|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
England burned Australia cruises to second test win, goes up 2-0 in Ashes
LONDON (AP) -- Australia crushed England by eight wickets at Lord's on Sunday to take a predictable 2-0 lead in the five-match Ashes series. Fast bowlers Glenn McGrath, 3-60, and Jason Gillespie, 5-53, bowled in tandem to destroy the spirited England second innings after the host had started positively. Batting for the second time 214 runs in arrears, England began the day on 163 for four and 51 runs behind. After adding 25 runs in five overs, Mike Atherton's team again fell apart, losing the last six wickets for 39 runs in the space of 48 balls. England was finally bowled out for 227 runs leaving Australia to score just 14 to win. The Australians lost opener Michael Slater and Ricky Ponting, each for four, but Matthew Hayden, six not out and Mark Waugh saw them through to victory in 3.1 overs by reaching 14 for two. It meant the world test champions were home before lunch on the penultimate day. Skipper Steve Waugh put the victory down to a combination of individual and team efforts and paid a glowing tribute to his fast bowlers. "They were great," Waugh said. "Both those guys are tremendous bowlers. I am really happy for Gillespie to get five wickets. "I think he's been our best bowler in the last half a dozen test matches and hasn't got the wickets he deserved. He's an exceptional bowler." Waugh said England didn't help itself by dropping vital catches and the home side was showing signs of being under constant pressure. "We felt like that against the West Indies," Waugh recalled. "Against guys like Viv [Richards], we knew, we had to catch every chance that came. It's a bit like that for England at the moment. "I think we have created a bit of an aura like the Windies side did in the 80s," Waugh said of Australia's dominance in the current series. "I certainly felt when I first started playing test cricket, you were intimidated when you first walked out. If we can do that to the opposition that's what it is all about. "It's not for me to say whether they were intimidated. For a young player it is hard work coming in against McGrath." Waugh, an Ashes veteran said despite Australia's strong position in the series, England should not be written off. "It's not as if they haven't tried. They've tried the hardest but they've been put under relentless pressure. In this game it was the fielding that made a difference between the two sides." Waugh said his side wanted to create its own piece of Ashes history and was looking ahead to becoming the first Australian side to win the Ashes 5-0 on English soil. Australia under Warwick Armstrong beat England 5-0 at home in the 1920-21 series. It was England's eighth Ashes defeat at Lord's. The team has failed to beat Australia at the home of cricket since 1934 when it triumphed by an innings and 38 runs. Gillespie, who came out of the shadow of McGrath with a standout spell, had No.11 Darren Gough caught by Mark Waugh at second slip to end the innings. The catch gave Waugh an Australian record 158 catches as he passed former captain Mark Taylor's 157 dismissals. "I think he's the best slip catch of all time," Waugh said of his twin's achievement. "It is a great accolade to have. He played a very good innings too." Playing in his 113th test, Waugh, the 36-year-old twin of skipper Steve, had hit his first century at Lord's, a stylish 108 to provide the backbone of the Australian first innings of 401. Mark Butcher, who top scored with 83 runs, fell to Gillespie while McGrath, who had taken 5-54 in the first innings, took 3-4 in 10 balls including Alec Stewart and Ian Ward with success balls. After England had been dismissed for 187, Australia took control of the test by leading by 214 on first innings. England didn't help its chances with six dropped catches including Adam Gilchrist four times and let the vice-captain take the game away with a forceful 90 runs. The dropped catches cost 157 runs and the match as it crashed to its third straight defeat, losing also to Pakistan at Old Trafford in the second test in June. That was after it has won four test series in a row. The home side lost the first test by an innings and 118 runs when it dropped seven catches and missed a stumping. All-rounder Craig White, who denied McGrath of a hat trick, hit out boldly to save face and avoid the embarrassment of losing by an innings for the second game in a row. With England teetering on 193 for eight and 11 short of making Australia bat again, White, 27 not out off 29 balls with five fours, and Andy Caddick added 32 runs for the ninth wicket. White, counterattacked Gillespie and took 19 runs in an over, including four boundaries. McGrath finished with a match haul of 8-114 while Gillespie took 7-109 to share 15 of the 20 England wickets in the two innings. "I think in the two games we have had an extremely small window of opportunity that we could not manage to take, we have dropped catches, but Australia played outstanding again and deserved to win the match," said England skipper Michael Atherton, standing in for injured Nasser Hussain. "We dropped few chances and you can't afford to give good players two or three lives. "They played better cricket all round and they deserved their victory. If we had taken the chances we could have restricted the lead to a manageable one." Atherton, who didn't rule out captaining in the next test if Nasser Hussain was not available, said, the side should revive memories of its success in the recent past. "All we can ask for is the side to be competitive. I've played with this side and I know how good it is," he said. When asked if the Ashes have slipped away from England yet again, the veteran captain said, "You never say never."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
