Ashes 2013-14: Five talking points from Australia v England fifth Test day two at Sydney Cricket Ground Ballance shows promise Michael Vaughan faced his first ball in Test cricket with England two for four. Fourteen years later and another Yorkshireman, Gary Ballance, was in a similar position. At 17 for four, Australia 4-0 up in the series and all the senior batsmen dismissed, Ballance had nothing to lose on his debut. It perhaps gave him a sense of freedom. He appeared to have time at the crease and the confidence to pick the bad ball and hit it, cutting Mitchell Johnson hard for four and driving Ryan Harris down the ground. He showed a fearless side when he lost the length of a Johnson bouncer but dropped his hands to avoid an edge or gloved catch and let the ball hit him on the helmet. He made only 18 but for a time while he batted with Ben Stokes, a brighter future for England was on show. Two men fighting for a career Boyd Rankin to George Bailey in the final half hour of the day was a personal showdown with high stakes as both battle for a Test career. Bailey is a one-day slugger and looked comfortable in this series only in the second innings when quick runs are to be made against dispirited bowlers. He scored just one in the first innings to average 23 for the series and needed a score to have any chance of touring South Africa next month. But he was a lucky man. He walked to the crease today against tired seamers, Rankin looking nervous and a rookie leggie in Scott Borthwick. He pulled Rankin four times from his first six deliveries from the Irishman when he dropped short. Rankin's problem is the bad balls sit up to be hit, forcing Cook to spread the field, meaning there were easy singles when he pitched it up. He looked very similar to Chris Tremlett in Brisbane. After a month without any match practice, this was a hard assignment for Rankin. His figures of nought for 25 off six overs today were not disastrous, but he was not as quick as expected. The missing man Graham Onions has grown in stature by missing this tour but would he have made a difference? During the Ashes series Onions has been playing for Natal. In three first-class matches, on probably similar pitches, he has taken just four wickets, three of them in one innings. In one-day cricket he has taken seven at an average of 30. England have doubts over his ability to take wickets away from the swing friendly conditions at home and the bare stats appear to back that up this winter. But he would have at least taken the pressure off Anderson and offered an alternative to the tall men doing very little on this tour. Expect Onions to get a chance in June against Sri Lanka.