Australian phoenix rising from the Ashes

The first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane began on a positive note for the English. Opener Alastair Cook was dismissed cheaply, but his partner at the other end Mark Stoneman held on to his bat for much longer. With James Vince's arrival to the crease, Stoneman stitched a crucial 126-run partnership for the second wicket, which steadied England's rocking ship on for some time after tea on the first day. Stoneman was dismissed for 53, played over 159 deliveries, giving Vince to set himself for a longer knock, who went on to score 83. Skipper Joe Root did not trouble the scorers much, but his successor Dawid Malan played a handy 56. England raked up a decent 302 on the board, after the Aussie pace duo of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins took three a piece to rip apart the English lineup.

Australia's first innings began shakily, as opener Cameron Bancroft was dismissed for a measly 5 runs. His successor Usman Khawaja failed to do much either, getting out for 11. David Warner went for 26 after he mistimed a pull straight into Malan's hands off a short of a length delivery by English seamer Jake Ball. But this was to be the beginning of the Steven Smith show. Playing a slow, yet torturing innings, the Aussie skipper entered the crease with his team at 30 for 2 on Day Two. The end of his magnificent unbeaten 141, off 326 balls, came only after Australia were all out for 338 in the late hours of Day Three.

Ending Day Three at 33 for 2, opener Stoneman and Root put up some resistance, scoring 27 and 51, respectively. But after Root's dismissal left England at 113-5, all was downhill. Moeen Ali (40) and Jonny Bairstow (42) scored some useful runs, but that was barely enough as England ended its second innings at 195. Once again, pace spearhead Starc was the pick of the bowlers, scalping three once again, and was ably assisted by Josh Hazlewood, who picked up three for himself. All that was left for Australia to win the first test was to chase down 170 – which they did with considerable ease. Making up for their paltry dismissal in the first innings, Bancroft and Warner ended the game on their own, with Australia losing not even a single wicket. While the younger Bancroft hit a calm 82-run knock over 182 balls, the older and more brutish Warner played a quicker 87 off 119 balls, to give Australia a comfortable lead.

The second Test at Adelaide began with Australia batting first and dominating the proceedings throughout the first two days. Four of the five top-order batsmen made decent contributions, but Shaun Marsh was to steal the show from the beginning of Day Two. As Australia started the day at 209 for 4, the 34-year-old played a dogged inning of 126 off 231 balls, with wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Paine (57) and Cummins (44) giving him able support. The fifth Test ton of the talented left-hander's 26-match long career propelled Australia to 442 for 8, after which skipper Steve Smith declared the innings.

England's first innings reply to Australia's mammoth total was rather tame, with the entire side bundling out for just 227 in 76.1 overs. The Aussie bowling quartet of Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and off-spinner Nathan Lyon fired on all cylinders, with Lyon scalping four on a surface where the ball was coming nicely on to the batsman. All-rounder Craig Overton was the highest scorer with 41 runs, while the rest of the top order failed miserably.

It came as a surprise to many that the usually attacking Aussie skipper Smith refrained from subjecting England to a follow-on. And Australia's subsequent second innings batting performance seemed to have backfired for him too. A fiery spell by James Anderson, England's highest wicket-taker in Test matches, sent the Aussie batsman back to the dressing room just as soon as they left it. With a brilliant fifer that cut short Australia's innings to just 138 all out, Anderson pulled England right back into Test.

With its bowling lineup producing an exceptional performance, now all that was left for England was to chase down a mammoth total of 354 in their second innings to draw the series level. That, however, was not to be. Beginning their target chase after Tea, England seemed to have got off to a good start, with Cook and Stoneman putting up a 53-run partnership. However, Cook's bad run of form continued and he went for just 16. A run later, Stoneman (36) followed his opening partner to the dressing room. England did manage to finish Day Four at 176 for the loss of four wickets, with Starc scalping two of those. At the beginning of Day Five, England once again succumbed to the sustained bowling pressure. Skipper Root was caught behind off a peach of a delivery by Hazlewood for a patiently made 67; that was the end of it. The tail was soon easily swiped away, thanks to tight spells by Lyon (2 for 45) and Hazlewood (2 for 49), and Starc's express deliveries. With three wickets, including that of a resilient Bairstow (36), Starc finished the game with five wickets and another memorable win for the Aussies.

Being a do-or-die game, the third Test at Perth was expected to be one where England would go all guns blazing. The way they began the first innings looked that way too. Cook, once again, failed to deliver for his team, but Stoneman chipped in with a hand 56. Centurions Malan and Bairstow were the real heroes for their team, as they scored 140 and 119, respectively. However, with the pair's dismissal, England's batting lost steam, and their innings ended at 403 in 115.1 overs.

Not many would have expected how good Australia's reply would be – it was massive. After the openers went cheaply and Khawaja returned making only a fifty, Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh made life hell for the English team for the next two-and-a-half days. The 28-year-old Aussie skipper sent the English bowlers to the cleaners during his magnificent 239, while the younger Marsh sibling scored a scintillating 181, with 29 boundaries. The pair was eventually dismissed, but not before their triple-century stand demolished the English team's morale. The Aussies finally declared after scoring a mammoth 662 for 9.

Trailing by 259 definitely gave the English batting lineup the jitters, as they failed to show any spirit when they began their second innings on Day Four. Hazlewood ripped apart the batting lineup with no difficulties whatsoever. Only Vince and Malan scored a respectable amount of runs, while the rest of the team fell like ten pins. Ending their innings with only 218 on the board, England gave Australia not just the game, but the coveted urn as well.