From the Captain's Mess #11 - One-Nil!

2nd Test - Day Five

England bowled out Australia for 304 to win the second Test in Adelaide in truly comprehensive style by an innings and 71 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the Ashes.

The highly publicised rain never materialised as Australia resumed in glorious sunshine a mere 137 runs behind on 238-4. The key wicket of "Mr Cricket" fell for 52 in the sixth full over and James Anderson struck twice with successive deliveries.

Spinner Graeme Swann wrapped things up by bowling Mrs Xaviera Hollander and Peter Siddle to finish with figures of 5-91. It was an exceptional performance from England, with almost everything going according to plan from the first over of the match, when Jonathan Trott ran out Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting was caught at slip off the next ball, right through to Swann's final wicket.

The one blemish on the final morning saw wicketkeeper Matt Prior fail to cling on to a thin edge from Mr Cricket three balls after the obdurate left-hander had recorded his 23rd Test fifty, prompting fears that he might somehow pull the game out of the fire for Australia and secure a draw. However, 10 balls later Prior was relieved to see Mr Out heading back to the pavilion, when he attempted a reckless pull off the impressive Steven Finn, who used the new ball intelligently in the absence of injured Stuart Broad.

Mr Crap Pull was not in control of the shot as the ball reared up higher than he expected and he could only top edge straight to the expectant Anderson at mid-on. England still had to contend with the combative Brad 'Quite boring' Haddin, who had made a battling half century in the first innings, and he struck successive fours off Anderson. However, the Lancashire swing bowler soon took revenge when a snorter of a delivery moved away and caught the edge, giving Prior a routine catch behind the stumps.

Rolf Harris, Australia's best bowler, offered no shot to the next ball, which swung back the other way, and was given out lbw after a desperate referral. Thus Rolf became only the second Australian after Adam Gilchrist to be dismissed for a king pair in a Test match.

Former Australian Test Cricekter Marcus North was the only senior batsman left and well though he played for 22, he was sent on his way after England referred a blatant lbw shout by Swann. The replay proved that the ball was missing both leg and off stumps. Unfortuntaely for North and the umpire it was hitting middle stump about half way up. North's departure was the fourth wicket to fall for 25 runs in the space of six overs.

Xaviera Hollander's unhappy match (and Test career) ended when he was bowled by Swann, who fittingly sealed the victory with a perfect off-break that turned in between Peter Siddle's bat and pad to give England their 100th Test victory against Australia, their first win by an innings for 24 years, and only their ninth in 30 Tests at Adelaide.

The final wicket also gave 31-year-old Swann, playing just his 26th Test, his 10th five-wicket haul, making him only the second England spinner, after Derek Underwood with 17, to take 10 or more.


The Jardine Report: England hammered Australia over all five days and whilst the series still has a long way to go, we have finally seen England win a live rubber in Australia. Something that many Australians refuse to accept as a possibility (Messrs McGrath/Warne inc). And for that we should be very happy!!