Nickatilynx
07-24-2005, 01:48 PM
England suffer huge Lord's defeat
First Npower Test, Lord's, day four:
England 155 & 180 lost to
Australia 190 & 384 by 239 runs
Match scorecard
Day four photos
Australia won the first Ashes Test by 239 runs after England lost their last five wickets for 22 at Lord's.
Rain prevented play until 1545 BST but Glenn McGrath wasted no time removing Geraint Jones and Ashley Giles.
He then trapped Matthew Hoggard lbw and Shane Warne did the same to Steve Harmison before catching Simon Jones at slip as England slumped to a sorry 180.
Kevin Pietersen, only the eighth England player to score 50s in both Test debut innings, was stranded on 64.
Defeat was a chastening reminder to England that the world's best team are not ready to give up their crown.
For a few hours in the morning, however, steady rainfall had given home fans hope of an unlikely escape route.
But the skies cleared in the afternoon and, once that happened, the writing was on the wall for England.
Shane bowled as well in this game as probably I have ever seen him bowl
Australian captain Ricky Ponting on Shane Warne (left)
More Australian reaction
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's been a good four days for me
Kevin Pietersen (right)
More England reaction
McGrath immediately found the groove he had settled into on Thursday and landed the first blow with the third ball of his second over, although it owed more to a terrible shot from wicketkeeper Jones than the quality of his delivery.
A rash pull went straight to Jason Gillespie at mid-on and it got worse soon after when Giles fended his second ball to the safe hands of Matthew Hayden at gully.
More rain arrived to revive faint hopes of survival among home supporters but no sooner had the players returned then McGrath produced another beauty to trap Hoggard in front.
It was only a matter of time when Warne deceived Harmison with his slider, but Pietersen was determined to have his say.
In what proved to be the last show of home defiance, he slog swept the leg-spinner for six and smashed another delivery to the long-off boundary.
Fittingly, however, man of the match McGrath, who ended with overall figures of 9-82, and fellow long-time England nemesis Warne had the last word.
Another dismal showing from England which bodes ill for the rest of the series
From AR
Have your say on TMS
The tall paceman once again demonstrated his mastery of the Lord's surface to induce another edge from Simon Jones, with Warne doing the rest at slip to seal a comprehensive victory.
For England, who had spoken confidently in the build-up of being able to compete with the Aussies, there is plenty of work and thinking to do before the combat resumes at Edgbaston on 4 August.
First Npower Test, Lord's, day four:
England 155 & 180 lost to
Australia 190 & 384 by 239 runs
Match scorecard
Day four photos
Australia won the first Ashes Test by 239 runs after England lost their last five wickets for 22 at Lord's.
Rain prevented play until 1545 BST but Glenn McGrath wasted no time removing Geraint Jones and Ashley Giles.
He then trapped Matthew Hoggard lbw and Shane Warne did the same to Steve Harmison before catching Simon Jones at slip as England slumped to a sorry 180.
Kevin Pietersen, only the eighth England player to score 50s in both Test debut innings, was stranded on 64.
Defeat was a chastening reminder to England that the world's best team are not ready to give up their crown.
For a few hours in the morning, however, steady rainfall had given home fans hope of an unlikely escape route.
But the skies cleared in the afternoon and, once that happened, the writing was on the wall for England.
Shane bowled as well in this game as probably I have ever seen him bowl
Australian captain Ricky Ponting on Shane Warne (left)
More Australian reaction
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's been a good four days for me
Kevin Pietersen (right)
More England reaction
McGrath immediately found the groove he had settled into on Thursday and landed the first blow with the third ball of his second over, although it owed more to a terrible shot from wicketkeeper Jones than the quality of his delivery.
A rash pull went straight to Jason Gillespie at mid-on and it got worse soon after when Giles fended his second ball to the safe hands of Matthew Hayden at gully.
More rain arrived to revive faint hopes of survival among home supporters but no sooner had the players returned then McGrath produced another beauty to trap Hoggard in front.
It was only a matter of time when Warne deceived Harmison with his slider, but Pietersen was determined to have his say.
In what proved to be the last show of home defiance, he slog swept the leg-spinner for six and smashed another delivery to the long-off boundary.
Fittingly, however, man of the match McGrath, who ended with overall figures of 9-82, and fellow long-time England nemesis Warne had the last word.
Another dismal showing from England which bodes ill for the rest of the series
From AR
Have your say on TMS
The tall paceman once again demonstrated his mastery of the Lord's surface to induce another edge from Simon Jones, with Warne doing the rest at slip to seal a comprehensive victory.
For England, who had spoken confidently in the build-up of being able to compete with the Aussies, there is plenty of work and thinking to do before the combat resumes at Edgbaston on 4 August.