1. Batty
England's decision to bat on this morning was as depressing as it was predictable. While the time was not exactly wasted - 69 runs coming in nine overs - the feeling that it would have been better spent bowling was hard to escape. In a match generally dominated by the bat we've seen a host of wickets fall early in the day. Those precious overs were lost this morning. The rain that came after tea and may seriously curtail tomorrow's play came as a surprise to no-one and should surely have led England to the conclusion that a lead of 306 was probably enough, actually. This Aussie attack are not going to bowl you out for 80 if you need a small chase late on day five: an Australian win was already out of the question. It may be p***ing in the very heavy rain to speculate, but that first hour - given what we've seen up to now - could have been worth two wickets to England. Having utterly dominated this match, England now face the prospect of heading to Perth all-square - despite Kevin Pietersen's dramatic, thrilling, incompetently-umpired late strike to remove a rejuvenated Michael Clarke - and their captain must shoulder a large share of the responsibility for that along with the Adelaide weather.

2. Swift Half
Shane Watson has done Quite Well as a makeshift opener, but still doesn't have an opening batsman's mindset. Once again he looked imperious until he got to 50 before promptly getting out. While it's a problem that he has against all opposition (eight of the 15 times he's gone past 50 in Test cricket he's failed to pass 65) it's exaggerated against England. Over the last two Ashes series he has batted nine times at the top of the order. Three times he's been dismissed between 30 and 49, five times he's gone between 50 and 62. The other time he was 41 not out. Those are strange stats for an opener, whose ledger should generally be full of huge scores when they get in and low ones when they get a good nut early. Watson, an all-rounder for most of his career, perhaps still regards 50 as a decent score in its own right rather than a mere staging post.

3. Freddy Finntoff
It may have only contained the inevitable wicket of Watson, but Steven Finn's spell before tea was hugely impressive. Perhaps his best in an England shirt. We knew all about the threat he can pose with bounce and seam movement, but it was hugely pleasing to see him be the first England bowler to get the ball reversing in this innings. That helped account for Watson, but most impressive was his positively Flintoffian bowling to Mike Hussey. Three times he went past the outside edge by snaking the ball away from the left-hander from around the wicket. A hugely difficult skill and a significant feather in Finn's cap. He still has a tendency to throw in a boundary ball or a dodgy spell, but he's a quick learner and a huge talent. Let's hope he doesn't spoil it by going off and becoming mates with Piers Moron.

4. Light Show
It didn't make much difference given the storm that arrived about five minutes later, but England are within their rights to ask why the floodlights were not turned on during the tea interval when the light was already growing dodgy. It was bad light not rain that initially forced the players off the field and it cost England an over. We've seen what can happen in one over plenty of times in this series. Umpires, meanwhile, continue to be far too keen to bring the players off the field in slightly murky rather than dangerously bad light despite encouragement to keep the players on the field. The comedy in the fact the lights finally blazed into life as the players trudged off the field was lost on the England captain.

5. Warneing Sign
A curious moment early in the day as Kevin Pietersen forced Doug Bollinger to abort a delivery at the last minute. The reason? What should have been a pristine white sightscreen behind the bowler's arm was in fact an enormous picture of Shane Warne's face advertising a chicken burger. Even now, four years after his retirement, Warne still causes England more problems than any other Australia bowler.

Dave Tickner