England defiant but Aussies secure 2-0 Ashes lead

It might have taken longer than most onlookers expected to achieve the result they almost unanimously did, but Australia secured their second hefty win in as many Vodafone Ashes Tests and are all-but assured of retaining the urn.

In the 117-year history of five-Test Ashes series, only one team has recovered from a 0-2 deficit to win the last three matches and that was largely due to the individual mastery of Don Bradman in the summer of 1936-37.

The win, by 275 runs, was achieved at 8.11pm with Jhye Richardson completing his maiden Test five-for, and with a minimum 21 overs remaining in the final session.

That was after England keeper Jos Buttler had defied the eight-pronged Australia attack and his own reputation as a belligerent white-ball basher only to push the match into its last phase.

The denouement also came considerably later in the day than seemed likely when the last pair of England's top six (Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes) were dismissed within 13 overs of play resuming, by which time England had reduced their victory target from an absurd 468 to a nonsensical 363.

But from there Australia was forced to rely on diligence rather than destruction, as they stuck doggedly to their plan of attacking their opponents' stumps and the lack of swing and seam movement with pink ball rendered it a battle of attrition.

For that reason, it was surprising Australia's stand-in skipper Steve Smith opted not to deploy big-gun Cameron Green - who had troubled batters throughout the game with his genuine pace and additional bounce – until 56 over had elapsed today, with 15 minutes left in the second session.

Indeed, Smith gave himself an over (the first time he's bowled in Tests for two years) and fellow part-time leg spinner Marnus Labuschagne before the second new-ball became due early in the second session, by which time Buttler and Chris Woakes (44 off 117 balls) were well set.

The fact Green beat the edge of Buttler's increasingly wide bat twice in his first over only added to mystery of his belated introduction.

Australia's bowling stint was also extended because of a couple of missed chances, the most costly being the edge offered by Buttler before he had scored that flew between keeper and slip with neither fielder making a move to intercept it.

The England keeper – who had ridden a rollercoaster behind the stumps where he claimed a couple of stunning catches but missed several far simpler offerings – then played the most obdurate innings of his career in scoring 26 from 207 balls in more than four hours.

Either side of tea, Buttler spent 41 deliveries happily becalmed on the same score, which was only nine balls fewer than his fastest ODI hundred and his vigil was only ended because he trod on his own stumps in pushing off in hope of a rare single to try and shield partner Stuart Broad from the strike.

Australia's struggle to knock over England's bottom half raised brief memories of the difficulties they had getting through India at the back end of last summer, but ultimately it was the raw pace of Richardson (5-42) and Mitchell Starc (2-43) that won the day.

Richardson was hugely impressive in his return to Test cricket after almost two years battling shoulder injuries, and selectors face a tough call in finalising their attack for the next Test at the MCG starting Boxing Day with captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood expected to return.

And in finishing the match with five wickets, spinner Nathan Lyon joins legendary leggie Shane Warne as the most successful Test bowler at Adelaide Oval.

Today's result extends England's winless streak in Tests in Australia to 12 stretching back to the final match of their successful 2010-11 campaign.

Only New Zealand (18 Tests from 1987-2011), as well as Sri Lanka (15 from 1988), West Indies (14 from 2000) and Pakistan (14 from 1999) who are all yet to win a Test here this century, have endured longer droughts in Australia.

And from the evidence presented over the first two Vodafone Tests this summer, England will be hard pressed to prevent becoming equal second on that list by series end.

While a victory was about as likely as a white Christmas in Adelaide when play resumed at 2.30pm local time today, there did seem outside hopes of a draw if England's final recognised batting pair could forge a meaningful union.

That notion was dismissed within 10 minutes, the time it took Starc to account for Pope whose form has flat-lined since being second-top scorer in the batting debacle that began England's campaign.

Since then he has managed 4, 5 and 4 and must be under pressure to retain his place heading to the third Vodafone Test at the MCG starting Boxing Day given the speed at which he was worked over by the in-form left-armer.

With four deliveries remaining in the over that remained unfinished on Sunday evening after he claimed the key wicket of Root, Starc began operating over the wicket with the ball angled into the right-handed batter.

He continued that ploy for the first two balls of his next over, but then switched over the wicket and immediately had Pope pushing at a delivery slanted across him and into the hands of Steve Smith at second slip.

At that stage, Starc had figures of 2-25 from 12.3 overs and it should have been 3-25 an over later when he again lured Buttler into an insipid defensive push that found the edge, to the surprise of nobody except Australia keeper Alex Carey.

As the ball whistled at chest height to Carey's right, he politely left it to David Warner who was already back-pedalling out of the way to grant the gloveman sufficient space to complete the catch.

Having avoided the duck that would have surely seen auxiliary keeper Jonny Bairstow return to the England starting XI for Boxing Day, Buttler set about his mission to prove he can indeed be a Test batter.

He assumed greater responsibility when Stokes was dismissed for an obdurate dozen after almost two hours at the crease, in which he faced 77 balls and scored off eight of them.

In the end, it was his desire to defend that cost him as he retreated deep in his crease but played inside a ball from Lyon that pitched in line with the stumps and straightened sufficiently to thud into the left-hander's front pad.

After a lengthy group chat, Smith chose to review umpire Paul Wilson's not out call which showed the ball striking middle and leg just beneath the bails, to the delight of the Australians and the undisguised incredulity of Stokes who threw his head back before slowly exiting the field.

So emboldened were Smith and his on-field brainstrust by their Stokes success, they went for the videotape again two balls later when Woakes' poke at Lyon clearly produced some sort of noise that was audible to the circle of close catches but not to Wilson.

However, technology confirmed the umpire had it right and England made it through the day's opening session having reduced their distant target by 60 runs for the loss of two key wickets.

Following the loss of their captain and best batter (Root) to the ultimate delivery of the fourth day then the removal of Pope and Stokes inside today's first hour, England seemed headed down the fast-track to defeat.

But Buttler and Woakes hung tough for almost 100 minutes on a pitch that continued to play truly and against disciplined, patient bowling with old ball and new to add 61 runs for the seventh wicket.

In the process, both men registered their longest Ashes innings (in balls faced), and Woakes appeared set for a maiden Test half-century against England's historic foe when he peeled off a sweet cover drive to the boundary against Richardson.

However Richardson's response was even more emphatic, spearing a full, fast ball into Woakes's middle stump by jagging it back far enough to squeeze between bat and pad and Australia finally had their chance against England's tailenders.

Vodafone Men's Ashes

Squads

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner

England: Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Schedule

First Test: Australia won by nine wickets

Second Test: Australia won by 275 runs

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 5-9, SCG

Fifth Test: January 14-18, Blundstone Arena