PERTH: A defiant Australia regained their traditional Ashes swagger in Perth on Sunday, routing England by 267 runs to level the series while hailing the momentum-swinging return of their mercurial pace bowler Mitchell Johnson.
Australia mowed through England’s last five batsmen for only 42 runs, giving the hosts nearly two days to savour their third-test victory and some 16,000 spectators at the WACA ground more free time than they may have planned for. The astonishing turnaround in form following Australia’s humiliating innings and 71-victory loss in Adelaide was the perfect gift for embattled Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who celebrated his 36th birthday on Sunday. “No better birthday present than that, winning an Ashes test match,” said Ponting.
“We got a nice old hiding in Adelaide last week and to be able to bounce back as dramatically and drastically here says a lot about us and where we’re at right at this moment in the series. “I think now England might just start to have a bit of a look at one — their team make-up for Melbourne and two — the sort of cricket they play to have to beat us.” Man-of-the-match Johnson was particularly devastating, firstly with the bat when he slogged a top-scoring 62 to help the hosts cobble a defendable first innings total of 268. He then cut through the English batsmen claiming a six-wicket haul that fired up his fellow seamers to skittle the tourists for 187.
The match-winning performance for a bowler who thrives on confidence and can be dreadfully wayward when bereft of it, not only set up the victory but was the perfect response to critics who had questioned his place in the side. It was also a smart riposte to the England players who had sought to remind him of his struggles during Australia’s losing Ashes tour last year with verbal potshots on the field of play. “Mitchell’s spell was unbelievable, probably one of the odds-on great Ashes spells,” Ponting said of the mercurial pace bowler who was dropped after a wayward, wicketless spell in the drawn first test in Brisbane. England captain Andrew Strauss, whose top order batsmen had amassed huge scores to save the first in Brisbane and ensure victory in Adelaide, lamented their failure to stand up at Perth where England hold an abysmal record of one win from 12 appearances. “As a batting unit, we haven’t performed in this game, make no bones about it. “We thought we could get 391, the wicket showed signs that it was dying a little bit but that session last night killed us,” he said. After England resumed on 81-5, pace bowler Ryan Harris set about snuffing the tourists’ faint hopes by bowling night-watchman James Anderson for three in his second over. The 31-year-old then trapped Ian Bell lbw for 16. With nothing to lose, Bell requested a review but the replay showed the ball would have crashed into middle stump. Harris then had Matt Prior nicking an edge to gully three balls later where Mike Hussey capped his brilliant test match with the bat with an acrobatic catch, diving to his right to dismiss the England wicketkeeper for 10. Johnson picked up his ninth wicket of the match when he had Graeme Swann play onto his stumps for nine. The late-blooming Harris then removed Steve Finn, the quick edging to Steve Smith at third slip to seal the win and post his best innings figures of 6-47 in his fourth test.
PONTING INJURED: Australia skipper Ricky Ponting hopes to be fit to play in the fourth Ashes test match in Melbourne on Dec. 26 despite fracturing the little finger on his left hand and being unable to field in the third test on Sunday. Ponting injured the digit when he parried a ball from Jonathan Trott into the hands of Brad Haddin to dismiss the English batsman on Saturday.
