The Ashes Rewind: Redemption goes full circle at Adelaide 2006

“Turning a Test around like this, well, it just doesn’t happen.”

And it really doesn’t happen that often, but the fact is it did. And in that one line, Ricky Ponting summed up an array of emotions that defined the most baffling bit of Test cricket of his career.

Just as England looked to have found a way to defeat the colossal ruins suffered in Melbourne, they succumbed to probably the most astonishing Ashes defeat of all time. After all, until Adelaide 2006, a team had never lost in the Ashes after having put up 500-plus on the board. Yet complacency and a relentless bunch of Aussies always have had their part to play in dooming English hopes in the Ashes – and this particular Test match was no different.

Prologue

The first of December, when the bells of St. Peter’s Cathedral outside the Adelaide Oval rang out loud and clear, ushered nothing but a unnerving sense of challenges that England faced as they stepped on to the battlefield. The visitors, of whom a lot was expected ahead of one of the most awaited Ashes series Down Under, were left wanting for more precision and bite in the first Test in Brisbane. Having already lost the early momentum with what turned out to be an absolute mauling at the hands of an Aussie side that was well prepared to regain the fabled urn, England had a daunting task on their hands.

Both sides chose to name an unchanged side for this particular game and questions were thrown in plenty about why Monty Panesar wasn’t included to spin a few on a track that promised to wear out as the game progressed. How much would England miss Monty? Well, the answers were evident on Day 5 that ended up defining this turbulent test of composure, skill and dogged determination.

Act 1: Of a gladiatorial Collingwood and a rather cautious Bell

After losing the two openers in the first hour of play, the onus was on Colingwood and Bell to steady the ship on what looked like a slow and uneventful pitch to bat on. It did require enormous perseverance to get adjusted to what Ian Chappell refers to as a ‘true pitch’ that requires tremendous poise and craft to make your outing count.

As Bell trudged on cautiously, Colingwood was punishing every loose ball to the short square boundaries. They also never came down the track to Shane Warne and negotiated his first spell with a level of expertise we’ve hardly seen from a English batting pair on the tour.

All and all, they did what was required of them – laying a solid foundation on the back of a steady 100-run partnership. Bell eventually failed to keep up with his partner as he lost his way in search for crucial runs in the 2nd session.

Yet, Colingwood stayed there for what seemed an eternity for the Aussies. His crafty methods perfectly suited the conditions as Paul outmuscled the Aussie attack with a valiant double hundred.

Act 2: Dodgy times? Time for a trademark Pietersen onslaught!

What England lacked over the Ashes encounters they lost in the 90s and early 2000s was a batsman willing to push the limits against the Aussies. Well, they did find one of that mould in 2005 in Pietersen, and the Barmy Army were banking on his counter-attacking abilities to retain the urn on this particular summer.

With Bell gone and the run-rate hovering around 2 runs per over, you just knew that you were up for a typical Pietersen innings. No matter how many varied hassles the pitch presented in the first two sessions, they didn’t do much to rattle KP’s instincts to have a go against the most experience bowling lineup in the world. He stepped out and hit Warne for massive sixes over extra cover. And if that wasn’t enough, he went on to smack the likes of McGrath and Lee off the back-foot.

KP was riding fast, dragging the visitors along with him. What had hitherto looked almost impossible to achieve was attained by the will power of one Kevin Pietersen. England had grabbed the early momentum in this showdown as the side went on to rack up a first innings total of 551.

Act 3: Of Punter’s prime and a counter-attacking Clarke

A 550-plus score on the board is more often than not followed by a sleepless night for the chasing captain. In fact, it gets worse when you lose the openers in a hurry and the tricky job of negotiating the new ball is on your shoulders. Ricky was caught in what could have easily turned out to be a match conceding situation.

Yet, there was a feeling of invincibility that backed Punter in the summer of 2006. Having already scored six tons in the calendar year, things never went out of control for the skipper as he adhered to his favourite horizontal bat shots to seal another memorable hundred.

And Ponting wasn’t all alone in frustrating the English bowling unit on what was a much improved batting surface. First it was Mike Hussey who complimented Ponting magnificently well, and he was followed by Clarke, who joined the party with his trademark aplomb. The home side hit their 500 at a comparatively quicker pace to keep all three possible results alive at the end of the innings – a conscious effort from the Aussies as they were going for the kill.

Act 4: A tragedy followed by a ludicrous fall thanks to an executioner called Warne

As Richie Benaud correctly said, ‘the worst England could do is allow the Aussie bowlers to climb all over them in the first hour of play’. However, the English side did commit the ultimate sin by giving a certain Shane Warne a chance to make inroads in the opening session of the last day’s play.

And you know that on a Day 5 pitch sprawled with countless roughs to exploits, nothing is out of reach for the wily old leg-spinner. Warne started off with a bit of timely fortune in claiming the wicket of Andrew Strauss, after umpire Steve Bucknor spotted an inside edge that in reality was nothing but a small brush off the pad.

As soon as Warne began to get the familiar vicious purchase off the Adelaide pitch, the England batsmen were in for their biggest test of holding on to their priced wickets. Warne held an end with one of the most disciplined 27-over spells of his career to affirm the Aussie chances of pulling off an unlikely win.

It may have not been his most destructive spell of spin bowling, but it’s certainly difficult to find another spell in his career that involved a more tenacious approach. At the end of the innings when the English side was cleaned up for a paltry 129, it was evident how Warne turned the game single-handedly in the favour of the home side.

The final act: Mr. Cricket and the method in madness

With a score of 168 to chase in the last session of the game, Australia realized that it would need a ‘T20-like’ batting performance to clinch one of the most improbable wins in Test cricket. And right from the word ‘go’, the Aussies went after the bowling to snap more than 6 runs per over.

However, with great risks one also invites a sense of vulnerability. The Aussies were soon crumbling under pressure as in the search of quick runs they also ended up losing wickets at crucial junctures of the game.

In the midst of what was turning out be an unwelcome pandemonium, Mike Hussey came on to the crease with the sole purpose of dragging his side to the finish line. And to be fair, it was rather easy for someone like Mr. Cricket who had that uncanny ability to score runs effortlessly on the back of some proper cricketing strokes.

Huss and Clarke showed nerves of steel that looked assured to break through a resilient final hour fightback from the away side and their efforts eventually paid dividends. As Hussey lofted the final shot over mid-off for a boundary, a roar of immense satisfaction echoed across the arena to signify the magnitude of this incredible win for the home side.

Epilogue

As the English side ended the game shaking hands with the opponents and one another, they were introduced to a sinking feeling that seemed to stick with them for the rest of the tour. While they were given a hiding at the Gabba in the first Test that may have left its scars forever on the away side, losing a game like this doesn’t make it any better.

What followed was a display of ruthless dominance that kept the visitors on the ropes for almost every session in the next three games. As they reached the final day of a rather forgettable series, succumbing to a rather horrid ending was nothing more than a formality for England. As for the Aussies – if only redemption could get any sweeter!

We saw the English cherish their long-awaited Ashes win in 2005. Their high-handed demeanour provided frequent reminders of their much celebrated triumph of Edgbaston 2005. It gave them unparalleled confidence to decimate the Aussies again; even before a ball was bowled in the series. The belief came from the fact that, for a change, an English side battled hard to win a cliffhanger.

And it was a pity that the celebrations didn’t even last for a year as a hard-earned urn was conceded without a fair fight.

Call it poetic justice or a twist of cruel destiny but every play has its share of dramatic acts that are etched forever in the hearts of its fervent admirers. And it is fair to say that if the Aussies were haunted by the memories of Edgbaston 2005, then England will have their own Adelaide 2006 self-implosion to contemplate for years to come.

Scorecard

Eng 1st Innings 551/6 dec; Aus 1st Innings 513 all-out

Eng 2nd Innings 129 all-out; Aus 2nd Innings 168/4

Australia won by 6 wickets