The Ashes: What Australia learned from epic contest between our two rivals England and India
A one-handed Chris Woakes came agonisingly close to helping the Poms to a famous series win at the Oval, but Australia's villain Mohammad Siraj crashed the party.
Here are three things we learnt from the two-all series.
Joe Root is as good as he ever has been.
Root tried to reinvent himself around the time of the 2023 Ashes, but has now settled down again and truly found his groove.
He scored another 537 runs this series at an and has now passed Ricky Ponting as the second-leading run-scorer in Test cricket history.
The knock on Root is that he has never scored a ton in Australia. But good luck stopping him this time.
He has better players around him than he has since he was fresh to the side and this will be his fourth tour Down Under. He's had enough time to figure it out.
As David Warner pointed out this week – he is susceptible to the ball that nips back into his pads – but right now he is the form batter in the world.
England have gone all in on this Ashes series by building genuine depth in their pace stocks.
They want to meet Australia with fire this week and will bring rapid-quick trio Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Brydon Carse if they can all stay fit. But Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue have now strung some good Test cricket together. Jamie Overton was picked at the Oval, but their big quicks should push him and Woakes out of the side.
If Australia is gettable, they're gettable at the top of the order.
Mohammed Siraj is now more than just Jasprit Bumrah's understudy. It would be fair enough for Aussie fans to remember him as a bit of a fake tough guy who battled during our home summer.
But Siraj genuinely broke out in this series. He was brilliant across the final two days of the fifth Test and was comfortably the best bowler in the series. He took nine wickets at the Oval to be named player of the match, including a monster 30-over effort to win the match.
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West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
The Ashes: What Australia learned from epic contest between our two rivals England and India
England's epic series against India finished in some of the most dramatic scenes cricket has ever seen on Monday evening. A one-handed Chris Woakes came agonisingly close to helping the Poms to a famous series win at the Oval, but Australia's villain Mohammad Siraj crashed the party. Here are three things we learnt from the two-all series. Joe Root is as good as he ever has been. Root tried to reinvent himself around the time of the 2023 Ashes, but has now settled down again and truly found his groove. He scored another 537 runs this series at an and has now passed Ricky Ponting as the second-leading run-scorer in Test cricket history. The knock on Root is that he has never scored a ton in Australia. But good luck stopping him this time. He has better players around him than he has since he was fresh to the side and this will be his fourth tour Down Under. He's had enough time to figure it out. As David Warner pointed out this week – he is susceptible to the ball that nips back into his pads – but right now he is the form batter in the world. England have gone all in on this Ashes series by building genuine depth in their pace stocks. They want to meet Australia with fire this week and will bring rapid-quick trio Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Brydon Carse if they can all stay fit. But Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue have now strung some good Test cricket together. Jamie Overton was picked at the Oval, but their big quicks should push him and Woakes out of the side. If Australia is gettable, they're gettable at the top of the order. Mohammed Siraj is now more than just Jasprit Bumrah's understudy. It would be fair enough for Aussie fans to remember him as a bit of a fake tough guy who battled during our home summer. But Siraj genuinely broke out in this series. He was brilliant across the final two days of the fifth Test and was comfortably the best bowler in the series. He took nine wickets at the Oval to be named player of the match, including a monster 30-over effort to win the match.
The Australian
5 hours ago
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England captain Ben Stokes on the Ashes availability of seamer Chris Woakes
A specialist will determine the Ashes availability of wounded Englishman Chris Woakes after his brave attempt to secure victory against India. Woakes dislocated his shoulder early in the fifth Test at the Oval but courageously walked to the crease with his arm in a sling on day five. He didn't face a ball but was prepared to counter the Mohammed Siraj-inspired Indian attack left handed. Despite struggling in Australia – averaging 51 with the ball Down Under – Woakes would still be one of England's first-choice quicks for the upcoming Ashes. England captain Ben Stokes said Woakes was yet to see a specialist as he remained intent on seeing out the fifth Test. But that specialist would decide whether the 36-year-old pushed a case for the first Test in November at Perth Stadium. 'You obviously don't get that chance (to see a specialist) with a game going on, so that (availability for the Ashes) won't be known until later,' Stokes said. Chris Woakes leaves the field after attempting to bat one handed. Picture:)\ Woakes did not bat in the first innings but walked to the middle when England needed 17 to win the Test match. He followed the courageous efforts of Graeme Smith, Nathan Lyon, Dean Jones and Rick McCosker who have all batted under extreme duress. Stokes said he had no doubt Woakes would bat if required and claimed it emblematic of the unrelenting series. 'Unbelievable, but it was never going to be a question for him to be out there, he was in a lot of discomfort running between the wickets there,' Stokes said. Ben Stokes (right) commiserates with Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes. Picture:'We've had guys go out, Rishabh (Pant) going out and batting with a broken foot, Bash (Bashir) bowling and fielding with a broken finger. 'Then Chris going out there today trying to get the team over the line with a recently dislocated shoulder. 'It just goes back to how much energy and effort has been put into the series by both teams, everyone has left a lot out on the grounds for their country this series. 'I didn't give him a chance to give him a tap on the back and say, 'Go well', but coming off there it was pretty obvious what was said. '(I said) 'Good effort' and unbelievable, he just shrugged his shoulder and said, 'I wouldn't do anything else'.' Tyler Lewis Sports reporter Tyler Lewis is a sports reporter based in Melbourne's south east. @tmlew_ Tyler Lewis
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8 hours ago
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Wounded Woakes' Ashes availability unclear
A specialist will determine the Ashes availability of wounded Englishman Chris Woakes after his brave attempt to secure victory against India. Woakes dislocated his shoulder early in the fifth Test at the Oval but courageously walked to the crease with his arm in a sling on day five. He didn't face a ball but was prepared to counter the Mohammed Siraj-inspired Indian attack left handed. Despite struggling in Australia – averaging 51 with the ball Down Under – Woakes would still be one of England's first-choice quicks for the upcoming Ashes. England captain Ben Stokes said Woakes was yet to see a specialist as he remained intent on seeing out the fifth Test. But that specialist would decide whether the 36-year-old pushed a case for the first Test in November at Perth Stadium. 'You obviously don't get that chance (to see a specialist) with a game going on, so that (availability for the Ashes) won't be known until later,' Stokes said. Woakes did not bat in the first innings but walked to the middle when England needed 17 to win the Test match. He followed the courageous efforts of Graeme Smith, Nathan Lyon, Dean Jones and Rick McCosker who have all batted under extreme duress. Stokes said he had no doubt Woakes would bat if required and claimed it emblematic of the unrelenting series. 'Unbelievable, but it was never going to be a question for him to be out there, he was in a lot of discomfort running between the wickets there,' Stokes said. 'We've had guys go out, Rishabh (Pant) going out and batting with a broken foot, Bash (Bashir) bowling and fielding with a broken finger. 'Then Chris going out there today trying to get the team over the line with a recently dislocated shoulder. 'It just goes back to how much energy and effort has been put into the series by both teams, everyone has left a lot out on the grounds for their country this series. 'I didn't give him a chance to give him a tap on the back and say, 'Go well', but coming off there it was pretty obvious what was said. '(I said) 'Good effort' and unbelievable, he just shrugged his shoulder and said, 'I wouldn't do anything else'.'
