The Ashes – Third Test, Adelaide Day 5: England’s Test winning drought in Australia extends to 18 as their Ashes campaign turns to dust….

                        

ENGLAND’S TEST WINNING DROUGHT IN AUSTRALIA EXTENDS TO 18 AS THEIR ASHES CAMPAIGN TURNS TO DUST….

 

BY Dan Lonergan.

 

 

Usman Khawaja turned 39 on the second day of this Adelaide test of which he made a significant contribution in both innings of 82 and 40 after being given a reprieve when Steve Smith pulled out on the morning of the match with illness.

 

Khawaja has been in and out of the Australian team for almost  15 seasons in his 84 test career since his debut in the SCG test against England in early 2011, when England last won the Ashes in Australia and thrashed Australia winning the series 3-1 with all victories by an innings.

 

That’s a long time ago in anyone’s language and since then England hasn’t looked like beating the Aussies in an Ashes test in Australia.

 

They have lost 17 of those tests easily and the other was a draw in 2017/2018, when Sir Alistair Cook made his final big score in his stellar career, a double century on an MCG pitch widely criticized as slow as treacle and flat as a night carter’s hat.

 

After the 2005 thrilling Ashes Series where England ended Australia’s 16 year dominance by winning a tight series 2-1, the 2006/7 campaign in Australia was talked up as being the best and closest Ashes series ever, but the Poms were horrible being routed 5-nil.

 

This five match event was put in the same boat after an evenly matched last campaign in England in 2023 and the excitement surrounding Bazball.

 

However three tests in and 11 days, Australia have again retained the Ashes beating England by 82 runs  in Adelaide to go to an unassailable  3-nil lead with two tests left.

 

Despite the solid margin in Adelaide, England who has I think stupidly been so positive after their very below par performances in the first two tests in Perth and Brisbane, they actually can be optimistic about the overall performance in the City of Churches as this test finished more than half way through the fifth and final day, so they were more competitive.

 

Their bowling got Australia out for 400 in both innings with Archer bowling well and Tongue included for this game snaring 4 second innings wickets.

 

Carse despite trying his guts out was expensive and the part time spinner, Jacks has an unwanted stat conceding 100 with the ball in hand in both innings.

 

That comment from the commentators, ball or bat in hand drives me around the bend! What other part of the body when playing cricket would the players be holding a bat or ball?

 

Jacks though was gritty with the bat for the second test in a row battling manfully late yesterday and starting the fifth day with the overly aggressive and out of form Jamie Smith with England at 6 for 201 still 138 runs from the most unlikely of victories.

 

The second new ball still a few overs away as Jacks stonewalled early today, Smith found his groove hitting some beautiful boundaries and clearing the boundary twice, as Australia elected to start the day bowling with Nathan Lyon and Cam Green.

 

The Barmy Army who don’t need much to get excited were on fire as Smith started to dominate those Australian bowlers along with part time spinner, Travis Head and even Mitchell Starc with Australia suffering a bad injury.

 

Nathan Lyon so good yesterday picking up three wickets late on day four to slice through that flimsy English middle order hurt his hamstring while fielding a ball in the deep.

 

He went to Hospital for scans and came back for the celebrations but was on crutches and won’t play on Boxing Day in just five days time.

 

Smith though threatened to have the English fans dream they could run down this massive target of 435, but as has been the want with him and many of his colleagues on this tour, Smith went for one big shot too many and top edged Starc and was caught by Cummins.

 

The new ball was taken and you got the feeling Cummins and Starc could rip through their opponents before lunch, which was put back 30 minutes after a small rain delay for the first time in the series so far.

 

However, Brydon Carse joined Jacks and they defended well to take the game into the second session on day five.

 

They picked the right balls to score runs and every run was cheered like a hundred had been scored as the amount  required  was reduced to double figures.

 

Jacks was yet to score a 50 in his brief test tenure and on the cusp of it at 47 and facing his 137^th delivery he edged Starc and Labuschagne at first slip took another brilliant one handed catch diving towards Carey to put Australia one step closer to that little urn.

 

He took a blinder yesterday to remove the out of form Ollie Pope, who never learns edging an attempted drive on the up and that catch maybe slightly better as it was close to hitting the ground.

 

Australia could now taste victory, but Carse already with a test 50 to his name kept playing well despite Scott Boland doing what he does bowling an unerringly line and length outside the off stump, with Alex Carey adding pressure by again showing enormous courage to stand up to the stumps.

 

On a day five pitch, some of Boland’s balls were spitting and bouncing a bit dangerously, but Carey was as tidy as ever.

 

Archer, who had enjoyed a good match with bat and ball in hand only remember, having taken 5 wickets in Australia’s first dig and making his first half century in test cricket was hoping that he could replicate that feat and help Carse who looked assured maybe pull off the incredible.

 

However, He had only made three and Starc bowled to his field expertly wide off the stump and Archer lifted it down the throat of Jake Weatherald at deep cover to snare his first test catch and maybe make up for a poor test with the bat putting in my opinion his spot in doubt for the rest of the series, but more on that in my next column soon.

 

One wicket away and the Ashes were staying in the land of OZ and it came quickly with Boland having Tongue caught by the new Venus Fly Trap in the slips cordon in the absence  of Smith, whose name is Marnus and Australia had retained the Ashes at home for the 4^th consecutive series with still two tests left.

 

Labuschagne’s fielding was first class, but his talking after every ball was not in my opinion. He gave a running commentary all day, which gave me the hard hits, but as most people would know me I would whinge if my backside was on fire!!! Third world problems!!!!

 

England was better in patches in this match with Ben Stokes leading from the front due to his long vigil at the batting crease in the first innings.

 

I mentioned Archer with bat and ball, Tongue in his first match of the series took 4 second innings wickets, Jacks as outlined gritty with the bat, Smith batted with more freedom in the second innings after getting himself in instead of blazing from the first ball and the same can be said for Crawley.

 

The rest though for mine was the same old story, Duckett obsessed with trying to play every ball and most with an angled bat, Pope and those Hard Hands and Brook playing a reverse sweep in a test match when they were trying to avoid defeat.

 

For Australia, Travis Head no doubt would love to take the Adelaide pitch with him wherever he plays as that is four tons on the trot at the home, while Alex Carey was Man Of The Match with 106 and 72 and seven dismissals as a keeper as his reputation as one of the best players in the world currently rises all the time.

 

Pat Cummins performed like he had never been out injured and  Starc great again in the second innings with three wickets and another half century while batting.

 

Lyon also produced a highlight going past Glenn McGrath as Australia’s second most prolific wicket taker in the history of test cricket, but could that injury spell the end of the 38 year old’s magnificent career?

 

If so, it would be fitting as he was spotted around 15 years ago by then South Australian Coach, Darren Berry when Lyon was working as a groundsman at the Adelaide Oval.

 

He was invited to bowl in the nets and ‘Chuck’ Berry in his usual excited fashion told everyone I have found one and he was right, He also discovered a teenager in Travis Head.

 

Australia has won the series and the Ashes but a 5 nil white wash is what they will be aiming to completely demoralize England, who have been below par along with the umpiring and the technology and especially Snicko, so plenty of room for improvement in many areas.

 

Boxing Day awaits now with the mighty ground set to be full on December 26^th and hopefully England at it as a new series and they train hard between now and Friday and not go on a short holiday!

 

 

ESPN Cricinfo Scorecard

 

 

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