The Australians found it difficult to unlock the England middle order

Warne was derided by England fans for bowling into the rough patches to Kevin Pietersen but Buchanan said: "He always has a plan in mind to get players out.

"Sometimes you can't be as entertaining as you would like, I wouldn't have said Shane would be regarded as defensive.

"It was a stalemate because we had two very skilled players deadlocked."

606 DEBATE: What do you make of Warne's tactics?

Warne, Test cricket's leading wicket-taker, sent down 53 overs in England's innings, conceding 163 runs and claiming only one wicket, when Geraint Jones sliced a loose drive straight to point.

His long-term match-winning bowling partner Glenn McGrath also found the conditions difficult, failing to take a wicket in his 30 overs for 107.

Pietersen's obviously a class player, the outstanding batsman of their side, and I cannot understand why he's not up the order John Buchanan

Buchanan was full of praise for Paul Collingwood, who hit 206, and centurion Pietersen, although he was surprised at his number five position in the batting line-up.

"I was very happy with what our bowlers did and the strategies they chose or the execution of those strategies, but again England executed their game plan pretty well," he added.

"Collingwood's a thorny character. He's hard to dislodge at the best of times and I think he's one player who really has improved his game.

"He values his wicket very highly, he's improved his shot-making ability and certainly improved his footwork against spin so we're seeing some early results of that.