"You can't have a finger spinner varying or erring in his length as much as Graeme Swann did today" © Getty Images

Peter English: I have with me Ian Chappell to talk about Day 3 of the first Test. Ian, do you think England let a big chance slip today?

Ian Chappell: I thought they were a bit flat at times with their bowling - there didn't look to be a lot of inspiration. The bowling was certainly better with the second new ball. I just got the feeling that James Anderson made the mistake, early on, of trying to bowl to Philip Hughes' weakness and not his own strength. Banging the ball into the pitch and trying to get the ball jumping around is really not Anderson's game. I think he got out of sync there and it wasn't until he took the second new ball that he started bowling his length and he looked pretty dangerous. They had periods where they looked to me to be a bit flat.

Stuart Broad, I thought, looked very flat. He suddenly produced one to get rid of Michael Clarke but there hasn't been much of that from Broad. The other guy who I thought was very disappointing was Graeme Swann. There was too much variation in his length. He probably bowled four-five long hops and few full tosses. You can't have a finger spinner varying or erring in his length that much. There were definitely some disappointing periods from England.

PE: Do you think the spinners had a misguided view of what is going on out there? The pitch seems to be turning but they don't seem to be having much of an impact…

IC: It's turning, but it is turning slowly I think. Monty Panesar seems to be copping a bit of stick but I thought he bowled reasonably well; certainly a lot better than Swann. I just get the feeling that Panesar has lost a bit of the loop he had. He is bowling quickish but I think that is because he is undercutting a little rather than getting on top of the ball. When he is doing that [getting on top of the ball], then he is bowling at his best. There is a bit more zip in his bowling, there is a bit more loop and he gets a bit of bounce of the pitch. You are probably only talking few centimeters but I think it is making a big difference to his bowling. It is quite amazing that he has come this far as a left-arm orthodox spinner, really without a typical arm ball. The left-arm spinners usually have a very good arm ball.

PE: Australia's batsmen earned a lead today. They all had starts apart from Michael Hussey. How do you see him going?

IC: Hussey just can't seem to make a run in Tests at the moment. But one of the big differences in the Test so far has been the application of the Australian batsmen compared with the England batsmen. Most of the England batsmen got away to starts but in a fair number of cases you would say they threw their wicket away. That is very annoying as a batsman; you feel very annoyed. I think Ricky Ponting set the pattern for the Australians; he went out there and looked, from very early on in the innings, like a man who was absolutely determined to get a big score - get a start and make them pay. I though that was one of the better Test innings I have seen from Simon Katich. It looks to me that the Australians have taken the approach that if they get a start they are going to go on. But Hussey's form would be a bit of the concern for the Australians.

PE: Can you see the Test going anywhere over the next two days, especially with a bit of rain around?

IC: Yes they are forecasting a bit of rain tomorrow, but it depends on how much of time is lost. At this stage you would have to say that Australia are favourites. I always thought that Australia needed a lead of 100 with having to bat fourth. If there is quite a bit of time lost due to bad weather then I think the draw will be the favourite. But at this stage I would say Australia are slight favourites.

PE: With Ian Chappell this has been Peter English for Cricinfo.