Finally, a victory in front of their team’s name for England’s beleagured cricket team.
The total dominance by Australia in their own backyard finally came to an end after 14 years and over 5,400 days as England finally won an Ashes Test in Australia, that too a Boxing Day one in front of a jam-packed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The win came a bit too late, with the Ashes urn sitting pretty in Australia’s trophy cabinet. However, what did stand out for the Three Lions was the heartning show by some of the squad’s younger members, Together, some notable faces of England’s ‘gen-next’ served a nice after-Christmas present to senior stalwarts skipper Ben Stokes and Joe Root, who have for so long been England’s go to men.
The ‘Bazball’ mantra of aggression, and not playing for ‘boring draws’ was being trashed while some of their players’ personal life was also brought into public sphere, with videos of opener Ben Duckett and rising all-rounder Jacob Bethell allegedly indulging in partying during their Noosa trip following Brisbane loss emerging on social media. Even the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the team’s managing director, Rob Key, had taken notice of that.It was here that character stood out. Firts up, ‘Player of the Match’ Josh Tongue. On a pitch that was laid out for the quicks, he took full advantage from ball one with Gus Atkinson bowling in tandem. Tongue tied Australian batters with his tough line and lengths, getting the key wickets of an aggressive Jake Weatherald and batting maintsays Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne within barely first hour of play, leaving them at 51/4.
Tongue’s most prized scalp was of Smith, getting him out for third time in as many meetings, with the Aussie legend averaging less than 12 against the 28-year-old. Just when a seventh-wicket partnership from Cameron Green (17) and Michael Neser (35) looked threatening, a rocket throw from Brydon Carse dimmed Australia’s fight again, and they were restricted to just 152 in 45.2 overs.Tongue walked off the pitch to a massive applause from the Barmy Army after taking England’s first five-wicket haul during a Boxing Day Test at Melbourne in the 21st century, with Darren Gough and Dean Hedley having done that back in 1998.
After finishing as leading wicket-taker against India in the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy (19 scalps in three matches at an average of 29.05), Tongue made a statement for the ages in cricket’s oldest rivalry. For someone who had struggled he achieved something he could live happily with.Following the match, during the post-match proceedings, Tongue admitted that his injury battle had left him contemplating retirement.
“I was in a tough situation with my body and stuff. I was potentially retiring, but I am glad that I put in the hard work to get myself back playing cricket and now playing for England, it is all that I have always wanted to do,” he said.”To win here at the MCG, Boxing Day Test, I cannot be happy enough,” he added.
Having captured 12 wickets already in two Tests at an average just shy of 19 with a four-fer and five-for each, Tongue’s strike rate is the best-ever by an English bowler in Australia during a series (amongst bowlers having bowled 300 deliveries minimum).If Tongue manages to stay injury-free and experiences improvements in fitness, he has it in him to make a trip or two in Australia for the Ashes. Known for ability to wipe off the tail really quick and for a knack to pick up big names, Tongue could no doubt be an asset against arch-rivals like India and Australia, having pocketed wickets of David Warner, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul across these two sides. 43 Test scalps, two four-fer and three five-fors across eight Tests, 16 innings at an average of 26.81 is proof of his lethality.
While England were tottering at 16/4 in their first innings against a fired-up Michael Neser (4/45), aiming to make most of his fourth Test appearance in as many years and the local lad Scott Boland, it was Harry Brook, launching Mitchell Starc for a six dancing down the pitch that set the ball rolling for the Test victoru. While Brook was trapped lbw for a 34-ball 41 (two fours and two sixes) by Boland, knocks from him and Gus Atkinson (28) saved England from disgrace as the trail of 42 runs was managable, even if being dismissed for just 110 in a session worth of play was embarassing.While Brook has been guilty straying from conventional cricket, he still is the fifth-highest run-getter in the series with 232 runs in four matches at an average of 33.14, with a half-century.
While comparisons to England’s great Kevin Pietersen for his audacious shotmaking, might sound ill-timed, Brook has still shown glimpses of being the one who could be the ‘disruptor’ like KP. Already averaging almost 55 with 10 Test tons in 34 matches at the age of 26, Brook is a work in progress who has age by his side to either go the ‘Root way’ ‘Pietersen way’ or find that healthy balance. It was only fitting that it was this likely “face of next-gen” England top-order who had the strike while getting the winning runs.During the second Australia innings, Carse (4/34), Tongue (2/44), and skipper Stokes (3/24) snapped Australia back. There were no big partnerships this around, as once Carse got Travis (46 in 62 balls, with four boundaries), Steve Smith (24* in 39 balls, with a four) was left a mute spectator, with his hands tied as wickets fell at the other end and his wait for a big Ashes ton continued. There was no crisis management from Alex Carey (4) as England skittled out Aussies for just 132 and left them to reflect on the more vulnerable nature of their batting.
With Australia setting 175 for England, Zak Crawley (37 in 48 balls, with three fours and a six) and Ben Duckett (34 in 26 balls, with four boundaries), delivered a half-century stand. While Duckett’s knock was cut shot by Mitchell Starc, who got him for 4th time this series, he had played an extremely crucial knock in the context of everything that transpired before the Test match, even it was a simple, 30-odd on the scoreboard.In arrived 22-year-old Jacob Bethell, the southpaw hailed as England’s next ‘starboy’ by fans. His silk-smooth drives and overall knock, including an audacious reverse ramp against Boland displayed the “conviction” needed for a win.
While the same aggressive, positive intent cut short his stay at 46-ball 40, England were brought to the brink of a famous win. It was only a matter of time that Jamie Smith (3*) and Brook (18*) brought some cheer to their fans. Despite no notable contributions besides his century at Brisbane, Joe Root found fulfilment on this tour, with a Test century in Australia and the taste of a victory on Aussie soil, that too a Boxing Day Test.Speaking after the win, Root was mighty pleased with Bethell, saying, “Outstanding. The conviction that he played with, the smarts that he had using the crease, making it difficult for the ball to hold length. It takes bravery, it takes courage, and it takes a lot of skill to execute as well as he did. It was outstanding. It’s why I think he’s going to have such a bright future in international cricket.”
Bethell has looked extremely settled and way more poised in his short number three stint so far, with 261 runs in four matches and seven innings, averaging in the early 40s, strike rate in the 70s and three fifties, way better than Root, who made 201 runs, averaging 28.71 with a fifty during his first seven outings at number three early in his career.Following the match, Bethell, expressed his disappointment at not being able to finish the game, but sees this knock as “something he can build on for the rest of his career.”
“I think it is about taking confidence, learning from the moments that went well, and understanding what worked under pressure. Hopefully, it is something I can build on for the rest of my career” he said.On the other hand, skipper Stokes hyped Tongue’s wicket-taking gift following the match.
“He has just got that natural wicket-taking ability that is so hard to come by. He should be very, very proud of the way that he’s operated this game. Bowled some long, big spells, and he has also backed it up,” he said as quoted by ICC.As the series heads to Sydney for one last New Year Test, one can see how England’s new generation has outclassed the veterans, with Crawley (256 in eight innings at an average of 32.00, two fifties), Brook (232 runs in eight innings at an average of 33.14, with a fifty) being more consistent in their output than Root (with his major chunk of 234 runs being the 138* at Brisbane) and Stokes (183 runs in eight innings at 22.87 with two fifties).
In absence of injured Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, Tongue (12 wickets in two matches at 18.98) and Carse (19 wickets in four matches at 25.57), would only get more exposure and lessons in coming years untill England returns to Aussie shores after the 2027 home Ashes.With injuries/age not on side of Archer, Wood and Stokes, Tongue and Carse, along with 27-year-old Atkinson, could be seen more often in frontlines in coming years. With fast bowlers having a short shelf life, it would take a miracle to see Stokes, Wood and perhaps Archer to catch another Ashes flight to Australia.
Whether England walk out with a more respectable 3-2 scoreline or with different numbers, these key performances from England’s gen-next has broken a jinx and proved that a win in Australia is, after all, not an impossible task.