BRISBANE: England head to this week’s second Adelaide Test with all the momentum after dominating Australia over the final two days of the Ashes opener which ended in a draw at the Gabba on Monday.
England ensured they would not be beaten in the first match of their Ashes defence after conceding a 221-run innings deficit when Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott shared in England’s highest partnership in Australia of 329 runs.
Cook became only the fourth Englishman to score a Test double-century in Australia with his unconquered 235, while Trott hit 135 not out before skipper Andrew Strauss called a halt at 517 for one, 40 minutes before tea.
Australia tried to avoid further collateral damage in their 26 overs to the close and were 107 for one when the match finished in a draw.
Ricky Ponting scored his 56th Test half-century to be 51 not out and Shane Watson was on 41.
Ponting said pacemen Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris had been added to the squad for the Adelaide Test.
“There’s no doubt that we have a lot of improvement to do with our bowling group over the last couple of days,” he said, adding that Australia’s ability to get up to 100 runs quickly in the final session highlighted the difficult bowling conditions.
“I am not saying everything was absolutely perfect for us,” Ponting said. “We didn’t bowl as well as we could as a group by any stretch of the imagination but it was a difficult wicket to bowl on over the last couple of days of this game.”
Records and personal bests kept tumbling for England on the anti-climactic last day as Cook and Trott pummelled the Australian bowlers.
Cook joined Wally Hammond, Reg Foster and Paul Collingwood as double centurions with his 625-minute epic off 428 balls in the highest score by either team in 19 Ashes Tests at the Gabba.
England landed psychological blows on the Australians as Cook and Trott had frolicked before a small last-day crowd dominated by England’s taunting Barmy Army fans, which made it more like a Test at The Oval.
More salt was rubbed into Australia’s wounds with two more embarrassing dropped catches, making a total of five for the match.
Vice-captain Michael Clarke put down a regulation chance off Trott (75) at slip off Shane Watson’s bowling and Ponting dropped Cook (222) in the slips.
It only got worse when Simon Katich was caught at first slip by Strauss off Stuart Broad for four in the sixth over of Australia’s second innings.
