England
v Australian The AMP Oval 5th Test match
23,24,25,26,27
August 2001 (5-day match) -
Umpires
: P
Willey and R Koertzen (SA)
Match
Reports : Day 1; Day 2; Day
3; Day 4; Day 5
Toss: Australia (elected to bat) Australia won
by an innings and 25 runs
Final Day Report | What hope England ?
On the final
day of the 2001 ashes series, Australia,
thanks to Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath
made the perfect start sending four English
batsmen back to the pavilion in the first
ten overs.
Ricky Ponting
finishing his un complete over from yesterday
conceded just the single run and that was
probably the last we have seen from Ponting
this series; with the ball.
Both Warne
and McGrath were right on the money from
the off, Warne especially getting a lot
of turn and causing problems for Butcher
and Trescothick. It was with his second
ball of his second over of the day that
he took his first wicket, Butcher prodding
to a ball that didn't turn a great deal
and only succeeded in bat padding to Steve
Waugh at silly point. Butcher was out the
same way in the first Test at Edgbaston,
again to Warne.
The very next
over, the inform Trescothick was dropped
at second slip by Ponting, attempting a
difficult catch that made it's way through
to Shane Warne who had been blocked by Ponting's
dive. McGrath bowling as quick as he has
done in the series put in a corker of a
short delivery, Trescothick only managing
to fend the ball off with his glove and
it popped up nicely for McGrath who was
following in from his own bowling.
When England
captain fell to Shane Warne in his next
over, trapped leg before from a ball that
deceived the England captain, England had
lost 3 wickets for 4 runs in 16 deliveries
and were facing defeat front on. It was
a major blow to loose the experience of
Hussain, scoring only 2.
Afzaal looked
promising again, playing a fluent although
too short an innings. The shots were there
as they were in the first innings, but with
one big difference; the field placings were
more defensive and the bowling tighter.
Ricky Ponting made up for his error earlier
on by taking a superb catch at second slip,
there in place of the injured Mark Waugh
(who was fielding at Mid off) when he had
Afzaal caught off Glenn McGrath.
Four wickets
had now fallen conceding only 9 runs in
57 deliveries and with the wicket, Glenn
McGrath became the second highest wicket
taker for Australia, overtaking the great
Dennis Lillee's total of 355. Australia
now have the top two bowlers for Australia
bowling in the same team, a remarkable achievement.
There was somewhat
of a recovery between Alec Stewart and Mark
Ramprakash, both fairly fresh from quality
innings. Ramprakash would have hoped to
have built on his first innings hundred
by going on to lunch, and then tea, but
unfortunately for the Surrey batsman it
wasn't to be. Matthew Hayden fielding at
first slip took a blinder of a catch, taken
behind him at pace following a half cut
from Ramprakash. Warne bowling around the
wicket pitched the ball in the rough and
the ball spun prodigiously.
England 15
minutes short of lunch on the final day
had lost all but one of their recognised
batsmen, Alec Stewart the man remaining
and together with Andy Caddick who had survived
a king pair, saw England to lunch without
further embarrassment. So at the interval,
England with four second innings wickets
remaining are 6 for 118.
It's
all over
Shane
Warne continued his great spell
of bowling after lunch with
four straight maidens, and at
the other end 3 out of 4 from
Brett Lee. On the final ball
of his 4th over after lunch,
Warne bowled Alec Stewart with
a ball that turned, but not
as much as Stewart thought -
even though the ball turned
from outside leg and ended up
clipping the top of the off
stump, he could do nothing but
drop his head and walk back
to the safety of the changing
room.
Lee
who hasn't had much success
in this series took his 9th
wicket when he yorked Andy Caddick
the very next ball. It was a
very quick delivery from Lee,
Caddick trying to get his feet
away from the ball failed to
get bat on ball, and within
the space of two balls England
had lost their 7th and 8th wicket.
It
was a disappointment for both
batsmen after they had led the
English resistance, moving closer
and closer to forcing Australia
to bat again. With two new batsmen
in at the crease, things weren't
looking that good for England,
and their chances of surviving
the middle session were diminishing.
However
Ormond and Gough played like
they had never done before.
They played straight, rode their
luck and played some superb
shots for fours. Both bowlers
faced more balls than any of
the top batsmen, a sign of what
could be achieved on the 5th
day of this Test match.
The
9th wicket fell 10 minutes before
the scheduled tea interval,
Gilchrist taking a comfortable
catch off McGrath, taking his
4th wicket of the innings and
in his second over after being
brought back on at the Vauxhall
End. It was a superb partnership
and deserved to go on until
at least tea. Gough has looked
the best he has done in the
middle for a number of years
deserved to make it to the innings
close.
Tufnell
came in to a standing ovation
once again from the Oval crowd,
and surely has to be England's
favourite son. Unfortunately
for him, he only managed to
last two balls and fell to a
well-taken catch from Shane
Warne in the slips, McGrath
the bowler.
McGrath
finished with 5 wickets for
63 and Shane Warne ended the
match with 11 wickets, one short
of his best bowling figures
in Test cricket.
Shane
Warne was awarded Man of the
Match | Mark
Butcher was named England player
of the series | Glenn
McGrath was named Australian
player of the series
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