Aus vs Eng: 5th Test, Ashes 2021-22: Wood's 6-37 goes in vain as Eng batters succumb; Aus win 4-0

Travis Head receives player of the match for first innings hundred and player of the series for 357 runs.

Aus vs Eng: 5th Test, Ashes 2021-22: Mark Wood's 6-37 goes in vain as England batters succumb; Australia win Ashes 4-0

Australia beat England in Hobart and win Ashes 2021-22 by 4-0 (©GettyImages)

Brief scorers – Australia 303 & 155 (Alex Carey 49; Mark Wood 6-37) Vs England 188 and 124 (Zak Crawley 36; Scott Boland 3-18) Australia won by 146 runs.

The five-day Pink Ball Test Match ends in just three days. Australia was out for 155 runs to set a target of 270 runs. But Green, Boland, and Cummins collapsed England's middle order.

The visitors scored just 124 runs in the run chase, and they lost by a margin of 146 runs to hand Australia the Test series by a margin of 4-0.

Mark Wood takes a six-wicket haul and bundles the Aussies for just 155 in their second innings

Australia needed a commanding performance on day three to set up a good score on the Board. Steve Smith and the night watchman Scott Boland needed to put pressure on England. But nothing worked for the home team as the England bowlers started their morning beautifully. The visitors kept on picking regular wickets to stumble the Aussies.

The night watchman, Boland, was the first one to depart for just eight runs. Mark Wood, who wasn't that aggressive nor lethal earlier. But he paved his way back to bring England on top. The seam bowler used the short deliveries effectively against the in-form Australian batters.

After losing three quick wickets for just 33 runs in the last session of the second day's play. Australia started their day three with Mark Wood taking the wicket of Boland.

England's Wood took the centurion of the first innings. Wood was on the mark with another short ball. Travis Head edged it and scored just eight runs.

Steven Smith was the man to take the Aussies forward. Australia reached the fifty run mark. But they also lost five crucial wickets, and Mar Wood was on song in the morning session. The new vice-captain of the Aussies team needed to be consolidated. But he tried to be aggressive and lost another wicket on the short delivery.

Despite being a good pull short player, Smith couldn't keep the short ball down the ground. Dawid Malan caught him at fine leg region as the ball didn’t go the distance. Smith was dismissed for 27 runs, and Australia was reeling at 6-63. England had a great start, and they picked up two more in the morning to hurt the Aussies.

Australian innings folded quickly after lunch as the first two sessions went the England’s way

Australia had a 49 run stand between Carey and Green. The lower order of Australia came in to consolidate the things. Their 49 run stand wasn't too risky, and still, Australia earned few boundaries, which kept the scoreboard ticking. But this partnership didn't last for long, and the hope of Australia to set a daunting total also vanished.

Stuart Board broke the 49 run stand when Cameron Green was out LBW for 19 runs. Mark Wood again returned and picked up another wicket. Mitchell Starc was out for just one run. The review system saved Cummins. Otherwise, Australia would have been all out by the first session.

Nathan Lyon’s cameo in the first innings helped Australia reach the 300 run mark. But he was not out on four runs. So, England didn’t sweat more for the final two wickets. They came pretty early after Australia reached the 150 run mark. Alex Carey, top score with 49 runs, and skipper Cummins was the last man to be dismissed for 13 runs.

Mark Wood came good for England. He took his third five-wicket haul in his Test career, and in this innings, he also bagged his career-best figures. Stuart Board supported well, and Chris Woakes also bowled decently. He picked up one wicket while Mark Wood picked six, and Board took three wickets to his name.

England start well and share a fifty run opening stand in the second innings

The first two sessions went well for England. The visitors first bundled out the Aussies for a low score. The hosts didn’t even reach the 170 run mark. And after that, England openers batted well till the last ball of the tea break. Everyone expected the Australian pacers to come out strongly to defend 270 runs.

But Rory Burns and Zak Crawley batted well to frustrate the hosts. Australia bowled well with the same fiery stuff. But this time, the opening batters of England had negotiated it well. The luck also favoured the visitors as the edges flew away to the boundaries. Bruns and Crawley added 68 runs for the opening wicket before Green struck for Australia with the wicket of Rory Bruns for 26 runs.

England faltered again despite the excellent start

The wicket of Rory Burns triggered the collapse for England. After the wicket of Burns for 26 runs, Australia continued to sizzle with the Pink ball. The weak middle order of England didn't rise despite the fantastic start given by the openers.

Dawid Malan was the first one to gall in the last session. Cameron Green again was the man to pick the wicket of England’s number three for just ten runs. Malan was castled by Green, who looked good in the last session of the play as Australia fought back in the twilight in Hobart. Joe Root was the other England batter who scored in double digits.

But the rest of the English batters were nowhere near the mark. The weak lower order, too, didn't fire. Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, and Billings scored in single digits scores. Mark Wood scored 11 runs, and that was all for England. From being 68 for the loss of just one wicket in the tea session. The visitors were bundled out for 124 runs in the second innings.

There was no fightback from the middle order and lower order of England. It is a shame that despite bowling so well in both the innings and setting the tone with a 68 run stand for the first wicket, England lost this match by a margin of 146 runs. The story of their poor batting continued despite the openers firing in the second innings. England needs to rethink their middle and lower order before they tour any other country.

Australia continued its dominance with the Pink Ball

The Pink Cherry has been lucky for the Aussies has a perfect ten for them. Australia is the only team to play ten Day Night matches and won them. Also, Pat Cummins has been the leading wicket-taker for Australia in the Ashes Test series. In the second innings, Cameron Green fought back for the hosts. He picked up three wickets, Cummins got three, Boland took three scraps, and Starc took one wicket to his name.

Cameron Green was the one who gave Australia the breakthrough while others tried hard. But they couldn’t get any success. Cameron triggered a collapse for his baggy Green team and allowed Australia to win this contest. Australia wins the Ashes Test series 2021/2022 by a 4-0. Travis Head won the player of the match and the series for his magnificent run with the bat.

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