Australia v England - Third Test

The Adelaide Oval

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, MC Cowdrey, DI Gower, +AJ Stewart, IT Botham, TE Bailey, JC Laker, JA Snow, DL Underwood, JB Statham.

Debuts: TE Bailey (ENG)
Umpires: Khizer Hayat (PAK) & CJ Mitchley (SAF)
Toss: England

Whilst Australia fielded the same XI for the third match in succession, England's win in the tour match here had been a Pyrrhic victory; Dexter, Ames and Bedser all now joined Trueman on the sidelines with injury, and with only twelve fit players from which to choose England's selectors sent SOS calls to Ken Barrington and Harold Larwood, both of whom will link up with the squad in Melbourne. Hutton managed to win his third toss out of three to allow the tourists some momentary respite, but after electing to have first use of a dry and slightly dusty surface, similar to the one used against South Australia, his patched-up side once again batted very poorly and were bowled out for 232 on the first day.

Benaud had England in a spin on the first day

Hutton himself went for a duck, but the rest of the top six all made starts only to get themselves out, Hobbs alone able to claim that he had been dismissed by a good ball after having registered his first fifty of the series. Benaud did most of the damage, tossing the ball up and claiming figures of 5-84 as England's batsmen gave the Australians catching practice, and Australia's response was to open up with a 144 run opening stand from Woodfull and Lawry, their third partnership of 100 or more in ATG Tests, the other two also having come against England.

Both were eventually dismissed in the seventies before tea on day two, but Bradman played himself in after the interval, and in partnership with Border he took Australia into the lead before Snow claimed Border's wicket with the new ball shortly before stumps. Bradman's average at the Adelaide Oval, where Australia have never lost, stood at a staggering 160.67 coming into this game, and on the third morning he looked nailed on for what would have been his sixth hundred on the ground. However, Botham stunned the crowd by ending the Don's innings on 88, and before the applause had died down Miller was also making his way back to the pavilion, bowled by Underwood for 0.

Steve Waugh ground England down in the Adelaide heat

Australia were still in a very strong position at 305-5 though, and Steve Waugh now set about taking the game away from England completely. First he put on 136 for the sixth wicket with Healy, who batted very well for his 69, and having reached his first ever hundred he and a free-swinging Lindwall then piled on an undefeated 98 for the ninth wicket before Benaud finally declared on the fourth morning. Australia had racked up an Ashes record total of 601-8, with Waugh's share amounting to 161* after seven and a half hours at the crease, and England's tired attack were all but waving the white flag in surrender.

England thus began their second innings with a deficit of 369 runs (it had only been 360 in Perth), and following more than two days in the field it would have been understandable, though not excusable, if the tourists had subsided against a fresh Australian attack. However, England began their reply brightly, and by tea the scoreboard read 144-2, Hutton having made an attacking 56 and with Cowdrey and Gower seemingly set for a substantial partnership in the evening session. England's third wicket pair added eleven more runs after the break, but with the score on 155-2 Cowdrey, on 41, clipped Lindwall straight to Benaud at short midwicket, and a catastrophic collapse had begun.

Keith Miller claimed five wickets as
England imploded on the fourth evening

Gower was bowled by Lillee in the next over, then Lindwall did for both Stewart and Botham before Miller ran through the tail as a litany of injudicious strokes flashed a succession of catches into gleefully waiting Australian hands. The last eight wickets fell for just 47 runs as the innings crumbled to a sorry 202 all out, and England had lost by an innings and 167 runs inside four days, their heaviest ever defeat in 64 ATG Tests. More changes to what is already an unstable team are now inevitable after such an inept performance, and after having lost the first Test Australia now lead the series 2-1, and they only need to avoid defeat in the fourth Test in Melbourne to retain the Ashes.

Score Summary
ENG 1st Inns 232 (Hobbs 64, Botham 44; Benaud 5-84)
AUS 1st Inns 601-8 dec. (Waugh 161*, Bradman 88, Lawry 73, Woodfull 72, Healy 69, Lindwall 60*, Border 43; Snow 4-128)
ENG 2nd Inns 202 (Hutton 56, Cowdrey 41; Miller 5-54)

AUSTRALIA WON BY AN INNINGS & 167 RUNS

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

Close of play

Day 1 - Australia 1st innings 8-0 (Woodfull 2*, Lawry 6*; 4 ov)
Day 2 - Australia 1st innings 260-3 (Bradman 60*, Waugh 7*; 94 ov)
Day 3 - Australia 1st innings 565-8 (Waugh 147*, Lindwall 40*; 184 ov)
Day 4 - England 2nd innings 202 (59.2 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ This was England's heaviest ever defeat
▪ Australia's 601-8 dec. is the highest total by either side in Ashes Tests
▪ Bradman became the first player to reach 7000 career runs
▪ Lindwall passed 1000 career runs

▪ Lindwall's 60* is the highest innings made by a number ten batsman
▪ Waugh scored his first hundred in his 17th Test

Man of the Match: SR Waugh