British newspapers on Monday relished England’s comprehensive thrashing of Australia in the second Test at Lord’s, gleefully confident that the hosts will go on to retain the Ashes. Australia are 2-0 down in the five-match series after being beaten by 347 runs with a day to spare.
Many commentators noted that only once in Ashes history has a team fought back from such a position to win a series. ‘It does not get much more comprehensive than this,’ said the Daily Mail, declaring that ‘it is already clear the Ashes are assuredly staying put’.
‘Lord’s of the manor’ headlined The Sun while Daily Mirror said ‘the Australians suffered humiliation. There is no other word for it’. All the papers paid homage to Joe Root, the 22-year-old opening batsman who made 180 in England’s second innings 347 before taking two wickets.
‘There is a gulf in class that was epitomised by Root’s collection of the man-of-the-match award in just his eighth Test for a majestic hundred, but such is his confidence right now he bowled as if he were picked just for that,’ read The Mirror.
Under the headline ‘England’s dominance hits new heights’, The Telegraph said the defeat ‘leaves Australia and the series, as a contest at least, in a parlous state’. Simon Barnes in The Times declined to consider whether Australia were in long-term trouble. ‘Just as you don’t spoil christmas by asking how much your new trike cost, so you don’t spoil an England Ashes victory by dwelling on Australian shortcomings,’ he wrote.
Australia bemoans ‘humbling’ defeat
Sydney: Australia’s thrashing in the second Ashes Test by England sealed the nation’s worst losing streak in 30 years and was greeted with resignation by Australian media on Monday.
The Australian called the defeat: ‘A shabby and public humbling at Lord’s.’ In an opinion piece, the newspaper’s cricket writer Gideon Haigh said Usman Khawaja’s 54 was the only saving grace by the team’s underperforming batsmen, with the top order again failing to deliver sufficient runs. ‘Otherwise, events were another stark repudiation of the prevailing Cricket Australia wisdom that fortunes can be revived simply by appointing as coach a wily old stager who tells everyone to go express themselves,’ he said.
‘Mickey Arthur has complained that his dismissal as coach damaged his reputation. This Test has arguably enhanced it.’ Australia were bowled out for 128 in the first innings and 235 in the second with the defeat meaning that following a 0-4 rout in India earlier this year, they have lost six Tests in a row for the first time since 1984.
Australia has only once bounced back from a two-nil deficit to win a five-Test Ashes series, in 1936-7 when Donald Bradman plundered 810 runs in the series.
‘It would be an astonishing feat for this Australian team, which has now lost six Tests in a row, to emulate such an achievement, given the depths to which it has sunk,’ the Sydney Morning Herald’s cricket writer Chloe Saltau said.
‘Australia has 11 days to regroup in mind and body before the third Test at Old Trafford. But the gulf in class is greater than anyone imagined when the Australians embarked on this Ashes tour.’
The Sydney Daily Telegraph said there appeared to be little hope on the horizon. ‘Right now there appear few solutions on how Australia can drag itself back into the series to prevent a 5-0 whitewash,’ the newspaper read.