Australia win the 5th Test at The Oval by an innings and 46 runs, but lose urn 3-2
Australia win the 5th Test at The Oval by an innings and 46 runs, but lose urn 3-2
Australia have wrapped up the final Test at The Oval with dominating, all-round effort to exit the Ashes this season with the score-line bridged to 3-2. England resisted longer than they did in the first innings, but a persistent Australian attack, embodied by the sharpness of comeback fast bowler Peter Siddle, got them all out on the afternoon of the fourth day before they could make Australia bat again. Alastair Cook’s defiant 85 was the highlight of the English resistant, but it was not backed up by other performances in either batting or bowling. For Australia, the victory leaves Michael Clarke bowing out on a high, after he enforced the follow-on for the first time in his four-year captaincy career. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: England vs Australia, 5th Test, The Oval, Day 4
They began the day needing four wickets to win. Mark Wood, the No. 8, was dismissed by a ball coming into him that struck his pads less than four overs into the morning session. Jos Buttler, who provided able alliance with Cook to bat for much of the previous day, handed a tame catch to Mitchell Starc at mid-off, after mistiming a cover drive. The rain expected for the day arrived soon after, prompting the players to take an early lunch.
On resumption, after about a three-hour break, Stuart Broad had his off stump toppled by a typically accurate delivery from Siddle. Siddle was playing his first Test in this Ashes series, and indeed, his first since December last year. His frugal second-innings spell read 24.4 overs, 12 maidens, 35 runs, and four wickets. LIVE CRICKET UPDATES: England vs Australia, 5th Test, The Oval, Day 4
The win was set up by a comprehensive team effort in both departments by Australia. A patient century stand between Chris Rogers and David Warner for the first wicket in seaming friendly pitch and weather conditions, a century from Steven Smith, and contributions from Adam Voges and Mitchell Starc, that got Australia to a challenging 481. A combined bowling effort from their bowling teammates, with Starc, Mitchell Johnson and Marsh taking three wickets each, had England being bowled out for 149. The follow-on enforced, Cook displayed resilience to bat a significant part of the third day, before succumbing to the part-time spin of Smith late in the day.
The culmination of the Test series officially marked the end of the careers of Rogers and Clarke. Rogers, who made his debut two years ago in England as a 35-year old, was chosen as Australia’s Man of the Series: a fitting end to his short but sweet international journey, and given his experience and time spent playing cricket in England for Middlesex, it was apt that his final Test was in England, too, as he confessed. Clarke said that he hoped to bring through a few legacies from the star-studded Australian team he arrived into, back in 2004.
Australia arrived as favourites, and exited with a quality win they are associated with, but it is what happened in between that turned the tables around. In ‘spicy’ pitches, as termed by the Man of the Match Smith, they have been guilty of collapsing dramatically. The chaos their team encountered in the press after the handing of the urn in the third Test at Trent Bridge had suggestions of problems in building a team bonding and of domestic cricket in Australia, but all the volatility conjured was put to rest by this win.
For England, this was a ‘surprise’ Ashes win — Cook had prepared himself to face the worst, as he has been used to with difficulties surrounding the England team since the last Ashes in 2013-14. But an obdurate character that he is, he stuck through the bad times to be present for this ‘small’ light at the end of the tunnel.
Brief scores:
Australia 481 (David Warner 85, Steven Smith 143, Adam Voges 43, Mitchell Starc 58; Steven Finn 3 for 90, Moeen Ali 3 for 102) beat England 286 (f/o) (Alastair Cook 85, Jos Buttler 42, Jonny Bairstow 26; Peter Siddle 4 for 35, Mitchell Marsh 2 for 38, Nathan Lyon 2 for 53) and 149 (Moeen Ali 30, Mark Wood 24, Alastair Cook 22; Mitchell Johnson 3 for 21, Mitchell Marsh 3 for 30, Peter Siddle 2 for 32, Nathan Lyon 2 for 40) by an innings and 46 runs
Man of the Match: Steven Smith
Man of the Series (Australia): Chris Rogers
Man of the Series (England): Joe Root