England v Australia - Series Summary

Australia's retention of the Ashes was ultimately deserved; whilst they were fortunate to escape on level terms the last time the two teams met Down Under, the quality of their cricket in another drawn series here exceeded that of their hosts in all but the final game. Woodfull and Lawry provided the stability at the top of the order that has been lacking for so long, and although Bradman faded alarmingly after hitting 177 in a resounding first Test victory, there were enough contributions from Border, McCabe and Miller to ensure that Australia's batting rarely faltered. No one bowler stood out for the tourists, but with Lindwall, Miller, Benaud, Davidson and Alderman all reaching double figures in the wickets column there was little respite for the English batsmen, and Australia profited from this consistency.

England's bowlers on the other hand were rarely able to exert any pressure, that is until the return of Laker in the final Test on a tailor made track at his home ground of The Oval. Laker had been dropped after a disappointing first Test, and one is left to wonder whether this was a knee-jerk reaction that could have cost England dearly, especially given Laker's good form on the winter tour of New Zealand. Larwood bowled well in fits but there was little else for England, and by the end of the series Fred Trueman had been dropped for the first time in his career after becoming embroiled in a beamer controversy at Trent Bridge. Ken Barrington's batting won him England's man of the series award, and both Hammond and Hobbs contributed two centuries apiece without being at their dominating best, but Hutton and Gower both endured lean times, and with Botham failing to shine on recall, there may be further changes ahead before England's demanding tour of India and Sri Lanka.

England Batting
KF Barrington 445 runs @ 55.63, JB Hobbs 375 @ 53.57, WR Hammond 443 @ 49.22, DI Gower 208 @ 29.71, L Hutton 250 @ 27.78

England Bowling
JC Laker 14 wkts @ 14.29, H Larwood 11 @ 36.36, AV Bedser 12 @ 39.00, FS Trueman 7 @ 57.14, IT Botham 5 @ 80.20

Australia Batting
AR Border 373 runs @ 62.17, WM Woodfull 432 @ 54.00, SJ McCabe 299 @ 49.83, DG Bradman 379 @ 47.38, WM Lawry 368 @ 40.89

Australia Bowling
RR Lindwall 18 wkts @ 26.17, KR Miller 19 @ 27.26, TM Alderman 13 @ 31.38, AK Davidson 14 @ 34.93, R Benaud 16 @ 38.19

SERIES DRAWN 1-1

Players of the Series: KF Barrington & WM Woodfull

England v Australia - Fifth Test

The Oval, London

ENG: JB Hobbs, *L Hutton, WR Hammond, DCS Compton, DI Gower, IT Botham, +LEG Ames, H Larwood, JC Laker, AV Bedser, RGD Willis.
AUS: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, DG Bradman, AR Border, SJ McCabe, KR Miller, +IA Healy, *R Benaud, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, DK Lillee.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: RS Dunne (NZL) & DL Orchard (SAF)
Toss: England

Pride was on the line at The Oval, for although the fate of the Ashes had been decided, the result of the series was still in the balance. England's only previous series loss came in the very first ATG match-up of all (also against Australia), and a home win here would at least keep that proud run going as well as maintaining England's position atop the ATG rankings. A cracked rib denied the in-form Ken Barrington a Test on his home ground, although the recall of Denis Compton was a popular move, and Jim Laker and Bob Willis replaced Derek Underwood and Fred Trueman, the latter being dropped for the first time in his ATG career. Australia meanwhile made their first change of the series, Dennis Lillee the handy replacement for the incapacitated Terry Alderman.

Len Hutton's fourth toss win of the series allowed England the chance to bat first on a dry Oval wicket, and over the course of the first two days the home batsmen took full advantage as Australia's bowlers struggled for once. Hobbs and Hammond shared a second wicket stand of 161 as Hobbs recorded his second successive century on his home ground despite a bad case of cramp late in his innings, then Hammond was joined by Compton in a stand of 162, England's second highest ever for the fourth wicket.

Compton eventually ran himself out for 71 attempting an unwise second run on the arm of Bill Lawry, but Hammond went on to record an imposing 171 before finally being bowled by a Davidson inducker after seven and a half hours at the crease. The innings fell away somewhat after the end of Hammond and Compton's partnership, and although Botham swatted a quick 55 the toiling Benaud claimed three late scalps as England slid from 392-3 to 489 all out at the end of the second day.

England's total was imposing nonetheless, and Benaud's performance on the second evening was to prove prescient bearing in mind the events that were about to unfold. Batting was not as straightforward now on a surface that was beginning to crumble, and after England's seamers picked up a wicket apiece - including Botham's removal of Bradman for 13 - to incapacitate Australia's top order, Jim Laker decimated the tail on his way to career best figures of 6-29 off 21.4 overs as the tourists were routed for 153. One wonders whether Australia's batsmen would have been so compliant had the Ashes still been at stake, but that was a moot point as Hutton eagerly enforced the follow on with a huge lead of 336.

Rain had disrupted play on each of the first three days, and a wet start to day four gave Australia hope that they might yet save the game. Play got going though, and despite (or perhaps because of) Woodfull batting almost three hours for just 13, the tourists lapsed to 55-4 shortly before tea, with Laker working his way through the top order this time, including the dismissal of the disappointing Bradman, lbw for a third ball duck. Miller rallied with a typically belligerent 49 until he became Laker's fifth victim, and the removal of Healy and Benaud in quick succession by Willis saw Australia enter the final day seemingly down and out on 153-7, still 183 runs away from making England bat again.

McCabe was still there on 40* though, and once he and Davidson saw off the new ball, memories of the salvage act that the same pair fashioned on the final day against West Indies in Perth began to resurface. Australia's hopes were raised when Larwood hobbled out of the attack after an hour, and when McCabe (61*) was dropped almost immediately after by Compton off Willis, there was palpable dismay in the English ranks. Australia lunched on 245-7, just 91 behind, and as the stand passed 100 in the afternoon, McCabe and Davidson both reached the deserved landmarks of 100 and 50 respectively.

However, with the partnership worth 120, just one run short of a national record for the eighth wicket, umpire Orchard adjudged that Davidson had edged one behind off Botham, and a valiant stand had been brought to an end. That was the end of Australia's resistance, and when Laker returned to dismiss both Lindwall and Lillee, England had completed an innings victory with a session and a half to spare. McCabe remained unbowed on a career high 120*, but the hero of the hour was Laker, whose second innings figures of 51.1-21-93-7 eclipsed his first innings performance, and a match return of 13-122, the best in England's ATG history, capped a remarkable return to the English XI. Thus the series was drawn, but the Ashes remain in Australian hands, and the cricket played over the course of the five Tests made this a justified outcome.

Scores
ENG 1st Inns 489 (Hammond 171, Hobbs 113, Compton 71, Botham 55)
AUS 1st Inns 153 (Laker 6-29)
AUS 2nd Inns 289 (McCabe 120*, Davidson 50, Miller 49; Laker 7-93)

ENGLAND WON BY AN INNINGS & 47 RUNS


Man of the Match: JC Laker

England v Australia - Fourth Test

Headingley, Leeds

ENG: JB Hobbs, *L Hutton, WR Hammond, KF Barrington, DI Gower, IT Botham, +LEG Ames, H Larwood, FS Trueman, AV Bedser, DL Underwood.
AUS: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, DG Bradman, AR Border, SJ McCabe, KR Miller, +IA Healy, *R Benaud, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, TM Alderman.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: Khizer Hayat (PAK) & D Sang Hue (WI)
Toss: Australia

Crunch time for England. Anything less than victory would allow Australia to retain the Ashes, and although the pitch prepared at Headingley looked as though it would favour the bowlers, flecked as it was with plenty of live, green grass, the weather forecast issued for the five days did not look encouraging for the home fans. Australia again named an unchanged XI despite the return to fitness of Dennis Lillee, whilst England made one change, with the troubled Fred Trueman retained on his home ground and Derek Underwood recalled in place of Fred Titmus.

Richie Benaud won his first toss of the series and inserted his opponents, but some positive batting from England's top order propelled them to a comfortable looking 191-3 shortly after tea, at which point the wheels fell off once again. The authoritative looking Barrington left one that seamed back to be bowled by Alderman for 46, then a beamer from the same bowler clearly unsettled Gower, who mistimed a drive later in the same over and holed out to Bradman for 27. Alderman was adamant that his indiscretion had been accidental, but with Trueman guilty of the same misdemeanour at Trent Bridge, beamers are rapidly becoming the talking point of the summer.

An incensed Botham was bowled by Benaud in the next over for 9, and with Miller mopping up the tail on the second morning England collapsed to 259 all out, guilty of a huge loss of collective concentration. With the Ashes on the line, Len Hutton now needed a response from his bowlers, and with Larwood simply roaring in, Australia had been reduced to 155-7 by the time bad light brought an early end to the second day's play. Australia were 19-3 at one stage, with neither Woodfull, Lawry nor Bradman reaching double figures, but the middle order dug in, and with Ian Healy marshalling the tail to excellent effect with his highest ATG score, the tourists managed to get to within 24 runs of England's total before Alderman was last man out on the third afternoon, having been involved in a fifty run partnership for the second match in succession.

With the game now effectively reduced to a one innings shoot-out, England needed a sound start to their second effort, but they lost Hutton for 0, gloving a vicious Miller bouncer through to Healy. Hobbs' second fifty of the match helped guide England to 84-1, but his dismissal via a brilliant slip catch by Benaud off Lindwall triggered yet another English collapse, with both Hammond and Gower departing for a single apiece as the innings slid to 92-4 on the fourth morning. Barrington and Botham rallied briefly, but Botham was harshly given lbw against Benaud for 37 by umpire Sang Hue, and when Ames (1) followed in Benaud's next over England were 152-6, their lead of 176 surely not yet enough to stretch Australia.

Barrington was still there though, and with the tail more resolute than in the first innings and Alderman only able to bowl five overs before being sidelined by a finger injury, he was able to battle his way to his second century of the series, an innings full of patriotic intent and one that perhaps gave England a chance of staying in the Ashes hunt on the final day. Bedser and Underwood batted gamely for over an hour on the fourth evening to add an unbroken partnership of 29 for the last wicket, and Hutton's overnight declaration at 262-9 set Australia a target of 287 off 90 overs, weather permitting.

Rain and bad light had afflicted all but the first day's play, and with this in mind early wickets were crucial for England. Woodfull and Lawry put on an untroubled 86 for the first wicket though, and it took a run out courtesy of Hobbs' fine throw from cover to finally remove Lawry for 33. Woodfull fell for 53 immediately upon resumption after a mid-afternoon rain break, and at tea Australia sat at 119-2, still requiring a further 168 runs from 36 overs. The Ashes seemed to be slipping through England's fingers, and with none of the bowlers able to exert any pressure, Bradman and Border started to press the accelerator. Both passed fifty as the stand swelled beyond a hundred, and the run rate remained steady as the tourists closed in on victory. Rain started to fall though, and although play went on for some time a downpour of Biblical proportions finally forced the players from the field with 42 still required from 44 balls.

With puddles forming rapidly on the outfield it was clear that the game was over, and so it was that the fate of the Ashes was decided with the players sitting in the pavilion. The draw meant that the Ashes had been retained by Richie Benaud's team, and after all Australia's recent travails the champagne must have tasted that much sweeter. Len Hutton was magnanimous in what seemed like defeat (the match itself had been drawn remember, not lost), and although he was quick to point out that there was still one Test to play and the result of the series was still to be decided, the huge sense of disappointment felt by England's skipper was almost tangible. The Oval Test will now serve as a valedictory send off for the Australians, but England must endeavour to find the fortitude to crash the party and at least emerge with a share of the series, if not the Ashes.

Scores
ENG 1st Inns 259 (Hobbs 58, Barrington 46, Hammond 41)
AUS 1st Inns 235 (Healy 93*; Larwood 4-55)
ENG 2nd Inns 262-9 dec (Barrington 106, Hobbs 51; Lindwall 4-50)
AUS 2nd Inns 245-2 (Bradman 95*, Border 56*, Woodfull 53)

MATCH DRAWN


Man of the Match: KF Barrington

England v Australia - Third Test

Trent Bridge, Nottingham

ENG: JB Hobbs, *L Hutton, WR Hammond, KF Barrington, DI Gower, IT Botham, +LEG Ames, FJ Titmus, H Larwood, FS Trueman, AV Bedser.
AUS: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, DG Bradman, AR Border, SJ McCabe, KR Miller, +IA Healy, *R Benaud, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, TM Alderman.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: RS Dunne (NZL) & D Sang Hue (WI)
Toss: England

After an even contest at Lord's, both sides named unchanged XIs at Trent Bridge, and for the third time in three Tests Richie Benaud called incorrectly at the toss, allowing England to bat first once again. On a placid wicket, the hosts dominated a rain hit opening two days, racking up a first innings score of 475, their highest ever against Australia, with Hammond's first century of the series the highlight.

Hammond got to work after some early swing with the new ball had accounted for both openers, and he was unfortunate to be dismissed for 104, with umpire Steve Dunne adjudging him caught behind off Alderman when there seemed to be daylight between bat and ball. An increasingly fluent David Gower contributed 84, but with the outfield slow and Benaud employing some tight fields, England's scoring rate remained in check as the runs accumulated. Benaud himself bowled very well, but with the umpires not on his side, Ames (71) and Titmus (an ATG best 77*) were able to compile a national record partnership of 104 for the seventh wicket, and Larwood spanked 35 useful runs from number nine before Miller cleaned up the innings to finish with his second consecutive four-for.

If the opening two days had belonged to England, days three and four were dominated by Australia as Woodfull and Lawry became just the fifth pair in ATG history to bat unparted through an entire day's play. After surviving a hostile new ball assault from Trueman and Larwood, the two Bills eventually amassed 287 together for the first wicket, by far an Australian record and the sixth highest opening stand ever in ATG Tests. Woodfull eventually fell to the deserving Larwood for 113, but Lawry went on to post an imposing 182 before being bowled by Botham after more than eight hours at the crease, an innings that made one wonder why he had been away from the Australian team for so long.

Botham also removed Bradman for 36 but really did not bowl well at all, Larwood and the metronomic Bedser being the only English bowlers to emerge with any real credit, and although wickets fell at regular intervals once the opening stand had been broken, Allan Border stood firm as the tourists nudged their way into the lead. Lindwall was felled by Larwood late on the fourth evening and would not bowl in England's second innings, but last man Terry Alderman clung on for the best part of an hour until Titmus trapped him in front, leaving Border agonizingly stranded on 99*, the first player to suffer such a fate in ATG Tests.

Nonetheless, Australia had trumped England's efforts in the first innings with the highest total by either side in all Ashes Tests, and a total of 523 gave the Aussies a lead of 48 going into the final day's play. A draw now looked the only option, but with the wicket now starting to become untruthful in its bounce, the nerves of the home fans began to fray as the tourists' bowlers (minus Lindwall) got stuck in. Benaud removed England's top three with just 69 on the board, including Hammond for 17 with a simply unplayable turning delivery, and from a relatively comfortable position of 60-2 at lunch, England slumped to an alarming 113-7 by tea, with only Les Ames standing between Australia and the most unlikely of victories.

Fortunately for England though, Messrs Larwood, Trueman and Bedser gave Ames (26* in two hours) enough support to see them through to safety, and although England had been bowled out in less than a day for a paltry 141, Australia's target of 94 off 10 overs was never going to be threatened. Bedser was able to strike two psychological blows in that time, dismissing Lawry for 9 and Bradman for a duck, but Trueman's miserable match was concluded when Hutton withdrew him from the attack after he bowled his second beamer of the game, and his place in the team ahead of the fourth Test must now be in doubt, despite the fact that his own Headingley will be the venue. Whatever the selections, England's task is now clear; they must win the final two Tests in order to regain the Ashes, an order that, at the moment, seems to be as tall as they get.

Scores
ENG 1st Inns 475 (Hammond 104, Gower 84, Titmus 77*, Ames 71, Botham 48; Miller 4-77)
AUS 1st Inns 523 (Lawry 182, Woodfull 113, Border 99*; Bedser 4-83)
ENG 2nd Inns 141 (Benaud 5-73)
AUS 2nd Inns 25-2

MATCH DRAWN


Man of the Match: WM Lawry

England v Australia - Second Test

Lord's, London

ENG: JB Hobbs, *L Hutton, WR Hammond, KF Barrington, DI Gower, IT Botham, +LEG Ames, FJ Titmus, H Larwood, FS Trueman, AV Bedser.
AUS: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, DG Bradman, AR Border, SJ McCabe, KR Miller, +IA Healy, *R Benaud, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, TM Alderman.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: RS Dunne (NZL) & DL Orchard (SAF)
Toss: England

Selection policy for the second Test illustrated the difference in mood between the two camps following Australia's comprehensive victory at Edgbaston: the tourists named the same XI whilst England made five changes to their starting line-up, the most significant being the return of Ian Botham after almost two seasons and 18 Tests since Tony Greig claimed the all-rounder's berth in the team.

As at Edgbaston, Hutton again won the toss and elected to bat, but the early losses of Hobbs - for his first ever duck in this, his 39th Test and 70th innings - and Hammond (21), made the early going tough for England as Australia's bowlers found some unexpected early movement. Hutton and Barrington were able to settle though, and the afternoon and early evening belonged to England as Hutton completed his eleventh ATG hundred, handing out especially harsh treatment to his opposite number, Richie Benaud.

154 runs were added for the third wicket, but Hutton fell to Terry Alderman shortly after reaching three figures, and once Miller removed Gower (34) with the new ball shortly before the close, the innings fell away on the second morning, collapsing from 241-3 to 300-9 before some late hitting from Fred Trueman (48*, his highest ATG score) handed back some momentum to England, who finished on a respectable 347.

The two Bills, Woodfull and Lawry, then set about regaining the initiative for Australia with a 138 run opening stand, and with Trueman and Larwood both ineffective the tourists finished day two on 159-2, although Bradman's late dismissal for just 3, top-edging a pull off Trueman in fading light, gave England some hope for the following day. A century stand between Woodfull and McCabe seemed to be dashing English hopes though, but when Woodfull finally went for a marvellous 166, caught behind off a Botham delivery that climbed on him, Australia collapsed in even more spectacular fashion than England had on the previous day. McCabe's dashing innings ended on 71 when he was caught down the leg side by Ames off Bedser, and from the strength of 298-3 Australia subsided to 341 all out, handing England a most unlikely 6 run first innings lead.

Botham and Bedser had both bowled well for little return, but it was the unlikely figure of Wally Hammond who wrapped up the tourists' innings, finishing with his best ATG figures of 4-17, and with two days remaining he would now be expected to perform with the bat as England tried to build a lead that would put some pressure on Australia. Hobbs made up for his first innings failure by stroking his way to his fifteenth ATG hundred, adding 160 for the second wicket with a labouring Hammond, and at 169-1 England seemed well placed to really press on. However, just as in the first two innings, wickets then began to fall at regular intervals, and with the run rate falling Hutton was never in a position where he could safely declare.

Gower made a horribly scratchy 52 as Lindwall and Miller bowled with both hostility and control, and England were eventually bowled out for 291 on the fifth morning, setting Australia an achievable target of 298 in 77 overs, although a wicket now playing with uneven bounce would not make last day batting easy. Indeed, the tourists never really threatened to mount a serious charge, and with Larwood at last finding his rhythm, it was England who seemed most likely to force a victory. Larwood spectacularly plucked out Bradman's off stump for 48 with what proved to be the last ball before tea, and at 103-3 Australia now set out their stall for the draw.

Larwood continued to bowl full and fast, and with Titmus also picking up three wickets England maintained a sniff of victory, but McCabe's second fifty of the match took Australia to within nine overs of safety, and Benaud and Davidson were able to bat out time to draw the game and maintain the tourists' 1-0 series lead. England had responded well to their first Test defeat though, and with three tests to play they still have a chance of regaining the Ashes, but Australia are now the bookmakers' favourites to retain possession of the urn.

Scores
ENG 1st Inns 347 (Hutton 104, Barrington 89, Trueman 48*)
AUS 1st Inns 341 (Woodfull 166, McCabe 71, Lawry 40; Hammond 4-17)
ENG 2nd Inns 291 (Hobbs 112, Gower 52, Hammond 49; Miller 4-70)
AUS 2nd Inns 193-7 (McCabe 54, Bradman 48)

MATCH DRAWN


Man of the Match: WM Woodfull

England v Australia - First Test

Edgbaston, Birmingham

ENG: *L Hutton, G Boycott, WR Hammond, KF Barrington, MC Cowdrey, AW Greig, +LEG Ames, JC Laker, FS Trueman, AV Bedser, DL Underwood.
AUS: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, DG Bradman, AR Border, SJ McCabe, KR Miller, +IA Healy, *R Benaud, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, TM Alderman.

Debuts: TM Alderman (AUS)
Umpires: Khizer Hayat (PAK) & DL Orchard (SAF)
Toss: England

The Ashes. Cricket's greatest rivalry. The number one and number two ranked teams in ATG history. Could there be a more perfect backdrop for the start of a series? Both sides would be without key players for the first Test though, with Jack Hobbs (back) and Dennis Lillee (knee), forced to sit out, and Terry Alderman would make his debut for Australia after impressing in the tour match against MCC.

Hutton won the toss and batted, but it was Alderman and co. who held sway over the course of the first two days as England struggled towards 300 under cloudy early season skies. With bad light curtailing play on day one, England batted until past tea on the second day, crawling to a disappointing total of 293, an innings that centred entirely around Ken Barrington's eight hour 133. All six bowlers employed by Richie Benaud claimed victims, and three times England lost wickets in the last over of a session, including Hammond for a second ball duck on the first morning.

The recalled Alec Bedser (37) had helped to add 84 for the ninth wicket with Barrington - one run short of equalling the national record - but this was to be his most positive contribution in the match as Australia took hold of the game over the course of days three and four. With Edgbaston now bathed in weekend sunshine, it was Don Bradman who made hay as the tourists ground the English bowlers into submission. First Bill Lawry stroked a fluent 63 on his return to the team, then Bradman hooked up with Allan Border to the tune of 206 runs for the third wicket as England toiled for two and a half sessions without a breakthrough.

Border contributed a typically gritty 90 from his new position at number four, but Bradman went on to record a monolithic 177, compiled in over eight and a half hours of immense concentration. It wasn't the Don's most fluent innings by any means, but it was certainly one of his most important, and it gave Keith Miller license to swat a blistering 118 ball century, studded with nine fours and six sixes, as Australia ran up a total of 491-6 before Benaud declared. None of England's bowlers made any sort of impression, and with four sessions left to play it was now down to the batsmen to salvage a face saving draw.

Run scoring again proved problematic for the hosts though, and after Alderman removed both openers, England's malaise of losing a wicket at the close of the session continued, Barrington departing for 17, bowled by Benaud in the last over of the fourth day, and England entered day five on 85-3, still 113 in arrears. Hammond and Cowdrey saw things through to the stroke of lunch, but once again a wicket fell as the tea was about to be poured, Hammond fending Davidson to Benaud at leg gully for 39 on this occasion, and from 142-4 the innings died a slow death over the next session and a half.

Greig and Ames again went cheaply, and when Cowdrey eventually departed for 47, bowled by Davidson having played himself into a strokeless torpor over the course of the afternoon, it was all but over. The only question seemed to be whether Australia would have to bat again, and when Bedser was last man out, caught behind off Miller for 2, England were still one run short of making Woodfull and Lawry strap on their pads. Australia had won by an innings and one run with sixteen overs to spare, and as much as they deserved their victory it was nonetheless a surprise, given the relative form of the two teams over the course of recent series. England put up a decidedly lacklustre performance over the five days here, and they will need a far more positive approach at Lord's if they are going to seriously threaten Australia's hold on the Ashes.

Scores
ENG 1st Inns 293 (Barrington 133)
AUS 1st Inns 491-6 dec (Bradman 177, Miller 109, Border 90, Lawry 63)
ENG 2nd Inns 197 (Cowdrey 47)

AUSTRALIA WON BY AN INNINGS & 1 RUN


Man of the Match: DG Bradman

England v Australia - Tour Match

MCC v Australians
Lord's
4 Day Game
Umpires: F Chester & CS Elliott
Toss: MCC

MCC: *WG Grace, H Sutcliffe, KS Ranjitsinhji, ER Dexter, DR Jardine, DW Randall, +RC Russell, PH Edmonds, GG Arnold, ARC Fraser, DE Malcolm.
AUS: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, DG Bradman, *AR Border, SJ McCabe, KR Miller, +IA Healy, AK Davidson, AA Mallett, DK Lillee, TM Alderman.

An M.C.C. team whose main selection criterion seemed to be 'ability to rile' were no match for the Australians in this tour opener, and a thoroughly professional display gave Richie Benaud's team the perfect boost before the gloves come off for real.

A sore back forced Benaud himself to sit out this game, but Allan Border led well in his stead, rotating his bowlers to good effect in both M.C.C. innings as well as contributing some valuable runs off his own bat. Herbert Sutcliffe was the only top order batsman from the home team to offer any resistance as Terry Alderman enjoyed a most profitable introduction into the Australian set-up, and had it not been for some stoical late order scrapping from Arnold (30) and Fraser (21), then M.C.C. may not have made it past 100.

As it was, a total of 160 was woefully inadequate on a basically flat wicket, a fact that Bill Lawry underlined with a most authoritative century on his return to the international fold. Bradman made just 35 before playing on against Grace, but Border and McCabe rammed home the tourists' advantage with contrasting nineties before the tail fell away in search of quick declaration runs on the third afternoon.

A total of 385 gave the Australians a lead of over 200, and this would prove to be more than enough for victory once W.G. was bowled by Mallett in the last over of the third day. Lillee and Miller ripped through the rest of the innings on the final morning, and it was all over shortly after lunch, with the tourists having secured a comfortable innings victory. Australia's bowlers in particular look to be in good form ahead of the first Test, and the anticipation is almost tangible as we approach the start of cricket's biggest series.

Scoreboard
MCC 1st Inns 160 (Sutcliffe 41; Alderman 5-51)
AUS 1st Inns 385 (Lawry 110, Border 92, McCabe 90)
MCC 2nd Inns 150 (Grace 56; Lillee 4-42)

AUSTRALIANS WON BY AN INNINGS & 75 RUNS

England v Australia - Series Preview

Season V of ATG cricket kicks off with perhaps the most anticipated series on the calendar - The Ashes - and not only is the famous urn at stake, but it promises to be an unofficial 'world championship' of sorts, with the two sides occupying the top two positions in the world rankings. England have yet to win the Ashes in two previous ATG contests against Australia, but they begin here as favourites, having gone undefeated in nine series since losing 3-0 to the Aussies in the very first ATG series of all.

Richie Benaud retains the captaincy of a 17 man touring party, and having tasted defeat in the recent clashes with South Africa and West Indies, the Australian squad has undergone some significant reconstructive surgery. Australia's most capped player, Greg Chappell, is dropped for the first time in his ATG career, and there is also no place for ATG cricket's leading wicket taker, Bill O'Reilly, despite the fact that 'Tiger' headed the bowling averages against West Indies. Recalls are handed to Bill Lawry, Keith Miller and Steve Waugh, whilst the trio of Warren Bardsley, Ashley Mallett and Terry Alderman are included in an Australian squad for the first time.

Benaud's appointment as skipper has not been without its detractors, and both he and the previous incumbent - one Donald George Bradman - will have a lot to prove on a tour that all Australians hope will mark a long awaited return to form for the baggy green.

Australia's Ashes Squad
R Benaud (c), AR Border (v/c), TM Alderman, W Bardsley, DG Bradman, AK Davidson, IA Healy, WA Johnston, WM Lawry, DK Lillee, RR Lindwall, AA Mallett, RW Marsh, SJ McCabe, KR Miller, SR Waugh, WM Woodfull.