Swalec Stadium, fifth day

England have become used to criticism for their build-ups to Ashes series, but not when they have home advantage. There is no excuse for being undercooked when you control the fixture list. Instead of Australia arriving in Cardiff last week wondering whether they had enough competitive cricket in their legs - as distinct from simple practice - it was England who found themselves off the pace.

While the touring side benefited from a pair of tough games against a strongly motivated Sussex and England Lions before the first npower Test, England had what amounted to little more than an outdoor net against a Warwickshire team minus some regulars. England have never assembled in such fashion and, according to a team spokesman yesterday, are unlikely to do so again. The flaw is not with the idea, but the execution.

When Sussex were awarded the chance to host Australia, they marketed a rare opportunity to see top international opponents. From the start of the season they promoted it heavily, while the people at Hove said that they intended their young players to give Ricky Ponting and his team a real scrap. They were true to their word, briefly threatening to pass 400 to win in the final innings.

The stands were full and the crowd appreciative when Australia did things well, but clear in their allegiance.Those at Worcester the week after reported similar. Ponting said he was glad that the Lions included Stephen Harmison because he wanted his men to taste the quality likely to come in Wales. For the second time, Australia knew they were in a game.

Contrast this with the England experience. It did not help that Andrew Flintoff and his thirst were on the back pages again after the all-rounder missed a team bus in Flanders the previous weekend. Andrew Strauss tried the old distraction technique, revealing that poor punctuality had become a wider issue and thereby leaving suspicion over all of the squad and raising questions about commitment.

They then arrived at Edgbaston to find a pitch so far towards one side of the square that the boundary stood only 48 metres away. Warwickshire wanted to save the best surfaces for bigger occasions such as LV County Championship matches. At a rough estimate, crowds never exceeded 3,000.

Hard to get attuned in conditions such as those. And proceedings - you could not describe it as a “contest” - ended fittingly on the Friday when teams shook hands at the earliest opportunity and were booed off. England said that they had taken everything they wanted from the three days. All the batsmen bar Kevin Pietersen scored runs and the bowlers took wickets, but under little pressure.

Warwickshire had little incentive to sell the game. England, after all, are back at Edgbaston next month for an Ashes Test. The fixture should have been staged at a smaller ground where the allure of the Pietersens and the Flintoffs was more likely to bring in spectators and create an atmosphere a little closer to that at Cardiff.

An ECB spokesman pointed out the difficulty in finding a venue during a round of championship matches. However, it is the ECB that arranges the fixtures. Even with a narrow range of choices, they could have gone to Northampton or Chelmsford. They could even have played the Lions. A slighted Harmison steaming in to Strauss and Alastair Cook - that would have been proper practice.

Session by session
First session
England 20-2 to 102-5
England's battle to save the match becomes harder. Kevin Pietersen leaves a ball from Ben Hilfenhaus that crashes into his off stump, Andrew Strauss top-edges a cut at a ball by Nathan Hauritz, who takes his fifth wicket of the match when Matt Prior is unable to keep down one that bounces sharply.
England ¤¤
Australia ¤¤¤

Second session
England 102-5 to 169-7
Paul Collingwood stands between Australia and a winning start to the series with a half-century of great self-restraint. He loses Andrew Flintoff at the other end to a low slip catch by Ricky Ponting but Stuart Broad keeps him company for 68 minutes before going back to a ball by Hauritz that hits him in front.
England ¤¤¤
Australia ¤¤¤

Third session
England 169-7 to 252-9
England complete a Great Ashes Escape as James Anderson and Monty Panesar defy Australia for 69 balls and 40 minutes. Graeme Swann extends his stay to 81 minutes before falling leg-before to Hilfenhaus. Collingwood has faced 245 balls when he steers to gully, where Mike Hussey holds on at the second attempt.
England ¤¤¤¤
Australia ¤

Milestones

Paul Collingwood's fifty from 167 balls was the slowest by an England batsman since Nasser Hussain against West Indies at Port of Spain in 2004 (183 balls).

James Anderson extended his record of innings without a duck from the start of his career to 50.

Collingwood scored twin half-centuries for the third time in Test cricket, repeating efforts against Pakistan in Lahore in 2005 and New Zealand in Wellington last year.

Fancy a Flutter?

Steve Harmison to play in the second Test 4-7
What will his first ball be? Bouncer 5-2
Odds supplied by William Hill

Talking Points

Stephen Harmison has been bowling well for Durham, but should he be recalled for the Lord's Test? Have your say at timesonline.co.uk/cricket

What's next?

Second Test Lord's, July 16-20
Third Test Edgbaston, July 30-Aug 3
Fourth Test Headingley Carnegie, Aug 7-11
Fifth Test Brit Oval, Aug 20-24

Twenty20 internationals
First Old Trafford, Aug 30
Second Old Trafford, Sept 1

One-day internationals
First Brit Oval, Sept 4
Second Lord's, Sept 6
Third Southampton, Sept 9
Fourth Lord's, Sept 12
Fifth Trent Bridge, Sept 15
Sixth Trent Bridge, Sept 17
Seventh Riverside, Sept 20