England - The Ashes 2009

England regained the Ashes with a 197-run win over Australia in the fifth and final Test at the Oval on Sunday. 

Victory, achieved with more than a day to spare, saw England take the five-match series 2-1.

Australia, set what would have been a record fourth innings victory total of 546, were bowled out for 348 with Michael Hussey last man out for 121, when he was caught close in by Alastair Cook off spinner Graeme Swann.

“It’s a special moment. It hasn’t sunk in yet. We had to dig in and fight,” said England skipper Andrew Strauss.

“When we were bad in the series, we were very bad but when we were good we were very good.”

Australia captain Ricky Ponting said: “We gave it all we could, but it wasn’t enough. Full credit to England, they won the crucial moments and deserved to win the series.

“I think this series has shown that Test cricket is alive and well around the world.”

From 327 for five, the end came swiftly with four wickets going down for 16 runs in 32 balls, with fast bowler Stephen Harmison taking three for seven in 13 himself.

It was a remarkable turnaround for England, who’d lost the fourth Test by an innings and 80 runs at Headingley, and had only clung on for a draw in the series opener at Cardiff by a single wicket.

Australia had been making steady progress at 217 for two before Ponting was run out by Andrew Flintoff’s direct hit in the all-rounder’s last match before his Test retirement.

Five balls later Michael Clarke was also run out for nought, before England’s progress was checked by a sixth-wicket stand of 91 between Hussey and Brad Haddin.

But just when England fans were starting to fret again, Haddin, on 34, went down the pitch to Swann, who took four for 120 in 40.2 overs, and hoisted a mistimed drive to Strauss at mid-wicket.

And 327 for six became 327 for seven when Australia lost another two wickets in quick succession.

Mitchell Johnson went for a seven-ball nought, brilliantly caught by diving second slip Paul Collingwood off his Durham team-mate Harmison.

Peter Siddle then got a leading edge off Harmison and Flintoff held a simple catch at mid-off.

Harmison made it two wickets in two balls when Stuart Clark was snapped up at short leg by Cook.

Ben Hilfenhaus survived the hat-trick but the end was nigh.

England had taken the new ball after tea with Australia 278 for five.

But Hussey’s two off Stuart Broad saw him to a first Test century in 29 innings off 219 balls with 11 boundaries.

Flintoff and Strauss had stunned Australia with two run-outs, the first they’d suffered this series, before tea to dismiss Ponting and Clarke.

Ponting and Hussey had frustrated England with a third-wicket stand of 127 that raised hopes of an improbable victory.

But Flintoff struck in unlikely fashion.

Hussey called Ponting for a single off Harmison but Flintoff, running round from mid-on, threw down the stumps at the striker’s end and Ponting was short of his ground by a foot.

Ponting, in what could be his final Ashes Test in England, had to go for 66, having stroked 10 stylish fours in his 103-ball stay after he and left-hander Hussey had revived Australia from the depths of 90 for two.

Vice-captain Clarke fell in even more extraordinary fashion.

Australia’s leading batsman this series, clipped a ball from Swann that deflected off the boot of Alastair Cook at short leg to leg-slip Strauss, who hit the stumps with a sharp under-arm throw.

This was a much tighter call for third umpire Peter Hartley but he eventually ruled the bail was in the air with Clarke’s bat still to be grounded.

Clarke was out for nought and Australia, who’d lost two wickets for three runs in six balls, were now 220 for four.

And they could have been five down had not Collingwood dropped Hussey, on 55, off Swann.

But Australia were 236 for five when Marcus North, trying to sweep Swann, was smartly stumped by wicket-keeper Matt Prior.

Australia resumed Sunday on 80 without loss.

Left-hander Simon Katich had only added one to his overnight 42 when, padding up, he was plumb lbw to Swann.

Three balls later, fellow opener Shane Watson (40) was lbw to man-of-the-match Stuart Broad.

England consolidated Saturday the advantage gained from dismissing Australia for just 160, with Broad taking five for 37, in a second innings 373 for nine declared that featured a debut century from Jonathan Trott, who made 119.

Strauss’s declaration left the visitors needing to break the record for a successful Test fourth innings run-chase, of 418 for seven set by West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2002/03, to win this match.

England victory’s left Ponting with the unwanted record of becoming only the second Australia captain, since Billy Murdoch in 1890, to be in charge of two losing Ashes tours of England.

And it also knocked Australia off top spot in the Test rankings.

England captain Andrew Strauss believes Ian Bell can do what he did by returning to Test cricket a better player after being dropped from the side.

Bell will replace the injured Kevin Pietersen for the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston after being dropped following England’s embarrassing loss to the West Indies in Jamaica in February.

Warwickshire batsman Bell, set to return to Test cricket on his Edgbaston home ground on Thursday, is determined to improve on a modest Test average of 25 against Australia and ease the pain of being dropped.

Strauss knows the hurt of being left out of the England team but since being recalled in New Zealand last year he has scored eight hundreds in 21 Tests at an average of 53.

“When you are left out, you realise that life goes on and if you get another opportunity it’s a massive positive and something that you can’t really lose on,” Strauss said on Wednesday.

“That as a mindset is a pretty good place to be.

“Ian’s done a lot of work. We sent him away and it was a pretty bitter pill to swallow.

“He’s done a lot of fitness work, scored a lot of runs for Warwickshire, he’s done everything we’ve asked of him and he’s had to dig pretty deep to do that. So I think he’s going to be a better batsman for that experience.

“It’s not much fun when you are out of it but it makes you very, very hungry when you come back in.”

England are 1-0 up in the series with three to play after their 115-run second Test win at Lord’s.

Pietersen may be one of the most attacking batsmen in world cricket but Strauss urged his top order to play smart cricket.

“When Ian’s playing well he scores pretty quickly, just in a different style to KP I suppose,” Strauss said.

“A lot has been talked about taking the game to the Aussies, and that’s important, but what is even more important is playing the situations well.

“Even in that Lord’s Test, there were times when bowlers bowled a number of maidens in a row and you’ve got to suck that up.”

While England know they will be without Pietersen for the rest of the series, they remain optimistic all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, whose fast bowling on the fifth morning at Lord’s did much to seal victory, will remain fit following ice treatment on his right knee.

Flintoff bowled in practice on Tuesday and Strauss said: “He bowled two good spells, one in the middle, one in the nets, and he seemed to come through those okay,” Strauss said.

“It’s always the case that you’ve got to see how he responds to bowling more than actually what happens when he’s bowling.

“He’s recovered pretty well from Lord’s, so we are still optimistic he’s going to be fine.”

England have won two of their last three Ashes Tests at Edgbaston, although four years ago they were given a huge scare before achieving a two-run victory which helped them bounce back to a 2-1 series success in 2005.

Edgbaston has a reputation as one of England’s more raucous Test match crowds and Strauss said: “When the crowd get behind you, it’s a pretty motivating force and probably not much fun for the Aussies if they are getting sledged from the sidelines.

“If we can use that to our advantage, that’s going to be great.

“Edgbaston is one of the grounds that is probably most atmospheric. Here and Headingley (where the fourth Test takes place) is where the guys like to voice their opinions. When we are playing well it’s a fantastic place to play.”

Victory at Edgbaston would mean England could not lose the series and Strauss is well aware going 2-0 up would put his side in a dream position.

However, he insisted: “One thing we are very conscious of is not resting on our laurels now we are 1-0 up.

“We’ve got a fantastic opportunity this week to build on that. Complacency is the furthest thing from our minds at the moment. We are expecting a much harder Test match this week and I think we’re ready for it.”

England captain Andrew Strauss expects Andrew Flintoff to be available for the third Ashes Test against Australia. 

Flintoff has been troubled by a knee problem that threatens his participation in the remaining three matches of the series, which resumes in Birmingham on Thursday.

But Strauss is encouraged by the all-rounder’s fitness and is confident he will continue to spearhead England’s attack.

“All the indications are that Andrew will be fine. We need to see how he goes over the next couple of days during practice,” Strauss said Monday. “But at this stage we are very confident and obviously he will want to build on his performance at Lord’s.

“I spoke to him the day after the second Test at a charity dinner and he said then he was recovering well. That’s encouraging. He won’t have bowled until practice tomorrow but has been in constant contact with our medical team.”

England lead the series 1-0 and Strauss confirmed that Ian Bell will bat at four as a direct replacement for the injured Kevin Pietersen, who will sit out the rest of the series following Achilles surgery.

“Ian Bell will come in for Pietersen at four. We’re very clear on that,” Strauss said. “It causes the least possible disruption to other members of the side. We’re all very excited for Ian. He was left out of the team and had to work very hard to get his place back.

Meanwhile, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced Brit Insurance will become the principle team sponsor of England cricket in a partnership that begins in January 2010.

The contract will last four years with Brit Insurance replacing Vodafone, sponsors since 1997.

England skipper Andrew Strauss said they were not sure of Kevin Pietersen’s participation in the next week’s third Ashes Test at Edgbaston. 

Pietersen’s Achilles tendon strain forced him to stay out of field in most part of the Lord’s Test, which England won to take a 1-0 lead.

“He’s obviously hurting. We’ll have to see how he goes after a few days’ rest and recuperation. He’ll put his feet up in front of the telly for a few days and well have to play it by ear,” Strauss said.

The hosts captain said they want to pick only those players who can last full five days.

“The important thing for us is that the 11 we choose for the third Test at Edgbaston, we have to be very certain they get through the game. That’s what the medical staff will have to guide us on,” Strauss was quoted as saying by ‘Herald Sun’.

Meanwhile, England’s star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who announced his retirement from Test cricket after the Ashes series, has expressed hope to figure in all the remaining games.

“My aim in this series was to get on the field. The pleasing thing was I bowled all my overs. I may be in a bit of discomfort but I’ve spent most of my career in discomfort. That’s nothing new.

“We’ve got three more Test matches. I want to play a major part in them and a major part in the team’s success. I’m confident. I’ll do anything to get through these next three Tests,” Flintoff said.

Rival Ashes skippers – Andrew Strauss and Ricky Ponting – have hailed Andrew Flintoff’s fast bowling art, which is making a difference in the ongoing Test series between the two teams.

Flintoff’s third five-wicket haul enabled hosts England win their first Test at Lord’s in 75 years.

England skipper Strauss said Flintoff is the most feared bowler around the world at present.

“If you were to list the top three bowlers in world cricket that batsmen don’t want to face, Fred is going to be on that list and probably at the top of it. No one enjoys facing him and sometimes he doesn’t get his just rewards for the hostility he bowls with,” Strauss said

“That consistent hostility is unpleasant. It is, quite frankly, unpleasant in the nets and it’s not much fun in the middle either,” he added.

Australia skipper Ponting was no different when asked for his comments and he compared Flintoff with fast bowling legends like Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Wasim Akram.

“Ambrose wasn’t bad at it, Courtney Walsh wasn’t bad at it, Wasim Akram wasn’t bad at it. We’ve all encountered very good spells of fast bowling throughout our careers.

“We’ve always said that when he’s up and running and bowling as well as he can he’s as good as anyone, probably, going around.

“If you ask all our batters who faced him this game, they’ll say he’s right up there with the best quicks in the world,” Ponting was quoted as saying in the Australia.

Strauss also warned the visitors that England will not drop the intensity with which it has fought so far.

“It’s a great situation to be 1-0 up in the series. It was pretty much the ideal response (after the first Test draw in Cardiff). We had been given momentum from the final day in Cardiff.

“If we can continue to play that sort of positive, aggressive cricket, we will put them under pressure again and then it’s just a matter of us taking our chances,” Strauss said.

England captain Andrew Strauss on Tuesday returned to the top-20 of the ICC Test Rankings for batsmen after leading his side to victory in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s with a hundred in the first innings.

The 32-year-old left-hander, who also achieved some personal landmarks this week such as crossing the 5,000-run mark and scoring his 18th Test century during the match, has gained seven places in the latest rankings and now occupies 14th position.

Strauss’s team-mate Kevin Pietersen slipped out of the top-10 following the second Test, allowing South African Jacques Kallis to be back in the rankings, which is still headed by India’s Gautam Gambhir, followed by Younis Khan of Pakistan in second place and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara in the third.

Australian Michael Clarke’s heroics in the second innings have been recognised in the latest rankings as he gained two places to sixth position, overtaking his captain Ricky Ponting in the process.

Strauss’s opening partner Alastair Cook has gained three places in the rankings and has returned to the top 20 at the expense of Australia’s Michael Hussey who dropped to 22nd place.

Another Australian to suffer in the latest rankings is opening batsman Simon Katich who loses three places to 17th position, level with VVS Laxman of India.

Further down the batting list, it has been a good week for Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, who scored an unbeaten 96 in the second innings leading his side to victory by four wickets over the West Indies in Grenada. Shakib has gained 13 places in the batting rankings and now sits in 43rd position.

Shakib’s bowling performance in the match has also pushed him into the top five of the Rankings for Test all-rounders. The 22-year-old took match figures of 8-129 and jumps seven places to fourth in the table.

Kallis still leads the all-rounders’ list with Mitchell Johnson of Australia second and New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori third.

On the bowling front, England’s Andrew Flintoff has leaped four places to 14th in the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers following his man-of-the-match performance at Lord’s.

Having taken the new ball in the second innings, the big Lancastrian took 5-92 as England won by 115 runs giving him a welcome boost in the rankings.

Further down the list, West Indies’ young seamer Kemar Roach gained 20 places to 47th position after his efforts in Greneda. The 21-year-old took 6-42 in the first innings and he now has 13 wickets from just two matches in what is an excellent start to his Test career for the man from Barbados.

The bowling rankings are still led by South Africa’s Dale Steyn with Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka in second place and Johnson third.

England captain Andrew Strauss made the most of some poor Australia bowling with a century on the first day of the second Ashes Test here at Lord’s on Thursday.

England at tea were 255 for two with Strauss, who’d won the toss, exactly 100 not out on his Middlesex home ground and Kevin Pietersen unbeaten on 22 as the hosts pursued a first Test win over Australia at Lord’s in 75 years.

Strauss, together with fellow left-handed opener Alastair Cook (95), shared a record-breaking first-wicket stand of 196 before completing his 18th Test century and fourth at Lord’s off 178 balls with 15 boundaries.

Mitchell Johnson did separate England’s openers but figures of one wicket for 77 runs in 11 overs were testament to the left-arm quick’s waywardness.

Swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus, the one member of a four-man attack, depleted when Nathan Hauritz had to go off the field injured, to maintain some control, dismissed Ravi Bopara and at tea had figures of one for 49 off 20 overs.

England, who had to survive a top-order collapse before clinging on for a draw in last week’s series opener in Cardiff, resumed after a lunch in a commanding position of 126 without loss.

Strauss was 47 not out and Cook, batting with rare panache, 67 not out with 56 of his runs in the first session.

Off-spinner Hauritz was twice slog-swept for four in three balls by Cook.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting was in something of a quandry.

And he was faced with a real problem when Hautritz had to leave the field midway through an over after dislocating the middle finger of his right, bowling hand when he failed to hold an extremely tough return chance off a low, hard-hit Strauss drive.

Even Hilfenhaus was pulled for four by Cook when he erred in dropping short.

Wicket-keeper Brad Haddin, who’d been having a difficult match, let through four byes off part-time spinner Marcus North.

And even Ponting, normally a brilliant fielder, saw the ball go through his legs to the delight of the crowd.

Ponting returned to Johnson, whose first eight overs had cost 53 runs.

But his first ball back was square cut for four by Strauss and when he dropped short, Strauss cut him over the slips for four more.

When Strauss and Cook took their stand before 182 they’d surpassed the England’s first-wicket partnership record against Australia at Lord’s set by Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe back in 1926.

However, there was to be no 10th Test century for Cook, lbw to an unusually straight Johnson delivery that kept a touch low, having faced 147 balls with 18 fours.

Bopara looked stylish while making 18 but, playing down the wrong line, was plumb lbw to Hilfenhaus and England were 222 for two.

England captain Andrew Strauss said on Tuesday that Andrew Flintoff was not immune from being dropped for disciplinary reasons after the all-rounder’s latest indiscretion.

Ex-England captain Flintoff missed the team bus for the squad’s Saturday morning visit to the World War One trenches at Ypres.

Strauss, who made a big point about player responsibility when appointed captain in January, also revealed there had been several other incidents of players turning up late since he’d become skipper.

Opening batsman Strauss found himself having to comment on Flintoff’s failure to turn up on time after it was reported in the British press Tuesday.

The incident, which happened the morning after a team dinner, took place during England’s pre-Ashes ‘bonding’ weekend away in Belgium and just over a week before the first Test against Australia starts in Cardiff on July 8.

It was not the first time the 31-year-old Flintoff had courted controversy for his off-field behaviour.

During the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean he was briefly dropped from the England side and stripped of the vice-captaincy as punishment for an alcohol-fuelled night which ended with him capsizing a pedalo in the early hours of the morning in St Lucia.

Prior to that the Lancashire star, when captain of England, was sent away from training by then coach Duncan Fletcher after turning up to a practice session in Australia during an Ashes series his side lost 5-0.

Strauss, asked at a news conference at Edgbaston here on Tuesday, if he would be prepared to drop Flintoff – the star of England’s 2005 Ashes series win – on disciplinary grounds, replied: “That has got to be an option with anyone who transgresses badly enough.

“But I am absolutely certain it’s not going to come to that and it would be a very sad day for English cricket if we had to do that.

“But it’s vitally important to a team functioning properly that everyone is treated the same.”

Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds was sent home before last month’s World Twenty20 in England because of an alcohol related incident.

Opening batsman Strauss, asked to describe Flintoff’s relationship with alcohol, replied: “I don’t know, that’s something for him to answer. I think it’s something he’s been working hard on.

“I think he recognises when the times are to drink and when they are not to drink. It’s important clearly, career-wise, he stays on the right side of that and I think the vast majority of the time he has done.”

Concerningly for England, Strauss revealed that Flintoff’s was not the only lapse in time-keeping by a member of the squad. “He missed the bus but punctuality has been a bit of an issue recently with a few players.

“We had a team dinner, alcohol wasn’t banned, but there’s no reason to suspect anything massively untoward happened.”

Strauss, who refused to name names, added: “It’s something we are trying to iron out and we’ve taken steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Freddie accepts he’s made a mistake.”

The England captain also declined to reveal if Flintoff, who last played a Test in February before being sidelined by a knee injury, or any other player had been fined, saying only: “The appropriate action has been taken.

“He (Flintoff) knows he musn’t do it again and I think the other players who have been letting things slip in that respect know it’s not acceptable going forward.”

Flintoff has only recently returned to the England squad and Strauss said: “We all know that if he is playing well in the side he’s a massive asset to have but at the same time we don’t want ‘one rule for one and one rule for another’, so it’s important we have that consistency in how we treat people.”

Andrew Strauss batted the entire day to reach his third hundred of the series, and lead another solid England batting performance in the fifth and final Test against West Indies on Friday.

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The England captain was undefeated on 139 – his 17th Test hundred – and shared century partnerships with Owais Shah and Paul Collingwood to guide England to a respectable 258 for two when stumps were drawn on the opening day at Queen’s Park Oval.

Strauss won the toss and chose to bat on another hard, true Caribbean pitch under sunny skies, and used the conditions to fashion another hundred to follow scores of 169, 14, 142, and 38 in his four previous innings.

The left-hander added 107 for the second wicket with Shah before his Middlesex teammate was forced to retire hurt on 29 with severe cramps in his left-hand.

Strauss reached his milestone from 186 balls, when he drove West Indies captain Chris Gayle, plying his uncomplicated off-spin, through cover for a single about 20 minutes after tea.

After a brief appearance from Kevin Pietersen ended in the final over before tea, Collingwood joined Strauss and batted through the entire evening period to add 102 for the third wicket and was unbeaten on 54 at stumps.

Collingwood reached his 50 from 108 balls in the final hour, when he dabbed Fidel Edwards into backward point for a single.

England had made steady progress in an uneventful morning period to reach 74 for one at lunch.

The visitors suffered a setback when Alastair Cook was caught behind for 12 off Daren Powell in the first hour of the day.

But Strauss found Shah a steady ally before lunch, although the England No.3 took close to three quarters-of-an-hour to get his first run.

After lunch, Strauss inched to within sight of his hundred, but Shah’s battle with cramp and the wicket of Pietersen frustrated his efforts to get England moving, as they reached 156 for two at the break.

There was a close call for Strauss, on 47, when he attempted to steal a single to second slip fielder Devon Smith off Brendan Nash and was fortunate to have regained his ground.

He eventually reached his 50 from 118 balls, when he tugged Gayle to mid-on for a single.

Strauss and Shah were putting the grind on West Indies, when the England No.3 was overcome with cramps, and had to leave the field with the visitors on 133 for one.

Pietersen has not been at his fluent best in the series, and Ryan Hinds, delivering his left-arm spin from around the wicket, bowled him for 10 with a delivery that pitched on the line of middle stump and spun across the batsman to hit off-stump in the final over before lunch.

England made three changes to their side with Matt Prior, debutant Amjad Khan, and Monty Panesar replacing Tim Ambrose, Ravi Bopara, and Ryan Sidebottom.

West Indies made two changes, bringing Lendl Simmons and Lionel Baker in to replace specialist spinner Sulieman Benn and Jerome Taylor, who has an injured left ankle.

England trail in the five-Test series 1-0, following an innings and 23-run defeat in the opening Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica, where they were dismissed for their third-lowest total of 51 in the second innings.

The second Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua was abandoned because of a dangerous outfield, while the third Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground and the fourth Test at Kensington Oval in Barbados both ended in draws.

England captain Andrew Strauss, in charge of his first tour, is learning the lessons of captaincy the hard way after suffering two hard-to-take results against West Indies in his opening Tests.

After an innings and 23 run defeat in the first Test in Kingston, when his team collapsed to 51 all out, came a 10-ball abandoned match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, followed by a bitterly disappointing draw in the hastily arranged third Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

England had the upper hand for all five days of an enthralling Test match, Strauss’s 169 helping them to 566 for nine declared in their first innings. They sat in command after setting West Indies a near impossible target of 503 to win.

But in four-and-a-half sessions of bowling, England could only get nine West Indian wickets as the last pair of Fidel Edwards and Daren Powell hung on for 10 agonising overs.

“Clearly when you get so close in a Test and you don’t make it over that final hurdle it is very hard to take,” said Strauss.

“In some ways it does feel like a defeat, but once the emotion subsides and we realise there’s a lot of positives to come out of the Test.

“The way we batted after Jamaica was the way to respond, the way Graeme Swann bowled was exceptional and Stuart Broad as well bowled very well.

“Hopefully we have shifted the momentum away from West Indies and if we can get better as the tour goes on there’s no reason why we can’t win the series.”

“Test wins don’t come easily, especially on a wicket like this even against numbers 10 and 11 it’s hard to force the issue.

“I can’t fault the bowlers, they did as well as they could in those conditions. It was just one of those things, it wasn’t meant to be,” he added.

Critics might point to Strauss’s decision not to enforce the follow-on or his sending in James Anderson as a night watchman at the end of the third day, which slowed down England on the morning of the next session.

But the England skipper was also restricted by Andrew Flintoff’s hip injury and Steve Harmison’s stomach upset.

“We had a few problems, Harmison was on his death bed with a towel over his stomach and there was Freddie’s injury. Graeme Swann woke up on the fourth day with an elbow he thought might stop him bowling at all.

“Plenty of problems to ponder and it meant the bowlers we did have had as much rest as possible. I certainly have no regrets about not enforcing the follow-on,” he said.

“We hoped the wicket would deteriorate on day five but it didn’t really, if anything it died a little and got flatter.

“The efforts of the bowlers were exceptional. We did everything we could do. Sometimes a ball goes to hand and sometimes it doesn’t, it’s those small margins between winning and drawing a Test match”.