Fourth Investec Ashes
Test, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, Aug 6-8, 2015
After a demoralizing defeat at Birmingham, Australia desperately needed
at least a draw at Nottingham to keep their hopes of retaining the Ashes alive
while England, on the contrary were just one win away from regaining the little
urn that they had lost under one of the most horrendous circumstances down under
just 18 months earlier. On a green looking pitch, England captain Alastair Cook
won the toss and decided to bowl first. With Anderson out due to side strain,
Wood was making a comeback and in Anderson’s absence, onus was on Stuart Broad to
lead the English attack. Australia’s first innings was a story of just 94
minutes and how the fragile batting order collapsed like the house of cards. Not
a single Australian batsman showed any kind of application as Australia were
shot out just for 60.
Australia’s show with the bat was pathetic and even worse
than their first innings performance at Birmingham as Broad stole the show not
only with career best figures but also best bowling figures at Trent Bridge of
8/15. The most glaring stat of Australia’s batting was innings extras as 14
extras top-scored for Australia.
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| Broad returned with career best figures of 8/15. |
England went into lunch at 13/0 and had one
of the most perfect sessions in the history of Test Cricket. Adam Lyth’s poor run
with the bat continued as he fell to Starc just for 14. Starc got rid of Bell
as well with a full, in-swinging yorker and England were reduced to 34/2.
In-form Joe Root joined Cook and the duo wiped off the deficit without any
trouble. They brought their 50-run stand just off 51 balls and just when Cook
was starting to look good, Starc struck back with yet another full, swinging
delivery and English captain was on his way for 43. With Bairstow in at No.5,
Clarke brought back Johnson and similar to Birmingham, Johnson unleashed his
short-ball stuff, but, Bairstow was better equipped to handle it this time
around and negotiated the spell without any damage done. Bairstow gained
confidence as he batted along and partnership of Root and Bairstow started to
grow in stature as Australian bowlers toiled hard without any success. In the
evening session, England scored at more than 4 runs per over as Bairstow
brought his first fifty of the series and Root was nearing yet another Test
hundred. Soon,
Root brought up his hundred, 8th of his career, 3rd
against Australia, with a boundary through vacant backward of point region as
whole of enthusiastic Nottingham crowd gave this boy a standing ovation, a boy
who made a fabulous debut at Nagpur two and half years ago and the person who
became talking point of English cricket in such a small span of time. Following
their respective milestones, the duo marched along as they brought up their
150-run stand just off 179 balls as English lead approached whooping 200 on Day
1 itself. Bairstow who played so well, couldn’t see the off the day though and
was out for well-made 74, caught at square leg off Hazlewood in the dying
minutes of day’s play and England were 274/4, leading by 214 runs at stumps on
Day 1 with centurion Root unbeaten on 124.
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| Root exults after his hundred |
Root, who played brilliantly on Day 1 was finally dismissed for 130,
being able to add just 6 runs to his overnight score as Starc got his 4th
wicket. Starc once again in his very next over, took his 5th scalp
as he uprooted night-watchman Wood’s leg-stump with a deadly yorker and England’s
scorecard read 306/6. Wicket-Keeper Buttler and Ben Stokes didn’t last long either
as they were dismissed by Starc and Hazlewood respectively off consecutive
overs and England were reduced to 332/8. With 8 wickets down, just like
previous Tests, it was similar story for Australia as Moeen Ali and Stuart
Broad wagged with the bat before Steven Smith took a stunning catch to get rid
of Moeen Ali for entertaining 24-ball 38 off Johnson and at 391/9, Cook made an
excellent declaration, just at the stroke of lunch, leaving Australian openers tricky 10-15 minutes of play before lunch on day 2. Openers
Rogers and Warner negotiated the 3 overs safely before lunch and reached 14/0
at lunch, trailing England by mammoth 317 runs. Starc got 6 wickets in England’s
first innings, but, the worst part of Australia’s bowling was that all the
bowlers including Starc had an economy rate of more than 4 runs per over and
that meant the game was almost out of Australia’s reach in no time what so
ever.
With 317 more runs required to make England
bat again, Australia knew they had to play out of their skin to give themselves
any chance and once again Australia’s hopes rested on in-form openers Rogers
and Warner to fire and give them a positive start. Aussie openers did respond
with a century opening stand, but, thanks to England as well as Warner got
lucky being dropped at slips not once, but twice and Rogers was out to a
no-ball. But, soon, Aussies ran out of luck as Rogers was out for 52, Root
taking a blinder of a catch in slip cordon. Warner continued to repeat the same
mistake as he chipped the ball straight in the air, trying to pull and was out
for 64. After dismissing openers, Durham boy Ben Stokes got his third scalp
when Shaun Marsh departed just for 2, Root taking a regulation catch at 3rd
slip. Three down soon became four down as Smith became the latest casualty, Stokes
taking a sharp catch at short-point off Broad and Australia, after that 113-run
opening stand between Rogers and warner, slumped to 138/4 at Tea on day 2. Out of
form Batsmen Clarke and 35-year old Voges resumed the evening session for
Australia as both of them were under enormous pressure to score runs and the
match situation demanded them to pile runs big time if Australia were to have
any chance of saving the match.
Michael Clarke battled hard, battled against
his own form, battled against match situation, but it was not enough as wood
ended Clarke’s 37-ball resistance and Australia found themselves in dire
straits at 174/5. Adam Voges and Wicket-Keeper batsman Nevill tried to
resurrect the innings with a 50-run partnership before Stokes trapped Nevill
LBW for 17. Nevill paid the price for offering no shot and Australia were in
deep, deep trouble at 224/6, still 107 runs away from making England bat again.
Mitchell Johnson was the 7th Australian batsman to bite the dust and
became Stokes’s 5th scalp as Australia slumped to 241/7 at stumps on
day 2. If Broad was England’s hero on day 1, day 2 belonged to Ben Stokes as he
put on exhibition a classic spell of swing bowling and once again Australia’s
fragile batting order collapsed against England’s quality swing bowling.
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| The moment when Clarke fell cheaply yet again |
It just took England 41 minutes to polish off the Australian tail on day
3 as wood bowled No.11 Lyon and there were jubilant scenes all around the English
camp as England regained the Ashes, making a mockery of Australia’s challenge.
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| Proud moment for England as they regain the Ashes |
SCORES:
AUSTRALIA 60
& 253
ENGLAND 391/9 d
ENGLAND WON by an
innings & 78 runs.
ENGLAND LEAD 3-1 &
REGAIN the ASHES.
Player of the match: S
Broad
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