his class too, plopping Carse over his head for four BUT HANG ON A MINUTE…

Travis Head in full flow. Take a look at this:

8th over: Australia 41-0 (Short 10, Head 29) Stone continues with England searching for a breakthrough. Nowt doing, Head drives a full ball powerfully back past the bowler for four.

7th over: Australia 36-0 (Short 9, Head 25) Head it ticking now. Brydon Carse comes into the attack and serves up a half tracker with his first ball, Head does not miss out, shovelling the ball square for four. SIX! A full ball is then given the treatment over midwicket by Head. Dangerous times for England.

6th over: Australia 26-0 (Short 9, Head 15) Blimey. Matthew Short dispatches Olly Stone into the stands with serious disdain, a fast and full ball smeared into the leg side for SIX. Australia have had a look and are seemingly now opening the shoulders. HUGE APPEAL! Stone retorts by scudding one into the pads with Short opting to play no shot. Brook is reticent to go for the review with the umpire saying not out on the field. The captain thinks it is too high… “The height is great” comes the reply from the bowler. It isn’t. England lose a review as the DRS shows the ball bouncing over the bails. TRUST NO ONE.

5th over: Australia 20-0 (Short 3, Head 15) Here we go! Head breaks the shackles by monstering Potts back over the bowler’s bonce for SIX. A more agricultural heave at the end of the over sees a top edge fly away for four.

4th over: Australia 10-0 (Short 3, Head 4) Another probing over from Stone, just a leg bye and Head tickle for one off it.

“Jim, on TMS they’re saying there’s some sun about, but I live a few miles away and it’s entirely grey here. Still. we’re probably going to avoid the southern thunderstorms.”

I can confirm the sun is indeed peeping through at Headingley. The southern storms yesterday were crackers, I got caught in one with my 3yo daughter down in Sussex. “I’d like a peppermint” she said completely unperturbed as huge hailstorms richoched off the Skoda.

3rd over: Australia 8-0 (Short 3, Head 4) Potts gets some movement off the seam, nearly hooping one into Short’s off stump and then squaring the opener up and taking his edge but it flew straight down and into the gap wide of slip for the only single off the over. England have been on it so far this morning.

“Hi James”

Hello Tim Woolias.

“Driving up to Leeds for a university drop, OBO will be my primary source for today’s match. Harry Brook says if they get caught on the boundary or on the pitch who cares? I care, particularly when two of these are caught and bowled by Marnus and the batters didn’t get it off the square. Please can we have some better batting today despite the attack being considerably improved by the Aussie changes.”

Good luck with the University drop off Tim, emotional times.

2nd over: Australia 7-0 (Short 2, Head 4) Ollie Stone is bending his back and extracting some bounce from the pitch, causing problems for both batters. Short is nearly caught in the slips, an edge off the shoulder of his bat dies just before reaching Brook in the slips. Head then throws his arms at a few but the ball zips past his blade on each occasion. Just a single off the over.

1st over: Australia 6-0 (Short 1, Head 4) Matt Short hangs back and plays a short ball away for a single to open the scoring and bring Head on strike. England will desperately want to see the back of him early. And just like that… Head leans on a full ball gets off the mark with a four clipped through the leg side. Gulp.

Good Morning James, here is my mantra for England’s success. “Pray that Australia lose their Head and England do not lose theirs.”

Buddumchhhhh for Krishnamoorthy on email.

Righto, with sun peaking out over Headingley it is time to get going. Head and Matthew Short stroll out to the middle and Brook marshals his troops in light blue. Matthew Potts, complete with Baldrick esque hair cut, has the new ball in hand. Let’s play!

As ever – do get in touch and keep me company for the next few hours. The OBO mailbag is open for correspondence.

On Sky there is a brilliant chat with a bobble hatted and head cold-y sounding Travis Head conducted by Mike Atherton and Ricky Ponting.

Head has been in blistering form across all formats for the past few years and has delivered on the biggest occasions – last year’s World Cup Final in India and the World Test Championship final at the Oval spring immediately to mind. He’s also so darn likeable.

Interestingly, he says he finds it harder the shorter the format, citing the pressure of strike rates in T20 cricket as something that plays on his mind whereas in Test cricket “If I’m not feeling great I can dig in for a bit and If I am feeling great I can go as fast as I like”.

He makes it all sound so simple eh?

He’s a rippah:

England win the toss and will bowl first

Pre match reading: Here’s Barney Ronay’s take on the English summer of cricket just gone and Harry Brook as ODI captain:

Preamble

James Wallace