Australia conquer Adelaide on account of a brilliant all-round show against hapless England

Australia put on a commanding display on the fifth day of the second Ashes Test in Adelaide against England. The hosts secured a thumping 275-run victory and went 2-0 up in a five-match Test series. The writing was on the wall for visitors, and it was a question of how long they would resist. England wicketkeeper batter Jos Buttler managed to frustrate Australia and took the match to the last session.

Advertisment

He batted 207 balls and scored 26 runs. It was a terrific display of grit, determination, and character by Buttler. Alas, he could not find much support from the other end, as the visitors were bundled out for 192. Jhye Richardson ended up taking five wickets in the innings. He was well-supported by Mitchell Starc and Nathon Lyon, who picked up two wickets each.

All hopes laid firmly on talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes to deny Australia a win on the fifth day. The southpaw could contribute only 12 runs. From there on, it was all about hosts. Chris Woakes played enterprising innings of 44 before Richardson struck. That Australia bowlers managed to keep England batters down to 236 and 192 in the first and second innings respectively, even without Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood speaks volumes about the team.

The bowlers’ job was made easier by the batters, who managed to score 473. Marnus Labuschagne scored a gritty hundred, with Steve Smith and David Warner contributing to 93 and 95 respectively.

Advertisment

Meanwhile, for visitors, the batting yet again failed to deceive. In reply to Australia’s huge first innings score, they yet again lost their out-of-form openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed early. Resurrection came in the form of Dawid Malan and Joe Root. The duo yet again looked solid at the crease and scored 80 and 62 respectively. As soon as Root gout out with the score reading 150 for 3, England collapsed.

Yet again the last seven wickets fell cheaply, and England managed to give the hosts an upper hand. Australia are looking ominous and are just a win away from retaining the Ashes. Earlier, the national selectors also named an unchanged 15-member squad for the remainder of the three Ashes Test matches. Meanwhile, the visitors need to bounce in the Boxing Day Test, if they harbor hopes of saving the Ashes.