Rejuvenated Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson blitzed England with a haul of five for 42 to lead his country to an emphatic 381-run victory in the first Ashes Test yesterday.
It was a first win in 10 Tests for Australia after losing a series 4-0 in India and another in England 3-0 this year, and a first triumph in eight Ashes contests since the Perth Test in 2010.
The weather, which delayed play twice for more than two hours, at one stage looked like extending the sometimes fractious contest into a fifth day, before Johnson stepped up to polish off the final England batsmen in the Gabba twilight.
Photo: AFP
England’s hopes of any kind of result at Brisbane had been slim at best when they were set a record 561 to win and lost two second innings wickets for only 24 runs on Saturday evening.
They were shattered when the dismissal of captain Alastair Cook for 65 triggered a collapse from 142-4 to 160-8 in the 45 minutes between the two weather disruptions.
The victory was a confirmation of a renewed sense of confidence in the Australia team after a miserable year and will strengthen their belief that they can stop England winning a fourth successive Ashes series.
“As a team, we’ve copped a fair bit of criticism of late and our performances have probably deserved that,” Australia captain Michael Clarke said. “The win is very important, very special to us, it’s a great way to start the series.”
Left-arm quick Johnson, who took 4-61 as the tourists were skittled for 136 in their first innings and contributed 103 runs with the bat, was named man of the match after claiming his eighth Test five-wicket haul.
Cook said England would regroup and come out fighting in the second Test in Adelaide, but needed to take a long, hard look at how they dealt with Johnson.
“We’re going to have to be really honest with ourselves about how we go about trying to play him,” Cook said. “We can’t brush the issue, he’s hurt us in this game, and we’re going to come back and show our ability in the next game.”
England made a reasonable start to the day, but Kevin Pietersen (26) and Ian Bell (32) lost their wickets to shots they need not have played.
As in the first innings when England lost six wickets for nine runs in one spell, though, it was spinner Nathan Lyon (2-46) who really got the ball rolling for the hosts.
Cook, who scored 235 not out in his second innings in the last Ashes Test at the Gabba, had played a composed and defiant innings with just three boundaries before a dramatic hailstorm forced the players off the field.
Six balls after the resumption, Lyon got a little bit of extra bounce out of the surface and Cook caught a top-edge with an attempted cut, with Brad Haddin taking the catch behind the wickets.
England were only able to add only six runs for the next three wickets, with Matt Prior (4), Stuart Broad (4) and Graeme Swann (0) quickly following their captain back to the pavilion.
Lyon, who later got his first chance to lead Australia in the victory song, despite being given the task last January, had Prior caught at leg slip by David Warner after just eight minutes in the middle.
A bullish Broad lasted just three deliveries and five minutes before he got the faintest of touches to a Johnson delivery which again Haddin snaffled up.
Swann lasted just two balls before a meek fend at a Johnson snorter saw the ball fly into the hands of a diving Steve Smith in the slips.
England regrouped sufficiently to survive until the rain started falling again, but the storm passed reasonably quickly and the players were back out with an hour remaining.
Chris Tremlett blocked for 7 until a rising Ryan Harris ball came off the splint of his bat into the hands of George Bailey at short-leg.
That left Joe Root (26 not out) and James Anderson as England’s last two batsmen, and fittingly it was Johnson who dealt the coup de grace by dismissing his fellow quick caught and bowled to trigger the celebrations.
“To get a five-for in a Test match in an Ashes series is unbelievable feeling,” Johnson said. “All the boys just racing in and getting in a huddle was a great celebration for us. It was just a great moment, something I’ll never forget.”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two