England would be astonished that they deferred Aussies a victory. Aussies were looking in full control that too till the last ball, yet England attained a draw which would be remembered for Ages. As of now England would be relieved that 2006-07 & 2013-14 feat (*5-0 white-wash) won’t be attained by Aussies.
Aussies had won the toss & elected to bat first. Rain intervened a lot on the 1st Day of Test Match. For the first time Australia’s top-order was exposed as the likes of Warner, Harris, Smith & Labuschagne were back in the dressing room, while the score was 242-5. Usman Khawaja came into the team as Travis Head had tested positive for Covid-19.
On Day 2 Khawaja made the most of the opportunity & rescued Australia’s ship by smashing a century. He scored 137 runs in 200 deliveries. It was looking as if Khawaja was a regular part of team. His calmness & composure was spot on. For England the presence of Khawaja proved to be a surprise package as Khawaja had played his last test match in 2019 Ashes. Khawaja got ample support from the rest of the batters. Australia declared after posting a mammoth 1st innings total of 413-8.
“The Old Horse” Stuart Broad proved his mettle by picking up a 5 wicket haul. This was the first time where an England bowler took 5 wickets in 7 innings. Broad was looking determined as ever as there were no freebies. England’s bowlers looked dedicated as getting rid off top-order quickly sensed that England are heading in the right direction.
England came out to bat & went unscathed (* 5 overs before day’s play) which was surprising given the history of openers in Series. On Day 3 Aussies continued their domination & dragged England to 36-4. It was looking that this Test Match would end quickly, then Ben Stokes & Johnny Bairstow came.
It was understood that Bairstow’s career as a red ball cricketer would be finished. He just went into attacking mode as he scored a barnstorming century of 113 runs in 158 balls. His celebration was evident that he is still an integral part of the Team.
Even Stokes was looking threatening but he was foxed by the craftiness of Nathan Lyon. Stokes contributed 66 runs in 91 balls to England’s Scoreboard. The dismissal of both the batters meant that Aussie got a lead. England were bowled out for 294 runs. Aussies got a lead of 122 runs.
Australia’s hero/wicket-taker with the ball was none other than Scott Boland. He took 4 wickets & was as immaculate as ever with the line & length. Mitchell Starc was taken to the cleaners & he looked a bit drained in his spells. There were instances where catches where dropped by Alex Carey, slip fielders & Marnus Labuschagne.
On Day 4 once again the top-order failed to score size-able runs. The score was 86-4. Usman Khawaja made a solid case for himself as he smashed a turbulent century of 101 runs in 138 balls. The peculiarity of Khawaja’s knocks this time was that he played according to the conditions.
Khawaja scored his 2nd Century of Test Match & made a strong case for the upcoming Asian Test Tours (Pakistan, Sri Lanka & India). Both the dug-outs lauded Khawaja’s performance as he was at his best. He along with Cameron Green ruined England’s chances of making a come-back. Green played a flamboyant knock of 74 runs in 122 balls. Aussies declared on 265-6 & posted a total of 388 runs for Britishers.
Lack Leach made the most of the turning tracks as he took 4 wickets. The rest of the bowlers were bowling on foot-marks which made the batting extremely difficult. Overall, the bowlers were spot on. Khawaja & Green made the bowlers to bowl according to their strengths.
In response to 388 target (*Day 4) England once again went wicket-less in dressing room as they scored 30 runs in 11 overs. Attaining target looked plausible as scoring 358 runs in 3 sessions is a bit unrealistic. Both the openers in this Test Match blunted the new ball which made the task easier for the rest.
On Day 5 England’s batters showed a lot of character. Pat Cummins the skipper was grinding for each & every wicket as this time England were staunch in their defense. Cummins would be unhappy as his strike bowler Mitchell Starc’s wicket-column was empty. Not only he was wicketless but he also gave away runs with an economy of more than 3.5. Starc’s inability of taking a wicket proved to be a decisive factor.
This Test Match was played with a lot of things under scanner as Aussies wanted to dominate while England wanted to prove a point. England would be grinning that they defied the odds, this Australian team looks similar to the Legendary Ricky Ponting’s & Michael Clarke’s team.
England found a lot of positive aspects as Ben Stokes (“Mr. Incredible” termed by his mates) got back into his groove & Johnny Bairstow saved his place by cracking up a hard -fought century. This time pacers toiled & showcased results which was optimum. England now needs to take one more step ahead & win the TEST Match at Hobart which would be the proper way to sign off. All in all, England looks back on track in Test Cricket
Aussies have a habit of finding replacements quickly. Cameron Green has some shades of the Legendary Shane Watson. They have the pedigree of All-rounders which makes them invincible & challenging. The Top 2 World Class batters of Australian line up haven’t scored a century till now (*8 innings) which augurs a lot about Australia’s Camaraderie on & off the field.
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