Fifth Test, day four (close): England (332 and 373-9 dec) beat Australia (160 & 348) by 197 runs to win the Ashes at the Oval.
England have regained the Ashes. Australia’s defiance ended at 5.48pm with England completing a 197 run victory to spark loud scenes of celebration and jubilation at The Oval.
Mike Hussey scored a dogged 121 as Australia lived up to their promise of having a “crack” at their history making target of 546 to win.
But in the end they ran out of batsmen and England cut through the tension in south London to regain the urn surrendered in the whirl of an Ashes whitewash two years ago.
Andrew Strauss now joins Michael Vaughan as an England Ashes winning captain while Ricky Ponting’s glorious career will always have one big black mark. Today he became the first Australian captain since Billy Murdoch more than a century ago to lose two Ashes series in England.
His fate was sealed when Graeme Swann took his fourth wicket of the day dismissing Hussey when he flicked a catch to short leg.
But really Ponting’s destiny was fulfilled when he took a risky single to Andrew Flintoff and was run out for 66. It was a brilliant innings by Ponting but ended tamely. Ball watching at the non-striker’s end Ponting was short of his ground when Australia gambled on a sluggish Flintoff. He picked the ball up one handed and threw down the stumps. Fred knew he had his man. Arms aloft as the crowd went wild, Flintoff’s only contribution to this match was a telling one.
When Shane Watson and Simon Katich were dismissed in the morning England promised to make short work of Australia. But Ponting and Hussey put on 127 for the third wicket although Collingwood missed the Australian captain at slip.
Australia had not had a batsman run out all series but then two came along in the space of five balls. Clarke, their best player in this series, was next to go run out by Strauss at leg gully for a duck.
Clarke clipped a ball from Swann into the leg side but the deflection off Ian Bell at short leg went straight to Strauss and his throw from close range beat a scrambling Clarke. Television replays confirmed he was out by millimetres.
Swann took his second wicket of the day when Marcus North was superbly stumped by Matt Prior and at 236 for five surely it was game over and time for a party.
But no. Brad Haddin attacked and Hussey continued to accumulate reaching a hundred that may well be enough to save a Test career that had been in sharp decline.
He had his lucky moments being beaten countless times by Swann and dropped by Coillingwood at slip off the same bowler on 55.
But it was a deserved century off 219 balls and he thanked the heavens when he reached three figures. Haddin’s positive play brought a flurry of runs when the new ball was taken but he eventually mis-timed a drive over the leg side and was caught by Strauss back pedalling at mid on to end a 91 run stand.
Mitchell Johnson swished outside off and eventually gave Collingwood a chance to attune for earlier drops and Peter Siddle was squared up by Harmison and got a leading edge to Flintoff at mid-off.
Stuart Clark fended his first ball to short leg but Ben HIlfenhaus dug out Harmison’s hat-trick ball and it was left to Swann to complete the job.
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