England lose to Australia by 275 runs on the final day in Adelaide to fall 2-0 in the Ashes series; Jos Buttler made tourists dream of a draw before stepping on his stumps at the start of the last session; Australia will retain the ashes if it avoids defeat in the Boxing Day event at MCG
Jos Buttler fought in vain as Australia beat England by 275 runs in Adelaide
Jos Buttler’s dogged resistance ended strangely as England slid into a 275-run loss to Australia on the final day in Adelaide to leave them 2-0 down at The Ashes and the home team on the cusp of holding the ballot box.
Buttler (26 of 207 balls) was the ninth man out, stepping on his stumps as he faced Jhye Richardson (5-42) as his longest Ashes innings and second longest of his entire Test career came to a halt. dying at the beginning of the last session.
The England hitter, who had shown an advantage between sliding fielder David Warner and goalie Alex Carey while still at zero, revived his team’s wavering tie chances after they had been reduced to 105-6 in an hour. game the day after the starts of Ollie Pope (4) and Ben Stokes (12 of 77).
Buttler rallied from his duck in the first inning and a trio of catches, adding 61 of 190 balls with Chris Woakes (44 of 97) flowing more freely for the seventh wicket to keep England dreaming of a great getaway.
But those hopes were dashed once Richardson dropped Woakes midway through the second session, sinking further when Ollie Robinson (8 of 39) fell to Nathan Lyon (2-55) shortly before tea and they were nearly eliminated when Buttler he cut his bail. while deep in your crease.
James Anderson (2) was the last man to fall, knocking Richardson into the ravine as England went all for 192 and suffered an 11th loss in their last 12 Ashes test matches away from home.
Joe Root’s dismissal to the last ball thrown on day four appeared to have wiped out England’s chances, but there was still little belief that Stokes, Australia’s conqueror at Headingley in 2019, could lead a recovery mission.
That was not going to be for Stokes, who fell to Lyon in review, or Pope, who pushed Mitchell Starc from behind from the seventh ball he faced, but Buttler did his best to deny Australia before his unfortunate expulsion.
Australia will retain the ballot box if it avoids defeat in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with England now needing to win at the MCG and then Sydney and Hobart to regain the trophy they lost after a 4-0 beating in Down Under. in 2017/18.
Three trotting wins seems like a fairytale scenario for Root’s men, who have been widely outclassed in Brisbane and Adelaide and had questions about their team’s selection and tactics.
Tourists skipped James Anderson and Stuart Broad on a Gabba green field for a game they lost by nine wickets, while later opting against Mark Wood’s fast-paced, as well as a top-of-the-line spinner on a dry surface from Adelaide, preferring five English type seamers with right arms.
Adelaide’s loss will be particularly irritating with Australia stripped of first-choice closers Pat Cummins (Covid isolation) and Josh Hazlewood (lateral tension) – the absence of that pair was not overly felt by the home team as they managed nine wins. out of nine in Day-Night Test Matches.
Captain Cummins should, and his partner Hazlewood, swiftly, could return to the MCG, while, for England, there may be a number of changes as they seek to keep alive what has been a one-sided series thus far.
Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed and Pope appear to be at risk after a streak of low scores – Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow are prime candidates to get into the hitting lineup – while Woakes was quite ineffective on the ball in Adelaide despite get up with the bat. day five.
Pope dated Stokes on Monday afternoon after Root’s late start the night before, and the Surrey hitter is looking to significantly improve scores of 35, four and five in his first three hits.
He didn’t do that – he peeked into the first delivery Starc threw from the wicket and landed a ball that could have left goalkeeper Alex Carey.
Stokes’ vigil then ended once Australia called for DRS, showing that a Lyon delivery that straightened up after pitching and caught the southpaw on the back foot would have hit the stump of the leg.
Buttler and Woakes had their scares: Buttler edged Starc between Carey and sliding outfielder David Warner while still at zero and Woakes would have been left without a direct hit after advancing down the court towards Lyon.
But the pair went on to frustrate Australia – Woakes is more aggressive when Buttler dropped anchor – before Woakes was cast out the door by Jhye Richardson’s pinch in the eighth with the new ball.
Michael Neser dropped Robinson from his own bowling alley with nothing but the England tailender, whose position with Buttler spanned 89 balls, eventually perished to Lyon, throwing a pitch from around the wicket to slip.
Broad somehow survived against Lyon before tea: he nearly fell, nearly caught in a ravine, went through an lbw review, and then successfully overturned a previous leg decision by dint of an inside edge.
Australia will be feeling a repeat of the 5-0 sweep they inflicted on England in the 2013/14 series with tourists needing a quick response to prevent another Ashes campaign from spiraling out of control, albeit the determination shown in the last Day in Adelaide offers crumbs of comfort.
