11 Jul 2015 | Cricket
England wrapped up a near-perfect performance to go one-nil up in the Ashes series amid wild celebrations at The SSE SWALEC.
If anyone doubted Alastair Cook's men's credentials in this series before the series, they most certainly are not doing so now. Impressive displays from a number of players: Ian Bell, Gary Ballance, Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood and the standout performer Joe Root, ensured a 169-run victory going into the second Test at Lord's.
Root led from the front with the bat, scoring a match-defining 134 in the first innings to help England compile 430 after winning the toss. Many onlookers believed that was a mere par score on a pitch that appeared flat and dry, but England's subsequent bowling performance on days two and three suggested otherwise.
Restricting Australia to 264/5 after an evenly-fought second day, England would have been content. But that contentment turned into delight when their seamers ran through the Australian tail on the third morning to give the hosts a 122-run first innings lead. Chris Rogers' 95 was an innings of genuine quality but the lack of other contributions hampered Michael Clarke's side throughout the game.
On a pitch that made it difficult for batsmen to stay in and bat long - six Aussie batsmen were out in the 30s - England simply had to build on their lead and make it impossible, or at least improbable, that the tourists would win batting last. Bell and Root both scored attractive half-centuries to put England in a virtually unassailable position late on day three.
But Ashes Tests are rarely easy. Back came Australia through their potent pace attack, which was nullified by a pitch that did not suit them. Mitchell Johnson will have his moments with the ball in this series, that's for sure, but he did not fire in Cardiff. Yet his colleagues restricted England to 289 all out in their second innings, but a target of 412 to win always appeared out of Australia's grasp.
England knew the fourth day was about taking crucial wickets at crucial times. And that's what they did, thanks first to Stuart Broad whose 3/39 was even better than it sounds; then Moeen Ali and Joe Root proved off-spin is still an effective weapon in Test match fourth innings.
Australia slumped from 97/1 to 122/6 in their chase, a collapse that effectively ended any hopes they harboured of winning or saving the match. Johnson battled and bludgeoned his way to 77 to delay English (and Welsh) celebrations, but Cook's men were not going to be denied.
Root dismissed the tail-end pair of Johnson and Starc, who had put on 72 for the eight wicket, then the young Yorkshireman took the catch off Ali to seal the win and spark incredible celebrations in the crowd. Moeen was the bowler, finishing with five wickets in the match to add to his first innings 77.
The hero was Root though and he deservedly picked up the Man of the Match award. His knock on the first innings paved the way for the win. The 24-year-old played high-tempo, aggressive cricket which rubbed off on his teammates to clinch a precious Ashes win for England, their first since 2013.