Ashes 2017-18, 5th Test- 5 Talking Points

Australia convincingly thrashed England in the 5th and final Ashes Test at the Sydney when the Australian bowlers routed through the English batting lineup after skipper Joe Root retired hurt after lunch. The English captain didn’t return to the crease after the wicket of James Anderson.

Here are 5 major talking points from the 5th Test

1. Root-Malan half-centuries help England post decent total

After winning the toss, England opted to bat in the Pink Test which was dedicated to McGrath Foundation. English batsmen once again failed to convert their starts into bigger innings but a 133-run stand between Joe Root and Dawid Malan helped them post a decent total of 346 runs. A vital 41-run stand between Curran and Stuart Broad too played part in English side putting up that total.

2. Helpless England struggle in the heat

England struck early with the wicket of opener Cameron Bancroft but they were far from getting away from Warner and Smith. The left-hander departed after a handy inning of 56 runs to allow another left-hander in Khawaja to join the skipper who was in form of his life. He failed to get to three figures mark this time but not before scoring another brilliant half-century. He fell for 83 but Khawaja continued his innings.

Khawaja combined with Shaun Marsh for another century stand as Australia kept piling runs. The former completed his sixth Test ton and departed after a massive inning of 171 runs. Misery though for England was far from getting over as the Marsh brothers took over and the horrible time for the England bowlers continued. Both brothers completed their centuries and helped the side post a mammoth total of 649 runs.

3. England fail to bowl out Australia 

After striking in his 1st over of the inning, England’s wait for wicket pro-longed as the Australian batters kept scoring runs at will. Stuart Broad rattled the stumps of opener Cameron Bancroft to take his wicket tally to 399 and bowled 29 more overs but couldn’t pick a wicket.

Anderson was the pick of the bowlers as his economy rate was amazing for a 34-over spell but his 1 wicket throughout the innings didn’t help England’s cause. Spinners Moeen Ali and Mason Crane bowled 96 overs between them just to pick up three wickets.

4. Alastair Cook joins elite 12000-run club

England opener Alastair Cook became the youngest ever to reach the 12,000-run mark during his innings of 10 runs. He beat Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar to become the youngest ever to reach the landmark. Only 5 others have managed to score more than 12k runs than the former English skipper in Test history.

5. 4-0 as Root fails to win over the heat 

England was trailing by a massive total of 303 runs in the second innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground. They lost wickets at crucial junctures as the Australian bowlers kept bowling good line and lengths. Skipper Root fought hard for his half-century but he could not cope up with the scorching heat of Sydney.

He went to the hospital for treatment in the morning but returned after the wicket of Moeen Ali. Bairstow and Root took the side to the lunch but Root’s condition was not perfect to return post lunch. Australians threw their final assault and bundled them for 180 runs winnings the game by an innings and 128 runs.