Aussies go 2-0 up after clinical finish
There we have it, Australia goes 2-0 up in the Magellan Ashes series after cleaning England up in the first session on the fifth day of the second test at Adelaide.
With the second test beginning with controversy courtesy of Joe Root electing to bowl first on a good flat surface. Whilst I didn't see this being a bad decision, however, the intent the English bowlers showed in the first session was extremely poor and certainly hurt England's chances of gaining early momentum.
Australia's first innings showed the difficulty for batsmen in getting set to the conditions and the pink ball. With most able to go on and get starts, Shaun Marsh certainly capitalised the conditions and compiled one of his best innings to date. His 231 ball 126 along with some positive batting from Tim Paine and Pat Cummins enabled the Aussies to reach a daunting total of 8D/442.
After England's poor first innings total of 227, it seemed as if there was little to no hope for the team. With the continued failures of veteran Alistair Cook and a lack of application by the top order, I couldn't have seen an England fightback. While Steve Smith's decision to not enforce the follow-on may have been controversial it certainly paid off and the desired result was achieved for his team. I think Australia batted extremely undisciplined in their second innings with too much aggression that was at times very uneasy and had a severe lack of planning. While they may have experienced the toughest batting conditions under lights, there batting on the fourth day was very poor. Australia to some extent here has exposed themselves and given England a sniff of how to bowl at them in flat conditions.
With some inspired bowling that England produced late on the third day to leave Australia at 4/53 and to bowl the hosts out for 138. I felt that with the momentum that would have been carried, the target of 353 was a possibility. However, it all depended on the top order firing. While they all got starts, none went on to support Joe Root in taking the game deep into the fifth day. With Alistair Cook being so out of form, I think at this stage it is holding England back. There is no doubt that he is a great of the games, but he needs to put in some performances in this tour. With Australia needing one more win to reclaim the Ashes, Cook needs to put a performance on the board.
A great fightback in the twilight session late on day 4, England were simply blown apart early on the fifth day. Josh Hazlewood claiming the wickets of Chris Woakes and Joe Root was the turning point of the game and Starc (5/88) denied England any hope in the game. With the Barmy Army in great voice from the start, the crowd went very silent as Australia cleaned up the game with a strong 120 run victory.
I think that England has some major issues with the batting order and some of the players. Johnny Bairstow is arguably England's second best player, and his talent and capacity are completely wasted batting at number 7 and 8. Whilst Alistair Cook is a key question mark in the England side, I don't see the selectors dropping him due to his experience and uncertainty of when he is going to perform. However, I think the likes of Dawid Malan and James Vince are also in a questionable state. I would not be surprised if one of the two is replaced by Surry batsman Ben Foakes and the promotion of Bairstow to number 5. Moeen Ali's spin has not been at a satisfactory level for England and he is the only source of variety for the team. This is a major issue for England, as their one-dimensional pace attack lacks variety and pace, therefore the inclusion of young leg-spinner Mason Crane would be a gamble. Whilst he does have plenty of experience in Australian conditions his inclusion in the Perth test is going to be risky based on poor records for spinners in Western Australia.
However, there have been some positives for England from this test, especially debutant Craig Overton. I believe that he bowled fairly well and provided more than a decent fight with the bat and showed a lot of character out on the field. I think that he is certainly a bright aspect of England cricket in the future and hope that his performances do him justice in the rest of the series.
It is a huge lead that Australia have, in the context of the series. With only one more victory away from reclaiming the Urn, Australia will certainly carry all the momentum going into the third test in Perth. It is interesting that Australia have included Mitch Marsh back into the squad. I think that whilst this may be very controversial, I see this as being the right mindset forward. The inclusion of a genuine all-rounder is going to certainly boost the team in terms of variety and alteration of pace. I would not be surprised to see him included in the team at the expense of Peter Handscomb who has not shown much at all this Ashes series.
Overall, what a dramatic test match has occurred again at the exciting venue that is the Adelaide Oval. This is what test cricket is all about, the drama, tension and theatrical romance that the game encapsulates are certainly what makes test cricket the pinnacle of competitive sports.
Australia's first innings showed the difficulty for batsmen in getting set to the conditions and the pink ball. With most able to go on and get starts, Shaun Marsh certainly capitalised the conditions and compiled one of his best innings to date. His 231 ball 126 along with some positive batting from Tim Paine and Pat Cummins enabled the Aussies to reach a daunting total of 8D/442.
After England's poor first innings total of 227, it seemed as if there was little to no hope for the team. With the continued failures of veteran Alistair Cook and a lack of application by the top order, I couldn't have seen an England fightback. While Steve Smith's decision to not enforce the follow-on may have been controversial it certainly paid off and the desired result was achieved for his team. I think Australia batted extremely undisciplined in their second innings with too much aggression that was at times very uneasy and had a severe lack of planning. While they may have experienced the toughest batting conditions under lights, there batting on the fourth day was very poor. Australia to some extent here has exposed themselves and given England a sniff of how to bowl at them in flat conditions.
With some inspired bowling that England produced late on the third day to leave Australia at 4/53 and to bowl the hosts out for 138. I felt that with the momentum that would have been carried, the target of 353 was a possibility. However, it all depended on the top order firing. While they all got starts, none went on to support Joe Root in taking the game deep into the fifth day. With Alistair Cook being so out of form, I think at this stage it is holding England back. There is no doubt that he is a great of the games, but he needs to put in some performances in this tour. With Australia needing one more win to reclaim the Ashes, Cook needs to put a performance on the board.A great fightback in the twilight session late on day 4, England were simply blown apart early on the fifth day. Josh Hazlewood claiming the wickets of Chris Woakes and Joe Root was the turning point of the game and Starc (5/88) denied England any hope in the game. With the Barmy Army in great voice from the start, the crowd went very silent as Australia cleaned up the game with a strong 120 run victory.
I think that England has some major issues with the batting order and some of the players. Johnny Bairstow is arguably England's second best player, and his talent and capacity are completely wasted batting at number 7 and 8. Whilst Alistair Cook is a key question mark in the England side, I don't see the selectors dropping him due to his experience and uncertainty of when he is going to perform. However, I think the likes of Dawid Malan and James Vince are also in a questionable state. I would not be surprised if one of the two is replaced by Surry batsman Ben Foakes and the promotion of Bairstow to number 5. Moeen Ali's spin has not been at a satisfactory level for England and he is the only source of variety for the team. This is a major issue for England, as their one-dimensional pace attack lacks variety and pace, therefore the inclusion of young leg-spinner Mason Crane would be a gamble. Whilst he does have plenty of experience in Australian conditions his inclusion in the Perth test is going to be risky based on poor records for spinners in Western Australia.However, there have been some positives for England from this test, especially debutant Craig Overton. I believe that he bowled fairly well and provided more than a decent fight with the bat and showed a lot of character out on the field. I think that he is certainly a bright aspect of England cricket in the future and hope that his performances do him justice in the rest of the series.
It is a huge lead that Australia have, in the context of the series. With only one more victory away from reclaiming the Urn, Australia will certainly carry all the momentum going into the third test in Perth. It is interesting that Australia have included Mitch Marsh back into the squad. I think that whilst this may be very controversial, I see this as being the right mindset forward. The inclusion of a genuine all-rounder is going to certainly boost the team in terms of variety and alteration of pace. I would not be surprised to see him included in the team at the expense of Peter Handscomb who has not shown much at all this Ashes series.Overall, what a dramatic test match has occurred again at the exciting venue that is the Adelaide Oval. This is what test cricket is all about, the drama, tension and theatrical romance that the game encapsulates are certainly what makes test cricket the pinnacle of competitive sports.
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