Root's sweep, Woakes' drive

Kevin Pietersen was awarded a silver bat by Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, on the out-field during the lunch interview to recognise his achievement of becoming England's leading run-scorer in the history of international cricket. It was another reminder of Pietersen's immense contribution to England's success over recent years and how far the team have come over the last 12 months: this time last year Pietersen was out of the side due for disciplinary reasons.

At Old Trafford, the Australians missed an opportunity to dismiss Pietersen when he walked down the pitch at Shane Watson and missed his attempted flick to leg. The appeal was turned down on field and Pietersen was so far out of his ground that the Australians declined to ask for a review. However, a minute later, a signal from the dressing room told Michael Clarke the decision would have been overturned on Hawk Eye's projection. So when at The Oval a similar appeal was turned down - Peter Siddle to Pietersen walking down the pitch - Clarke thought he would try his luck. Alas, on this occasion, Hawk Eye showed Pietersen had been hit outside the line of off stump and Kumar Dharmasena's decision stood.

There are English fans who wake up in the middle of the night sweating in a panic because they've just dreamt that England have decided to bring the sweep back. Over the last few years it is a shot that made even the most accomplished English batsmen look like a bloke they'd selected from the pub. Joe Root missed out on those times, he clearly doesn't know what sort of psychological torture a sweep shot can do to his nation. With England coasting on a dull pitch, Root played the sweep to Nathan Lyon, took the edge and ensured that the conventional sweep-shot dismissal is not dead in English cricket.

This has been a tough match for debutants. Quite apart from Simon Kerrigan's stage-fright, the new seamers on each side - Chris Woakes and James Faulkner - found little to encourage them in this desperately slow pitch. But, facing his first ball in Test cricket, Woakes drove Mitchell Starc beautifully for four through extra-cover - left knee on the floor, confident follow-through and the sweetest of timing - to underline the impression that he is a highly talented batsman who just might be able to forge a career at this level irrespective of his success as a bowler. He was the first England player to start his Test career with a boundary since Richard Johnson, the Somerset and Middlesex seamer, did so against Zimbabwe in Durham in 2003.

For the first time in a Test, the England team wore a charity logo on the collar of their shirts to raise awareness for Cricket United Day. The day saw the three biggest cricket charities in the UK - The Lord's Taverners, Chance to Shine and the PCA Benevolent Fund - join forces to help raise awareness and create a lasting legacy from the Ashes. Many spectators also wore blue to show their support and the charities soon ran out of the t-shirts they were selling to raise funds. The England players have signed their shirts and they will now be auctioned off for Cricket United.