Advantage England
Brisbane, Nov. 29: England head to this week’s second Adelaide Test with all the momentum after dominating Australia over the final two days of the Ashes opener which ended in a draw at the Gabba on Monday.
England ensured they would not be beaten in the first match of their Ashes defence after conceding a 221-run innings deficit when Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott shared in England’s highest partnership in Australia of 329 runs. Cook became only the fourth Englishman to score a Test double-century in Australia with his unconquered 235, while Trott hit 135 not out before skipper Andrew Strauss called a halt at 517/1, 40 minutes before tea.
Australia tried to avoid further collateral damage in their 26 overs to the close and were 107/1 when the match finished in a draw.
Ricky Ponting scored his 56th Test half-century to be 51 not out and Shane Watson was on 41.
Records and personal bests kept tumbling for England on the anti-climactic last day as Cook and Trott pummelled the Australian bowlers. Cook joined Wally Hammond (3), Reg Foster and Paul Collingwood as double centurions with his 625-minute epic off 428 balls in the highest score by either team in 19 Ashes Tests at the Gabba.
Their unbroken partnership surpassed the previous highest stand by England in this country of 323 held by Jack Hobbs and Wilfred Rhodes at Melbourne in 1911-1912.
When Trott’s 100 came up it was the first time three English players have scored a century in an innings of a Test match since 1924.
On that occasion the top three batsmen — Jack Hobbs (211), Herbert Sutcliffe (122) and Frank Woolley (134 no) — all scored hundreds against South Africa at Lord’s. Cook surpassed his previous highest Test score of 173 and also passed Ian Botham’s 138 as the highest English run scorer at the Brisbane ground, set back in 1986.
It was also only the second match in Test match history to feature two 300-plus partnerships following Mike Hussey-Brad Haddin’s 307-run stand in Australia’s first innings. England landed psychological blows on the hosts as Cook and Trott had frolicked before a last-day crowd dominated by the Barmy Army fans, which made it more like a Test at Lord’s.
Scoreboard
England 1st innings: 260
Australia 1st innings: 481
England 2nd innings
A. Strauss st Haddin b North 110, A. Cook not out 235, J. Trott not out 135.
Extras (b17 lb4 w10 nb6) 37
Total (in 152 overs) 517/1
Fall of wickets: 1-188.
Bowling: Hilfenhaus 32-8-82-0, Siddle 24-4-90-0, North 19-3-47-1, Johnson 27-5-104-0, Doherty 35-5-107-0, Watson 15-2-66-0.
Australia 2nd innings:
S. Watson not out 41, S. Katich c Strauss b Broad 4, R. Ponting not out 51.
Extras (b4 lb1 w1 pen runs 5) 11
Total (in 26 overs) 107/1
Fall of wicket: 1-5.
Bowling: Anderson 5-2-15-0, Broad 7-1-18-1, Finn 4-0-25-0, Swann 8-0-33-0, Pietersen 2-0-6-0.
Pic Caption:
Australian skipper Ricky Ponting is distraught after the drawn first Test.
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