Broad's edge

How much did Australia regret using up their reviews earlier in day? A lot. Stuart Broad edged Ashton Agar to Michael Clarke at slip, via Brad Haddin's glove, and the Australians celebrated the vital breakthrough as everyone waited for the formalities of the decision. They never came. Broad stood there; Dar said not out. Australia could not believe it. Surely it was a thick edge? Yes, it was, the replays confirmed. There was anger in Australian eyes, Darren Lehmann was fuming on the balcony. Debate quickly surged about Broad's lack of walking. It was the howler DRS is there to get rid of. The impacts of this could rumble on.

A groan rose from Trent Bridge - well, the England section of Trent Bridge - as umpire Kumar Dharmasena lifted his finger after what seemed an age to give Ian Bell out leg before for 34 to a delivery from Shane Watson. It was not much of a shot from Bell, moving over to the off side and playing across the ball but, after a quick consultation with his partner, Jonny Bairstow, Bell decided to utilise the DRS and Hawk Eye showed that the ball would have passed down the legside without hitting the stumps. Bell was reprieved.

This was not the best day for Dharmasena. While his decision to give Bairstow, on 8, not out following an appeal from James Pattinson for leg before was quite right - replays and Hawk Eye suggested the ball was passing well down the leg side - his decision to award Bairstow a run was puzzling; the bat missed the ball by some distance. More pertinently, Australia squandered their final DRS option for the appeal which left them without the option for the rest of the innings. Had they had another review available, they may well have used it against Stuart Broad, on 1, who was given not out after padding up to a delivery from Ashton Agar that was shown to be hitting off stump flush on.

Michael Clarke had chosen his field for Matt Prior like he was playing chess against Deep Blue. Players were moved inch by inch. Angles were discussed and measured until the player was in the exact right place for the exact kind of Prior slash we have seen a million times. It was only when everything was perfect that the bowler was allowed to come in. So when a Peter Siddle delivery was slashed in that very way, Clarke must have thought he had his man. Instead the very man that should have been the most important, the point fielder, couldn't get off the ground at all as the ball sailed inches from his hands. That man was Ed Cowan, who was back on the field after a couple of days of vomiting. His jump was so low it had no official hang-time. The next over, Steve Smith had replaced him at point. So Cowan took the catch off Prior at midwicket, by jumping, although still not very high.

Not only had Australia maintained control with the old ball, they had managed to gain reverse swing. England had scored only four runs in the previous six overs, five of the last eight overs had been maidens and they had lost the wicket of Bairstow, edging a defensive prod well outside off stump off Agar. But instead of persisting with that method, Australia claimed the new ball and, with the extra pace helping the batsmen a little, England plundered 20 runs off the next three overs and 42 off the next 10; a feast in comparison with the famine on offer for most of the day. The newer ball soon offered reverse swing, too, but in a low scoring match, that relative run glut might yet prove crucial.