A complete demolition job

Australia completed a 5-0 whitewash over a hapless, clueless England, winning the fifth Test by 281 runs to bring down the curtain on a one-sided Ashes series. The result is all the more special for captain Michael Clarke, who saw his team go down to England 3-0 when they toured them earlier this year. It also meant that Clarke had finally managed to turn the tide after Australia had lost the home and away Ashes series to England in 2009 and 2010-11. Clarke also became just the third Australian captain after Warwick Armstrong and Ricky Ponting to lead his team to a 5-0 Ashes win. The contribution of coach Darren Lehmann in this victory also cannot be emphasised enough.

Destroyed by pace and out-batted by sheer class, England were left searching for answers. Fast bowler Mitchell Johnson was undoubtedly the star for the hosts, having England batsmen at his mercy throughout the series. Add to this the supreme form of Brad Haddin, David Warner, Chris Rodgers, Steven Smith and the captain himself, and what one got was total demolition. While credit needs to be given to Australia for an outstanding show, what they now need is to replicate this performance overseas. Home advantage and the crowd’s backing helps win games. And it did so in this Ashes series. A hallmark of the great Australia sides of the past was their success ratio abroad. There is still a long way to go before a complete turnaround — which Australia have been aiming for since the retirement of their legends — can be achieved. On the other hand, England know what went wrong. They were intimidated by an Australian side that played to prove a point. The tourists seemed to be on vacation — although not a very pleasant one — and seemed lost and lacked purpose. It is back to the drawing board for them as they seek a revival ahead of tougher challenges. Alastair Cook, the England captain, admitted his side has hit “rock-bottom” and the only way left now is the way up.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2014.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.