LONDON, 13 July 2005 — Australia, with the irrepressible Adam Gilchrist back at center stage, completed a timely Ashes warning by routing England by eight wickets to win their one-day series 2-1 yesterday.
With the first Test just over a week away, the world champions produced a clinical performance, first to restrict England to 228 for seven, then to win with 15.1 overs to spare.
Gilchrist, owing his teammates more than a hard-hit cameo, blitzed 121 not out, his highest score of the English summer. He scored his runs off 101 balls, hitting two sixes and 17 fours.
Jason Gillespie, though, was as much a cherry on top of the Australian cake. Woefully off color and struggling for form, the fast bowler bounced back with three for 44, including the wicket of Kevin Pietersen.
Pietersen, the one England highlight and hoping to be selected for the first Test at Lord’s starting next Thursday, made 74 off 84 balls, including two sixes, before going off the field during Australia’s reply with a groin strain.
Australia, beaten in the series opener at Headingley, outclassed their hosts at Lord’s on Sunday and repeated the dose at The Oval yesterday.
England, put in and tied down, lost five wickets for 49 to slump to 93 for six, forcing Michael Vaughan to replace pace bowler Simon Jones, who had yet to get on the field, with ‘supersub’ batsman Vikram Solanki. The ploy reduced English blushes just a shade, Solanki making 53 not out and putting on 93 with Pietersen to give the home side a total to defend.
But Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden soon made a nonsense of the contest. When Hayden lashed three fours off Darren Gough’s second over, Gilchrist trumped him with four tracer-bullet boundaries off the next from Steve Harmison.
The pair scored 45 in the first five overs — England had taken 13 overs to get to 44 for two — and got to 91 before Hayden, on 31, edged Gough behind.
Gilchrist just carried on. At times, he seems to obey different rules compared to other batsmen. Holding the bat right at the top of the handle, he swung at everything and everything seemed to go for four, whether off the middle, the splice or the edge. Ponting, meanwhile, who made a century at Lord’s on Sunday, also looked back to his best. Two shots, consecutive needle-threading on-drives for four off Andrew Flintoff, said it all. He made 44 off 43 balls before being stumped off Ashley Giles.
For England, there were few consolations. Their top three, who will fill the same places in the Tests, were again dominated by Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath. Marcus Trescothick made a duck, upper-cutting Lee tamely to third man, while Andrew Strauss feathered Michael Kasprowicz behind for 36. Michael Vaughan, after a couple of fine cover drives, risked a single to Ponting at backward point and was run out by a direct hit. England were even offered two let-offs, when Vaughan was missed at fine leg by Gillespie off a top-edged pull off McGrath — who had begun with four maidens — while Strauss was temporarily reprieved when Gilchrist let the ball slip through his gloves from another top edge.
England’s attack also looked threadbare. Harmison was clattered for 81 runs off 9.5 overs, conceding 13 fours, Giles’ left-arm spin was hoofed for 64 while Gough’s days as an international cricketer must be numbered. The 34-year-old’s opening two-over spell cost 21, his second two-over spell 16 and he was not asked back.
