In the end, it was a relief. Not to say that a lot of Australians would exactly have been tuning into the Sydney Ashes Test hoping to hear that England were doing well, but at least seeing a couple of sessions yield a score of 211 for three felt normal. The run rate was trending towards the adventurous, but it was a day within the accepted frame, and that is a template that not many days in this series have been able to match.
In the context of this current England team, a fast opening stand of 35 from 40 balls was normal. The wickets of both openers in quick succession to follow was normal. When first drop Jacob Bethell nicked off on 10 though, having looked in excellent early touch both defensively and in attack, the score of 57 for three put a little tremor through onlookers.
