http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 pummels England to level Ashes
Before the Perth Test, Ricky Ponting was in danger of losing his third Ashes in four attempts as captain. After the clash at Perth, he not only leveled the series but made it clear that Aussies were geared up to claim back what they believe is theirs.
It took Ricky Ponting’s men just 50 minutes to bring England down to earth as Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson took the remaining five wickets on the fourth day in quick succession. The margin of victory – 267 runs to be exact – doesn’t necessarily mean
that one side didn’t play up to its potential. The sad part is, it did and was outclassed by a professional performance for the Men from Down Under.
The emphatic win now levels the five-match series at 1-1, with two matches remaining to be played in the next 2 weeks.
If the first innings belonged to the comeback-man Mitchell Johnson, the second one was Ryan Harris’s as he finished with a Test-best of 6 wickets for 47 runs. Mitchell Johnson took 3 in the second innings to finish with 9 as England were bowled all out for
123.
Not even English captain Andrew Strauss would have anticipated the loss when he won the toss and elected to field on the opening day. His decision was filled with overconfidence which has always been the killer when it comes to England. He was confident
that his team would be able to handle the pressure of the fourth innings. He was confident that Paul Collingwood’s run of form would not matter and he was confident that the presence of the Barmy Army in foreign land, would boost the morale of his boys. On
all three counts, he mistimed the shot.
Despite bowling the hosts out for 268 on the opening day, England failed to cross even 200 in the first innings, and 150 in the second. On the final day, they resumed at 81 runs for the loss of 5 wickets and faltered in 50 minutes to Harris-Johnson. Seeking
391 to win in the fourth innings was as impossible as England losing the match, yet Australia came out as the better side. The 31-year old Ryan Harris took four of the last five wickets as the hosts sealed the fate of the match, in their favour.
Everything from the first day went right for the hosts. They managed to put a cork on Alistair Cook and made the most of the fact that the lower English order hadn’t batted much to score runs, let alone save the match. Ian Bell had scored half centuries
in the series but a big innings was required on the final morning from him. After hitting some aggressive shots, he fell to Ryan Harris who ended the match with 9 wickets in the match.
Matt Prior and Graeme Swann, usually confident with the bat, couldn’t live up to the expectations mainly due to their main batsmen’s failure and they were accounted for quickly as well.
The two teams now meet at the MCG in Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test match where a drop-in pitch will welcome them. It is anybody’s guess as to who would be dropped from the English side – Paul Collingwood – while Australia has kept the winning combination.
Skipper Ricky Ponting who dropped more catches in the match than in his entire career will have a week to nurse his fractured little finger which he hurt while fielding on day 3.
Mitchell Johnson, who was axed for the second Test but recalled for this one, was declared Man of The Match for his fighting half century and 6 wickets in the first innings that were followed by 3 more in the second innings. The English side, on the other
hand, will need to follow the route Mitchell Johnson took before the match – practice with their heart - if they wish to come back strongly.
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