FIFTH TEST - FIFTH DAY

To the victor go the spoils. The 2010/11 England Ashes team have written their names into history.

Today was the day when the suffering ended.

Much like a terminally ill patient on life support, the Australians flatlined and England rejoiced along with their travelling band of supporters the Barmy Army and their camp followers dancing on the grave that is Australian cricket.

To England, yet again I congratulate you on a splended series in all aspects of the game. From daring batting, to fantastic bowling and sure handed fielding, you were a class above in all departments - and who other than the most supremely optimistic English supporter could have predicted that England would so comprehensively outplay Australia in every facet of the game and record three crushing victories to break and then set all kinds of astonishing records?

Celebrate hard - you all deserved it.

As for Australia, other than a little cameo partnership between Steve Smith and Peter Siddle which merely added to the English carnival atmosphere, today provided nothing more than being the fall guy to the main act. Siddle made an entertaining forty three, Beer was bowled by Tremlett for two and Steve Smith was stranded, unbeaten on fifty three.

A third innings loss made this the worst Ashes series loss Australia has ever experienced in terms of being hammered from pillar to post.

Many Australian players played their last test today, or at the very least their last Ashes test as the team that will take on England in England in 2013 will be vastly different in composition.

Ricky Ponting had his worst series with the bat in many a year and calls for his retirement grow louder by the day. Even if Ponting plays on, it is very hard seeing him around in 2013. Simon Katich has been an honourable servant, but his time is up too. Form is not his worry, but age is in this new era.

What of Mike Hussey? This series turned out to be Hussey's finest hour in terms of trying to hold a faltering batting order together in the face of insurmountable odds. Hussey's heroics cannot conceal the fact that his previous two years were mediocre at best. Was this Hussey back in vintage form - or merely one last golden summer to say goodbye to an adoring public in the only way he knows how?

One senses that Hussey's baggy green would have to be prized from his dead hand, such is his fanaticism to the cause. Honourable warrior that he might be, even Hussey is not immune to father time. May play on, but another year may be one year too long.

Ben Hilfenhaus was the bowler of the series in the 2009 edition of the Ashes when he took 22 wickets at 27.45. In this series, his career has probably been ended by the battering he took with his paltry 7 wickets costing 59.28 runs apeace. Very hard to see Hilfy coming back from that.

Peter Siddle was like a pack horse; prepared to carry the load and bowl long spells, but not a genuine strike bowler. Two six wicket hauls in the series; the first containing a spectacular Ashes hattrick in Brisbane and the second a vain effort in a losing cause in Melbourne in the fourth test - but nothing much in between. 20 wickets at 30.80 in the 2009 Ashes was a reasonable return for a bowler of his type, but 14 wickets at 34.57 in this series was simply not good enough when you consider twelve of those wickets came in two innings. Will be persisted with in light of the fact that there is not exactly a conga line of fast bowlers in the country pushing for selection.

Now we come to Mitchell Johnson...where does one start? A saggy shouldered performance in Brisbane led to his axing, missing the Adelaide debacle perhaps fortuitously. Came back like a man possessed in Perth where he almost won the test single handedly. Johnson then returned to type and only took wickets when batsmen got careless rather than any trick of the hand.

For all his prodigious talents, Johnson has damaged his brand, probably perminantly. For a player who feeds on confidence like no other Australian fast bowler in memory, he is almost totally devoid of the stuff. Can he be resurrected? It does not look promising.

The real ace in the pack however is Doug "the rug" Bollinger. Australia's one true strike bowler since the retirements of McGrath, Lee and the sulking reticence of Shaun Tait who prefers the IPL rupee over representing his country. Doug Bollinger's career test bowling average of 25.92 with a strike rate of a wicket every 48 balls is world class - but an IPL injury exacerbated in India meant an enforced lay off where Bollinger lost all his match fitness and when he was brought back in Adelaide, he looked but a shadow of the bowler of twelve months ago.

Much discussion has taken place in the media and on talk back radio as to what has caused Australian batsmen who hitherto had been technically reliable to suddenly be suspect to anything outside off stump. ABC commentator Kerry O'Keefe suggested that Australian batsmen are addicted to the bowling machine which he believes encourages flashy drives.

Utter tripe on a number of fronts.

Firstly, the English batsmen would spend just as much time practicing on bowling machinesnas their Australian counter parts and secondly, the late Bob Woolmer stated that practice with a bowling machine is the best method to groove shots.

The real reason was pin pointed by Steve Waugh and Geoffrey Boycott. Both stated unequivocally that Twenty20 has ruined the techniques of Australian batsmen.

Steve Waugh has remained respectfully silent on Australian cricket matters since he retired seven years ago. He broke his silence to slam the Twenty20 infused techniques of Australian batsmen who feel a need to play at every ball rather than leave balls outside offstump well alone. In Twenty20, a batsman must play at every ball, especially those wide of off stump as an edge will usually fly through the vacant slips area for a boundary. In test cricket, it is inviting disaster.

Geoffrey Boycott echoed those sentiments as well during an interview on ABC radio. He stated that he was always stunned when he walks past net sessions these days and he observes batsmen playing Harlem Globetrotter strokes in the air. He recalled his Yorkshire beginnings where an old hand would admonish him if he ever played a shot in the air in the nets with "you'll only get out that way son, keep it along the ground". Boycott was certain that Twenty20 had ruined the techniques of many of the Australian top order batsmen - and it is impossible to disagree.

Phil Hughes is a case in point. When Hughes made his debut against South Africa, he did not flash indescriminately at every ball outside off stump from Steyn, Morkel, Ntini and Kallis. Hughes technique was still anything but copybook, but he chose his moments well. The player we see today is fighting the demons of Twenty20 and no longer has any discretion of when to play and when to leave. Even allowing for the fact that he was already horribly out of form and should not have been brought back, Hughes will need to do alot of remedial work if he is to ever recapture his early career form where he looked a world beater.

Michael Clarke is another that the curse of Twenty20 has claimed with his formerly safe technique totally destroyed by the shortest form of the game. Batting is very much an instinctive trigger movement discipline where the "flash at every ball outside off" mentality is a habit that cannot easily be broken unless you have the monastic abstinence of a Mike Hussey.

It is no surprise that neither Cook, Strauss nor Trott bother with Twenty20. It is also no surprise that Michael Clarke has suddenly announced his retirement from Twenty20. Whether he was pushed or he volunteered is irrelevent, Clarke must rebuild his technique back to what it once was, not just if he aspires to be captain, but simply to hold his place in the team.

I could go on and on and on as to what needs to happen for Australia to regain their position in the top echelon, but today is neither the time, nor the place and also that would only be detracting on a wonderful achievement by England - and today is rightfully their day.

Congratulations.

FIFTH TEST - DAY FOUR

Comedy capers at the SCG. Watson run out by the length of the pitch.

Just when Australian supporters thought things couldn't get much worse, Australia found new lows that no-one could have conceived. Australian cricket has been exposed for all the lack of forward planning by the administrators and selectors in the deluded belief that the Australian system was infallible and recession proof.

It wasn't and it isn't.

If Australia were a financial institution, they would be Lehman Brothers. If Cricket Australia were a corporation, they would be Enron.

The not out over night batsmen Prior and Bresnan continued on their merry way this morning as if they were batting in a benefit match - crashing boundaries, having a few laughs and generally being untroubled by anything that the hapless Australian bowlers served up. When the new ball came, it promptly went - crashing into the advertising hoardings beyond the boundary.

Prior notched a belated Ashes century - everyone else was getting one of those and Bresnan must have been despondent that he threw his wicket away for thirty five, but this only brought Swann to the wicket and he also threw his bat around like there was a plane to catch.

The English innings finally ended in the afternoon at 644 - England's highest score on Australian shores eclipsing Chapman's all conquering 1928/29 outfit which until recently held all manner of records which have since been eclipsed by this current English outfit.

So Australia's last innings of this sorry series commenced after something like six sessions chasing leather around the field. The brief was simple - bat for close to five sessions to draw the game and save some face or capitulate meekly and be the subject of derision from your fellow cricket mad countrymen.

Shane Watson decided that all out attack was the best method of defence as he seized on anything short and dispatched it with brutal power to the fence. Phil Hughes on the other hand was a study in concentration, hoping to tough it out and resist his primordial instincts to flash outside off stump at any ball that has width and to a good many that don't.

After thirty eight barn storming runs in as many balls, Shane Watson fell as Shane Watson does - stupidly. Hughes pushed a ball into the outfield that was a regulation single or an extremely sharp two on the proviso that both batsmen run the first run hard. Hughes jogged through for what he thought would only be a single when to his chagrin he turned and saw Shane Watson charging straight back at him at break neck speed and the throw from the outfield already in flight towards the danger end. So Hughes - rightly or wrongly - stood his ground and Shane Watson was run out by the length of the pitch as he stood face to face with the inert Hughes at the same end.

Top order wickets must be preserved with the utmost of care, and this latest impersonation of the Keystone Kops only underlined the distinct lack of professionalism on display by the Australian top order in stark contrast with their English counterparts.

Hughes was the next to fall when he was out again edging behind to Prior. Though to be fair, Bresnan did bowl a marvelous delivery that committed Hughes to a stroke and then deviated enough to catch the edge of the bat. Hughes unhappy series ended on yet another failure - this time thirteen.

Khawaja and Clarke attempted a recovery mission with Clarke playing some sparkling shots and Khawaja more circumspect defending with discipline. The pair added sixty five when Khawaja pushed away from is body at a delivery from Anderson that he easily could and should have left alone. Khawaja's promising innings was cut short at twenty one and it is yet another stepping stone in the steep learning curve of this young batsman.

The mood of the English team and the sizeable contingent of English supporters in the SCG looking on was now akin to a carnival type atmosphere. A wicket was expected with every ball with theatrical ooohs and aaahs and the timid - and all but beaten - Australian batsmen looked like a vivid transvision definition of road kill.

A clearly upset Clarke was dismissed for forty one and was visibly admonishing himself for his error. It was yet another regulation edge to the keeper off Anderson who delivered his trademark sucker punch that the Australian batsmen fell for time and time again. Australia were not for the first time in the series reeling.

A mentally fatigued Hussey fell soon after for twelve to a tired and injudicious cut shot straight to gully. Even Hussey had lost the will to fight on and try and save the unsaveable. Australia's get out of jail card had checked out.

Brad Haddin defiantly blazed away, but one clearly sensed that his innings was always going to be fleeting and he duly succumbed edging to his counterpart for thirty to the deserving Tremlett who then picked up Mitchell Johnson the very next ball.

Steve Smith and a game Peter Siddle defied the English attack until stumps to drag the test into a fifth day and an academic conclusion.

On a day when Australian fans were hoping to see some act of defiance or counter attack to give some encouragement for the future if nothing else, nothing of the sort eventuated. Absolutely nothing in the wreckage that is Australian cricket appears to be salvageable at this time and tomorrow we await the sad denouement to a one sided series.

FIFTH TEST - DAY THREE

The limpet like Cook batted on and on and...

Today was yet another day of records for the touring Englishmen as they piled on the misery as the Australian attack looked more impotent than ever. There was controversy too with some incidents that will be talked about for years to come.

The Australians harboured some hopes of getting back into the game when they removed both the night watchman Anderson and the disappointing Collingwood fairly early on to have England 5 for 226 and still fifty four runs behind. However, that is as close as Australia got.

Bell joined the patient Cook and as the later ground on, the former played with pristine technique caressing cover drives to the fence, flicking balls off his pads through mid wicket. If Cook's innings was one of ruthless efficiency, Bell's innings was more the work of an artist in peak creativity.

"Did I catch that?" Even Hughes didn't look convinced.

Cook finally fell for an epic 189 that was only eleven runs short of a second double century for the series and thus joining the rarefied company of Sir Walter Hammond as the only other Englishman to have to scored two Ashes double centuries in the one series. The innings was not without it's moments of controversy with the fortunate let off at forty six when debutant Beer was found to have over stepped when Cook had been caught in the deep and again while Cook was on ninety nine he turned a ball to short leg to Phil Hughes who claimed the catch on the half volley. Cook stood his ground and replay's showed that the ball clearly bounced in front of Hughes.

To be fair Hughes at first seemed hesitant to claim the catch and it was only when other team mates assured him that it looked clean that he tossed the ball in the air. In the age of slow motion replays, close ups and more importantly reviews, such appeals never stand up to scrutiny.

This incident added irony to proceedings as Phil Hughes test career was placed into hiatus twenty months ago when England skipper Andrew Strauss claimed an identical one bounce catch to dismiss Phil Hughes at Lords for sixteen during the 2009 series. Fleet Street have branded young Hughes a cheat. In light of what Strauss did in the last series and what Ian Bell did later in the day - it is only cheating when an Australian is involved it seems.

Bell controversially refers his alleged nick behind off Watson.

Which brings us to the second controversial incident for the day - one that will be discussed for a while to come. Ian Bell seemed to be careering to his first Ashes century when he faintly edged a delivery from Watson through to Haddin. While it was a faint nick, it still was loud enough to be heard through the stump mic and certainly loud enough for all the Australian players to go up as one and Aleem Dar to correctly adjudicate to the affirmative.

Bell dejectedly walked over to batting partner Prior to seek counsel and almost in hope requested a review - either in the hope of the faint nick not showing on hot spot, or perhaps the bowler overstepping the popping crease.

As luck would have it, nothing significant showed up on hot spot. Later there was some suggestion that the faintest of flickers momentarily registered on the edge of the bat as the ball passed by, but it appeared inconclusive on the available evidence at that moment and Dar lost his nerve and reversed his earlier decision and thus Bell was reprieved.

Only moments later, Snicko clearly indicated that Bell had in fact edged the delivery after all. So we had the absurd situation where the review system overturned a decision that the umpire - in this case Dar - had correctly adjudicated with his naked eye and rather than the intended prevention of the howler, the UDRS has unwittingly created one.

Surely a first.

No doubt the detractors of the third umpire video review will point to this as proof that no system is completely fool proof.

Ian Bell duly brought up his maiden Ashes century with rare style and sadly amongst the cheers of the Barmy Army there were boos from angry Australian supporters and a noteable lack of appreciation from the Australians in the field at Bell's perceived dishonesty. Ian Bell has been one of the form batsmen all series and an Ashes hundred was well over due and thoroughly deserved. So it is a pity that this marvellous innings should be footnoted in such a way, for beyond the controversy, it was an innings of sublime class.

Bell finally fell in the penultimate over before stumps when he attempted one big shot too many and edged a Johnson delivery to Clarke to be on his way for a peerless 115.

With a lead of 208, England are in complete command and will surely wrap up the test either later tomorrow or early on day five to win the series comprehensively 3-1...a fair reflection of the dominance of the Englishmen and the ineptness of the Australian's.

Prior to this series, no Australian XI had succumbed to more than one innings defeat on Australian soil. With two such defeats already under their belt, there is a strong possibility that they may add an unwanted third here in Sydney such is the hopelessness of their situation.

England have registered four innings of over 400 in five tests against Australia on Australian soil - and one has to go back to the days when Chapman was at the helm in 1928/29 for the only other time that has occurred.

For all the records in this series, one would have to be an Englishman to fully enjoy this one sided carnage as the contest has largely been lacking. Sometimes there has to be a massive fall from grace before a new dawn can emerge - and all Australian's are hoping that something positive will eventually come from all this wreckage.

FIFTH TEST - DAY TWO

Mitchell Johnson reprised his Perth batting form with a scintillating 53.

In keeping with the general tone of this series, today's day of play had some interesting twists and turns which make test cricket the ultimate form of the game.

Early in the first session Australia hoped that Hussey and Haddin would continue their heroics from earlier in the series and put on a decent partnership in order to help Australia post a competitive total. but it was not to be with Haddin falling early for six edging Anderson to Prior to a delivery that again, could have been left alone.

Steve Smith joined Mike Hussey at the crease and the two set about rebuilding the innings in a laborious manner due to some tight bowling. Paul Collingwood was thrown the ball to bowl some tight overs before the new ball was taken and after tying down Mike Hussey with some tight lines, Collingwood induced a mistake from Hussey with his last ball of his spell when Hussey edged onto his thigh and the ball ricocheted onto his leg bail in a freakish dismissal. Despite the element of luck, the plan to frustrate Hussey was ultimately brilliantly conceived by Strauss and splendidly executed by Collingwood.

Steve Smith was the next to go after an extremely subdued innings of eighteen when he parried a delivery from Anderson straight to Collingwood. Smith seemed to be trying to make a point that he could bat in an orthodox and disciplined manner rather than simply bludgeon the ball to all parts. With the benefit of hindsight, I am sure Smith would have opted to bat in his usual swashbuckling manner as he is more effective and and more at home being aggressive, not to mention that he is also more productive on the scoreboard as well.

Peter Siddle came and went quickly for two when he also perished to Anderson when he edged that bowler to Strauss. By now the score was a parlous 8 for 189 and Australia were in more trouble than a one legged man in a backside kicking contest.

Enter stage left Mitchell Johnson who together with a marvellous supporting cameo from Ben Hilfenhaus flayed the English attack in a remarkable counter attack that produced a partnership of seventy six priceless runs. Johnson eventually perished for a crowd pleasing fifty three when he went to the well once too often and was bowled by the persistent Bresnan.

Hilfenhaus tried to maintain the rage with new boy Beer keeping him company, but he too went for one big shot too many and succumbed to Anderson who picked up his fourth wicket by cleaning up the tail. Hilfenhaus trooped off with a valuable thirty four to his name and Australia's total a far more palatable 280 when it could have been much, much worse.

Still, the old saying in cricket circles is that you never know what is a good score until both teams have batted, and with the unbridled glee that Strauss tore into the assorted long hops, telegraphed bouncers and half volleys from Hilfenhaus and Johnson, it was apparent that 280 was nowhere near enough.

England's score raced with breakneck speed to ninety eight when Strauss was bowled by a brilliant unplayable delivery by the hitherto impotent Hilfenhaus for a scorching sixty scored off a remarkable fifty eight deliveries.

Andrew Strauss murdered the pedestrian Australian attack for a better than a run a ball 60.

Jonathan Trott who has been nothing short of Bradmanesque this summer was astonishingly dismissed for a duck when he played a Johnson delivery onto his stumps much to the crowds shock and the Australian teams joy. At 2 for 99, the Australian's suddenly sensed a Perth style comeback in the back end of the last session - but such aspirations were put on hold by Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen who batted with great purpose.

Michael Beer momentarily joined the ranks of test wicket takers when he flighted a delivery to Cook who could not resist the urge to drive over the top and miscued an easy catch to Hilfenhaus. As the Australian players congregated around the understandably excited Beer, umpire Billy Bowden requested a replay to confirm his suspicion that Beer may have overstepped the popping crease - and much to the Australian's collective chagrin, the replay confirmed Bowden's suspicion to be on the money and a bemused Cook survived.

The final wicket to fall for the day was Pietersen who could not resist the adrenalin surge through his veins as he hooked a bouncer from Johnson that was outside off stump straight to Beer at deep backward square leg to waste an impressive start of thirty six.

Anderson sent in as night watchman safely saw out the day with Cook to guide England to the high ground with a score of 3 for 167. Australia simply need to engineer an English batting collapse tomorrow to have any hope of winning the game. For England, the task is simple, pass Australia's total and then bat on and post a healthy lead.

If England take a one hundred run plus lead, one would be inclined to believe that Australia would have trouble in posting a competitive total to defend in the fourth innings. Still, stranger things have happened in this series.

FIFTH ASHES TEST - DAY ONE

An overcast first day was brightened by the assured debut of Usman Khawaja.

All eyes today were on the beleaguered Australian test team who went into this test without their talismanic skipper Ricky Ponting who has succumbed to his finger injury. This opened the door for Michael Clarke to take over the reins of the test captaincy.

Michael Clarke becomes the forty third test captain of Australia - a position some would say is considered - only half joking - more important than that of the Prime Minister of Australia. Clarke's form since moving up the order from five to four has been horrendous, but in the absence of any other clear cut candidates in this under performing Australian team, Clarke has acceded to the top job almost by default.

Making their debut's for Australia in this test are the batting prodigy Usman Khawaja and the unheralded and relatively unknown left arm tweaker Michael Beer. Khawaja has been knocking on the door of test selection since last summer and is a worthy inclusion. Michael Beer on the other hand is well known only for being a completely illogical selection by the National Selection Panel. I can only hope that Beer makes me eat my words.

On an overcast morning suggesting that there would be considerable life in the pitch in the first session, it came as something of a surprise that upon winning the toss Michael Clarke in his first act as Skipper chose to bat under grey skies. This was perhaps a sign that the Australian camp are jittery at facing Swann on a fourth innings turner at the SCG.

Shane Watson and Phil Hughes strode out with a big act to follow after all the spectacular first session batting collapses this summer. Much to their credit, both batsmen played with remarkable restraint completely alien to their normal attacking games.

The pitch was rather challenging, but both Watson and Hughes advanced the score slowly but surely in a risk free manner. The opening stand had reached a commendable fifty five when Hughes faced up to the last over by Tremlett before lunch when off the third ball Hughes hung the bat outside his body to a delivery that he had left alone all morning, only for it to catch the edge of his bat and fly straight to Collingwood at third slip.

Hughes thumped his bat into his pad in anger at himself as he walked off with all the players following him for the lunch interval. Hughes innings of thirty one had been an innings of maturity and promise from the young opener. In terms of technique, there were great signs in the manner in which Hughes went about his business, suggesting better days lay ahead.

New boy Usman Khawaja must have had a rather nervy lunch as he waited for the second session to start and what would be the start to his test career. The debutant number three was born in Islamabad and moved with his cricket mad family to Australia as a toddler. Now he was the first Australian of Pakistani origin and Muslim persuasion to pull on the baggy green cap...how would the Australian public take to him?

Usman Khawaja played some wonderful strokes in his debut innings of 37.

The wait was worth it, as Khawaja strode to the wicket, the 42,000 first day Sydney crowd gave him a standing ovation all the way to the wicket that must surely have moved him and told him something - Australia was behind him.

Tremlett delivered Khawaja's first ball in test cricket and the young lad clipped the ball to leg for two to tumultuous applause from the stands. The very next ball Tremlett bowled a bouncer and the young left hander swivelled and played a delightful hook shot for four runs to the delirious acclaim of the crowd. I involuntarily uttered the words "a star is born!" I am sure many around Australia were thinking the same thing.

There was something about Khawaja today that reminded me of Brian Charles Lara - sacrilegious as it may be to make comparisons. I am not sure whether it was the high back lift, the crouched stance, or the easy stroke play - but Usman Khawaja simply oozed class. In Australian cricket's dark hour, a new hero has emerged like a ray of sunlight.

Khawaja's mother was seen in the stands to be whispering her incantations to the almighty Allah to assist her son. All around the nation, Australian cricket followers of many different religious persuasions - and some atheists too one imagines joined Mrs Khawaja in uttering hasty orisons to the almighty. A mothers prayers were answered, and with Usman's cool assurance at the crease, a nations prayers were answered too.

Watson and Khawaja put on a valuable fifty run stand when Watson who had been strangely subdued all day finally fell when he edged a widish delivery from Bresnan to slip that like Hughes earlier - Watson could have left well alone. As the ball left the edge of Watson's bat, Watson audibly groaned an exasperated "oh no" that was picked up by the stump mic. Watson's innings of forty five was yet another innings of unrequited reward for effort in a litany of unfulfilled starts this summer.

This brought new captain Michael Clarke to the wicket in a situation that was crying out for a captains knock. Sadly, straight after the rain delay Clarke cut a ball too close to him straight to Anderson at gully at an easy catchable height. Clarke's run of outs continued as he perished for four.

Hussey joined Khawaja in the middle and the young tyro and the old pro were left with the task of rebuilding Australia's innings which hit some turbulence after the promising opening stand of Hughes and Watson. It was with some sadness that Khawaja's debut knock came to an end when he top edged an ambitious sweep to Trott at square leg to be out for a polished thirty seven.

As Khawaja left the field of combat to a standing ovation, he must have been furious with himself at his sudden break in concentration as the rain started to fall on him and the rest of the players left the field for the last time in a rain truncated first day. Hussey remained twelve not out and Australia were now a precarious 4 for 135.

For England, both Tremlett and Bresnan bowled splendidly, whilst Anderson was not his usual self. England will feel that they took the honours on the first day - but the Australian batsmen all contributed to their own demise and they all will be disappointed with themselves.

Australia has endured a nightmare summer, but today amidst the Sydney gloom, perhaps a few rays of light have broken through to reveal a promising future.