The Ashes 2015: Consolation for Australia, celebrations for England

FIFTH TEST: Australia 481 beat England 149 & 286 (f/o) by an innings and 46 runs Scorecard
Man of the match: Steve Smith

AUSTRALIA restored some pride with a dominant innings win in the fifth Test at the Oval - but England, of course, could already celebrate a fourth successive home Ashes triumph.

Steve Smith (143) scored his second big ton of the summer as the Aussies set up a platform on days one and two to control the final chapter of this bewildering campaign.

For this Ashes series can only accurately be described as having been bewildering. From the start, it has constantly confounded expectations.

It seems a long time ago now but Australia went into the series as favourites having completed a whitewash over England only 18 months previously.

England, though, won the first Test by the not insignificant margin of 169 runs before Australia dwarfed that with a massive 405-run victory at Lord's.

Perhaps, it was thought, it had just taken the Aussies a little time to wake up. Perhaps now they would pulverise England the rest of the series.

But no - it was the English bowlers who dominated at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge with Steven Finn and James Anderson spearheading the first of those efforts before Stuart Broad produced, in the absence of Anderson, his now legendary spell of 8-15.

Australia were blown away for 60 in their first innings in Nottingham, the shortest first innings in Test history - and, having only done slightly better second time around, had lost the Ashes and looked a shambles of a team.

Surely then England would cap a glorious summer at the Oval by grinding the Aussies' noses in the dust to emerge as 4-1 winners.

Alas, sadly not. Despite England winning the toss, any early Aussie vulnerability was steadied at the top of the order by Chris Rogers (43) and David Warner (85).

The openers guided the tourists to 82-0 at lunch on the first day - and their position at the end of day one, 287-3, was no less dominant with Smith at the crease alongside Adam Voges.

Voges had played himself into a bit of form at the back end of the fourth Test with an unbeaten half century there - but he will have enjoyed his 76 at the Oval far more.

There was, however, no last big satisfying score for outgoing skipper Michael Clarke. He made just 15 before being caught behind off Ben Stokes - and, by later enforcing the follow-on for the first time ever, did not get a second chance.

Australia eventually made 481 as Smith found another useful ally lower down the order in Mitchell Starc (58).

The big question at that point was whether England, facing similar first innings scoreboard pressure to that which affected them at Lord's, could do any better this time.

In short, they could not. On the stroke of tea on day two, the hosts lost skipper Alastair Cook (22) - castled by Nathan Lyon - and, after the interval, the rest of the team collapsed in a heap to 92-8.

Only a bit of counter-punching from Moeen Ali (30) and Mark Wood (24) pushed England onto three-figures. However, both were dismissed by Mitchell Johnson early on the third day.

Clarke then made his momentous decision to enforce the follow-on for the first time ever in his final Test match.

With one eye on the inclement British weather, and England trailing by a massive 332 runs, it was really the only sensible choice.

But, by denying himself the chance to improve on his own first innings score, Clarke admirably favoured the value of a crushing win over any valedictory vainglory.

Australia delivered for him. Peter Siddle may have been terribly under-employed on this tour but he was belatedly able to show his quality by taking 4-35 in the second innings for match figures of 6-67.

Notably, Siddle twice dismissed Adam Lyth cheaply - and, with the Yorkshireman having failed to make any sort of truly significant contribution in this series, it now seems certain he will be dropped for the winter tours.

Ian Bell, meanwhile, is rumoured to be on the verge of international retirement, satisfied with a career which has made him a five-times Ashes winner.

Bell, of course, will always have the 2013 series to cherish, his three centuries being the foundation stone to that England victory.

But it would not be unfair to suggest that this series has rather passed him by. He has averaged 26.87, and even that mark is boosted by a strong performance on his home ground which was not repeated elsewhere.

So, the wheel turns for England again - ahead of a completely different sort of challenge against Pakistan on the dry pitches of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah in October.

Captain Cook, however, remains steadfastly at the head of the ship - and deservedly so after such an unexpected series victory.

Of course, there has still been some horror shows with the bat from England but a lot of the bowling has been genuinely thrilling.

Remember, it was this England attack which was the first Test side in history to have four different players take at least six wickets in four consecutive innings at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge.

And while Clarke and Australia can continue to moan all they like about the pitches favouring the hosts, they have no real argument unless they transform the Gabba in Brisbane or the Waca in Perth into a dry-turner for a visit of Pakistan or India.

English pitches in England should not really come as a surprise to Australia - there were, after all, few complaints from them about the surfaces in 1989 or 1993 or 1997. Or 2001 for that matter.

Yes, it is now 14 years since Australia last won a series in England - and it will be 18 years by the time they are scheduled to arrive on these shores for Tests again.

England, in the meantime, can bask in the glory of holding the urn for the next two-and-a-half years before the next contest Down Under in the winter of 2017-18.

For, although the series ended on the damp squib of a defeat at the Oval, the performance level overall from a developing side has restored some faith in the team around the country.

My preview suggested most supporters would be satisfied with a 2-2 draw and some entertaining cricket, even if that meant the Aussies retaining the urn.

In that case, a 3-2 victory - even when finishing on an innings defeat - is more than satisfactory. Now, if only the infuriating inconsistency could be sorted out.

THE ASHES 2015: ENGLAND WON 3-2

8-11 July	1ST England 430 & 289 beat Australia 308 & 242 by 169 runs	Cardiff
16-19 July	2ND Australia 566-8d & 254-2d beat England 312 & 103 by 405 runs	Lord's
29-31 July	3RD England 281 & 124-2 beat Australia 136 & 265 by eight wickets	Edgbaston
6-8 August	4TH England 391-9d beat Australia 60 & 253 by an innings and 78 runs	Trent Bridge
20-23 August	5TH Australia 481 beat England 149 & 286 by an innings and 46 runs	The Oval

Man of the series: Joe Root (England)

TEAM AGGREGATES
Runs scored England 2365, Australia 2565
Wickets taken England 80, Australia 81 

CENTURIES
Australia 3-2 England
215 Steve Smith (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
173 Chris Rogers (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
143 Steve Smith (Australia) in the fifth Test, The Oval
134 Joe Root (England) in the first Test, Cardiff
130 Joe Root (England) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge

TOP RUN SCORERS
508 Steve Smith (Australia)
480 Chris Rogers (Australia)
460 Joe Root (England)
418 David Warner (Australia)
330 Alastair Cook (England)
293 Moeen Ali (England)
215 Ian Bell (England)
201 Ben Stokes (England), Adam Voges (Australia) 

BEST BATTING AVERAGES
60.00 Chris Rogers (Australia)
57.50 Joe Root (England)
56.44 Steve Smith (Australia)
46.44 David Warner (Australia)
36.66 Alastair Cook (England)
36.62 Moeen Ali (England)
29.50 Jonny Bairstow (England)
28.71 Adam Voges (Australia)
26.87 Ian Bell (England)
25.75 Mark Wood (England)

FIVE-WICKET HAULS
England 4-2 Australia
8-15 Stuart Broad (England) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge
6-36 Ben Stokes (England) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge 
6-47 James Anderson (England) in the third Test, Edgbaston
6-79 Steven Finn (England) in the third Test, Edgbaston 
6-111 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge 
5-114 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the first Test, Cardiff

TOP WICKET TAKERS 
21 Stuart Broad (England)
18 Mitchell Starc (Australia)
16 Josh Hazlewood (Australia), Nathan Lyon (Australia)
15 Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
12 Steven Finn (England), Moeen Ali (England)
11 Ben Stokes (England)
10 James Anderson (England), Mark Wood (England) 

BOWLING AVERAGES minimum 10 wickets
20.90 Stuart Broad (England)
22.50 Steven Finn (England)
25.75 Josh Hazlewood (Australia)
27.50 James Anderson (England)
28.25 Nathan Lyon (Australia)
30.50 Mitchell Starc (Australia)
33.45 Ben Stokes (England)
34.93 Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
39.10 Mark Wood (England)
45.50 Moeen Ali (England)

The Ashes 2015: Broad leads the way as England take back the Ashes

FOURTH TEST: England 391-9d beat Australia 60 & 253 by an innings and 78 runs Scorecard
Man of the match: Stuart Broad

ENGLAND regained the Ashes in style on Saturday after taking an unassailable 3-1 lead with an innings victory in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge.

In all honesty, the match was effectively over in just 94 minutes as Australia contrived to follow up their weak batting display at Edgbaston with an even worse one in Nottingham.

Notts man Stuart Broad was the architect of the Aussies' downfall, at one stage holding figures of 5-6 on his way to a remarkable 8-15 - so it is fair to say then that England coped pretty well in the absence of their all-time leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson.

With one wicket apiece for Steven Finn and the recalled Durham paceman Mark Wood in addition to Broad's magnificent haul, Australia were humiliatingly all out for just 60 in 18.3 overs, their lowest Ashes total since 1936.

The whole innings, in fact, was a statistician's delight, being the shortest ever completed first innings of a Test in terms of the number of balls bowled.

Broad's five-fer, meanwhile, came off just 19 balls, the joint-shortest spell for five wickets in a Test and the shortest when taken from the very start of a match.

Moreover, Broad's final analysis of 8-15 were the best ever figures in a Test at Trent Bridge - and the best ever return by an English seamer in Ashes cricket.

In fact, they were the third best figures by any Englishman in the Ashes - and, only Jim Laker twice, with 9-37 and 10-53 in his eponymous match at Old Trafford in 1956, has ever done better.

It was not only the bowling which was a bit special from England - much improved in their catching generally in this series, Ben Stokes produced an absolute ripper at fifth slip to dismiss Adam Voges.

But, while that perhaps was moment of the match, no one was going to deny Broad from being named man of the match.

For some years now, he has been a top frontline bowler - but he really stepped it up in front on his home ground.

It is not even a stretch to say he actually acquired legendary status with his spell on Thursday as he joined Fred Trueman in joint fourth-place on the all-time list of England Test wicket-takers, with 307 scalps. Only Anderson (413), Ian Botham (383) and Bob Willis (325) are still ahead.

Of course, in the context of the match and this Ashes series, Broad's bowling and the Aussies' collapse meant England had to bat only half-competently to take complete control.

Thanks to Joe Root's second glorious century of the campaign, the hosts fared rather better than that, eventually reaching 391-9 before a declaration of intent shortly before lunch on day two.

Alastair Cook's decision was the first time he had actually been able to declare a first innings closed in his three-year tenure as permanent captain.

And, as well as giving Australia a tricky spell before the interval, it also meant he denied the tourists the pleasure of having at least bowled England out.

As it happened, Australia survived unscathed before lunch - and, in the afternoon, progressed serenely past their first innings total without loss and onto 113-0.

Thankfully, England never panicked. Internally, they knew if they persisted with the correct lines and lengths, the rewards would eventually come - after all, David Warner, having been dropped twice, was hardly playing a chanceless innings.

Duly, the precious wickets began to arrive. Chris Rogers (52) was caught by Root - and Warner (64) by Broad - both off the excellent Stokes.

The breaking of the opening partnership sparked another collapse as Steve Smith (5) and Shaun Marsh (2) both continued their respective poor runs - and, at tea on day two, Australia were 138-4, still a hopeless 193 runs behind.

From that point onwards, it quickly became a case of whether England could win inside two days, just as they had threatened to do at Edgbaston.

First, though, a few words on the beleaguered Australia captain Michael Clarke who was out for unlucky 13. After all, though his swipe to Wood outside off-stump was injudicious, it was also juggled by his counterpart Cook and caught on the rebound by Ian Bell.

It was, however, the shot of a broken man who could sense his time was over, not only in this Test but in his career as a whole, something he went onto confirm immediately after the defeat.

Australia at least survived the night, though not before Stokes had recorded a second Ashes career five-fer, following on from the 6-99 taken in Sydney in the nightmare whitewash 18 months ago.

Peter Nevill and, to the delight of the crowd, Mitchell Johnson were Stokes' evening victims on a much happier occasion as Australia reached 241-7 and England settled off for coming back refreshed on the third day to regain the urn.

When they did resume, there was indeed little resistance from the broken Aussies as the unbeaten Voges (51*) understandably made no attempt to farm the strike for three days.

Mitchell Starc (0) was caught by Bell off Stokes who eventually recorded 6-36 as England became the first Test side in history to have four different players take at least six wickets in four consecutive innings.

Anderson, Finn, Broad and Stokes have proven to be a lethal combination and - having caused complete mental disintegration in the Australian batting line-up - they have ultimately been the difference between the two sides.

Wood, too, has more than played his part - and, with only him and Stokes bowling on the third morning, it was effectively Durham v Australia.

Durham won, Wood flattening Josh Hazlewood's middle stump for a fifth Aussie duck of the match, before he also comprehensively defeated Nathan Lyon (4).

England had done it - regaining the Ashes in just 14 days of play, and only 18 months after being whitewashed.

This disparity in results has already prompted a slightly unnecessarily spirit-dampening article about the dominance of home sides in recent series.

Meanwhile, England selector Angus Fraser has used the victory to turn his fire on the detractors of Cook and others, acting as if any previous criticisms of the set-up had no validity.

Instead of that, England should be enjoying this moment in the sun. After all, this unexpected triumph has come from a still developing team which, as even Cook admits, has perhaps not been properly battle-hardened.

In terms of the team itself, Cook remains without a reliable opening partner after Adam Lyth (14) was out cheaply again - while Moeen Ali currently contributes far more with bat than ball for a frontline spinner.

For the rest of the side, an Ashes win will do wonders to strengthen the sometimes fragile confidence of some of its members.

Undoubtedly, though, England will face far tougher examinations than that eventually posed by this set of touring Australians, not least on the tours this winter against Pakistan in the UAE and in South Africa.

Nevertheless, in favourable conditions, England have shown they are back to their invincible best, reaching a performance level that has matched anything produced by the team which enjoyed world number one status for a year in 2011-12.

Naturally, this young side will not always have such bountiful matches - and, as the Lord's Test in this very series demonstrated, there will still be a few dark days ahead.

If this team achieves its potential, however, those dark days will be far outshone by countless days and matches of brilliance. These are exciting times for English cricket.

THE ASHES 2015

8-11 July	1ST England 430 & 289 beat Australia 308 & 242 by 169 runs	Cardiff
16-19 July	2ND Australia 566-8d & 254-2d beat England 312 & 103 by 405 runs	Lord's
29-31 July	3RD England 281 & 124-2 beat Australia 136 & 265 by eight wickets	Edgbaston
6-8 August	4TH England 391-9d beat Australia 60 & 253 by an innings and 78 runs	Trent Bridge
20-24 August	FIFTH TEST	The Oval

CENTURIES
215 Steve Smith (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
173 Chris Rogers (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
134 Joe Root (England) in the first Test, Cardiff
130 Joe Root (England) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge

FIVE-WICKET HAULS
8-15 Stuart Broad (England) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge
6-47 James Anderson (England) in the third Test, Edgbaston
6-79 Steven Finn (England) in the third Test, Edgbaston 
6-36 Ben Stokes (England) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge 
6-111 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge
5-114 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the first Test, Cardiff

The Ashes 2015: England demolish abject Aussies

THIRD TEST: England 281 & 124-2 v Australia 136 & 265 by eight wickets Scorecard
Man of the match: Steven Finn

ENGLAND roared back into the Ashes lead after an extraordinary eight-wicket win which was completed before tea on the third day in the third Test at Edgbaston.

Comeback kid Steven Finn took 6-79 in the second innings for match figures of 8-117 - while birthday boy James Anderson enjoyed his best ever Ashes return of 6-47 in the first innings.

In between, half centuries from Joe Root (63), Ian Bell (53) at three, and Moeen Ali (59) down the order were enough to help England reach 281 on the first time around.

And Bell (65 not out) and Root (38 not out) then knocked off most of the required 121 runs to complete yet another turnaround in this bewildering series.

England, after all, had arrived in Birmingham on the back of their fourth worst ever Test defeat in terms of runs at Lord's - and that had come following a dominant 169-run win in the first Test at Cardiff.

Predicting exactly what will happen next week at Trent Bridge has thus become a mug's game - though England can at least go there certain that victory will ensure the Ashes urn returns home.

It has already been confirmed, however, that Alastair Cook will have to cope without England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker Anderson after the Lancastrian pulled a side muscle late on day two.

That really is a shame for Anderson who has looked in good form in this Test - and, regardless even of that, has consistently bowled well in Nottingham in the past.

Nevertheless, his injury was pretty much the only black mark on a delightful few days for England.

Aussie captain Michael Clarke may have won the toss - but his decision to bat first on a pitch which offered seam and movement under leaden skies was one which he was soon to regret.

Pumped-up England came out firing with Finn immediately in form, swinging one away from Steve Smith (7) and castling Clarke (10).

With Anderson having already accounted for David Warner (2), Australia were a very English-looking 38-3.

A recovery of sorts followed as Chris Rogers and Adam Voges compiled a partnership worth 43 which would ultimately be the best of the innings.

But Voges (16) then edged Anderson behind to Jos Buttler early in the afternoon to spark an epic collapse.

Mitch Marsh departed for a duck, again caught behind, in Anderson's next over - before he struck twice again in his next two overs to remove Peter Nevill (2) and Mitchell Johnson (3).

Stuart Broad joined the party with the key wicket of Rogers (52), trapped plumb lbw, before Mitchell Starc (11) sent one behind off the toe-end of the bat.

Anderson, having already achieved his five-fer with Johnson's wicket, celebrated with a sixth after Nathan Lyon (11) played onto his stumps. Almost in a blur, Australia had been bowled out for 136.

Advantage England - but poor Adam Lyth has struggled to impress in this series and he was out early again, for 10 to Josh Hazlewood, even if it took a juggling Voges three attempts to catch it.

Voges got even luckier later in the evening after Cook (34) smashed a pull off a short ball from Lyon straight into him, only for it somehow to lodge in his jumper.

Nonetheless, Bell and Root seemed to be guiding England to the close without any further worries until the former injudiciously skied Lyon to Warner.

Following that late wicket, the hosts' plan on the second morning obviously would have been to rebuild - but Johnson did not give them the chance with two short-pitched snorters accounting for Jonny Bairstow (5) and Ben Stokes (0).

At that stage, England were only just six runs into the lead and so really needed a partnership to secure a genuine stranglehold.

But, still, the wickets continued to fall. First, Root chased a dreadful wide ball off Starc to be caught by Voges at slip, and then Buttler (9) was trapped lbw by Lyon who, at that stage, had 3-3 off three overs.

Nowadays, though, England - at their best - bat way down the order, and Moeen with Broad produced a dazzling stand of 87 to put a much clearer margin between the two teams.

The pair both departed to Hazlewood in quick succession and, thereafter, England were never going to last much longer - although again Nevill's catch from Anderson (3), into the webbing of his glove, had more than a touch of fortune about it.

So, England - despite the lack of a centurion - had cobbled together a lead of 145. Ashes history, however, suggested the Australians would bat much better second time around...

It therefore came as a hell of a shock when they were reduced to 111-6, still 34 behind.

Fantastic Finn did the most damage, inducing a top-edge off Smith (8), before putting himself on a hat-trick by accounting for Clarke (3) and Voges.

Marsh (6) watched the hat-trick attempt drift harmlessly wide - but he lasted only a little longer before failing to get a bat to a much straighter, fuller ball from Middlesex quick.

Then the sixth wicket of the innings fell to Anderson. It was the key scalp, too - that of Warner after the opener had moved to 77 off just 62 balls.

But, before close of play, Finn made sure he had the final word by inducing another top-edge, this time from Johnson (14), caught safely at backward point by Stokes.

Australia thus resumed today on a ridiculous-looking 168-7, leading by just 23 - but aware that even perhaps another 120 runs or so would send nerves jangling in the England dressing room.

For the Baggy Greens also have an occasionally handy bottom order - and Nevill, literally in Brad Haddin mode, set about building a dangerous partnership with Starc.

Indeed, the stand had reached 64 when England, shorn of the injured Anderson, finally made the breakthrough.

Inevitably, it came through Finn after Nevill, on 59, sent an inside edge behind - and, suddenly, the onus had passed to Starc.

He was left helpless, however, when Root - at third slip - dived brilliantly to make a one-handed catch to dismiss Hazlewood (11) off Stokes.

And Starc (58) himself was soon gone after miscuing a shot over cover off Moeen to sub fielder Josh Poysden.

Australia had managed to set a target of 121. Surely, it wasn't enough.

But then small chases will always play all sorts of mind games with batsmen - and England only had more reason to be tentative when Cook was castled early on by Starc for seven.

Bell, enjoying the comforts of his home ground, attempted to settle down the other opener, Lyth.

However, the Yorkshireman, though hardly alone in recent times in struggling in his position right at the top of the order, continued to look uneasy - and it was no surprise when Hazlewood had him trapped lbw for 12.

England, nevertheless, were 51-2 off just 11 overs - and the progress became only sweeter still after Root joined Bell in the middle.

The pair were not faultless, of course, especially against the probing Lyon. As the victory target neared, though, England's self-assurance soared - and Root lofted the spinner over deep midwicket for six.

By the end of that heady over, England had made it to three figures and required just 21 more with tea delayed in anticipation of victory.

Appropriately enough for Edgbaston, it was Bell who duly delivered the final blow, tucking Marsh’s first ball of the over away to the legside boundary.

England, in the end, won it with a frightening degree of comfort. Not that the ease of this victory will assist in forecasting the next Test in Nottingham, which begins this coming Thursday.

For, while the home side may have rediscovered Finn, the loss of Anderson can only be seen to have weakened them.

Australia, meanwhile, always seemingly find a way to come back strongly - and skipper Clarke, in a terrible rut, now has a massive point to prove.

Remember, the Aussies only need to tie the series to retain the Ashes - and, coincidentally, 2-2 was a prediction of mine and many others.

This rollercoaster Ashes series, now heading into the last two matches, is still therefore very much up for grabs.

THE ASHES 2015

8-11 July	1ST England 430 & 289 beat Australia 308 & 242 by 169 runs	Cardiff
16-19 July	2ND Australia 566-8d & 254-2d beat England 312 & 103 by 405 runs	Lord's
29-31 July	3RD England 281 & 124-2 beat Australia 136 & 265 by eight wickets	Edgbaston
6-10 August	FOURTH TEST	Trent Bridge
20-24 August	FIFTH TEST	The Oval

CENTURIES
215 Steve Smith (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
173 Chris Rogers (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
134 Joe Root (England) in the first Test, Cardiff

FIVE-WICKET HAULS
6-47 James Anderson (England) in the third Test, Edgbaston
6-79 Steven Finn (England) in the third Test, Edgbaston 
5-114 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the first Test, Cardiff

The Ashes 2015: Australia demolish abject England

SECOND TEST: Australia 566-8d & 254-2d beat England 312 & 103 by 405 runs Scorecard
Man of the match: Steve Smith

DOMINANT Australia completely overwhelmed England at Lord's to win by 405 runs and level the Ashes series at 1-1.

This was England's fourth worst Test defeat ever in terms of runs - and, while the overall scoreline is level, it feels as if the Aussies may have struck a decisive blow to the English psyche.

From the moment skipper Michael Clarke won the toss and elected to bat, Australia were in control - and, over the next four days, they never released their grip on the match.

Chris Rogers and David Warner put on 78 for the first wicket - and, even when the Aussies lost the latter to a misguided attack against Moeen Ali before lunch, Steve Smith quickly settled in for a long spell at the crease.

Smith eventually scored a magnificent 215 and became the first Australian to hit a double hundred at Lord's since Bill Brown in 1938. Also, notably, he and Rogers enjoyed a record stand for any Aussie wicket at Lord's of 284.

It gave Australia the ideal start - and by the fall of Smith's wicket, they had progressed to 533-6 and were already thinking about a first innings declaration.

That came when Mitchell Johnson was out, caught by James Anderson off Stuart Broad, at 566-8. Unsurprisingly, Johnson's contribution with the ball would be far more decisive.

Not that the dangerous left-armer was left unsupported by the others in the attack - in both innings, five Aussie bowlers took wickets.

Of course, they were also aided by the English top order who continue to collapse on a frighteningly regular basis.

Indeed, England - which now statistically has a worse top order than any Test side except for Zimbabwe - have been three wickets down for 52 runs or less on eight occasions this year.

Here, in the first innings, they were 30-4 with Adam Lyth (0), Gary Ballance (23), and Ian Bell (1) all falling cheaply before Joe Root (1) also failed to mount his usual salvage mission.

At least skipper Alastair Cook was showing some resistance - and he, along with Ben Stokes, took England to the close on day two without any further damage.

The pair then almost made it to lunch on the third day, only for Stokes (87) to get an inside edge onto the stumps off Mitchell Marsh.

And, in the afternoon, Cook suffered the same fate to depart an agonising four runs short of a century. It was the seventh time in Tests he had fallen in the 90s - and England were still exactly 300 behind on 266-7.

The tail wagged a little bit either side of tea to put on 46 for the final three wickets - but Australia continued to plug away relentlessly on what was still a pretty flat surface.

Indeed, by the end of the day, the tourists were batting again, having declined the opportunity to enforce the follow-on despite taking a first innings lead of 254.

This time Rogers and Warner put on 114 before the former retired 49 not out early on the fourth day after a spell of dizziness.

Smith resumed his assault on the England bowling with a quick-fire 58 - and, although both he and Warner (83) would succumb to Moeen, successive sixes from Mitch Marsh took the lead above 500.

At 254-2, Australia declared for a second time. England had taken just 10 wickets in the match for the concession of 820 runs - and they now needed to bat for five full sessions to save it.

Ultimately, the Aussies only needed 37 overs to knock England over with Lyth (7) again falling early after edging Mitchell Starc behind to Peter Nevill for the second time in the match.

Keeper Nevill, on debut, would have a fine game behind the stumps - and Cook (11) and Ballance (14) were also caught behind off Johnson and Mitch Marsh respectively.

42-3 became 48-4 when Bell (11) popped an easy catch to substitute fielder Shaun Marsh off the spin of Nathan Lyon.

And then came the most ridiculous wicket of all. Stokes - who is regularly cast alongside Root as a shining example of the supposed new aggressive England era under Trevor Bayliss - was run out for a duck to a direct hit from Johnson after failing amateurishly to ground his bat.

At tea, England were 64-5 and the cause was already effectively lost. Not that this should necessarily excuse Jos Buttler for falling to the first ball after tea even if, by this stage, Johnson was clearly in his element.

The Queensland quick then made it two in the over when Moeen departed for a duck having only managed to fence a short ball to sub Marsh at short leg - and the score had still not moved on since tea. 

With Root (17) attempting to remain calm while about him lost their heads, the Yorkshire lad and eventual top scorer Broad (25) launched a very brief counter attack lasting about 20 minutes. 

Broad, nevertheless, was out to a horrible waft off Lyon straight to Adam Voges at cover - and Root fell in the next over, bowled by the unfailingly accurate Hazlewood.

Indeed, it was Hazlewood himself who finished the job, rattling Anderson's stumps on 0 - and England, on a pretty flat pitch, had been turned over for a pathetic 103.

The size of the defeat - by an eye-watering 405 runs - and also the nature of it undoubtedly threatens to open the scars from 18 months ago when Johnson starred in a 5-0 whitewash, taking 37 wickets at 13.97.

And, with Australia having definitively responded to the questions asked of them after the first Test in Cardiff, it is now England who must provide answers to some pretty fundamental queries.

Most urgently of all, how long will the hosts persist with the failure of the top order? Should Root be moved from his relative comfort zone at five to assist?

But, also importantly, what can be done to reinvigorate a bowling attack which took 20 Aussie wickets in Cardiff but struggled terribly in taking just 10 at Lord's?

Certainly, in response to the third question, the groundsman at Edgbaston will hopefully produce a livelier pitch.

After all, if - as suspected - the track at Lord's was made to order with the aim of deliberately slowing down Johnson, Friday and today proved undoubtedly that this tactic does not and will not work.

Surely it would be better to have a pitch which offered Anderson some seam movement so he and Johnson can go toe to toe.

For, it cannot be escaped that Anderson - England highest Test wicket-taker in history - returned match figures of 0-137 and looked disgruntled throughout.

Bizarrely, after a such a thumping and with issues to resolve, England cannot be discounted from winning this series and regaining the Ashes. It is, after all, 1-1 with three matches to play.

Moreover, recent Ashes history shows England recovering from sound beatings - at Lord's in 2005, Headingley in 2009, and Perth in 2010 - to go on and actually win the urn.

But, admittedly, perhaps more relevant recent Ashes history suggests the scars of those five horrible defeats in 2013-14 have been reopened by Johnson and the others.

Yes, it would be no surprise if Australia went onto win the series quite comfortably from now and that Cardiff is merely seen as an aberration - especially in the light of today's second innings batting collapse.

To call it a performance would be to do a disservice to the word.

Fragile England desperately need a second wind in this series, starting 10 days from now in Birmingham.

THE ASHES 2015

8-11 July	1ST England 430 & 289 beat Australia 308 & 242 by 169 runs	Cardiff
16-19 July	2ND Australia 566-8d & 254-2d beat England 312 & 103 by 405 runs	Lord's
29-2 August	THIRD TEST	Edgbaston
6-10 August	FOURTH TEST	Trent Bridge
20-24 August	FIFTH TEST	The Oval

CENTURIES
215 Steve Smith (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
173 Chris Rogers (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
134 Joe Root (England) in the first Test, Cardiff

FIVE-WICKET HAULS
5-114 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the first Test, Cardiff

The Ashes 2015: Root key to resurgent England

FIRST TEST: England 430 & 289 beat Australia 308 & 242 by 169 runs Scorecard
Man of the match: Joe Root

RESURGENT England secured a surprise Ashes lead with a wonderful 169-run win in the first Test in Cardiff.

Man of the match Joe Root scored 134 and 60 with the bat and took two second innings wickets as the hosts unexpectedly dominated the start of the series.

Yorkshire lad Root even had the final word, safely catching Josh Hazlewood's swipe off Moeen Ali at long-off to finish the job.

Ashes holders Australia had approached the series confidently, having whitewashed England in 2013-14 - and, despite losing the toss, Michael Clarke's men made early inroads at Sophia Gardens.

Adam Lyth was caught off Josh Hazlewood in the slips by David Warner before Alastair Cook, on the cut, nicked one behind to Brad Haddin off the spin Nathan Lyon.

In the next over, Ian Bell was plumb lbw to Mitchell Starc - and England were rocking at 43-3 before lunch on the first day.

Then Root arrived at the crease and, after being dropped on nought by Haddin, he batted through the whole of the afternoon session with county team-mate Gary Ballance.

Ballance made 61 before being trapped lbw by Hazlewood just after tea - but a partnership with Ben Stokes was enough to help Root bring up his seventh Test century, and second against Australia.

The Aussies were far from finished, however - and both Root and Stokes fell to Starc before Jos Buttler exposed the tail with minutes left to go on the opening day.

Still, England had made 343-7, taking the game to the tourists by scoring at almost four runs per over. All they needed now was for the tail to wag.

Wag it did, thanks mainly to Moeen who made 77 as England added 87 more runs for the loss of their final three wickets on the second morning.

Australia's reply began well and England had to be patient after the relatively early wicket of Warner.

Chris Rogers - the overall top scorer in the back-to-back series of 2013 and 2013-14 - had settled in for another average-boosting score alongside world number one ranked batsman Steve Smith.

But, of Rogers' joint-record seven successive Test scores over 50, none had been translated into a ton - and he fell in Cardiff on 95, caught behind by Buttler off the impressive Mark Wood.

Indeed, the Aussies would pay the price for getting themselves in and out - Smith made 33, Clarke 38, and Adam Voges 31. Australia were 258-5 at the close and England had battled back well.

It got even better on the third morning as Australia lost their last five wickets for 43 runs - and their last three wickets for four runs.

Shane Watson was predictably lbw to Stuart Broad before Lyon was trapped in front by Wood with the score still on 265.

A regular feature of the 2013-14 series was Haddin's ability to guide the lower order through troubled times - but, having made 22, he was caught behind off James Anderson - and England were into the tail and bowling with their tails up.

Yes, the long-time strike duo of Broad and Anderson was at it again and, after Haddin's dismissal, Johnson and Starc fell in successive overs to give England a cracking first innings lead of 122.

England then were already batting for a second time before lunch on the third day, leaving Australia with only one way back into the match - getting quick wickets.

At least the tourists delivered on this front with Cook out before the interval, caught by Lyon at backward point off Starc, and Ballance out for a duck straight after the break, caught behind off Hazlewood.

Before tea, the Aussies had also managed to snare Lyth, caught brilliantly by Clarke off Lyon for 37 - but that only served to bring Root to the crease once more.

Batting with Bell, who - by contrast - was in dire need of runs, the pair decisively took the match away from Australia, with both going onto make 60.

Bell was out first, bowled by Johnson for the left-armer's first wicket of the series - coming, as it did, after an agonising 216 balls.

Root was bowled by Hazlewood and, a little later, Stokes by Starc - as the Aussies improved their accuracy at the stumps.

Meanwhile, with Buttler caught behind off an attempted reverse sweep off Lyon, England were again left just with the tail. This time, though, Durham quick Wood took up the mantle.

An entertaining cameo featuring four fours and a six into the gantry meant he finished on 32 not out, and - when Lyon accounted for Anderson with the last ball of day three - England had made it to 289 for a mammoth lead of 411.

Cook's men had impressed with their run rate and, scoring at more than four an over in both innings, they had shown no fear of Australia after what had happened 18 months ago.

Importantly, this also gave the hosts plenty of time to take another 10 wickets - and Anderson and Broad produced an opening spell of real intent at the start of the fourth day.

Rogers, having been dropped by Root off Anderson, did not make the most of his second life, edging Broad to Bell at second slip for 10. The early blow left Australia on 19-1.

But, despite several close calls, it looked as if that was going to be the only wicket all morning - that was until Cook opted to give Moeen a twirl just before lunch.

Magnificently, it worked - with Warner trapped in front to leave Australia 97-2. The mood of both dressing rooms had been dramatically altered.

The proof of this came straight after lunch as England tore through the Aussie middle order.

Smith was out for 33 for a second time in the match, paying the price for a tentative prod at Broad which only served to find the edge and then Bell at second slip.

Skipper Clarke barely made a mark, hitting a single four before Broad accounted for him too, inducing a catch by Stokes at backward point.

Then Wood found the edge of Voges' bat, with Buttler taking an easy catch behind - and Australia were in tatters on 106-5.

Everything seemed to be falling just right for England - but they had worked hard for the type of fortune which allowed Cook to catch Haddin at the second attempt at short midwicket.

When Watson was out lbw yet again - this time to Wood - England took tea having enjoyed another near-perfect session.

England, then, needed just three more wickets for a 1-0 lead - but they were not immediately forthcoming as Johnson and Starc, having failed to derail England with the ball, threatened to do it with the bat.

The pair had gradually accumulated a partnership worth 72 as Cook turned to his spinners ahead of the new ball.

But, ultimately, the new ball was not required thanks to more Root magic.

First, Starc was dismissed caught with great alertness by Lyth at slip after the ball had been parried by Cook at gully. Then, the Yorkshire Lyth-Root combo struck again to remove Johnson.

At 242-9, the match was left simply waiting for its final blow. Moeen delivered it as Hazlewood, with no winning cards left in his hand, took a huge swipe only to find Root inside the boundary rope.

England had done it - a deserved 1-0 lead was theirs with six different bowlers taking wickets across the two innings.

With the bat too, England had performed - as, having failed to post a single 400+ score during the last two Ashes series, they did it at the first attempt this time around.

Of course, there is a long way to go yet - and, remember, Australia need only draw the series to retain the Ashes urn. But there are early signs of trouble for the tourists.

For the likes of Rogers, Haddin, Clarke, Voges and Watson - who are all, like me, on the wrong side of 30 - this might be a last Ashes series.

And, like England found to their cost Down Under in 2006-07, it might be a case of one tour too many.

Certainly, Australia's so-called 'Dad's Army' compared badly with the youthful exuberance of Wood, Stokes, and the choirboy appearance of Root.

Skipper Cook, himself, was actually a chorister in his youth - and even he looks young for his age, and perhaps younger now than he has for a while.

The pressures of captaincy have been relieved a little recently by the introduction of a new coach, Trevor Bayliss, and a new, more positive mindset.

Cook undoubtedly had his finest game as captain in this first Test in Cardiff, balancing his bowling attack and keeping on the pressure with his field placings.

But Bayliss, himself an Aussie, knows the Baggy Greens will not lie down in the way that England did in their two recent whitewashes, and he has already warned the hosts to be wary of any complacency.

The two teams reconvene on Thursday at Lord's, where the wounded Aussies will be hoping to win the toss and bat better than they did in Wales.


THE ASHES 2015

8-11 July	FIRST: England 430 & 289 beat Australia 308 & 242 by 169 runs	Cardiff
16-20 July	SECOND TEST	Lord's
29-2 August	THIRD TEST	Edgbaston
6-10 August	FOURTH TEST	Trent Bridge
20-24 August	FIFTH TEST	The Oval

CENTURIES
134 Joe Root (England) in the first Test, Cardiff

FIVE-WICKET HAULS
5-114 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the first Test, Cardiff

The Ashes 2013/14: Trott takes the first step to recovery

ENGLAND batsman Jonathan Trott began the long road to recovery after leaving the Ashes tour in Australia because of a long-standing stress-related condition.

Trott made only 19 runs from two innings in the first Test in Brisbane as he struggled to cope with the short, fast-paced deliveries of Mitchell Johnson.

Of course, he was far from alone in his struggles against man of the match Johnson as England went down to a horrendous 318-run defeat inside four days.

But everyone who is susceptible to mental illness has a tipping point and this was clearly his.

"I don't think it is right that I'm playing knowing that I'm not 100%," said the 32-year-old, who has undoubtedly made the correct choice in returning to the UK to spend some time with his family.

England coach Andy Flower described Trott as having managed his ongoing problems "very successfully" - and indeed he has since his debut in Test cricket in the decisive fifth Test of the 2009 Ashes series.

He began with a bang, scoring a century at the Oval to secure a return of the urn to England, and has remained a permanent fixture in England's Test and one-day teams, scoring 3,763 Test runs at an average of 46.45 and almost 3,000 one-day international runs at 51.25.

Anxiety and depression, though, are no respecters of past achievement or personal status, as previous England cricket internationals Marcus Trescothick and Michael Yardy are well-aware.

Trescothick had to leave the 2005-06 tour of India and the 2006-07 Ashes tour of Australia, and wrote extensively about his issues in his highly-regarded autobiography, Coming Back to Me. Left-arm spinner Yardy, meanwhile, flew home from the 2011 World Cup in India.

Trott has now joined Trescothick and Yardy in making the gut-wrenching decision to leave his team-mates - but he really should not think he has let anyone down. Instead, he should focus on how well he has done to get as far as he did under absolutely immense pressure.

Of course, that pressure only got worse during the course of a caustic first Test at the Gabba where Australia's desperation to begin an Ashes series on the front foot was belied by a rather nasty streak.

Aussie skipper Michael Clarke has even been fined 20% of his match fee for warning last man James Anderson that he was going to have his arm broken.

And, while Clarke defended his side's conduct as "banter" and "part and parcel of the game", sledging - though surely entitled to be inappropriate - is best achieved with some wit and intelligence.

Seemingly, that would be asking too much of the Australians whose coach Darren Lehmann, actually pretty unlikeable in his playing days, has done absolutely nothing to quell the growing tension.

It against this uneasy background, then, that Trott has been battling his demons - and his struggle was undoubtedly made much worse by David Warner's comments.

Warner described the England number three as being "poor and weak" in his dismissals and, though I agreed that he had a point in my match report, it is notable that the England set-up pretty much never bad-mouths an opponent.

Again, the Australians, while they have at last begun to start winning matches once more, have much to learn about winning with good grace.

Hopefully, Trott's departure will not encourage them but rather teach them to keep their gobs shut and take a leaf out of England's book to err on the side of caution.

After all, nobody really knows exactly what is going on in the opposition camp, and there would no doubt even be many within the England team who would not be fully aware at least of the extent of Trott's issues.

Presumably, the team doctors and psychologist would have known - but, ultimately, the decision to go on tour would have been that of Trott himself.

No one can or should blame him for choosing to travel away, especially given a shedload of evidence supporting the idea that he was managing his condition well. While obviously I cannot see inside his mind, his biggest fear was perhaps letting people down.

Please remember also that mental health issues are a lot more common than many people realise.

Statistics suggest that one in four people will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year, and mixed anxiety and depression is the most common disorder in Britain.

I should know. Unfortunately, as previously shown on this very blog, I have also been in that desolate landscape more than once before. The illness completely debilitates you physically as well as mentally.

For, once sensitised by stress, pretty much everything can become a worry. The symptoms of anxiety are many and varied but sufferers will often be hyper-vigilant and study their bodies looking for something seriously wrong to justify the pain.

It is how, for example, I ended up being taken from the Guinness Storehouse exhibition on St Patrick's Day in Dublin this year to the nearby St James Hospital.

I was complaining of feeling faint and nauseous, and of having a racing pulse - but there was actually nothing wrong with me - or nothing serious anyway.

The fact that I had hardly eaten for the previous two days, because of an anxiety-nausea cycle, had left my blood sugar levels stupidly low.

Nevertheless, following a completely wasted night in a hotel room, I still went out to see the magnificent St Patrick's Day Parade... and, yes, actually enjoyed myself, in spite of the rain.

Total recovery takes much longer and requires a variety of remedies, including medication and cognitive-behaviour therapy, which will both presumably be offered to Trott as they were to me.

For now, though, the most important thing for Trott is time - and plenty of it, for there can be no pressure over how long it takes to sort this out.

With time comes desensitisation from the stress and, with a clearer head, a greater understanding of your personal unravelling process.

Once understood, the issues can be more easily solved - but very little can be achieved without having allowed the time to pass for the head to clear.

"Get well soon", though well-meaning, is an ultimately empty gesture when dealing with anxiety and depression. "Just remember your health is most important" is a rather better way of looking at it.

Good luck, Jonathan Trott, and well done already for taking the first steps to recovery.

The Ashes 2013/14: Australia hammer desperate England

Australia 295 & 401-7dec beat England 136 & 179 by 381 runs Scorecard
Man of the match: Mitchell Johnson (9-103)

MITCHELL JOHNSON took a five-wicket haul for just the eighth time in Tests as Australia completed a comprehensive beating of sorry England inside four days at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Johnson posted 5-42 in the second innings, and match figures of 9-103, as England collapsed for the second time in the match, losing by a massive 381 runs.

This was a defeat straight from the dark days of English cricket in the 1990s - but this team has shown itself in the past to be a lot more talented than their counterparts from 15 or 20 years ago.

And so that is simply what is so stunning about this turnaround. Indeed, even during day one of this Test, England - holders of the urn since 2007 - were heavy favourites again.

Stuart Broad reacted brilliantly to some extreme goading from the Australian press and supporters to run through the Aussie top-order, taking the top four wickets on the way to figures of 6-81.

Broad had become a persona non grata in Australia following an incident on the third day at Trent Bridge in the first Test of the summer series.

Clearly edging behind to first slip, Broad - as is his right - stood his ground expecting to see the raised finger of Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar.

Incredibly, it never came, and Broad - having refused to walk - carried on where he left off, eventually scoring a vital 65 in what was eventually the tightest of victories.

Already in the past, Broad has shown himself to be a pretty thick-skinned character so it is doubtful that a few headlines - or, ridiculously, being referred to as the "27-year-old medium-pacer" on the Brisbane Courier scorecard - will bother him too much.

Nevertheless, it is a pretty pathetic an hypocritical campaign from the journalists in a country who actually popularised the notion of not walking.

Perhaps the Aussies are just a little more sensitive having had to become accustomed to losing over the last few years.

Not in this series, though, if this desperate England display is replicated elsewhere.

Firstly, having had Australia on the ropes at six down in their first innings, captain Alastair Cook allowed the match to drift as Johnson and Brad Haddin put on 114 for the seventh wicket.

Haddin eventually fell six runs short of his century the following day, run out by quick-thinking debutant Michael Carberry, after going for a second which was never on.

Australia were still all out for less than 300, and England began the task of establishing an innings lead in reasonably confident manner.

Johnson's first spell lasted just three erratic overs, and Carberry looked especially at home in eventually top-scoring for England with 40.

The same could not be said for the vastly more experienced Jonathan Trott, who fell in the over before lunch, patently unable to cope with some short and genuinely fast-paced bowling from Johnson who had been brought back on.

Trott's dismissal had taken the gloss of a solid morning for England who, at 55-2 and then 82-2, had no need to press the panic button.

Except that Johnson - following his inauspicious start - had become a constant menace, regularly clocking 90mph on the speedometer.

Australia's other bowlers were coming into play, too. Ryan Harris took the scalp of Kevin Pietersen who lofted a drive to George Bailey at midwicket, before Carberry was hustled out by Johnson.

Spinner Nathan Lyon dismissed Ian Bell for five and Matt Prior for a golden duck to leave England on 87-6 - and it got worse as Joe Root (2) and Graeme Swann (0) quickly departed to Johnson to leave England on 91-8.

Astonishingly, the tourists had lost six wickets for nine runs inside 10 overs, their worst ever collapse in the first innings of a Test and their worst anywhere since Melbourne in 1990.

Nevertheless, a slow start to an away series is nothing new for England - there is a pattern which has already been set.

For, in tours in the last two years to Pakistan (in the UAE), Sri Lanka, India, New Zealand and now Australia, England have failed to pass even 200 in the first innings of the first Test. If anything, they are getting further away.

More generally, Cook's men have failed to pass 400 in any of their last 17 Test innings, including all 10 innings of this summer's successful, though perhaps now highly-flattering, Ashes series.

The impressive Broad batted with the tail for a while to make 32 but holed out off Peter Siddle to Chris Rogers at deep square leg.

And so, England were humiliatingly all out for 136, a deficit of 159 which grew to one of 224 runs as Australia's openers Rogers and David Warner easily got to close of play undefeated on day two.

Rogers did not last very long on day three, and nor did Shane Watson, but Warner batted magnificently to compile his first Ashes century and the first by anyone in this series.

He was joined at the crease by his skipper Michael Clarke who saw off a perceived short-ball weakness to make it into three figures too.

Indeed, by the time Swann could make his breakthrough, Australia were already on 294-5, a lead of 453.

Clarke then allowed Johnson (39 not out) and debutant Bailey (34) some time at the crease while Haddin (53) completed another half-century.

But, with an hour of the third day left, he declared with Australia having racked up a massive lead of 560.

Only two teams have scored over 200 to win a Test match at the Gabba, and the highest was 236 in 1951 by Australia against the West Indies.

England were no in position to be breaking records with BBC Test Match Special commentator Jonathan Agnew describing them as being "in disarray". 

And, by the close of day three, England were 24-2 and finally staring a huge defeat in the face. 

Carberry was out for a duck this time, defending to Harris, only to see the ball almost apologetically bounce down between his legs and rebound onto the stumps.

Then Trott could not make it to the close, and was never going to, given his skittish approach and poor body position when faced with Johnson.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan described Trott's nine runs as "the worst I've ever seen an England number three make" and, indeed, he made no more, shovelling another short Johnson delivery to Lyon at deep square leg.

Trott just about sums up England's state of mind at present and, though it pains me to admit it, Warner has a point in describing the number three as "poor and weak" and England generally as having "scared eyes".

Of course, the tourists resumed on day four in a frankly hopeless position, and so it was with some credit that Cook led from the front in making 65.

Pietersen (26) and Bell (32) also helped delay the inevitable for a while but Siddle then snaffled the latter with a delivery which was back of a length to leave England on 130-4.

Then, the rains came - easily England's best chances of saving the game. Actually, it was not just rain but hailstones the size of golf balls which were falling out of a blackened sky.

However, the match was delayed for merely 90 minutes and, on its resumption, Cook was out almost immediately, nicking a thin edge behind off Lyon.

The spinner then accounted for Prior, caught down the leg-side by Warner for a paltry four before Broad could only equal that score as a second collapse gained momentum.

Johnson, who had taken Broad's wicket, was in the midst of another great spell and, within the same over, he ensured Swann completed a miserable Test with a second duck.

Another rain delay was actually rather cruel on England who, by this stage, wanted just to get the whole sorry affair over and done with.

And, on the resumption, Chris Tremlett obliged - only managing to fend a short ball from Harris to Bailey for seven - before James Anderson was fittingly caught and bowled by man of the match Johnson for two.

It was all over, England having failed to make it to 200 again in losing by a mammoth 381 runs, their fifth worst Ashes defeat ever in terms of runs and sadly a fair reflection on the difference between how the two teams have played.

England have, of course, bounced back from slow starts in several series in the recent past, securing draws in Sri Lanka and New Zealand, and collecting a magnificent comeback win in India.

But the most worrying thing about this series is that the die already seems to have been cast, the theme being the England top order's complete inability to cope with short, fast-paced deliveries from Johnson.

Serenaded at the start of this Test by England's Barmy Army with that song, the Queenslander is the stand-out figure so far in this series.

A repeat performance of his efforts here in Adelaide, beginning a week on Thursday, would surely put the Aussies 2-0 up.

Then comes Perth in Western Australia where England have won just once ever, even losing heavily in their impressive series victory three years ago.

And so, unless England's batsman can get themselves sorted out pretty sharpish, this series could indeed be decided in a flash - just not in the way it was expected to be.

There is a hell of a lot of work to be done.

THE ASHES 2013/14

21-25 Nov	FIRST: Australia 295 & 401-7d beat England 136 & 179 by 381 runs	Brisbane
5-9 Dec	SECOND TEST	Adelaide
13-17 Dec	THIRD TEST	Perth
26-30 Dec	FOURTH TEST	Melbourne
3-7 Jan	FIFTH TEST	Sydney

CENTURIES
124 David Warner (Australia)
113 Michael Clarke (Australia)

FIVE-WICKET HAULS
6-81 Stuart Broad (England)
5-42 Mitchell Johnson (Australia)

SLOW STARTERS
England's last five first innings scores in the first Test of an away series
192 v Pakistan in Dubai (January 2012)
193 v Sri Lanka in Galle (March 2012)
191 v India in Ahmedabad (November 2012)
167 v New Zealand in Dunedin (March 2013)
136 v Australia in Brisbane (November 2013)

Ashes 2013: England emerge victorious from Trent Bridge torture chamber

First Test: England 215 & 375 beat Australia 280 & 296 by 14 runs Scorecard
Man of the match: James Anderson (10-158)

JAMES ANDERSON took 10 wickets in the first Ashes Test as Australia fell agonisingly short of completing a record-breaking run-chase in an incredible match at Trent Bridge.

The Burnley Express took the remaining four wickets today to leave the Aussies stranded, 14 runs away from an amazing comeback

In fact, "amazing" is a word that could be applied to this Test from the first day to the last.

The series began with England winning the toss and deciding to bat under leaden Nottingham skies. Captain Alastair Cook fell early, caught behind off James Pattinson for 13 before Joe Root followed before lunch, bowled by a peach of a yorker by Peter Siddle.

Siddle started the last Ashes series on fire and he repeated his five-for from Brisbane by taking the wickets of Jonathan Trott (48), Kevin Pietersen (14), Ian Bell (25), and Matt Prior (1) on the afternoon.

England then lost their last four wickets for just two runs as Pattinson and Mitchell Starc cleared up the tail with ease. All out for 215, the hosts' innings ended shortly after tea. It would be fair to say that this wasn't in the script.

Before stumps, though, England's bowlers had responded well as Australia lost their first three wickets in quick succession, falling from 19-0 to 22-3, and closing on 78-4.

Anderson had also produced his first moment of magic, removing the Aussie skipper Michael Clarke for a duck with a brilliant swinging ball.

A disappointing performance with the bat was being compensated for, and so it continued on the second morning as Australia tumbled to 117-9, still 98 behind.

Enter Ashton Agar, or "Agar, the horrible" as The Sun would later label him.

Beginning the Test as a 19-year-old debutant, the spinner took on all-comers, falling just two runs short of his century, having hit 12 fours and two sixes.

Nevertheless, Agar still went into the record books with a world record score for a number 11 and, with Phil Hughes, he also now shares the record last man stand of 151.

Most importantly, the incredible Agar-Hughes partnership had given the Aussies a lead of 65 with which to take into the second innings.

And that lead looked particularly good when Root and Trott fell in successive balls immediately before tea to leave England on 11-2.

At this stage, it looked as if the Aussies were getting all the luck. Not only could Agar have been out stumped for just 10, Trott was dismissed lbw on review - despite replays suggesting he had got an inside edge.

However, to the chagrin of England, HotSpot was not functioning fully, and Aleem Dar had to reverse his decision. Little did the Pakistani umpire know, but that would be far from his last contribution to the Test.

Having steered England to the close of day two, Cook and Pietersen were unable to reach lunch on day three - and, when Jonny Bairstow and Prior both fell just after the interval, the hosts were on 218-6.

It was a lead of only 153 - and Trent Bridge was crying out for a proper partnership on what was hardly a minefield of a pitch.

Thankfully, Stuart Broad and Bell provided one, guiding England to the close without further loss - but should that really have been the case?

Definitely not, if umpire Dar had been watching more closely. Broad, on 37, clearly edged behind to Clarke at slip and the Aussies, having foolishly burned their two reviews on hopeful lbw shouts, were left aghast at the not out decision.

Broad - brought up in era in which it is rare to walk, a custom first popularised by the Aussies, no less - was happy to give his opponents a taste of their own medicine, though he has had to endure the subsequent moral debate over whether he had damaged the game by his actions.

Certainly, it was not in the spirit of the game but that does not necessarily make it the wrong thing to have done in the heat of an Ashes Test match.

Indeed, in fairness to Clarke and the Aussie players, once the heat of the moment was taken away, they accepted their misfortune and moved on.

That is not to say, on the other hand, that Broad went easy on the tourists. On day four, he would eventually finish with his highest score against Australia - though the day, without doubt, belonged to Bell.

The Warwickshire batsman hit 109 for his 18th - and perhaps best - Test century, and his first in England since August 2011. He had chosen a timely moment to return to form.

But, once he and Broad departed before lunch, none of the England tail hung around too much, and Cook's men were all out for an improved 375, setting Australia 311 to win.

Now, the highest successful fourth-innings run-chase in Tests at Trent Bridge is 284-6, scored by England against New Zealand in 2004 - and that still remains the case tonight.

Nevertheless, the Aussie openers laid a decent platform, reaching 84 before the first wicket went down as Watson was trapped lbw by Broad.

Further successes before tea were not forthcoming so England turned to the part-time off-spin of Root.

The Yorkshire lad proved he was no mug with the ball, inducing Australia's nervous number three Ed Cowan to nick behind to Trott with the score on Nelson (111).

Chris Rogers followed shortly after tea and then, just as Clarke threatened to form a partnership with Steve Smith, they fell in successive balls - Clarke at the end of Broad's over to the tiniest of nicks which he unsuccessfully reviewed, and Smith at the start of Swann's.

There was even a bonus scalp for Swann in his next over as Hughes was trapped lbw on 0 for a wicket which England gained on review, the ball adjudged to have pitched in line by millimetres.

It was a second close call in England's favour in a matter of minutes. The tide had turned but no further wickets followed so a final session in the Trent Bridge torture chamber was required.

For a match that had 14 wickets on its opening day, a fifth day of play was certainly an unexpected boost to the coffers of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club - and a bargain for the full house.

The capacity crowd had paid just £20 per head and, following a quiet first hour, three quick wickets looked to have put them in a position to cheer England home.

All three wickets were caught by Cook in the slips off the bowling of Anderson. The third catch, which dismissed Siddle, was a fantastic two-handed effort after a big dive to the right and it more than made up for the far more straight-forward effort which he had just put down.

Australia looked just about finished on 231-9, still needing 80 more runs.

But, once again, the Aussies had something extra in the tank and the experienced Brad Haddin showed great confidence in sharing the strike with the new last man Pattinson.

The pair settled quickly and, as Anderson cramped up and Graeme Swann struggled for rhythm, the boundaries started flowing.

On came Steven Finn, an unfortunately benevolent bowler at the best of times, and the raw seamer conceded 15 off the first over of his spell and nine off the second before being pulled off in favour of Broad.

Suddenly, the target was down to 38 - and that reduced again when Pattinson swept Swann over midwicket for six - and then again when Finn's personal nightmare continued with an admittedly tough drop at deep square leg.

England were now visibly panicking, with that Aussie favourite Broad making no attempt to conceal his time-wasting by untying and retying his shoe.

It was a desperate ploy for the lunch interval which England knew they needed to regroup and also get Anderson back on the field of play.

However, Broad's cheeky tactic did not work, though ultimately Swann would finish the extended session by bowling an uneventful maiden, leaving Australia needing to knock off only 20 more.

Back after a 40-minute break, then, and the ball was back in Anderson's hands. A testing maiden showed promise but England were running out of time with Swann still leaking runs at the other end.

Again Anderson applied the pressure, starting his next over with four dot balls.

Then his fifth was a beauty and induced a waft outside of off-stump by Haddin and an appeal led by Prior from behind the stumps.

'Not out' was the verdict from the umpire but England - with two reviews left and only 14 runs left to defend - asked for the shot to be referred.

The faint sound of a nick as the ball passed the bat, and another tiny white mark on HotSpot, convinced third umpire Marias Erasmus that it was out. That it was indeed the wicket which England had been waiting over two hours for.

Anderson had done it. He had secured 10 wickets in a Test match for only a second time, and on the same ground as his first 10-wicket haul, three years ago against Pakistan.

It was the first time that 10 wickets had been taken by a single bowler in an Ashes match since Shane Warne at the Oval in 2005, and the first English bowler to do it in the Ashes for 10 years since Andrew Caddick struck in Sydney.

While we are on statistics, those wickets took Anderson up to third on the all-time list of England wicket takers - above the late, great Fred Trueman, eight shy of Bob Willis, and 66 behind Ian Botham.

Barring serious injury, Anderson will surely finish his career on top of that list, and fittingly become statistically England's greatest ever bowler.

England can be thankful they have him in the side presently, as otherwise this Test would undoubtedly have seen a different result.

Australia revelled in their unusual status as underdogs and their lower-order batmen compensated for the weaknesses further up.

But the tourists do not quite have a bowler like Anderson - and, remember, Bell did end up providing the top score in the Test with his excellent 109.

England just about deserved it, then, though having enjoyed a fair rub of the green as well.

And so the maxim of never changing a winning side may need to be reviewed. For a start, Root currently looks a much better batsman down the order although, admittedly, he did receive a jaffa from Siddle in the first innings.

Definitely, of greater concern, is Middlesex bowler Finn who even looked out of sorts in the field today.

The particularly bad news for him is that there are ready-made replacements on the sidelines in Tim Bresnan and Graham Onions - but Finn's biggest hope tomorrow is that the selectors consider he will feel more comfortable on his home ground.

Yes, there is a quick turnaround between the first two Tests and the Ashes rock up at Lord's on Thursday.

Clearly, the two sides are more evenly-matched than it was previously considered - and England, while still favourites, must beware of an Aussie fightback.

After all, the tourists have already showed plenty of fight over the last five days - and, even if the next five at HQ are half as good, it will still be an absolute blinder.

THE ASHES 2013
FIXTURES

10-14 July	First Test: England 215 & 375 beat Australia 280 & 296 by 14 runs	Trent Bridge
18-22 July	Second Test	Lord's
1-5 August	Third Test	Old Trafford
9-13 August	Fourth Test	Riverside
21-25 August	Fifth Test	The Oval

CENTURIES
109 Ian Bell (England)

FIVE-WICKET HAULS (~ 10 wickets in the match)
5-50 Peter Siddle (Australia)
~5-73 James Anderson (England)
~5-85 James Anderson (England)