England claim first Ashes series Down Under in 24 years

SYDNEY: England claimed their first Ashes series in Australia for 24 years with their third innings victory over the home team in the final Sydney Test.

England wrapped up an innings-and-83-run victory early on the last day after victory was assured when they had Australia seven wickets down on Thursday’s close. It was England’s first series victory Down Under since Mike Gatting’s team beat Australia 2-1 in 1986-87.

The tourists posted their highest-ever score in Australia on 644 and dismissed the hapless hosts for 280 and 281. It was probably England’s most comprehensive performance of the series with Alastair Cook (189), Matt Prior (118) and Ian Bell (115) all claiming centuries in an overpowering first-innings.

Their bowlers, led by James Anderson, exposed the gulf between the two attacks by dismissing Australia cheaply again.

Steven Smith and Peter Siddle showed some fight with an 86-run eighth-wicket partnership before Siddle holed out to Anderson on the square leg boundary off Graeme Swann for 43 off 65 balls.

Alastair Cook was the series top-scorer with 766 at 127.66. Anderson finished the series with 24 wickets, the most by any England bowler.

Meanwhile, acting captain Michael Clarke said Australian cricket has hit rock-bottom but is not in crisis, after his team’s Sydney Test capitulation.

“Crisis? I don’t think there’s a crisis in Australian cricket at all,” said Clarke. “Although throughout this series we’ve been extremely inconsistent. This is probably as close to rock-bottom as it gets.”

Australian cricket will undergo a thorough review of all facets of its game in the wake of the humiliating Ashes drubbing, Cricket Australia Chief Executive James Sutherland announced.

The Ashes humiliation was Australia’s sixth defeat in their last eight Tests and comes at a time of major upheaval in all facets of the Australian game.

While Australia lamented their humiliating series loss on home soil, England reveled in triumph. British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed England’s victory as a “fantastic achievement” for the nation.

Cameron said he had called captain Andrew Strauss to congratulate him after England emphatically wrapped up victory on the last day.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2011.