Australia Pull off Perth Win; England Lose Ashes Momentum

By Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

In a span of three days, the Ashes dreams have been laid to rest. England must now toil all over again to not only build the aura but also, the momentum that propelled them to stupendous success only last week at the Adelaide Oval. Australia still have problems after winning in Perth but they now have confidence to tackle them.

Australia know what their weaknesses are. And they have overcome one in Mitchell Johnson. Johnson had once famously stated that sledging was key to his confidence. Anyone who needed to know where Johnson’s confidence lay need only have looked to the reaction with James Anderson while the former was batting.

Johnson’s confidence perhaps also lies in his ability to believe he is an all rounder. That would explain how sixty-two runs translated into a runaway train that wrecked the tracks on which England were steadily  moving along. It would seem rather than Mitchell Johnson’s regained and renewed efforts, it was a combination of disciplined Australian bowling combined with a complacent England that translated into a jolt of a defeat for the visitors who had hoped that WACA would be the place where the third Test win would ensure that England retained the Ashes urn.

As it turns out, England committed a couple of serious crimes. Even with their foot on the throat of Australia’s batting order, they have not come up with the solution to keep Michael Hussey down like the rest and in that, two innings have seen Hussey feature prominently in where England find themselves after three days and an hour into the third Test. 

England’s batting has seen plenty of heroics in the first two Tests but it would appear that England either failed to put in the hard work prior to the third Test knowing the WACA experience or simply got carried away by the momentum that rapidly accelerated in the course of the Adelaide Test.

Either way, England missed the opportunity to enjoy the laurels of the first two sessions of the third Test and instead it was Johnson and Ryan Harris that have become the standout bowlers, this despite the fact that England had Australia reeling. It just shows how England let this one slip away. Unfortunately for England though, it is not just a slip of one Test but of the heroism and inspiration they built through the drama of the Brisbane Test that generated the euphoria around the Adelaide Test success. Now they have been brought down with a thud. If they are to indeed claim that the history of the Ashes urn is to take a decisive turn, they need to show they can do it again, after being handed a low and allowed the team playing below par to now have caught up with them with a point to prove and courage to back themselves, courtesy of the win.