How Australia suffered Ashes flameout

Nottingham, August 9

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England have won back the Ashes. After the humiliation of the last series in Australia, the diabolical World Cup campaign and the doom and gloom pre-series predictions, those six words sound all the more sweet.

Ultimately it has taken just 484 overs and one ball for this series to be wrapped up, leaving it on course to be one of the shortest five-match series in Ashes history, with Australia thoroughly thrashed in three of the first four Tests.

So what went wrong for the tourists? How did they lose a series so many people predicted them to win easily?

There can be no doubt that where Australia primarily lost this series was with the bat, their inability to consistently create runs outside of their top three came back to haunt them throughout the series. Chris Rogers was the only Australian batsman to really look secure throughout the first four Tests of the series, his 437 runs at an average of 73.83 the proof of that, and while Stevenn Smith made a fantastic double hundred at Lord’s, elsewhere he did little to justify his ranking as the No. 1 batsman in the world. Outside of Rogers, Smith and David Warner, the next best performing Australian batsman has been Mitchell Johnson, who has made 141 runs at 20.14. A pretty damning indictment on Australia’s middle order.

But it has not just been with the bat that Australia have let themselves down. They came into this series with a bowling attack tipped to blow England away, yet in seven innings they have failed to bowl England out twice and only once for less than 280.

The retirement of Ryan Harris on the eve of the series has clearly hit them hard, shorn of his relentless accuracy their attack has been too inconsistent. Mitchell Starc, who is currently their leading wicket taker in the series, essentially embodies this. One minute he is spraying the ball wide of off or leg stump, the next he is bowling an unplayable inswinging yorker — the problem for Australia has been too much of the former.

Elsewhere Josh Hazlewood has done little to cement his pre-series reputation as being ‘the new Glenn McGrath’ and it would not be a surprise to see him left out of the last Test. While Australia have been poor on the field, they have not perhaps been helped by their selectors, the selection of Shane Watson at Cardiff and Shaun Marsh over his brother Mitchell at Trent Bridge perhaps the most obviously strange calls.

Arguably one of the final reasons for Australia’s defeat is ironically something that is so usually one of their greatest strengths, confidence. Australia were perhaps a little over-confident going into this series, they came into this series expecting to demolish an England side that have endured a dreadful recent period. “I don’t think they’ll come close to us to be honest,” said Steven Smith before the series. He’s certainly been made to eat those words now. —The Independent

Ten reasons why England won the Ashes 

1. BAYLISS BEGINS REIGN IN SPAIN

Trevor Bayliss had precious little time to settle into his new job, starting work just a fortnight before the series. Andrew Strauss duly packed the Australian and a 14-man squad off to an Almerian resort for a get-to-know-you trip. It may have been written off as a ‘holiday’ by the opposition, but England have repeatedly stressed the importance of the excursion — both as a bonding exercise and, crucially, a catching camp.

2. RYAN HARRIS RETIRES

Harris was never likely to drag his creaking body through a full five-match series but he was surely inked in to play a lead role in at least three Tests. His record against England is superb too. So when a chronic knee complaint forced him to call time on his career before the Ashes had even started it was a hefty blow. Ryan Harris was forced to retire from cricket due to injury.   

3. DIZZY CALLS OUT ‘DAD’S ARMY’

The ageing Australian squad came under fire ahead from an unlikely source ahead of the Cardiff Test, with former Baggy Green Jason Gillespie likening his compatriots to Captain Mainwaring and Co.  in the BBC TV sitcom Dad's Army, which was about British Home Guard during World War II, made up of volunteers ineligible for regular military service

4. HADDIN DROPS ROOT

Day One of the opening match saw England slip to 43 for three against the new ball. That should have been 43 for four when Joe Root nicked his second ball from Mitchell Starc. Instead of bagging a duck,  he posted 134 and laid the foundation for a handsome 169-run win at the SWALEC.  

5. WATSON AXED

The Australia selectors ditched the experienced all-rounder Shane Watson after defeat at Cardiff, where his status as an lbw magnet and his tendency to fritter away reviews cost him dear. It showed that there was uncertainty over their best team, which continued when Watson’s replacement Mitchell Marsh was himself dropped two games later for brother Shaun.

6. CLARKE CALLS RIGHT

Both captains wanted to bat first in Birmingham, but the flip of the coin went against Alastair Cook. It was a fortuitous moment as heavy, low-lying clouds descended and a handful of short rain breaks made for brilliant bowling conditions.  James Anderson starred as Australia subsided for 136 — a position they never recovered from.

7. FINN FINDS FORM

After Australia levelled the series with a resounding win at Lord’s, England opted to rest Mark Wood at Edgbaston and recall Steven Finn after two years in the Test wilderness.  It was something of a gamble but the 6ft 7in seamer took just six deliveries to show it was a smart one, taking the edge of world number one Steven Smith and kicking off what became a man-of-the-match display.

8. SKIPPER SLIPS UP

When Clarke put down a sitter from Ian Bell on the third and final day at Edgbaston it probably didn’t change the result, but it showed the touring captain as a man whose game was in tatters. With a severe lack of runs, increasingly soft dismissals and strained press conferences, Clarke was starting to look like a man carrying the weight of the world.

9. BROAD JOINS 300 CLUB

Stuart Broad arrived at his home ground of Trent Bridge on 299 Test wickets and his father Chris admitted concerns that the imminent landmark could distract the seamer. Instead he picked off linchpin Chris Rogers with his third delivery and never looked back as he bagged best-ever figures of eight for 15 and Australia crashed for a scarcely credible 60 all out.

10. STOKES’ STUNNER

Broad’s fourth victim was Adam Voges but the wicket would be just as fitting on Ben Stokes’ CV. The all-rounder pulled off a quite outrageous catch at gully, flinging himself back and across for an unforgettable one-hander. Broad’s hands-to-mouth, wide-eyed expression swiftly became a social media sensation.

Root is No. 1 

London: Joe Root has replaced Stevenn Smith as the world’s No. 1 ranked batsman after playing a key role in England regaining the Ashes. The 24-year-old Yorkshireman struck a superb 130, his second hundred of the series, in England’s innings and 78-run win in the fourth Test.  He has scored 443 runs in the series, with two hundreds and two half-centuries, at an average of 71.79. 

Clarke praised

Melbourne: Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said losing the Ashes was not a fitting end for what retiring captain Michael Clarke gave to the sport in Australia.  “He will be remembered for his courage and the way he played the game,” Sutherland said Sunday. “I don’t think I can think of an Australian cricketer that has worked harder... he finished on his terms and this (retirement) is a small moment in a great career.”