The Ashes is done and dusted. England are ahead 3-1 in the series, with 1 Test left, effectively winning cricket’s greatest competition, fair and square. In Australia, the cricket loving public is in a shock. So, why did Australia lose the Ashes?
England Just Played Better Cricket…
England did all the right things, picking a team full of young and aggressive players, while keeping the core of the team intact. They were smart enough to hire the right coach, Trevor Bayliss. Bayliss is probably the best coach in international cricket and he definitely made England into a cracking outfit, instilling tremendous confidence into the players. It was a young England team, and apart from the senior players, most were completely unscathed and unscarred by the danger presented by the liked of Mitchell Johnson or David Warner. None of the new England boys were really scared of the Aussies and this showed.
The Pitches…
It was clear that the Australian batsmen were not going to get the sort of hard, bouncy pitches as in Perth or Adelaide. But it was remarkable as to how unprepared they were for the seaming, swinging pitches in England. The batsmen simply did not have the footwork to cope with the seam or the movement, and kept edging to the slips as though by habit. Case in point: The way the entire team collapsed for 60 all out in Nottingham, with Stuart Broad taking 8 for 15, with most of the batsmen getting caught in the slips.
The Arrogance…
Before the Ashes began, Australian legend Glenn McGrath said that Australia would win the Ashes in England 5-0. Shane Warne said there was no way for England to win, whatsoever. In fact, not a single Aussie could be found who thought England could even present a bit of a fight.
Steve Smith, the vice captain said, “I can’t wait to get over there and play another Ashes against England in their conditions after beating them so convincingly in Australia. It’s going to be nice to go in their backyard. If we continue to play the way we have been playing over the last 12-18 months, I don’t think that they’ll come close to us to be honest.” As they, where there is pride, a fall is never too far away.
Fragile Middle Order…
Normally, with Michael Clarke coming at no. 4 and Steve Smith at no. 3, one would have considered Australia to have a strong middle order. But this was not to be as Smith looked very vulnerable against the seaming ball on pitches that had a little life in them, and apart from his big hundred at the Lord’s on a dead pitch, did nothing of consequence. Michael Clarke looked like a shadow of his former self and was a walking wicket every time he was at the crease. No wonder he was forced to call time on his career and retire. He simply didn’t have it in him to play Test cricket any longer. The other middle order batsmen – Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh were simply not good enough.
England had Ben Stokes…
Ultimately, that proved to be the difference between the two sides – Ben Stokes – a young top order batsman who doubles up as a first-rate fast bowler. There is no one like him in the Australian team, or to be fair, in any side in world cricket. Mitchell Marsh and Shane Watson are nowhere as good as Ben Stokes. Stokes gave England the option of an extra fast bowler, giving them a four-man frontline attack. In the second innings of the fourth Test at Nottingham, Stokes won the match for England with a brilliant spell of fast bowling, picking 6 wickets and never allowing Australia to get away at any stage. He made sure that England did not miss the great James Anderson.
