MELBOURNE (REUTERS, AFP) – Nathan Lyon captured a long-awaited four-hundredth cricket Take a look at sufferer and spun Australia to an emphatic nine-wicket victory within the first Ashes Take a look at on Saturday (Dec 11), with England dropping eight wickets in a shocking morning collapse on day 4 on the Gabba.
The spin-bowling cult hero grabbed 4 wickets as England’s batsmen crumbled by lunch, leaving 20 runs for Australia to mow down after the break.
Having dominated with bat, ball and within the discipline, Australia head to Adelaide for the day-night check with a surge of confidence underneath new captain Pat Cummins.
England, in the meantime, will pore over their failings after one other horror present in Brisbane. They’ve now misplaced seven of their previous 9 matches on the Gabba, a venue from which sequence defeats appear to spring.
Captain Joe Root mentioned his staff should repair their fielding and batting to get again into the Ashes sequence, whereas defending the choice to depart Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad out of the primary Take a look at.
Query marks hold over their alternatives and ways, and there appear few prepared options for his or her batting woes earlier than the pink ball check begins in Adelaide on Thursday.
“If I am being sincere, we will not create as many probabilities as we did and put them down,” mentioned Root.
“Our bowlers had been glorious. We’ve received to be higher within the discipline and with the bat.
“We all know the place we have to get higher, however the way in which we responded within the second innings confirmed a large amount of character and combat which can stand us in good stead.”
Australian Cummins, in his first match as skipper, mentioned he thought somebody was smiling over him.
“Loads of issues did go proper, most likely from the toss,” he added.
“I believed it was a very full efficiency.
“I used to be actually glad that almost everybody fired.”
England resumed on 220 for 2 with the match nonetheless inside their grasp, however misplaced their final eight wickets for 77 runs to be bowled out for 297.
England paceman Ollie Robinson burnished his match stats with the dismissal of wicket-keeper Alex Carey (9), who stood in for opener David Warner as he nursed bruised ribs.
However Marcus Harris (9 not out) hit seamer Mark Wooden to the fence to finish the rout.
Root was upset after he and Dawid Malan’s huge day-three partnership proved in useless.
Nevertheless, the match was all however over after Root received the toss and despatched his batsmen in to be routed for 147 within the first innings.
“Frustration,” he mentioned. “We labored actually arduous to get ourselves again within the sport final night time. It is a disgrace that we simply could not fairly handle to get by that preliminary section as a result of it might have been very totally different.”
‘Superb morning’
Lyon, who took 4-91 for the second innings, had been stranded on 399 wickets for the reason that series-deciding defeat by India in January on the Gabba however wasted no time turning the competition on its head on Saturday.
In his second over, the 34-year-old veteran deceived Malan (82) and produced a bat-pad catch to Marnus Labuschagne, breaking a vital 162-run stand with Root.
“It was unimaginable,” mentioned Lyon. “Superb crowd and to tick off a private milestone is unbelievable however even higher to high it off with a reasonably excellent win.”
England promptly misplaced three wickets for 11 runs with younger all-rounder Cameron Inexperienced capturing the important thing wicket of Root for 89, the England skipper but once more denied a maiden hundred in Australia.
Batsman Travis Head was named Man of the Match for his quickfire 152, which arrange Australia’s first innings 425 in response to England’s paltry whole.
Carey, who changed former captain Tim Paine behind the stumps, took a file eight catches on check debut.
Nevertheless, it was Lyon’s day to savour as he turned solely the third Australian within the 400-wicket membership led by Shane Warne (708) and Glenn McGrath (563).
He had Ollie Pope caught for 4 at slip with a ball that reared out of the Gabba pitch. He took one other two wickets to assist clear up the tail.
England talisman Ben Stokes (14) mixed with wicket-keeper Jos Buttler (23) for a 32-run partnership however the all-rounder fell to Cummins once more, with an identical quick ball to the one which received him for 5 within the first innings.
With Warner ailing and paceman Josh Hazlewood additionally nursing an belly pressure, Australia will likely be glad for the additional day without work.
English followers could hope salvation lies when Adelaide Oval lights up, and with the pink ball within the palms of rested tempo warriors Anderson and Broad.
Regardless of the Gabba floor tending to favour seam bowlers, England opted to depart their two best wicket-takers out of the beginning XI.
It sparked bewilderment and criticism which Root didn’t tackle instantly when requested in his post-match tv interview whether or not he would have chosen in another way if given his time once more.
“One factor I’ll say is we needed variation in our assault, to have the ability to change the tempo and transfer by totally different gears all through the innings,” he mentioned.
Off-spinner Jack Leach, who got here in for Broad, was punished by the Australian assault, however Root mentioned he took accountability.
“If something, it falls on me for giving him too aggressive fields too early, not permitting him to settle and provides him a bit extra of an opportunity early on,” he mentioned.
“Jack is a high quality spinner within the 20-odd Assessments he has performed, he has proven what an instrumental half he can play inside this staff and I am positive he’ll play a giant half within the sequence shifting ahead.
“It is actually vital in a five-match Take a look at sequence we do not really feel too sorry for ourselves on the again of this,” the England captain added. “We’ve received to recollect there’s a large quantity of cricket to play.”
