Australia won the 2021-2022 Ashes series after three straight victories against England. When the Sydney Test began, they were on a mission to whitewash England. However, England's tail-enders survived a tense last hour of the match to deny Australia a 5-0 series victory. Australia will play the fifth match in Hobart with the goal of completing the series 4-0, while England will try to restore some pride. The series' final match will begin on January 14. The fourth Test match report of Australia vs England is discussed in this article.
Australia vs England 2021-2022 Ashes: Fourth Test Match Report
When England batted in the closing hour of day 4, they had a mammoth 388-run target. Therefore, the English campaign preferred to save the match rather than go after the target. The English openers survived the fourth day, scoring 30 runs in 11 overs.
The openers started fresh with the hopes of drawing the match, but new sensation Scott Boland gave Australia an early breakthrough in the first hour on day five. He sent Haseeb Hameed back to the pavilion in the tenth over of the day.
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The England batters tried to build big partnerships in the middle but were unable to do so. In fact, most of England's partnerships lasted 10 to 15 overs.
With only two wickets remaining in the closing hour of day five, the match was heading towards a nail-biting finish. Steven Smith infused some excitement into the match by dismissing Jack Leach two overs short of the scheduled over. England were able to draw the match with the help of two veteran cricketers, James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Zack Crawley (77) and Ben Stokes (60) both scored crucial runs for England, while Australia's most successful bowler in the second innings was Scott Boland (3/30).
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Australia made one major change for the fourth Test in Sydney. Travis Head was replaced by Usman Khawaja. The elegant left-hander made the most of his opportunity, smashing back-to-back hundreds in the contest. Khawaja's 137 in the first innings contributed to Australia's 416/8d total. For England, Stuart Broad took 5 wickets in the first innings. However, England were bowled out for 294 runs in their first innings, handing Australia a 122-run lead. Jonny Bairstow scored 113 runs for the visitors, while Scott Boland took the most wickets for the hosts with four.
Australia were much more aggressive in the second innings. They declared their innings on 265/6d after setting England a 388-run target. Usman Khawaja sparkled once more with the bat, finishing undefeated on 101*. Jack Leach took the most wickets with four for the English team.
Player of the Match
Osman Khawaja was awarded player of the match for his amazing batting effort in the game. He scored centuries in both innings, allowing Australia to take complete control of the Sydney Test against England.
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2021-2023 ICC Test Championship Points Table
Sri Lanka top the ICC Test Championship points standings with 100 percent PCT, ahead of Australia and Pakistan. On the other hand, England have plummeted to the bottom of the current points table.
ICC Test Championship Points Table (as of January 9, 2022)
|
Position |
Team |
PCT (%) |
|
1 |
Sri Lanka |
100 |
|
2 |
Australia |
83.33 |
|
3 |
Pakistan |
75.00 |
|
4 |
India |
55.21 |
|
5 |
South Africa |
50.00 |
|
6 |
Bangladesh |
33.33 |
|
7 |
West Indies |
25.00 |
|
8 |
New Zealand |
11.11 |
|
9 |
England |
10.41 |
Source: https://www.icc-cricket.com/
Bottom Line
The England team is having a very hard time in the ongoing Ashes series. England's top order has appeared to be shaky to face an inspiring Australia bowling unit. As a result, England's middle-order has been put under a lot of pressure, reducing their prospects of dominating during the match. England's bowlers have performed well in the series, although not as well as their opponents. Australia are expected to reclaim the number one position in the ICC Test Championship after this Ashes series. Oppositely, England's place in the standings may decline further, causing a major blow in their quest for the second cycle's final match.