England have won their first Test match in Australia since January 2011, avoiding the prospect of a whitewash with a tense four-wicket win on the second day of a madcap match in Melbourne.
Set 175 for a first victory out of 19 attempts on these shores, England were given a turbo-charged start by Ben Duckett, swinging for the hills, and Zak Crawley, who put on 51 inside seven overs, before Jacob Bethell hit a classy, priceless 40 from 46 balls.
In between came a vignette that summed up a zany Test played on a substandard pitch, with England sending in Brydon Carse shortly before tea to have a slog at No 3. It said everything about a game that has felt something of a lottery from the start, with curator Matt Page leaving 10mm of grass on the surface – 3mm more than usual – and Michael Vaughan branding the pitch ‘a joke’.
Carse made just six before top-edging a hoick off Jhye Richardson to third man, though his partnership with Crawley had lopped another 14 off the target in front of a rapt crowd of 92,000.
By tea, England had raced to 77 for two off just 12 overs, the ideal approach on a surface where a wicket has seemed round the corner throughout.
They kept attacking. Eight came from Scott Boland’s first over after the break, then 10 from Michael Neser’s. The hundred came up inside 16 overs, and by the time Boland trapped Crawley for a valuable 37, the third-wicket stand was worth 47, and the target down to 63.
Harry Brook and Jamie Smith sealed victory at 5.24pm local time and England will go to Sydney in the New Year hoping to limit the score to 3–2 – with Brook’s boundary clinching the win
England sealed their first win on Australian soil since January 2011 and avoided a whitewash
What felt like many hours earlier, Australia had resumed their second innings on four without loss, a lead of 46, but with critics’ concern over the MCG pitch ringing in both sides’ ears
Bethell flayed Starc over extra cover for arguably the shot of the day, but was furious with himself with a perfectly timed cover-drive off Boland flew low and hard to Usman Khawaja in the covers.
That made it 137 for four, and it was 158 for five when Richardson won a marginal lbw shout to dispatch Joe Root for 15. With only 10 needed, Ben Stokes edged a wild carve off Star, but Harry Brook and Jamie Smith sealed victory at 5.24pm local time. England will now go to Sydney in the New Year hoping to limit the series damage to 3–2.
What felt like many hours earlier, Australia had resumed their second innings on four without loss, a lead of 46, but with critics’ concern over the suitability of the MCG pitch ringing in both sides’ ears.
Gus Atkinson quickly had nightwatchman Boland caught behind for six, only to add to England’s fast-bowling injury list when he walked off the field feeling his left hamstring after sending down the last delivery of his fifth over.
If that placed more onus on England’s three remaining seamers to take Australia’s nine remaining wickets, they did not flinch. Stokes produced a beauty from round the wicket to bowl Jake Weatherald for five, and it was 61 for three when Marnus Labuschagne edged Josh Tongue low to Root at first slip for eight.
Three wickets then fell in a hurry before lunch. Carse, bowling a fuller length after he wasted the new ball on the first morning, bowled Travis Head for 46, before Khawaja top-edged Josh Tongue to fine leg for a duck, and Alex Carey prodded Carse to Brook at second slip for four.
Michael Neser fell to a sharp return catch by Brydon Carse (pictured) before last man Richardson perished for seven to leave Australia all out for 132 and England with a target of 175
Almost from nowhere, England were back in the game – Australia were 130 ahead with only four wickets in hand. Steve Smith and Cameron Green put on 36 either side of lunch, apparently swinging the pendulum the hosts’ way once more, only for the last four to fall in a rush, just as they had done on day one.
Green steered Stokes to Brook for 19, before Neser fell to sharp return catch by Carse, who then had Starc poking into the slips, both for ducks. With Smith curiously happy to take a single off the first ball of three successive overs, last man Richardson finally perished for seven trying to hit Stokes out of the MCG.
All out for 132, Australia had been dismissed twice in the match for 79.5 overs – the quickest in any Test since the 1928-29 Ashes at Brisbane. Home hopes of another Ashes whitewash are over.
