England's comprehensive victory by an innings and 157 runs in the fourth Test at Melbourne is a significant result. It was way back in 1986-87 that England last held on to the Ashes Down Under. Andrew Strauss and his brave men have followed a bracing triumph at home in 2009 with a 2-1 lead in the ongoing series, with one Test to go. At best Australia can level the series, not win back the 128-year-old urn. The former world champion may be in the middle of a slump but England deserves credit for its all-round excellence and the disciplined manner in which it handled stressful situations. Opener Alastair Cook's unbeaten 235 consuming 428 balls at Brisbane encapsulated his side's resolve, commitment, and stamina. The solid left-hander has made 577 runs in four Tests at 115.40. Jonathan Trott rose in stature with 445 runs at 111.25; he has a calm mind, a wealth of strokes, and a positive attitude. The gifted Kevin Pietersen came up with an influential 227 in the second Test at Adelaide and feisty Ian Bell put a price on his wicket. It is, however, the bowlers who win Tests and James Anderson (17 wickets in four Tests at 29.29) led the pack with his two-way swing and precision. England's bench strength in the pace bowling department came to the fore. When Stuart Broad was injured, the 2.03 metre (6' 8”) tall Chris Tremlett (13 wickets at 19.00) stepped in to hustle the Aussies with his lift from back-of-a-length. The lively Tim Bresnan's heart and movement added another dimension to the attack in the decisive fourth Test. In Graeme Swann (13 wickets at 37.30), England possesses a quality off-spinner who can turn matches.
Australia's batting has been exposed as brittle at the top. Michael Hussey (525 runs at 75.00) matched Cook head to head and Shane Watson and Brad Haddin scored freely but the host failed to kick on as a unit. The great Ricky Ponting's lack of form (113 runs at 16.14) hurt the side but the skipper cannot be blamed for the lack of consistency in his team's bowling. The pacemen, lacking discipline, performed in fits and starts while the threat from spin was virtually non-existent. Ponting's long argument with umpire Aleem Dar after Pietersen survived a caught-behind referral at the MCG reflected the stress the Aussie captain was under. Australia dominated the Ashes with eight successive series triumphs (1989-2003). Now the side misses the resilience of Steve Waugh, the genius of Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist, the mean line and bounce of Glenn McGrath, and the dominant presence of Matthew Hayden. Rebuilding is going to be a huge challenge. Rising England, by contrast, can now look forward to challenging India and South Africa for top honours in Test cricket.
