In hindsight, given the way they used the ball, there was enough on offer. It looked like it was going to be a bat-first wicket. But that time under the covers just gave the wicket that little bit of movement and they exploited it very well.
Quotes about wicket (16 Quotes)
It was a seaming wicket, plenty of moisture there. We take the game plan in of playing two spinners, obviously hoping to bat first and have them bowling on day five.
We've put ourselves in a good position now and it's just a matter of following through. We've got Australia under pressure and if we can carry on putting the ball in the right areas there's enough in the wicket to help the bowlers.
Jacques Kallis is brilliant - he's also very patient, and has the ability to turn a match around. When Stuart Clark got his wicket, it set the whole snowball effect going. We were really lifted again - we'd been a bit down for a while because we weren't really playing to our normal standard. But as soon as we got that wicket, we picked up a cog, and that was great.
I wouldn't lay out my cards on the table now, to be honest it looks a very good wicket that might do a little bit initially for the bowlers.
He has got natural ability to keep wicket and to strike the ball and it is up to us to help make sure he gets the most out of himself.
I couldn't care about my own hundred, it was all about winning the series. It was a great wicket, but there was no way they should have scored as many runs as they did.
Simon Jones bowled exceptionally well in the first innings, so after losing him, the bowlers in the second innings deserve a lot of credit, ... They kept running in on a placid wicket that was really very slow. We had to use all our resources to whittle out those ten wickets and restrict them to a total where we only had to chase 130.
Both wickets can take a little bit of turn, particularly Adelaide, having had such a dry summer. The ball may turn a little bit more there, and the (shorter) square of the wicket boundaries also probably suit a few of our batsmen. But we are still going to have to play our best cricket to stretch Australia to the limit. We did that well in Sydney and we know going into the finals series that's the game we have to play.
We've lost our real, out-and-out strike bowler but then again, it's an opportunity for someone else to take their chance. We'll look at the wicket in Sydney and decide - we've been calm on tour so far and we'll continue to be.
There are still four days to go and you all know that Australia can bounce back from any stage. That's why our first target would be to bat at least two more sessions tomorrow and then we can think about saving the match. There is no scope to be over excited. It would have been satisfactory had we finished the day losing one less wicket. A century would have been good not only for me but also for the benefit of the team. Making a century against Australia is always special for any batsman.
WICKET Kallis run out 11 (World XI 157-5) Another one goes Dravid, probably assuming that Kallis will run him out sooner rather than later, goes for a risky single. Ponting hits, and Kallis, who has scored 11 off 25, is out. I was roundly abused on Wednesday for suggesting Kallis shouldn't be in the ODI team as he only plays for his average, ... So I'm happy to concede that he's now tipping quick singles and smashing mad boundaries with the best of them. Eh Oh.
We have quality batsmen who can play defensively and can also attack if needed. It's still a very good wicket to bat on.
No one had seen anything like it every time England took another Australian wicket, the switchboard lit up like a Christmas tree. By the end of the day another 7,000 had been sold.
I've obviously got a psychological advantage being a spinner against those guys, with the record that I've got against South Africa. If they want to juice the wicket up and negate me, I'll take my 0 for 40 and we win in three days. That means a series win and a couple of days of golf. I'll take it every time.
The perception that the wicket was flat played a part (in the way South Africa bowled),