Australia V. England Ashes: Australia Win by 120 Runs To Take 2-0 Lead In Series
Match Highlights:
England 227 and 233 from 83 overs, Bairstow 36, Anderson 0. Australia 8/442 declared and 138.
- England was dismissed for 233
- Australia won by 120 runs
- They lead the series 2-0
The fiercely contested second test match of the five-match famed Ashes series swung Australia’s way on Day 5 after a magnificent bowling performance by them saw them eat away at England’s batting line-up. Needing 354 to win, England began Day 5 with a strong score of 176-4. They however collapsed from there on to be dismissed for 233 and had a 2-0 lead to Australia.
It was a disastrous start to the final day of the second day/night test for the tourists as they lost nightwatchman Chris Woakes to the second ball. Joe Root departed for 67 in the third over with Josh Hazlewood picking up both the wickets. Things only went downhill from there for England with Moeen Ali falling six overs later to seal England’s fate in the match. Losing 6 wickets for just 57 runs was catastrophic for the English who at one point looked good to win the match and bounce back in the series.
England captain Joe Root’s disastrous decision to send Australia in to bat on day one after winning the toss has been questioned by pundits all over the world who blasted Root’s decision on a defoliating wicket. Root, however, defended his controversial call during the post-match presentation, saying he expected more from his bowling attack on day one with the pink ball.
“I don’t regret it, “said Root. “You want to give your bowlers the best chance — I fully expect those guys to take 10 wickets. “There’s a lot of things you can look back on and say you want to do different, but I don’t think that’s one of them.”
England faces a mammoth task of bouncing back in the series with only one team battling back from 2-0 down to win an Ashes series. The third Test starts next Thursday in Perth and will be another cracker of a match given the high stakes online.
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