England seized control of the Ashes yesterday by skittling Australia for 98, a record low for the hosts in Melbourne, and building a lead of 59 runs without loss at the close of the first day’s play in the fourth Test.
England’s seamers scythed through Australia’s top order before lunch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), then rattled through their last six wickets for the loss of only 40 runs before tea to stun the crowd of more than 84,000.
England openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook rubbed salt in the hosts’ wounds by surviving more than three hours to stumps, profiting from sunny afternoon conditions that tamed a pitch that earlier proved a handful for Australia’s batsmen.
Photo: EPA
Strauss was on 64 and Cook 80 at stumps, raising England’s hopes of taking the Ashes home for the first time in 24 years.
“At no point did we get carried away, even when they were six down, seven down,” said paceman James Anderson, who took 4-44 from 16 overs. “We just kept going and did what we were trying to do, create pressure.”
Anderson said early conditions had helped England’s cause.
“There was definitely some movement. The grass that was on the pitch did help and the overcast conditions helped it swing as well,” he said. “We’ve had one good day, one great day, but there’s still four days of hard work left.”
The five-Test series is tied at 1-1 and holders England need only to win in Melbourne to be the first team to retain the Ashes on Australian soil since Mike Gatting’s side in 1986-1987.
Australia’s paltry total eclipsed their previous lowest of 104 against their opponents at the MCG in the inaugural match of England’s first Test tour of Australia in 1876-1877. The hosts won that Test by 45 runs.
Paceman Chris Tremlett finished with 4-26 in another strong display after coming back into the side at Perth, while Tim Bresnan, who replaced Steve Finn in the side, took 2-25.
England captain Strauss won the toss and sent Australia into bat on a moist, grassy pitch that offered swing and varying bounce from the first ball on an overcast morning.
The hosts’ top order has been brittle throughout the series and they surrendered their first four wickets for just 58 runs.
Tremlett and Bresnan removed openers Shane Watson (5) and the struggling Phillip Hughes (16) respectively, the latter gifting his wicket with a miscued cut that flew straight to Kevin Pietersen at gully.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting’s woeful series with the bat continued when he was out for 10, edging Tremlett to Graeme Swann in the slips.
Mike Hussey, forced into the role of rescuer throughout the series, had his brilliant run of half-centuries ended by Anderson just before lunch, nicking to wicketkeeper Matt Prior for 8.
A rain shower that brought lunch five minutes early and delayed the second session by 45 minutes compounded Australia’s misery as the ball continued to skid and lift at turns in the early afternoon.
Anderson struck twice shortly after lunch, removing Steve Smith for 6 and Michael Clarke for 20, both caught behind by Prior from similar deliveries that swung late.
Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin then flashed at Bresnan, his flat-footed drive flying straight to Strauss at first slip, sparking England’s ecstatic “Barmy Army” into renditions of God Save the Queen.
Anderson’s dismissal of paceman Mitchell Johnson for a duck was England’s third without a run conceded after lunch, as Australia crashed from 77-5 to 77-8.
Australia’s tail added another 21 runs, with Peter Siddle’s 11 finishing the third-highest score.
With the afternoon sunshine drying out the pitch, Cook and Strauss were rarely tested.
Cook raised his half-century by cutting a loose delivery from Johnson for four in the 32nd over. Strauss reached his half-century five overs later, tucking a single off part-time leg-spinner Smith to deep mid-on.
Johnson had sparked Australia’s 267-run win in Perth with a match-winning six-wicket haul, but he was hit for 11 runs off his first over and finished with unflattering figures of 0-42 off seven overs.
The talismanic paceman, so often the barometer of Australia’s fortunes, sent one delivery flying wide past wicketkeeper Haddin on the way to the boundary to encapsulate the hosts’ struggles.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was