Batting
England could hardly have asked for more in the first innings, passing 400 for the first time in an Ashes Test in four and a half years. Perhaps as important as the volume of runs, though, was the manner in which they scored them, rattling along at 4.2 an over. There were, to use one of cricketers’ favourite maxims, positives to be taken, even in failure: Alastair Cook was sharply snaffled by Brad Haddin off the bowling of Nathan Lyon, but his positive intent in looking to attack a spinner whose bowling had been plundered by county sides in the warm-up matches was the right approach. OK, a cut against a top-spinning delivery with a hard bouncy ball might not have been the wisest shot, but it set the tone for England’s attitude throughout the match.
An enormous amount of credit has to go to Joe Root, who came in with England on the brink of a collapse at 43 for three, promptly nicked his second ball to Haddin and was relieved to see the wicketkeeper spill an easy-ish chance. For Root to then hit 134 at a strike-rate of 80 showed remarkable nerve. The same can be said of Ian Bell’s second-innings 60; with critics questioning his place in the side, Bell’s eagerness to play those gorgeous cover drives and whipped pull shots – to the tune of 11 boundaries – was brave stuff.
Australia’s run-rate was slightly below England’s across the match, but that was largely down to a superior bowling effort from the home side. While they looked to play expansive shots, only Chris Rogers and Mitchell Johnson made innings of any substance with a strike-rate above 61, the latter after the game was lost. Twelve of the Australian wickets to fall came from batsmen looking to drive aggressively or dancing down the wicket. For all Australia’s experience, it was England’s heads that were wiser when it came to shot selection. Haddin, looking to smash Moeen Ali over the top of mid on with the game needing to be saved on day four, epitomised the brainless aspect of their batting, while Michael Clarke’s tentative prod to point earlier in the day showcased their tentative thinking.
Bowling
Many observers pointed to Mitchell Starc’s ankle injury as one of the main reasons for England’s batmen’s dominance of the Australian bowling; however, this is something of a red herring. After all, Starc only appeared to be in discomfort in his follow-through – his approach to the crease and delivery stride did not seem to be particularly affected – and he often clocked 90mph plus. Sure, he was a touch wayward at times, but his match figures of seven for 174 were the best of any bowler in the match and his second innings economy rate of 3.75 was the best of Australia’s seamers.
It is more instructive to look at the performances of the two sides’ third seamers. Johnson, who bowled first change in the first innings, was not at his 2009-11 nadir by any stretch of the imagination, but his innings figures of 0-111 were his worst in Tests. At one stage, the England fans felt confident enough to reprise the “he bowls it to the left, he bowls it to the right” chant that the paceman must have thought he’d put to bed when terrifying batsmen in the 2013-14 series. He leaked 4.38 runs an over across the match and rarely discomforted any of England’s top order.
Mark Wood, in contrast, played his supporting role to perfection. He bowled at a similar pace to Johnson but his line and length were far better and, as a result, so was his economy rate. He picked up two wickets in each innings, including that of Rogers on 95 in the first, helping to ensure that Australia’s batsmen were unable to make good on strong starts. Wood was impressive, if slightly wayward, in his debut series against New Zealand earlier this year but he improved quickly in Cardiff and in just his third Test already looks a perfect fit in the team; he echoes Simon Jones’ role in 2005 to Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson’s Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff.
Australia arguably had the edge in the spin department, as you’d expect given that Nathan Lyon is their most successful ever off-spinner and Moeen remains a work in progress. However, that was the only edge the visitors had. Even with the bat, England’s bowlers came out on top. Australia’s tail wagged only when the game was lost, while England’s last three wickets scored a quick, confidence-boosting 87 runs in their first dig and 49 in the second.
Fielding
There were two drops in the match. Rogers was on four as Australia looked to overturn a massive deficit in the final innings; an edge presented a tough chance to second slip, where Root dived to his left and grassed it. Root was probably judged slightly more harshly for that drop only because he had held an identical chance in Australia’s first innings to oust Starc. As it was, Rogers didn’t make the most of his extra life, adding only six more runs.
Root hadn’t yet scored when he nicked his second ball through to Haddin in England’s first innings. It was an easier chance than the one he would later spill as a fielder, but Haddin moved too early and the ball cannoned out of his gloves and down to earth. Root put on 134 more runs; England won the match by 169 of the things.
Other than that (how did you enjoy the play, Mrs Lincoln?) Australia’s fielding was fine. They took their 12 other chances, including a couple of very fine ones by David Warner and Michael Clarke, and can hardly be blamed for the paucity of opportunities created by the bowlers. England, though, caught exceptionally, more like the 2010-11 vintage of fielding than that we had seen recently. Cook had a great Test in the field. There was a sharp catch at first slip off Warner in the first innings, good reactions to get the dangerous Smith soon after, an absolute screamer at silly mid on that did for Haddin in the second, and some fast reactions to set up a relay catch for Adam Lyth to break the frustrating eighth-wicket Johnson-Starc stand in the dying stages.
Bell also deserves praise. His batting was not the only thing being called into question after the New Zealand series, in which he spilled a couple of chances at second slip while many were calling for him to return to his best position at short leg to allow Lyth to take his familiar Yorkshire place. Bell held two key catches in Australia’s second innings to precipitate their collapse.
Tactics
You had one captain whose stock is so high and whose reputation for innovation is such that a new term – “funky” – has been added to the cricket lexicon to describe it. You had his opposite number, who has come in for criticism from even the most staunch of ECB line-toers and who could only improve, so low was the esteem in which his cricketing brain is held. Yet everything Cook touched turned to gold, while Clarke cut a forlorn and hopeless figure in the outfield.
Even before the match, it was 1-0 to Cook. He resisted calls to pick Adil Rashid, stuck to his Moeen-shaped guns and was rewarded with 92 runs and five crucial wickets. He kept faith with the out-of-form Gary Ballance, who put on 153 with Root in the first innings when England were in trouble. Clarke picked Shane Watson over the in-form Mitchell Marsh and was rewarded with not much at all. He gave Adam Voges an Ashes debut and got about the same from him.
Cook’s field placings were unorthodox, to say the least. Two men at mid off in catching positions, liberal use of leg slip and, when Australia’s tail belatedly showed some fight, a silly third slip. Men surrounded the bat, kept the pressure on and the catches kept coming. Clarke made minor shuffles in the field and stood there waiting while England smacked the ball to the boundary and never once got bogged down. Australia bowled Starc into the ground, to the point that he is a doubt for the second Test, while Cook turned to Moeen at first change in the first innings. The spinner got smacked around, but then came back for a one-over spell that broke Warner’s resistance.
Even though Warner was the only player on either side to get a decision overturned on review, England won the DRS battle. The crucial moment came when Moeen was on 35 in England’s first innings. Hotspot showed that he had feathered Starc through to Haddin but Australia had barely appealed and didn’t consider the review. Moeen thumped his next ball for four and added 42 important further runs.
As for Watson, let’s not rub it in any further.
Second Test preparation
England go into the second Test at Lord’s buoyed by a huge victory and a clean bill of health. They have named an unchanged 13-man squad, as expected, and it would surely take a midweek injury for them to even consider altering their XI. Their confidence will be further boosted by the news that, after the victory in Cardiff, Root has moved into the top five of the ICC’s Test batting rankings, Broad has done the same among the bowlers and Moeen has broken into the top 10 all-rounders.
Australia, on the other hand, can no longer boast the official world’s best batsman, as Steve Smith has relinquished his status to AB de Villiers. More importantly, though, Starc remains an injury worry as he had cortisone injections in his ankle during the first Test, although Australia have said his condition has improved. If Starc misses out, then the likely replacement is Peter Siddle, who is bowling well this season, albeit in Division Two of the County Championship. The other alternative is Pat Cummins, who hasn’t played first class cricket in two years.
Even more worrying for them is the form of their senior players: Clarke and Haddin are in dreadful nick, while Darren Lehmann has done little to suggest that Watson hasn’t played his last Test match.
England have seen that Australia’s pacemen are far less intimidating on slow seaming pitches and are certain to ask Mick Hunt to prepare a similar surface at Lord’s. Australia’s best hope is that Hunt remains true to his stubborn nature and gives them something similar to the quick wicket we saw in the New Zealand series.