Published: Aug 02, 2015, 05:16 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 02, 2015, 05:16 PM (IST)
The strength of fast bowler Ryan Harris was his persistence. He was Australia’s most successful bowler in the Ashes in 2013, and among his highlights in the five Tests was a five-for at Lord’s, a match that had Australia losing by an innings in the only one-sided contest of the series. Harris, in the first innings, shook the top order of England, getting Joe Root and Kevin Pietersen out with an inswinger and an outswinger respectively. A while later, he dismissed Jonathan Trott with a short-of-a-length ball on leg stump that was pulled to deep square leg. The next morning, he got Tim Bresnan and James Anderson edging behind, ensuring his name was mentioned in the Lord’s honours board: his returns from the only match he participated in in the venue. READ: Ryan Harris: Put simply, a fast bowler who loved his job
Australia challenged England better than the scoreline of a 3-0 defeat suggests. Besides the aberration of Lord’s, Australia lost the first Test by 15 runs: Brad Haddin on the final day almost took his team to victory. The third Test in Manchester was dominated by Australia for the entire duration, but rain on the final day spoiled their charge to clinch the win. In the next Test in Durham, Stuart Broad demolished Australia on the final day to nullify Australia’s advantageous position at 109 for 0 chasing 299.
Th final Test at The Oval was drawn, but it wasn’t without some quality performances from Australian players. Shane Watson’s attacking century on the first day of the Test was a warming sight, especially after his struggles for the rest of the series. England were nearing a victory at the dying stages on the final day, but that was because of a generous declaration for a positive result by Australia’s captain Michael Clarke. READ: Ryan Harris retires: A look at Rhino’s career
