Australia plunges back into abyss of Ashes despair
Print Edition
Australia’s calamitous fourth test defeat to surrender a third successive Ashes series to England plunged the nation’s media back into despair only a week after domestic newspapers dared forecast a turnaround in the team’s fortunes.
Monday’s harrowing 74-run loss in Durham, ushered by Stuart Broad’s brilliant six-wicket haul after tea on day four and another colossal failure by Australia’s batsmen, left the tourists trailing 0-3 in the five-test series and playing only for pride in the final match at The Oval in London next week.
Australia won back a measure of respect at home after dominating England in the drawn third test but good will was in scant supply yesterday as the nation digested another batting fiasco over breakfast.
“The collapse that saw Australia tumble from 0-109 to all out 224, losing by 74, was oh so predictable given what has been on display for much of this largely disappointing series,” Malcolm Conn wrote in News Ltd newspapers.
“Australia has used eight batsmen in this series and only three of them have managed to average 30, Michael Clarke (49), Chris Rogers (43) and (David) Warner (30), although a couple of the bowlers have managed better than most batsmen.”
Clarke’s men have now the distinction of completing a losing Ashes streak matched only by the struggling Australia teams of 1953-1956 in the post-War era.
The manner of the capitulation, losing nine wickets in a single session after having pushed to within 152 runs of a rousing victory, left Clarke shattered and cricket writers crying shame.
“No-one does shameful collapses quite like Australia and Michael Clarke’s side conjured up one to remember, or rather to forget, at Durham to hand the Ashes series to England,” Wayne Smith wrote in The Australian newspaper.
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