Australia completed the day five formalities to record a resounding Ashes statement with a 10-wicket victory over a flagging England in the first Test at the Gabba on Monday (November 27).
The increasingly confident hosts completed the job an hour into day five with David Warner unbeaten on 87 and Cameron Bancroft 82 not out.
Starting at 114/0, Australia needed just 56 runs for victory and there was anticipation Warner – starting on 60 – could provide some pyrotechnics and produce a memorable finish with an electrifying century. However, amid this staid Test match reminiscent of a bygone era, there were no fireworks early with England spearheads James Anderson and Stuart Broad keeping it tight in a bid to save some face after a disastrous day four for the tourists.
Wearing a black arm band on the third anniversary of Phil Hughes’s tragic death, Warner looked up to the sky when he reached 63 – the score Hughes was on when he was fatally struck by a bouncer in a Sheffield Shield match.
After being thrust into the headlines overnight due to allegations of being involved in an altercation with England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow last month in a Perth bar, Bancroft looked typically unruffled and in no hurry to put the foot on the accelerator.
With the end in sight, Warner attacked but stopped short of another century to start the Australian summer but looks in imperious form in a pointed message to England.
There were clouds above and a hint of precipitation but not the type of storm needed for England to conjure a miracle. Only a small smattering of spectators came for the finale -mainly comprised of the unwavering Barmy Army, who made the most of the gold coin donation entry.
The one-sided scoreline perhaps flattered the hosts after a dogfight of an opening three days but underlined Australia’s envious firepower and ability to quickly shift gears.
The victory continued Australia’s incredible record at their beloved Gabba, which stretches 29 years since a Test defeat, and ended the ground’s iconic curator Kevin Mitchell Jr’s 27-year tenure on a successful note even though the pitch was uncharacteristically slow and soft.
Despite enduring a sluggish start and combating a gritty opponent, Australia still managed an overwhelming victory and will head into the historic day-night Test in Adelaide starting on December 2 with an unwavering belief.
For England, after such a gallant start, it was a bitter defeat and the wheels are seemingly falling off both on-and-off the pitch for the beleaguered tourists in what looms as an already formidable challenge to get back into the series.
Brief Scores
England 302 &195 lost to
Australia 328 & 173/0 (David Warner 87*, Cameron Bancroft 82*) by 10 wickets
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