Player of the Match
Player of the Match
  • BATSMEN
    R
    B
    M
    4s
    6s
    SR
    52.5 another wicket! Rogers is gone! Two in two overs after nothing seemed to be happening for them, Swann gets one to turn a bit more from short of a length, Rogers dabs at it as if trying to push to cover and his edge is taken by Prior - Rogers was walking, didn't even wait for the umpire to give him out. Well, what a huge couple of overs for England 155/3
    7.6 got him! Poor stroke, clipped straight to point. Just short of a length and Warner has picked out Carberry square on the off side. He lives and dies by the sword and in trying to be uber-aggressive again, Warner pops up an easy catch with a flicked back-foot drive. The delivery might have just stopped in the wicket a little, and it actually just nipped away a touch, it certainly didn't come on as Warner was hoping. Important strike for England after leaking a few runs early doors 34/1
    51.6 Anderson has done it! And with a super return catch, great reflexes. Watson has gone for the big straight drive but this ball bounces more than he expects, so it comes off higher on the bat and stays in the air long enough for Anderson to grasp it with both hands at ankle height. Very good catch 155/2
    136.1 what is this? A wicket! Stokes this time has his first Test victim! Clarke has tried to turn this through square leg but a leading edge lobs up to midwicket where Anderson dives forward to take the catch. And relief for Stokes as his foot was safely behind the line this time! 457/6
    58.3 Panesar strikes! Beautiful delivery, the turn away from the right-handers has done the job. Smith has played from the crease and defended with far from a straight bat - it was angled horribly - and the ball turns past it to clip the off stump. Lovely ball, poor shot, and England are on top 174/4
    85.3 super catch! Bailey is gone, and it's the Broad bouncer that does the job. Bailey went for the hook, it flew off the bat but in the air, and Swann at square leg hurls himself up and to his right, clasps the ball safely and Bailey's entertaining innings has come to an end 257/5
    150.5 slashes at a wide one and nicks behind and England have finally removed Australia's wicketkeeper. Quite a lazy cut stroke at a wide delivery without moving his feet and it took a thick top edge that carried low through to Prior who took the catch smartly 529/9
    139.3 and there's another wicket! Johnson has misjudged Graeme Swann's flight, driving uppishly and trying to clear mid-on but it has provided Stuart Broad with one of the simpler catches he will take. Might have been a bit of over-spin from Swann too, well bowled 474/7
    142.3 Stokes has his second wicket, and that was a lovely delivery! He's angled this in and managed to get this ball to straighten a bit, Siddle plays straight and gets a thick edge through to the keeper 483/8
    not out
    55
    54
    64
    6
    2
    101.85
    not out
    17
    26
    28
    1
    1
    65.38
    Extras
    14 (b 8, lb 1, nb 4, w 1)
    TOTAL
    570/9d (158 Overs, RR: 3.6, 634 minutes)
    Fall of wickets: 1-34 (David Warner, 7.6 ov), 2-155 (Shane Watson, 51.6 ov), 3-155 (Chris Rogers, 52.5 ov), 4-174 (Steven Smith, 58.3 ov), 5-257 (George Bailey, 85.3 ov), 6-457 (Michael Clarke, 136.1 ov), 7-474 (Mitchell Johnson, 139.3 ov), 8-483 (Peter Siddle, 142.3 ov), 9-529 (Brad Haddin, 150.5 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    JM Anderson30108512.8301
    SCJ Broad3039833.2610
    GP Swann36415124.1900
    MS Panesar44715713.5600
    BA Stokes1827023.8803
  • BATSMEN
    R
    B
    M
    4s
    6s
    SR
    2.4 cleaned him up! Johnson on the charge again, beaten Cook for pace past the outside edge and Cook was nowhere near it. It might have straightened a fraction from an off stump line but Cook has simply been done for sheer pace at over 90mph, didn't get forward enough, tried in vain to get the bat down on it but seem to be aiming at mid-on and missed it completely 9/1
    45.6 wow! Out of nowhere Carberry has gone! We were one ball away from a fifth straight maiden over and Carberry gets a short one from Watson and goes for the pull, he absolutely creamed it out of the middle of the bat but Warner at forward square leg has thrust the hands down and somehow taken that in his left hand alone 111/4
    29.6 top-edged sweep and find deep square leg can you believe it? All the hard work from Root and he's fallen to a very weak dismissal, that is a cheap surrender and Australia have been gifted the opening breakthrough, what a waste for England. Root was sweeping from well outside off, he was swinging hard and looked like he was going for slog sweep but a bit of bounce - that Lyon often gets - is his downfall 57/2
    34.3 Pietersen takes a little step down the pitch and clips straight to short midwicket and again Pietersen falls right into the trap. George Bailey juggled the chance but held on well and that is the second very weak dismissal this morning. Very very poor indeed from such a great player, flicking right into the trap and now England are in trouble 66/3
    not out
    72
    106
    162
    9
    4
    67.92
    50.1 full at the pads, huge appeal for lbw, not out given, Erasmus reckoned Stokes hit this, it rebounds to point, there's a run taken and the throws ends up going for four overthrows but Clarke reviews the lbw call. Johnson is mighty close on the no-ball but just okay. Replays suggest the delivery was pad first, Stokes hit his pad with the bat and Hawk Eye has it...crashing into middle and leg and Stokes is gone. Johnson quick and straight and once again too good for an England batsman. Nothing Stokes would have ever faced before this bowling. Like Cook, he was simply done for pace 117/5
    50.5 well four balls is all Prior has lasted because he's felt for one outside off stump and nicked it behind. Two rough shorties followed by one pitched up sliding across him, Prior played forward and followed it outside off, getting a thin edge through to Haddin who claimed the catch down low 117/6
    50.6 haha cleaned him up! What an over from Johnson. Fabulous fast bowling and that is surely one of the great Ashes overs. Fast on a length, Broad stepped across to try and flick to leg but has lost his leg stump. Remarkable stuff, a triple wicket maiden from Johnson! Again, the pace is simple too much for England 117/7
    54.5 full and wide, Swann swings at it, gets a thick outside edge and Clarke takes a superb catch high over his right shoulder, a fine grab and Johnson has a five-for again. Swann was not going to sit around waiting for a ball to get him out, he chases a full wide one, didn't get his foot right out to meet it and nicks off. Another superb Australian catch 135/8
    54.6 full and straight and knocks out middle stump! This is fast becoming one of the great fast bowling spells. Full, fast and furious that pierces the gap between bat and pad and takes the top of middle stump. Absolutely perfect from Johnson and he need only look at Anderson this time 135/9
    68.2 gone! Johnson gets the job done immediately! Quick, accurate and takes Panesar's off stump. A little inside edge onto the pad and then it clips back into the stumps and England are all out for 172 172/10
    Extras
    8 (lb 3, nb 3, w 2)
    TOTAL
    172 all out (68.2 Overs, RR: 2.51, 308 minutes)
    Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Alastair Cook, 2.4 ov), 2-57 (Joe Root, 29.6 ov), 3-66 (Kevin Pietersen, 34.3 ov), 4-111 (Michael Carberry, 45.6 ov), 5-117 (Ben Stokes, 50.1 ov), 6-117 (Matt Prior, 50.5 ov), 7-117 (Stuart Broad, 50.6 ov), 8-135 (Graeme Swann, 54.5 ov), 9-135 (James Anderson, 54.6 ov), 10-172 (Monty Panesar, 68.2 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    MG Johnson17.284072.3012
    RJ Harris1483102.2100
    NM Lyon2056413.2000
    PM Siddle1443412.4211
    SR Watson33010.0000
  • BATSMEN
    R
    B
    M
    4s
    6s
    SR
    2.2 full ball that Rogers comes forward to and edges behind. Something to cheer for England, poor stroke, played on the walk and a thick edge carries through to Prior. Excellent length from Anderson, drawing the batsman forward and he felt for it when he probably could have left it 4/1
    not out
    83
    117
    164
    9
    1
    70.94
    2.4 full and wide, Watson leans out to it and slaps it straight to point and that is a poor stroke. What is he doing there? Has to reach so far out for it, second ball, and picked out Carberry who rather enjoyed that catch! 4/2
    21.1 gone! Panesar has bowled Clarke with a lovely delivery, quicker ball from around the wicket and turning just enough to beat the outside edge, this has collected the off stump and Clarke is gone 65/3
    not out
    23
    54
    71
    2
    0
    42.59
    Extras
    2 (b 1, lb 1)
    TOTAL
    132/3d (39 Overs, RR: 3.38, 163 minutes)
    Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Chris Rogers, 2.2 ov), 2-4 (Shane Watson, 2.4 ov), 3-65 (Michael Clarke, 21.1 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    JM Anderson711922.7100
    SCJ Broad601903.1600
    GP Swann933103.4400
    BA Stokes732002.8500
    MS Panesar1004114.1000
  • BATSMEN
    R
    B
    M
    4s
    6s
    SR
    1.3 short ball, Cook hooks and gets a top edge, long leg comes in and takes a tumbling catch! Can you believe it. Harris with a fine effort running in off the boundary and claiming a low chance just above the ground diving forward. Cook decided to go the aggressive route this time but Plan B has also failed 1/1
    11.4 short of a length, pulled and finds a diving Nathan Lyon at long leg. You can't make this up, outrageous. Absolutely no trouble whatsoever, this delivery isn't quick or even that short, Carberry has simply picked it up straight to long leg. It's another good catch with Lyon getting down low to his right 20/2
    64.2 straighter line, it turns in a little, Root was playing back and gets a little inside edge that runs off the pad and Haddin dives forward to take it and that is the breakthrough that Australia wanted. Root walks straight off, no century for him, but at least he's put up some kind of a fight. Little unlucky there but throughout the match fortune has favoured Australia and they've deserved their luck too. Good catch from Haddin diving forward 171/5
    53
    99
    151
    2
    3
    53.53
    47.1 gone! Siddle has made the breakthrough that Australia desperately needed, and it has come with an inside edge onto off stump. Siddle didn't nip it back much, but just enough, and it has caught the inside edge and Pietersen has played on. Huge breakthrough. 131/3
    53.4 Smith has struck! And he's done it with a full toss, what a disappointment for Bell! He has thrown it away. Smith lobs it up and this is a low fullie, there to hit but Bell has not got hold of it, all he has managed to do is chip it up to mid-on where - who else? - Mitchell Johnson runs a little to his right and takes a catch low to the ground 143/4
    84.1 Harris gets his first of the match! He hits the right length that makes Stokes play on off stump but it nips away and the thick edge from Stokes is snapped up by Clarke at second slip 210/6
    98.5 short and hooked again and, well, well, well can you Adam and Eve it, picks out deep-backward square leg. England, deary me. Harris the catcher this time. There's no point describing the wicket because you know the drill by now surely 301/9
    90.5 hooked again and this time Broad puts it right down deep square leg's throat how awfully typical for this batting performance. That is an utter miserable stroke. Banged in again and Broad falls for it hook, line and sinker, slogging it straight to Lyon who barely has to move coming in from the rope. Pretty pathetic that from Broad 255/7
    97.3 back of a length outside off, Swann pushes hard at it away from his body with a nothing stroke and gets a thick edge to second slip where Clarke bags an easy catch at shoulder height with two hands. The delivery shaped away a touch but started too wide to induce a stroke. Chalk it up as another poor dismissal 293/8
    not out
    13
    14
    18
    2
    0
    92.85
    101.4 length outside off and Panesar slaps it to short extra-cover and Australia have wrapped up a 218 run victory to go 2-0 up in the series. Panesar can't add the resistance of the first innings to the second dig, got a driven off the toe and it was simply pouched by Rogers at hip height 312/10
    Extras
    6 (lb 1, nb 1, w 4)
    TOTAL
    312 all out (101.4 Overs, RR: 3.06, 439 minutes)
    Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Alastair Cook, 1.3 ov), 2-20 (Michael Carberry, 11.4 ov), 3-131 (Kevin Pietersen, 47.1 ov), 4-143 (Ian Bell, 53.4 ov), 5-171 (Joe Root, 64.2 ov), 6-210 (Ben Stokes, 84.1 ov), 7-255 (Stuart Broad, 90.5 ov), 8-293 (Graeme Swann, 97.3 ov), 9-301 (Matt Prior, 98.5 ov), 10-312 (Monty Panesar, 101.4 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    RJ Harris19.435432.7421
    MG Johnson2487313.0420
    PM Siddle1945743.0000
    NM Lyon2677813.0000
    SR Watson63601.0000
    SPD Smith704316.1400

Close of Play

  • Thu, 5 Dec - day 1 - Australia 1st innings 273/5 (MJ Clarke 48*, BJ Haddin 7*, 91 ov)
  • Fri, 6 Dec - day 2 - England 1st innings 35/1 (MA Carberry 20*, JE Root 9*, 21 ov)
  • Sat, 7 Dec - day 3 - Australia 2nd innings 132/3 (DA Warner 83*, SPD Smith 23*, 39 ov)
  • Sun, 8 Dec - day 4 - England 2nd innings 247/6 (MJ Prior 31*, SCJ Broad 22*, 90 ov)
  • Mon, 9 Dec - day 5 - England 2nd innings 312 (101.4 ov) - end of match

Match Notes

  • Death by the cathedral

    On a docile Adelaide drop-in, Mitchell Johnson burst in, cracked open a Test, and set his side on course to win back the Ashes

  • Champs today, chumps tomorrow

    In separating sportsmen into two distinct categories - tough men and cowards - we not only miss the subtlety, we miss the whole truth

  • Unfair to blame the coaching staff

    Andy Flower has created an excellent environment and any criticism of him and the set-up is missing the mark. It's the players who have failed

  • England lack skill, pure and simple

    The tourists have no excuses for their poor showing. They have simply not been good enough against quality bowling on lively pitches

  • Raise courage and commitment, England

    The ability to respond to challenges that are beyond the daily call is diminished by overkill, but that is precisely the task ahead of Cook and Co