Cricket Update: Ashes 2010- Australia’s fate sealed as England retain the Ashes title
Ashes tournament is considered as a battle field in the world of sport. Words like dignity, respect and honour are incorporated by England and Australia when it comes to holding the Ashes title. Arch rivalry between the two nations is practically put into
practice when both fight for the Ashes trophy.
England won the previous Ashes tournament after a lot of struggle and hard work. Viewers got a treat to watch both nations play top of the class cricket to compete amongst one another. Ashes 2010 had a lot of expectations from it. Critics had anticipated
it to be one of the most hardly fought tournament of the decade until they were certainly proved wrong by some exquisite performance by England that helped them retain the Ashes title in Australia after 24 years.
England beat http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 in the fourth Ashes test played at Melbourne Cricket ground Australia by an innings and 157 runs. This victory is considered to be one of the biggest successes for the Englishmen, as they inflict wrath upon the Australian’s by beating
them in their own country in an all important Ashes tournament. Now even a win in the final match would not give Australia a chance to get back the Ashes trophy.
For the first time in the history of cricket, Australia had lost two test matches at home by an innings. No one had thought that Australian performance would be so ordinary compared to ecstatic English performance which would make it a pretty much one sided
affair.
England has completely dominated Australia in three test matches where as Australia only fought back in one which was the third Ashes test. Now that England lead the Ashes series 2-1 with only one game remaining, Australia has nothing to fight for except
honour by drawing the series to redeem the pain inflicted upon them for loosing the chance to win the Ashes trophy.
On the 4th day of the fourth Ashes test, Australia were still 246 runs short with only 4 wickets remaining. Early morning on the 4th day, Australia lost Mitchell Johnson who was bowled by a beauty from Chris Tremlett. Peter Siddle
along with Brad Haddin did put in some fight to loose the match with honour by adding 86 runs to the score board but it was all England after that.
Haddin scored an unbeaten half century as he saw Australia face worst defeat in Australia in 98 years and their 8th worst of all times. Ben Hilfenhaus was dismissed for a duck courtesy a gorgeous delivery by Tim Bresnan which was edged and caught
by the keeper. Ryan Harris did not come out to back as he was retired hurt closing the books for Australia at a total of 258 runs, loosing the match by an innings and 157 runs.
Nothing went their way for Australia, after a batting collapse in the first innings due to some great bowling from Tremlett and James Anderson they never got back in the game as England posed a huge total in reply, courtesy some breath taking batting by
Jonathan Trott for his unbeaten 168 runs who was later declared man of the match.
Chasing the lead posed on them by England of 415 runs, Australia seemed pretty ordinary after some destructive bowling by Tim Bresnan who took four wickets in the second Australian innings. The only other batsman that looked in form was Shane http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Watson-c96326 who
also scored a half century.
Now the question is what will happen in Sydney? Will Australia make changes to their playing eleven and win the last match of the series to end it in a draw to gain some respect of the dishearten fans or will England completely seal their fate by defeating
them in the last one as well to make it their best ever victories against Australia? All to be answered in due course.
Tags: