Dominant Aussies leave tourists sick and sorry
Bowling attack wraps up Ashes defence at SCG
Australia are 4-0 Ashes champions after Pat Cummins cleaned up a mentally and physically fried England at the SCG yesterday.
Joe Root battled bravely through a viral stomach bug that had him in hospital before play but he was unable to continue after lunch and Australia struck immediately to polish off the nine wickets required.
In the end it was a landslide innings and 123-run triumph for Australia, with Cummins taking four scalps to finish leading wicket-taker for the series.
It capped a huge victory for Australia’s bowling unit who have all finished the series with at least 20 wickets apiece, dominating their opponents from start to finish.
Cummins led the way with 23 wickets while Mitchell Starc (22), Josh Hazlewood (21) and Nathan Lyon (21) all featured prominently.
“I think the cricket that we’ve played over the last couple of months has been outstanding,” Australian skipper Steve Smith said.
“We haven’t just relied on one person. All the guys have been there and done the job and shared it around which has been outstanding.
“And obviously scoring big runs in the first innings has been key for us.
“Batters have stood up and got through difficult periods and just won those key moments which has been crucial in this series.”
England resumed day five’s fight for survival four wickets down, but Moeen Ali was forced to come out for the opening exchanges with
Jonny Bairstow as Root tried desperately to recover in the dressing rooms.
The late change presented a crack for Australia to exploit and spinner Lyon wasted no time in knocking over Moeen for a remarkable seventh time in nine innings this series.
Lyon trapped Moeen lbw, and the opposing spinner didn’t even contemplate a review as he trudged off the field, the end of a dismal campaign for arguably England’s biggest underperformer.
Root and Bairstow held firm until lunch with a stoic stand but during the interval the England skipper suffered a return of the symptoms that had demanded urgent medical attention in the morning.
England confirmed that Root’s illness had nothing to do with Sunday’s 57.1C heat in Sydney, and was a viral gastro bug that had him up all night vomiting.
Root retired ill on 58 and despite his courage, when he failed to return from lunch England were always on borrowed time.
Within minutes Bairstow (38) was trapped lbw, and then Cummins’ pace and bounce were far too good for tailenders Stuart Broad and Mason Crane to handle.
The final wicket went to Josh Hazlewood in bizarre circumstances, with James Anderson adamant he didn’t nick the ball, but with no reviews to challenge with.
“I think England had their foot in the door in probably all of the Test matches,” Smith said.
“They’ve played some exceptional cricket and we’ve just been able to get on top and win those key moments and not let them back in the game which has been crucial.
“I think it’s a load of different things; belief, playing here at home, just knowing our roles and getting the job done.
“It’s been a really exciting series and we’ve played some really good cricket which has been the most important thing.”
Smith was named man of the series after smashing 687 runs. He hit three centuries and two 50s and his average of 137.4 is the sixth highest in an Ashes series.
“I love being out in the middle and doing the job and trying to lead from the front for the team,” Smith said.
“I’ve worked very hard in the nets, I’ve hit a lot of balls. My mind’s probably in as good a space as it’s been with my batting.”