Today at Adelaide, England's seamers gave an object lesson in how not to bowl with the new ball. In short, they sprayed it everywhere. Our graph shows the line the seamers bowled during Australia's scorching opening partnership of 101 - and it was all over place. Earlier in the day, with Australia's second new ball, Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath landed over 85% (81 out of 95) of their deliveries in the business area outside off stump. By contrast, Andy Caddick, Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison managed a desperate 21% (24 out of 112). It's a disparity that can only partially be explained by the different line demanded by bowling to left-handers.

The figures reflect the different philosophies of each side. England's obsession with the unique properties of the Kookaburra ball - which goes very soft after about 20 overs - leads them to strive too hard for wickets early on, which in turn leads to them going round the park. By contrast, McGrath and Gillespie are happy to plug away and let nature takes its course. Based on yesterday, and indeed the whole series, the disciplined approach is the clear winner.

Rob Smyth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd