Before this Test, Ricky Ponting had been performing miserably. In five innings he had scored only 60 runs, at an average of 12. This was mirrored in Ponting's shot-selection – almost a third of the balls he faced either beat him or found the edge. At Headingley, Ponting has played far fewer false shots: 155 balls out of 226 hit the middle of the bat. This sort of batting can only strengthen the Australian middle order and mean more misery for the English bowlers.

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