ON THE ROPES
AUSTRALIAN spinner Nathan Lyon was pilloried for saying this Ashes series may end careers but he might prove to be Nostradamus.
England’s Test cricketers last night were on their knees in Perth, with the futures of star players Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad and Jimmy Ander- son hanging by a thread. And Lyon shredded through Joe Root with his very first ball to leave the England skipper with plenty to digest on the impact the captaincy is having on his batting.
England cricket appears at a major crossroads and if Australia can execute a second Ashes whitewash in as many tours Down Under it would be a damning indictment on the ECB system and culture. Former captain Michael Vaughan says it’s time England started planning for the future and what their next Ashes tour might look like in four years.
Cook has looked a shadow of his former self in his 150th Test match and despite his determination to play on, the wolves are now at the door.
An average of 13 this series and a highest score of 37 from his past 10 Test innings is becoming a serious worry for an England side desperate for good starts.
The drums are beating even louder for Broad, the fallen Ashes pantomime villain who appears all but out of steam.
At the end of Australia’s mammoth first innings of 662, Broad finished with bruising bowling figures of 0-142, the equal 12th worst performance by a fast bowler in the history of Test match cricket.
Anderson ultimately finished with four wickets, but like in Adelaide, it was too little too late by the time he found his mark. In the day-night second Test, Anderson at least ripped into Australian captain Steve Smith with verbal aggression, but he was as quiet as a church mouse at the WACA ground – less inclined to get in the face of opponents when the ball wasn’t swinging and his team was behind.
Josh Hazlewood heaped further pressure on Cook (14) thanks to a blinding caught-and-bowled grab.
Hazlewood somehow pulled in a return drive low to his right as the big fast bowler dived at the end of his followthrough.
He feasted on the crack that had opened up at the Lillee-Marsh grandstand end of the WACA ground and his own keeper Tim Paine was there to take the first offering, with Mark Stoneman the victim as he edged behind for only 3.
England found itself 3-60 with rain its only potential saviour after Australia nailed down its highest score against England on home soil — a daunting 9-662 declared.
Run-scoring machines Steve Smith (239) and Mitchell Marsh (181) were not able to continue the fun on day four, but Paine (49 not out) and fast bowler Pat Cummins (41) took the reins and piled on 93 together to give Australia a commanding lead of 259 with 4½ sessions up its sleeve.
Australia’s extraordinary batting performance eclipsed the 8-659 it scored against England at the SCG in 1946 when Bradman made a Smithesque 234.
It was an innings that almost destroyed England’s spirit, and overnight the tourists were left relying on first innings heroes Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow to save the Test match and the Ashes series.
The tourists’ cause was not helped by the fact it lost third
seamer Craig Overton to a cracked rib and it would seem highly unlikely he will play at the MCG on Boxing Day.
However, the injury did not prevent England’s bowling performance being ranked as an unmitigated dis- aster, with Broad, Anderson, Overton and Moeen Ali all conceding 100 runs each — only the fourth quartet in history to be consigned to such punishment.
Anderson is 35 and Broad 31, and while they might have another burst left on home soil where the ball swings, there must be serious doubts about whether they can be risked away from home.
Captain Joe Root questioned Anderson’s leadership as vice-captain after he was out on the town late one night and had a drink poured over his head.
Former Australian quick Stuart Clark said that both Broad and Anderson had undermined Root’s leadership in Adelaide.