The Ashes- England v Australia fifth Test day two tea report

Aug 21 2009

England enjoyed one of the greatest sessions in their long history here this afternoon, turning what had looked like a horror story into an Ashes fairytale.
At 61 for none going into the afternoon session, Australia had looked to be squeezing he life out of England's Ashes dream. But just a couple of hours later, their first innings was in tatters at 133 for eight. A lead of not much under 200 runs now looks a likely prospect, and that ought to be decisive on this rapidly disintegrating pitch.
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The sight of an Australian scorecard that featured five consecutive single-figure scores from the middle-order was enough to make most English viewers wonder if they were dreaming.
So, too, was the appearance of Stuart Broad's name five times on that scorecard. Before this match, Broad's strike-rate in Test cricket stood at a wicket every 11 overs. Here he stopped Australia in their tracks by claiming the first four victims in the space of 18 balls.
The tourists had come out after the lunchtime rain showers with the score on 61 for no wicket, and the prospects of an England victory looking increasingly slim. The opening partnership lasted only another few minutes before Broad was brought into the attack and struck with his sixth ball, pinning Shane Watson palpably lbw.
The appeal, ironically, was almost identical to the one that Andrew Flintoff had had against Watson in the sixth over. But the umpire this time was Billy Bowden, rather than Asad Rauf, and the decision was smartly given.
Now Australia's freefall started. Ricky Ponting was seriously discomfited by Broad, who was finding all sorts of variation: uneven bounce, seam off the wicket, and swing through the air.
An attempted back-foot defence resulted in disaster for the tourists' captain, who played the ball down off his inside edge onto the stumps.
Mike Hussey followed just three balls later, lbw to one that swung back as he looked to play no stroke. At the rate Hussey is going, he could easily be the scapegoat if Australia go on to lose this series.
Then it was the turn of Michael Clarke, who was cleverly out-thought by the use of a short cover. Clarke is inclined to surge forward aggressively when the ball is wide of his off-stump, and on this occasion he drove loosely to Jonathan Trott, who claimed a fine low catch.
Graeme Swann now got in on the act, dismissing Marcus North and Simon Katich - the top-scorer with a round 50 - in consecutive overs.
For his first strike, Swann enjoyed a little assistance from the hapless umpire Rauf. North played forward and got a huge inside-edge onto his pad, only to be given out lbw. The batsman did well to contain his reaction to a disbelieving smile.
There was no doubt about the wicket of Katich, who was held of bat and pad at short-leg, nor Haddin, who lost his off-stump to a late outswinger from Broad. That completed one of the most influential five-wicket hauls in the history of Ashes cricket, up there with Frank Tyson in 1952-53 or Richard Ellison in 1985. Not bad for a bloke who has often struggled to get the ball off the straight.
Swann added one more victim, having Mitchell Johnson well taken behind the stumps for 11, before the players walked off for tea. England must have felt they were floating on air, though they need to get their heads together to finish the job off. If they fail to win the Ashes from here, they will never be able to show their faces in public again.