England’s cricketers have won a Test series in Australia for the first time in 24 years to complete an historic defense of the Ashes trophy.
The rampaging visitors concluded their triumph Friday in Sydney, winning the fifth and final Test of the series by an innings and 83 runs after amassing 644 runs.
It’s the highest single-innings score ever by an English team in a Test match in Australia.
England overwhelmed their arch-rivals in three Tests, winning each by an innings, the most decisive manner of victory in cricket. Australia won one Test, and the other was drawn.
The hosts started the final day with only three wickets left and needing another 151 runs to make England bat again.
Steven Smith and Peter Siddle showed some resistance with an 86-run eighth-wicket partnership before Siddle was caught off the bowling of Graeme Swann for 43.
Ben Hilfenhaus fell to James Anderson, caught behind for seven, giving the England paceman the last of his leading 24 wickets in the series.
Debutant Michael Beer was the final Australian wicket to fall, bowled by Chris Tremlett for two to spark scenes of celebration in the England camp.
Captain Andrew Strauss hailed their achievement after lifting a replica of the famous Ashes urn.
“It feels pretty special,” said Strauss. “Now we have done it, I think we can give a big sigh of relief and be very proud of what we have achieved, because not many sides have come out here and won — and certainly not many as emphatically as we did in the end. It’s a dressing room full of pride.”
British Prime Minister David Cameron was among those to pay tribute to Strauss’ side.
“Retaining the Ashes was a fantastic achievement, but winning the series really is the icing on the cake,” Cameron said.
“We’ve seen some great sporting moments over the series and the team have provided us with some brilliant memories that I’m sure fans will talk about for years to come. The whole country is incredibly proud of them.”
In a rivalry that started in 1877, England and Australia play for the Ashes every two years, alternating between the two countries.
Because the English team had won the previous Ashes series in England in 2009, they retained the trophy once they had an unbeatable 2-1 lead in the current series with only the Sydney Test remaining.
But the English players, on top with both bat and ball, hammered home their dominance to wrap up the series with a 3-1 victory.
England batsman Alastair Cook was announced as the best player of the series. He scored 766 runs, including a double century in the drawn first Test in Brisbane and 189 runs in the first innings in Sydney.
The Ashes date back to 1882, when Australia beat England on UK soil for the first time and a British newspaper ran a tongue-in-cheek “obituary” saying cricket had died and the body would be cremated and the ashes sent to Australia.
The original urn is now displayed in the museum at Lord’s cricket ground in London.
Source:CNN
