Tenacious English Tigers maul Kangaroos in the absence of injured Lyon; to square series at 2-2

By V.N. Prasad

OZs lost a ‘Golden Opportunity’ to clinch the series at 3-1 at the Kia Oval, by sheer lack of tenacity and application when needed most. The last series that the OZs have won in England was in 2002; when Steve Waugh and Co. trounced England 4-1. The ‘World Test Champions’ who literally ‘humiliated’ India at the same venue in June, 2023 failed to cash in on a brilliant opening partnership of 140 in chasing 384 for a win, on a good batting track; while the Englishmen with  the fire and a burning desire, squared the series 2-2 to win by 49 runs. Congratulations to them on achieving the feat. But for the ‘Rain Gods’ on the last day of the 4th Test at Leeds, Manchester, that saved the OZs from a certain defeat, the series result would have been much different.

Meanwhile, Stuart Broad, who announced his retirement, was given a grand ovation from the packed crowd at The Oval and also the OZs. Broad, 37, enjoyed the reputation of being one of the best pacers in English Cricket scalping 604 wickets in 167 Tests, an impressive achievement. His guile, accuracy and the ability to move the red cherry in the air and off the pitch were remarkable in all formats of the game. The only blot in his career was in 2007 when the 6×6 (6 sixers in an over) at the willow of young Yuvaraj Singh of India in the ICC T20 World Cup. Youngsters have a lot to learn from him. We thank him and wish him well going forward in life.

Batting department of English had all the intents/ attributes to kill and win. Whereas knocks by Zak Crawley, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow were brilliant, Joe Root’s innings was a treat to watch. His aggression from ball no. 1 was not his normal; but went on to script that beautiful 100 at Lord’s and was unlucky to miss two more hundreds. Others like Harry Brook, Ben Duckett and Moeen Ali chipped in with impressive scores.

The Ashes Series in retrospect, has many aspects for serious discussions. Is the OZ team ageing fast? Openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja are 36 years. Warner looks surely ‘one foot out’. Khawaja has been ‘in and out’ too many times; but has batted brilliantly against Pakistan, India and in this series, averaging 60. Undoubtedly, his batting contributed a lot in the two Australian victories in the series. The other centurions — Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh — did contribute but lost the sting when it mattered the most, to poor strokes/ discretions. Travis Head could not impress. In the bowling department, absence of Nathan Lyon was crucial no doubt. But, he is 35 years and not left with much cricket too. Young Todd Murphy has a lot to learn. Seamers were good but in patches. Catching at The Oval was deplorable. In sum and substance, the performance of the OZs fell short of expectations. Time for them to scout for young blood with hunger to perform.

Looking at the possibilities of better results from the English team, a few questions arise. Was it prudent for the selectors to include Jimmy Anderson in the series at all. Inclusion of either Mark Wood or Chris Woakes in his place would have turned the tide in favour of the English right from the 1st Test, undoubtedly. Sadly, Ollie Robinson had a strained back and thereby both Wood and Woakes could play. Both rattled the OZ batsmen, as depicted in the stats.

Well, ‘Life is Like That’ in Cricket. Ashes series is always equivalent to a India Vs Pakistan series of yesteryears. Full of energy and fire. We hope to witness more such games and wish the teams all the best.