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Third Ashes Test, Perth (day four):
Australia 268 & 309 beat England 187 & 123 by 267 runs
Match scorecard
Australia needed just 50 minutes on the fourth day to take England's last five wickets and wrap up a 267-run win in the third Ashes Test at the Waca.
The emphatic victory levels the five-match series at 1-1, with the contest moving to Melbourne on Boxing Day.
Ryan Harris finished with a Test-best 6-47 as England were all out for 123.
The tourists resumed at 81-5, seeking an unlikely 391 to win in Perth, but Harris took four of the last five wickets and England folded meekly.
Having produced some disappointing cricket on days two and three, and in a hopeless position overnight, there was little indication England had much appetite to force the game as far as lunch on Sunday.
Australia had endured some sticky moments in a match they simply had to win - crashing to 69-5 on day one before their eventual 268 looked certain to be surpassed when Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook put on 78 for the first wicket in England's reply.
But from the moment Cook was dismissed by Mitchell Johnson on Friday morning, Australia dominated affairs to an ominous degree - so much so that England began day four rated 50-1 no-hopers to pull off a shock victory.
Even those odds looked generous once Harris and Johnson began to work over an unusually tentative James Anderson, who had come in as England's night-watchman late on day three.
In the fourth over of the morning, undecided whether to come forward or back, Anderson was clean bowled by Harris.
It began a depressing sequence: Ian Bell hit some typically pleasing shots before attempting to hit Harris across the line and missing. As the ball thudded into his pads off a full length, he was obviously lbw to a delivery that would have knocked out middle stump - but England reviewed the decision in desperation as Strauss looked on ruefully from the dressing room balcony.
Matt Prior had looked suspect against the short ball in both innings in Perth and three balls after removing Bell, Harris had his third victim of the day thanks to a ball of extra pace when the England wicket-keeper was caught by Mike Hussey at gully off the shoulder of his bat.
The end came quickly. Swann interrupted the sequence of Harris wickets, aiming an ambitious drive at Johnson which crashed into his stumps off a crooked inside edge, and Steven Finn's edge off Harris was comfortably taken by Steve Smith at third slip.
Listen to commentary highlights from day four (UK users only)
TMS podcast: Agnew and Boycott's review (available worldwide)
Print Sponsor
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Australia 268 & 309 beat England 187 & 123 by 267 runs
Match scorecard
Australia needed just 50 minutes on the fourth day to take England's last five wickets and wrap up a 267-run win in the third Ashes Test at the Waca.
The emphatic victory levels the five-match series at 1-1, with the contest moving to Melbourne on Boxing Day.
Ryan Harris finished with a Test-best 6-47 as England were all out for 123.
The tourists resumed at 81-5, seeking an unlikely 391 to win in Perth, but Harris took four of the last five wickets and England folded meekly.
Having produced some disappointing cricket on days two and three, and in a hopeless position overnight, there was little indication England had much appetite to force the game as far as lunch on Sunday.
Australia had endured some sticky moments in a match they simply had to win - crashing to 69-5 on day one before their eventual 268 looked certain to be surpassed when Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook put on 78 for the first wicket in England's reply.
But from the moment Cook was dismissed by Mitchell Johnson on Friday morning, Australia dominated affairs to an ominous degree - so much so that England began day four rated 50-1 no-hopers to pull off a shock victory.
Even those odds looked generous once Harris and Johnson began to work over an unusually tentative James Anderson, who had come in as England's night-watchman late on day three.
In the fourth over of the morning, undecided whether to come forward or back, Anderson was clean bowled by Harris.
It began a depressing sequence: Ian Bell hit some typically pleasing shots before attempting to hit Harris across the line and missing. As the ball thudded into his pads off a full length, he was obviously lbw to a delivery that would have knocked out middle stump - but England reviewed the decision in desperation as Strauss looked on ruefully from the dressing room balcony.
Matt Prior had looked suspect against the short ball in both innings in Perth and three balls after removing Bell, Harris had his third victim of the day thanks to a ball of extra pace when the England wicket-keeper was caught by Mike Hussey at gully off the shoulder of his bat.
The end came quickly. Swann interrupted the sequence of Harris wickets, aiming an ambitious drive at Johnson which crashed into his stumps off a crooked inside edge, and Steven Finn's edge off Harris was comfortably taken by Steve Smith at third slip.
Listen to commentary highlights from day four (UK users only)
TMS podcast: Agnew and Boycott's review (available worldwide)
Print Sponsor
Powered by WizardRSS | Work At Home Jobs