Magazine

ENGLAND ASHES NIGHTMARE –  SHANE STRIKES WHILE ENGLAND SLEEPS

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By Derek Hammond | Wednesday, December 1, 2010

DATE: 5 December 2006

OCCASION: Second Ashes Test, fifth day

SIGNIFICANCE: We went to bed safe in the knowledge that England had secured a nailed-on draw. No team in history had ever lost after declaring on a total as high as England's 551-6, batting first in a Test – so no matter that the Aussies had all but matched the total on the fourth day…

RESULT: Australia 513 & 168-4 beat England 551-6 dec & 129 by six wickets

TOP SCORERS/BOWLING:

1st Innings – England: Collingwood 206 (Clark 3 for 75);
Australia: Ponting 142 (Hoggard 7 for 109)

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT: Unfortunately, no-one told Shane Warne the game was over. Four wickets fell in the morning session, three off the leg spinner’s bowling. Kevin Pietersen’s wicket was the tipping point: he attempted a sweep against Warney on his fifth ball, which pitched in the rough and bowled him around his legs. England ended up all out for 129. We woke up to news that Australia had gone 2-0 up in the series with three overs to spare – on their way to a 5-0 whitewash.

LINE-UPS:
England: Strauss, Cook, Bell, Collingwood, Pietersen, Flintoff, Jones, Giles, Hoggard, Harmison, Anderson. Australia: Langer, Hayden, Ponting, Martyn, Hussey, Clarke, Gilchrist, Warne, Lee, Clark, McGrath.

VENUE: Adelaide Oval

ATTENDANCE: 20,000