Monday 10 January 2011

When All's Said and Done




Records Tumbling

The 2010-11 Ashes series Down Under will not only live long in the memory, it will also go down in the history books. England's first series win in Australia for 24 years was only the start of it as records tumbled over the five tests...

England won the Ashes 3-1.

First time England has secured the Ashes in Australia for 24 years.

All three victories were secured by an innings margin, the first time this has ever happened in any series.

England's 644 at the SCG was its highest ever innings total in Australia.

England passed the 500 mark four times during the series, the first time it has done this in any series (517-1 dec Brisbane, 620-5 dec Adelaide, 513 Melbourne, 644 Sydney).

Australia only managed to pass 400 on one occasion (481 Brisbane).

England had never been 500-1 in any test match before that second innings at the Gabba.

The second innings in Brisbane and the first innings in Adelaide was the first time ever England had scored more than 500 in consecutive Ashes innings.

The second innings in Brisbane was the first time ever the top 3 batsman had all scored centuries in an away series for England.

England failed to reach 300 on 3 occasions, twice in Perth. Australia fell for fewer than this score 6 times.

England's lowest score was 123 in its second innings in Perth.

Australia's was 98 at the MCG on Boxing Day, its lowest ever Ashes score at the venue.

Such was its dominance, England only had to bat in 7 innings, declaring on two occasions.

England dismissed Australia on the first day three times in five matches. England was dismissed on the first day in Brisbane. The only opening day where the crowd didn't see both sides batting was in Sydney, which was rain-affected.

In England's first innings at the SCG, the 6th, 7th and 8th wicket partnerships all made 100, the first time this has ever happened in Test cricket.

The 9 individual centuries registered by England is a record for the team in an Ashes series.

England's win in Adelaide was its 100th test win against Australia. 101 and 102 weren't far behind.

Collingwood's 9 catches were the most taken by any player on either side, wicketkeepers aside (come on he's retiring, had to get him in there somewhere)


Masterful Cook

Man of the Series, Alastair Cook was comfortably the leading run scorer in the series with 766 in 7 innings. Only Wally Hammond has scored more runs for England in an Ashes series, 905 in Australia 1928-9. His aggregate was achieved in 9 innings.

Cook's average of 127 is the second highest by an Englishmen in the Ashes. Geoff Boycott averaged 147 in 1977, but played in only three Tests. Only Hammond, Len Hutton and Eddie Paynter have finished an Ashes series with three-figure averages (after three or more Tests).

In terms of the length of time he batted, he has set a new world record for a five-Test series with his 2,171 minutes at the crease, beating Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s 2,057 for West Indies v India in 2002.

His score of 235 not out at the Gabba was the highest ever at the ground, surpassing Bradman's 226 against South Africa in 1931. It was also Cook's highest test score.

His 329-run partnership with Jonathan Trott in the second innings in Brisbane was the highest partnership ever for England in Australia.

His 188 opening partnership with Strauss at the same venue was the highest ever opening partnership for England at the ground.

At the SCG he became the second youngest player, after Tendulkar, to reach 5,000 test runs.

Cook's series in full:

Brisbane: 67, 235 no
Adelaide: 148
Perth: 32,13
Melbourne: 82
Sydney: 189

Took a couple of catches too.

Leading run scorers

Cook 766 @ 127.66
Hussey 570 @ 63.33
Trott 445 @ 89
Watson 435 @ 48.33
KP 360 @ 60
Haddin 360 @ 45
Bell 329 @ 65.8
Strauss 307 @ 43.85
Prior 252 @ 50.4
Clarke 193 @ 21.44

Ton Up

Total Centuries In Series: 12

England: 9
Australia: 3

Brisbane: 5 (Hussey, Haddin, Strauss, Cook (double), Trott)
Adelaide: 2 (Cook, KP (double))
Perth: 1 (Hussey)
Melbourne: 1 (Trott)
Sydney: 3 (Cook, Bell, Prior)

100+ Stands

England: 11

329 Cook, Trott, Second Innings, Brisbane

188 Strauss, Cook, Second Innings, Brisbane

175 Cook, Pietersen, First Innings, Adelaide

173 Cook, Trott, First Innings, Adelaide

173 Trott, Prior, First Innings, Melbourne

159 Straus, Cook, First Innings, Melbourne

154 Cook, Bell First Innings, Sydney

116 Pietersen, Bell, First Innings, Adelaide

107 Bell, Prior, First Innings, Sydney

102 Prior, Bresnan, First Innings, Sydney

101 Pietersen, Collingwood, First Innings, Adelaide

Australia: 3

307 Hussey, Haddin, First Innings, Brisbane

113 Watson, Hussey, Second Innings, Perth

104 Clarke, Hussey, Second Innings, Adelaide


Leading wicket takers

Anderson 24 @ 26.04
Tremlett 17 @ 23.35
Johnson 15 @ 36.93
Swann 15 @ 39.8
Finn 14 @ 33.14
Siddle 14 @ 34.57
Bresnan 11 @ 19.54
Harris 11 @ 25.54

5-wicket hauls

Siddle: 6-54 Brisbane, first innings
Finn: 6-125 Brisbane, first innings
Swann: 5-91 Adelaide, second innings
Johnson: 6-38 Perth, first innings
Tremlett: 5-87 Perth, Second innings
Harris: 6-47 Perth, Second Innings
Siddle: 6-75 Melbourne, First Innings


Run-outs:

3 (all Australia)

Doherty, Adelaide
Hughes, Melbourne
Watson, Sydney

Blink and You Miss It


You didn't want to be late getting to your seat or turning on the television during this series. The opening overs of the day rarely failed to produce some drama...

In Brisbane, Strauss was out for a duck to the third ball of the day and in England's second inning he almost made it a pair with a golden duck. Hilfenhaus thudded the ball into his pads, the appeals rang out, the umpire said not out, the Aussies referred and found that the ball was going just over the top. Strauss went on to make a hundred.

At the Adelaide Oval there was even more drama. Katich fell to the fourth delivery of the day, run out by Watson before he'd faced a ball. Captain Ponting strode to the middle...and was walking back moments later as Jimmy snared him first ball. Australia were an incredible 0-2 at the end of the first over. This became 2-3 as Anderson removed Clarke with the first ball of his second over.

Strauss again wanted a piece of this drama when England's turn came to bat, clean bowled by Bollinger off the third ball of the second day's play. Still at least he had 1 this time around, rather than the duck he registered at the Gabba.

And to the third test in Perth. In the days before referrals it would have been another wicket-taking opener. Watson was given out by the umpire, caught down the leg-side by Prior off Anderson. But the replys proved the ball hit his thigh pad not the willow. Tremlett did manage to pick up a wicket in the next over, his first since being recalled to the side. He saved the best till last, skittling Hughes with his 6th delivery.

Could it have been even worse for Australia at the MCG? All out for 98 but Watson was dropped twice in Anderson's opening two overs. Collingwood and KP the culprits.

Match-by-Match Summary


Brisbane

Match drawn
Toss - England who bat

England First Innings: 260 (Cook 67, Bell 76, Siddle 6-54, Johnson 0-66, Doherty 2-41, Hilfenhaus 1-60, Watson 1-30)
Australia First Innings: 481 (Katich 50, Hussey 195, Haddin 136, Finn 6-125, Jimmy 2-99, Swann 2-128)
England Second Innings: 517-1 declared (Strauss 110, Cook 235 no, Trott 135 no, Johnson 0-104, Doherty 0-107, North 1-47) 296 lead for England
Australia Second Innings: 107-1 (Watson 41 no, Ponting 51 no, Broad 1-18)

Man of the Match: Cook

End of first day score: Australia 25-0 (batting second)
End of day 4: Eng 309-1 - leading by 88 with 9 wickets in hand

Adelaide


England won by an innings and 71 runs
Johnson dropped
Toss - Australia who bat

Australia First Innings: 245 (Watson 51, Hussey 93, Haddin 56, Anderson 4-51, Broad 1-39, Finn 1-71, Swann 2-70, Katich and Doherty run out)
England First Innings: 620-5 declared (Cook 148, Trott 78, KP 227, Colly 42, Bell 68 no, Doherty 1-158, Harris 2-84)
Australia Second Innings: 304 (Watson 57, Clarke 80, Hussey 52, Swann 5-91, Anderson 2-92, Finn 2-60, KP 1-10)

Man of the Match: KP

End of day 1: England 1-0 (batting second)
End of day 4: Australia 238-4 (137 behind)

Perth

Australia won by 267 runs

Toss: England who field
Beer left out, Johnson back
Anderson first game after going home for birth of his child

Australia First Innings: 268 (Hussey 61, Haddin 53, Johnson 62, Siddle 35 no, Anderson 3-61, Tremlett 3-63, Swann 2-52, Finn 2086)
England First Innings: 187 (Strauss 52, Bell 53, Cook 32, Johnson 6-38, Harris 3-59, Siddle 1-25)
Australia Second Innings: 309 (Watson 95, Hussey 116, Tremlett 5-87, Finn 3-97, Anderson 1-65, Colly 1-3, Swann 0-51)
England Second Innings: (chasing 391) 123 (Trott 31, Harris 6-47, Johnson 3-44, Hilfenhaus 1-16)

Man of the Match: Mitchell Johnson
End of Day 1: England 29-0 (batting second)
End of Day 4: England all out

Melbourne

England won by an innings and 157 runs

Toss: England who field
Ashes debut for Bresnan

Australia First Innings: 98 (Clarke 20, Anderson 4-44, Tremlett 4-26, Bresnan 2-25, Swann 0-1)
England First Innings: 513 (Strauss 69, Cook 82, Trott 168 no, Pietersen 51, Prior 85, Swann 22, Hilfy 2-83, Johnson 2-134, Siddle 6-75)
Australia Second Innings 258 (Watson 54, Haddin 55, Siddle 40, Bresnan 4-50, Swann 2-59, Tremlett 1-71, Anderson 1-71, Hughes run out)

Man of the Match: Trott
End of Day 1: England 157-0 (59 runs ahead batting second)
End of Day 4: Australia all out

Sydney

England won by an innings and 83 runs

Toss: Australia, who bat
Debuts for Khawaja and Beer

Australia First Innings: 280 (Johnson 53, Watson 45, Khawaja 37, Anderson 4-66, Bresnan 3-89, Tremlett 1-71, Swann 1-37, Colly 1-5)
England First Innings: 644 (Strauss 60, Cook 189, KP 36, Bell 115, Prior, 118, Bresnan 35, Swann 36 no, Johnson 4-168, Hilfy 3-121, Siddle 1-111, Watson 1-49, Beer 1-112, Smith 0-67)
Australia Second Innings: 281 (Smith 54 no, Siddle 43, Clarke 41, Khawaja 21, Watson 38, Anderson 3-61, Tremlett 3-79, Swann 1-75, Bresnan 2-51)

Man of the Match and Series: Cook
End of Day 1: Aus 134-4
End of Day 4: Aus 213-7

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