Tuesday, August 25, 2009

England Wins The Ashes


As I said at the start of the series, England have won back the Ashes Series in style. England beat Australia by 197 runs to won the 5th test and the Ashes Series. The crowd got mad when Michael Hussey was caught by Alastair Cook on the bowling of off spinner Greame Swann. England won the second Ashes in a row (in England). They also won the last Ashes series, back in 2005 under the captaincy of Michael Vaughan. He wasn't this time round but he would have certainly watched England thrashing Australia in style.

Also for Andrew Flintoff - it was the perfect farewell. As we all know, this was the last test match of 'The Big Freddie'; he enjoyed every second of it. Flintoff, though didn't took the wicket but he looked pumped up during the celebrations.

Australian second innings started off disastrously on the 4th day. The set opening duo of Shane Watson and Simon Katich could manage just six runs to their overnight partnership of 80. Katich and Watson got out in the space of four runs, England started smelling a sense of victory. But then skipper Ricky Ponting tried his level best and score 66 valuable runs to change things back in the Aussie favour. Michael Hussey joined him and together they added 127 runs for the third wicket. England bowlers had this lean patch and they started looking flat when an Andrew Flintoff throw from the deep shattered his stumps and he ran himself out when the two were set. Vice Captain Michael Clarke got out on a duck and the hero of 4th test Marcus North also followed soon. Hussey then got the company of wicket keeper batsman Brad Haddin and the two added 89 runs and it looked that Australia will surely give England a run for their money, but then Haddin got out, thanks to a good catch by the England skipper. This was the opening England was looking for. England then wrapped the things in style and took the last four wickets for just 21 runs. Michael Hussey was the last one to got out. He scored a brilliant century, as he scored 121 off 263 balls. He spent almost five and a half hours in the middle.

England spectators then roared and it was almost impossible to hear anything in the ground. Steve Harmison took three wickets and the off spinner Swann took 4 Aussie wickets. Andrew Flintoff remained wicketless in what was his last test innings as a bowler.

English pacer Stuart Broad was adjudged Man of the Match for his excellent bowling performance in the first innings and England Captain Andrew Strauss was given the Man of the Series award from the England side and Aussie Vice Captain Michael Clarke from the Aussie side.

Th World of Cricket is stunned by the Great Aussie downfall. Australia has now slipped to the fourth spot - their worse since the rankings were started in 2003, behind South Africa, Sri Lanka and India.

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