GABA : On the face of it, a ten wicket defeat in the Ashes opener at the Gabba looks like a routine hammering for Australia over England, the sort the home side have tended to administer to touring teams in Brisbane for the last thirty years or so. But – unsurprisingly perhaps – England captain Joe Root was quick to emphasise that his side had been well in the game for the first three days. Despite the result, it was not all doom and gloom for the tourists.
Yet it cannot be denied that Australia dominated England on day four and what little play there was on the final day. Where the first three days of the match had been close, tight affairs, the final two evoked memories of recent England thrashings in Brisbane, notably 2013/14 when Australia won by 381 runs and 2006/7 when the margin of victory was a mere 277 runs. A 10 wicket defeat this time round is no less emphatic.
It was typically aggressive stuff from the hosts during the final two days of this match. Their bowlers bowled quickly – and short – at England’s lower middle order in their second innings to take the last five wickets for 40 runs and then David Warner and Cameron Bancroft set about the target of 170 with gusto, wrapping it up in quick time on the fifth morning. Australia’s intensity blew England away, particularly with the ball, and how easily England succumbed made this defeat rather more chastening than looked possible at the end of day three.
How much of an effect that has on the next match – and the series – remains to be seen. Root was obviously keen to put a positive spin on things at the post match press conference but he was right when he said England had had their opportunities in this match. For three days, Root said his side “probably outplayed Australia” and certainly at the end of the third day, England were well in the game.
But there had been lost opportunities before that which cost them. “Unfortunately, when we got into good positions we didn’t capitalise. If we had done that, it would have been a very different scoreboard,” Root said. At 246-4 in the first innings, England had looked on course for a big first innings total before collapsing somewhat to 302 all out. With the ball, they had Australia 209-7 and were looking at a handy lead before Steve Smith and Pat Cummins put on 66 for the ninth wicket.
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