And there you have it. The English resilience has prevailed over an Aussie side that was trying to do too much – both on the field and with its selection. England can be rightly proud of a resounding win over the Aussies.
An even greater reason to be proud is the margin of victory: beating Australia at home by an innings is no small feat.
This victory, coupled with England’s dominance towards the end of the first Test, could have a telling impact on the mental-war between the two sides for the final three Tests. However, if one were to the team on whose mental toughness one’s house can be mortgaged it has to be the Aussies. The Aussies love winning when you least expect them to. Therefore, the English win at Adelaide has set up a fascinating clash for the remaining part of the rubber.
When the Aussies were bowled out for less than 300 in the first innings, Ian Chappell rightly commented that the side should be extremely annoyed with themselves for not posting at least 400.
The Adelaide wicket produced no miracles for the bowlers and yet, typical of breathtakingly intriguing Test cricket, the first half hour of play produced Australia’s worst ever start to an Ashes Test in living memory. If being bowled out below 300 was not bad enough, Alistair Cook set about really rubbing the salt into the wide open Aussie gash. Cook’s innings seemed to be saying: ‘just in case you have forgotten Brisbane’.
Coupled with his Brisbane innings, Cook remained not out for nearly 18 hours.
You can bet your bottom dollar that the Aussie bowlers loathe seeing him at the wicket now. Along with him, Jonathan Trott reminded us why a good batsman’s technique is a subject apt for poetry. The inadequacies of language can not hide the fact that Trott and Cook used their bats as shields, paint-brushes with flowing strokes, hammers and instruments of silken touch.
Kevin Pietersen was the icing on the cake with a commanding double-hundred. The ‘walking ego’ definitely stamped his authority in the playing area and beyond while Ponting ran out of nails to chew. In the Aussie second innings, it really wasn’t the wicket that did anything. It was mere pressure and for once the Aussies crumbled at home.
Troublingly for Australia, Swann used this opportunity to gain in confidence by picking up a ‘five-for’. After the Gabba, his confidence was dented and now he believes again in the magic he conceals in his fingers. This will give England greater hope, especially for the final Test at Sydney.
When this series started, England already had one advantage over Australia and it was this: Australia needed to win one game more than England to regain the Ashes. Now, with three Tests to go, England is one ahead. Ponting and his men do not have a choice now. They need to win two out of the remaining three games. If not, the Aussie public will be faced with the unthinkable: losing the Ashes Down Under. And that happened almost a generation ago – in 1986-87.
Then a stylish left-hander by the name of Chris Broad crafted three centuries in five matches. Ian Botham smashed Merv Hughes all over the Gabba to register an England win. England won, thanks to Botham and the deceptively innocuous looking Gladstone Small, at the MCG and the Aussies managed to pull one back in the final Test at Sydney owing to a young Peter Taylor and veteran Peter Sleep.
The Sydney game was one of the finest Test matches ever. How do I remember this? I was four at that time and I had to save Rs200 over six months to buy the video cassette carrying the highlights of that series. Maybe that is when I fell in love with the Ashes. Is Cook the Chris Broad of the Ashes this time? Some would say he is even better. He and his peers have taken England the closest that you can possibly get to a dream without actually realizing it.
However, realising this dream could only be a matter of time unless the Aussies do what they do best: bounce back with a hunger that would make hyenas blush.
To my mind, the Aussies need to resist the biggest temptation right now, which is to make frantic changes. Losing Katich to an Achilles heel is worrying enough as Anderson runs amok. The English have lost Broad but they have Bresnan.
The next Test is at Perth, the WACA, which at one point was the fastest pitch in the world but not anymore. However, the wicket is still livelier and quicker than most other tracks. Ryan Harris showed promise in this game about what he can do with the short ball and he might be looked at seriously for the coming game. However, either he or Bollinger need to make way for Mitchell Johnson.
Chappell rightly said that the Aussies lack an ‘attack leader’ in their bowling. He is no fan of Johnson at present but he did admit that in recent times Johnson has been the only attack leader for Australia, albeit an inconsistent one.
The Aussie selectors need to put their faith in Johnson again, even if it is for the last time in this series. The Aussies’ last chance to come-back and win this series is fast approaching and they need to grab it with both hands. Their chances might dramatically improve if Johnson’s left hand is assisting the cause. Those with fire are often the most deserving of what is left in the aftermath – the Ashes.
