Australia v England - Second Test

The WACA Ground, Perth

Australia: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, DG Bradman, AR Border, SR Waugh, KR Miller, +IA Healy, *R Benaud, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, DK Lillee.
England: JB Hobbs, *L Hutton, ER Dexter, DI Gower, MC Cowdrey, IT Botham, +LEG Ames, JA Snow, DL Underwood, JB Statham, RGD Willis.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: LH Barker (WI) & CJ Mitchley (SAF)
Toss: England

Despite their defeat in the first Test, Australia retained faith in the same XI that played in Brisbane, whilst England entered this game without Fred Trueman, who was sidelined with an ankle injury. Better news for England came when Hutton called correctly again at the toss, and the tourists were able to bat first on what looked a belter of a strip at the WACA.

There was rain around though - indeed, there were interruptions to all three sessions on the first day - and Hutton went early, but England were on the road to recovery at 62-1 when all hell broke loose early in the afternoon. Hobbs (26) was caught at slip off Lillee in the first over after lunch, and from the first ball of Davidson's next over Dexter edged one through to Healy, although it was unclear whether the ball actually carried. Dexter didn't want to go, but after both umpires had discussed the matter he was sent on his way and then, just two balls later, Cowdrey was yorked for a duck and England had lost three wickets for no runs in the space of four balls.

Healy's disputed catch to dismiss Dexter
was a key turning point on the first day

It had been a dreadful ten minutes for the tourists and they never really recovered. Ames once again batted well with the tail to drag the score past 200 on the second day, but it had been a very poor performance from England, and after Lawry went for 10 Woodfull and Bradman showed the capacity crowd just how to bat on this surface. Their partnership was worth 174* by the close on day two, with Woodfull repaying the selectors' faith in him by notching his first century since the last Ashes series, some 14 Tests ago, and day three belonged completely to Australia as Woodfull and Bradman batted their way into the record books.

England's toiling attack failed to create a single chance on a long, hot third day that saw Australia's second wicket pair go past Headley and Weekes' previous record partnership of 455*, and both partners had reached double centuries by the time stumps were drawn, with the scoreboard reading an incredible 508-1. It was as dominant a display of batting as you could wish to see, and following as it did the 303 run partnership constructed by Geoff Marsh and Damien Martyn in the tour match here, England's bowling attack looked a tired and ragged unit come the day's end. Woodfull and Bradman had extended their partnership to a staggering 532* when Richie Benaud finally declared on the fourth morning, and a total of 565-1 gave Australia a lead of 360 with over five sessions of play remaining.

Woodfull (268*) and Bradman (276*) rewrote the record
books with their mammoth second wicket partnership

England's second innings began disastrously when Hobbs was run out for 4 by Davidson from the last ball before lunch, and Australia spent the rest of the day chipping away at the tourists' middle order. Dexter made a promising 61, but it was not enough and England entered the final day on 205-4, still 155 behind and perhaps relying on the predicted thunderstorms if they were to salvage the draw. After the early dismissals of Botham for 45 and Ames for 5, Colin Cowdrey proved to be England's main non-meteorological hope, and with Snow and then Underwood showing admirable resilience, the tourists maintained their chance for a draw right up until the tea interval.

Cowdrey completed a most worthy century, but from the last ball before tea umpire Mitchley upheld an lbw appeal from Lillee with the ball quite clearly going down the leg side, and a phlegmatic Cowdrey had to go. England were now 324-8 with 36 possible overs remaining, and although the thunder was rumbling the rains never came. A spirited last wicket stand between Underwood and Willis took England into the lead, but Australia were eventually set a token five runs to square the series, a target that was reached in just five balls. Australia's response to their defeat in the first Test had been nothing short of emphatic, and although England can justifiably feel aggrieved with some of the umpiring decisions here, they were in truth outplayed and need to regroup quickly ahead of the third Test in Adelaide.

Colin Cowdrey was left to contemplate what might have been...

Score Summary
ENG 1st Inns 205 (Ames 70)
AUS 1st Inns 565-1 dec. (Bradman 276*, Woodfull 268*)
ENG 2nd Inns 364 (Cowdrey 101, Dexter 61, Botham 45)
AUS 2nd Inns 5-0

AUSTRALIA WON BY 10 WICKETS

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
(click to enlarge)

Close of play

Day 1 - England 1st innings 149-6 (Ames 36*, Snow 5*; 53.3 ov)
Day 2 - Australia 1st innings 207-1 (Woodfull 112*, Bradman 79*; 57 ov)
Day 3 - Australia 1st innings 508-1 (Woodfull 239*, Bradman 248*; 147 ov)
Day 4 - England 2nd innings 205-4 (Cowdrey 29*, Botham 41*; 71 ov)
Day 5 - Australia 2nd innings 5-0 (0.5 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Woodfull and Bradman's stand of 532* is the highest for any wicket in ATG history
▪ Their stand is also the longest in terms of minutes (646) and balls faced (908)
▪ Woodfull and Bradman are the sixth pair to bat unparted through an entire day's play

▪ Woodfull passed 3000 career runs during his 268*
▪ This was the first 10 wicket defeat in England's history (63 Tests)
▪ Woodfull was on the field of play for every ball of the match

Man of the Match: WM Woodfull & DG Bradman