Johnson, who fired Australia to their only Ashes Test win
on the same ground, ripped the heart out of the England batting with the key
wickets of Jonathan Trott (14), Kevin Pietersen (26) and Ian Bell (8) as the
tourists chased 280 for victory.
England, who arrived in Perth for the Ashes tour on Oct.
30, looked like a team at the end of a long, grueling summer and, despite a
bright unbeaten 60 from Michael Yardy, labored to 222 all out in 44 overs.
The tourists were already struggling by the time Johnson
hit his stride with Andrew Strauss finishing his last match against Australia
on this tour as he started the first - with dismissal for a duck in the opening
over of his team's innings.
Shaun Tait took away the top of the England skipper's off
stump with a fizzing second ball, a delivery fewer than it took Ben Hilfenhaus
to dismiss Strauss in the first Ashes Test at the Gabba.
Steven Davies, a surprise omission from the England World
Cup squad, failed to embarrass the selectors by following his skipper to the
changing room with a six-ball duck in the next over.
Johnson, so often the object of derision from England
supporters over the campaign, then took charge with his impressive 3-18, while
Tait chimed in with 3-48 and spinner Jason Krejza did his World Cup hopes no
harm with 2-53.
Australia had made a pedestrian start to their innings
before Adam Voges and David Hussey both hit half centuries and shared a
partnership of 95 to bring the match to life.
Local Voges, a late call-up after Australia decided to
rest captain Michael Clarke and Shane Watson, rattled off an unbeaten 80 from
72 balls with Hussey notching 60 at a run-a-ball.
Their partnership was ended when Hussey was caught by
Bell after getting a leading edge to a Liam Plunkett delivery - one of two
wickets for the seamer who was flown in from the West Indies after a rash of
injuries to England bowlers.
Johnson had a short but eventful knock of 26, being
dropped by both James Anderson and Steve Finn before Matt Prior, relieved of his
wicketkeeping duties in favor of Davies for the match, caught him superbly on
the boundary.
Finn had earlier cleverly caught opener Brad Haddin for
27, throwing the ball into the air as he tumbled back over the boundary rope
before recovering to take the catch infield.
Anderson completed his last bowling assignment of the
long and mostly successful tour of Australia with 3-48, including the wicket of
John Hastings who had dislocated a finger in the warm-up.
Australia's domination of the one-day series will in no
way make up for losing the Ashes on home soil for the first time in 24 years
but will give the triple defending champions confidence ahead of the
forthcoming World Cup.
