![Pinkish hue: Mitchell Marsh bowls sends one down in the first Test. Photo: Rick Rycroft Pinkish hue: Mitchell Marsh bowls sends one down in the first Test. Photo: Rick Rycroft](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-feed-data/d4fd2cf0-2489-4b72-88fa-e251ee952364.jpg/r0_0_727_410_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Just like a red ball, at least at the start of the innings. It didn't swing a great deal but neither does the red ball tend to hoop around like mad in Adelaide. The Australians bowled with good length and mixed it up well to ensnare their early victims and neither batting nor fielding team changed their tactics to accommodate any particular quirks of the new addition to the Kookaburra stable. It seemed to hold the shine well enough and Nathan Lyon looked more than happy with it when he was callled on for his slow bowling. Good bowling is good bowing, it appears, no matter the colour of the paint.
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Crowds like day-night Tests
It's a little hard to work out whether the big crowd on day one are down to a novelty factor or whether they have been hanging out for the return of Shaun Marsh. Either way, it was a fantastic result for Cricket Australia after some meagre returns on the crowd front in Brisbane and Perth. We should hardly be surprised that the notion of a later start and finish on a Friday night would be a hit. Strong crowds are predicted throughout the weekend and if the ball, er, plays ball, this day-night Test could be a regular fixture on the summer schedule. That others should join the migration now only seems a matter of time.
Siddle steps up
He's become like the blue business shirt, Peter Siddle, something you should always have in the wardrobe but hardly a glamour addition to the overall outfit. But it was his high-pressure, good-length bowling that helped lay the platform for Australia's run of wickets in Adelaide. He complemented the work of Starc and Hazlewood to perfection and reminded everyone that he remains a world-class competitor in any conditions. He bowls his heart out to the final over as well, which could come in very handy on a track that can tend to be hard work for quicks deep into the Test.
Kane Williamson is mortal
Australian fans have been wowed by the effortless brilliance of Williamson on this tour. His work in the previous two Tests had plenty of good judges ranking him as one of the best bats in the modern game. As such, he's become a key man for the Black Caps and looked to be settling beautifully on a nice batting wicket in Adelaide after New Zealand finally won a toss. But Starc would have his measure this time, building the pressure before switching sides and trapping him in front with a signature yorker. With the biggest hurdle removed, the Australian bowlers found an early second wind.
Starc difference
It wasn't that long ago that Shane Warne was having a crack at Mitchell Starc for, essentially, being a bit of a sissy out on the pitch. Now Starc has become nothing less than a genuine strike weapon, bowling at express pace who can trouble any top order when he's fit and firing. He's certainly been doing the latter but the former has become a concern. He limped around the first day, clearly troubled by an ongoing ankle injury that saw him hobble off for treatment midway through proceedings. His workload for the rest of the summer will be key, with medical staff saying surgery on a bone spur, the source of the pain, would be a last resort.