Ashes Diary / James Masters / 01 December 2010 /

If the Australian papers are to be believed, their cricket team is a walking disaster. England on the other hand look far more settled and after a slow start, Adelaide may just be where Graeme Swann gets going...

Read the back pages here Down Under and you would think the world was about to end - that's how bad Australia's performance in the opening Test has gone down.

Heralded as certain Ashes winners following Peter Siddle's spectacular hat-trick on Day One, they have now been branded as 'Clueless' by the home media. A toothless bowling attack was ruthlessly exposed by England's batsmen and with another flat track expected at Adelaide, the hosts are facing some difficult questions.

The drafting of fast bowler Ryan Harris, who was considered too injury-prone to be included in the original squad smacks of desperation, while the return of Doug Bollinger is unlikely to frighten England's batsmen.

And yet for all the criticism of Australia's bowlers, it has been an Englishman who has taken a real hounding in the Aussie press. Graeme Swann was given a rough ride by the Australian batsmen at the Gabba although he will hope for more assistance from this Adelaide pitch.

He will have to adapt his length in particular here with shortish boundaries a real danger and Australia's batsmen determined to get under his skin.

Perhaps the occasion got to him, but the art of spin bowling in Australia is being able to adjust to the conditions in a way which even the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan struggled with.

Having seen Swanny around the hotel, he couldn't look any more relaxed and his rather amusing video diary has already attracted a whole new audience. Knowing him as I do, I wouldn't imagine that the disappointment of the opening game will have any impact at all. If anything, it should make him more determined. Swann took 4-68 against South Australia at the Oval earlier in the tour and will be confident of underlining his class as the world's second best bowler.

And having spoken to England coach Andy Flower on the subject, he's pretty confident Swann will go well in Adelaide.

"He didn't get a lot of help from the pitch but hopefully in Adelaide he'll get a bit more," said Flower.

"To be quite honest, I think some of the expectation heaped on him has been a little over the top. He has had a great couple of years, is it that long he's even been involved in international cricket?

"He is a very fine bowler and a great competitor but we shouldn't expect him to take five-wicket hauls all the time. His first innings figures, he went at about three an over and got two wickets

" In first innings, that is no disaster at all but I think people were viewing it as such. I think we should keep our expectations a little lower than they have been recently.

"He's a strong character in his own way. He might seem very light hearted and jovial but at the same time underneath there is a very strong competitor and very experienced campaigner. I think he can handle whatever is thrown at him."

This Adelaide pitch should offer something for the spinners on days four and five and it could allow Swann to showcase the kind of talent which has propelled him into the limelight. If England can win the toss and bat themselves into a strong position by the end of Day two, then Swann will have something to work with.

Back any England bowler to take five wickets in either innings at around [1.63] and for the tourists to come away with victory at [3.6].

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