Published: Aug 23, 2015, 12:13 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 23, 2015, 12:13 AM (IST)
Coming off two splendid wins at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge, England were expected to continue damaging Australia so much that its effects would be seen the next time these two sides meet —like the scar created by Mitchell Johnson in Ashes 2013-14. But England disintegrated sooner than they climbed to the top of their performance, and with their poor approach in three continuous days in the final Test at The Oval, they have proven why they cannot be termed ‘deserving winners’ of the Ashes 2015. Devarchit Varma highlights England’s shortcomings and says the hosts are not too different from the faltering Australians.
Having routed Australia in one-sided contests, the fifth Test should have been a walk in the park for England as they faced a team disturbed in every sense imaginable. England had the momentum; they had the Ashes in the bag. All they were required to do was keep hurting Australia. On the other hand, Australia came into The Oval Test as a divided house, with the axe dangling over more than half of their players, and two frontmen vowing to leave the game regardless of the result. ALSO READ: Australia four wickets away from victory at stumps on Day Three of final Ashes Test at The Oval
Surprisingly, Australia have played the brand of cricket which one usually gets to see from teams that are on a winning momentum, and England have wimped out, having lost the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win four Ashes Tests at home in a series. CRICKET SCORECARD: England vs Australia, 5th Test, The Oval, Day 3
It is not surprising to see England disintegrate in the manner they have in the last three days. Alastair Cook is the only batsman on whom a sane person would put his money on, when they are required to bat for long. Ian Bell might have saved his career with the back-to-back half-centuries in Edgbaston, but he showed in the last two outings how typical an England trait inconsistency is
The likes of Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali and Jos Butter are likely to score runs when their team is on top — they are yet to show the resolve that Cook and Joe Root have in them to bat for long and keep dangers at bay. It is imperative that England identify the lack of gumption in most of their batsmen, as the road ahead is extremely tough.
In the first innings, England batsmen looked disinterested in the contest. There was no visible effort to try and bide time, and no resolution shown when their backs were against the wall. Australia did not have a score as daunting as they had in the second Test at Lord’s, and still, England crumbled as if they were ready to surrender.
The second innings was similar. Adam Lyth continued being a sitting duck, Root played a stroke that he should never have played, Ben Stokes went looking for runs and Bairstow showed why he provides no assurance. England should consider themselves lucky to have Cook, who waged a lonely battle in their second essay.
It is Australia’s poor show that has played a strong role in England being heralded as the winners in the Ashes 2015. Of course, the hosts were unstoppable on Day One in the fourth Test in Nottingham when Australia finally surrendered the Ashes, in just one session. But what must be noted is that England have not really been dominant throughout the series — like they were when the Ashes was last played in their backyard.
The score-line would have been a lot different had Australia not surrendered on moments when they were asked to show character. The no-show of their middle-order is equivalent to the no-show of the English top-order. It was only because of the two bad days with the bat — 60 all-out at Trent Bridge and a paltry 136 in the first innings at Edgbaston — that Australia have performed so badly in this Ashes.
(Devarchit Varma is a reporter with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)
