England haunted by spectre of whitewash

England 342 and 159 Australia 552-9 dec Australia win by an innings and 51 runs

For the second time in a fortnight, England's belittled cricketers will be skulking around an Australian city hoping to avoid contact with anyone, whether they be Brits or Aussies. Two weeks ago it was in Brisbane, where they received a 384-run drubbing; yesterday it was Adelaide, where Australia only needed to bat once before blowing them away by an innings and 51 runs.

Losing in Australia is not a pleasant experience but it appears to be one Nasser Hussain's side will have to become accustomed to before they leave these shores in January. Unless their captain can motivate his squad to produce one of the most remarkable turnaround's in the history of the game, the Ashes are gone.

This is accepted by almost everyone but the question on their lips is whether this England squad will become the second – after Johnny Douglas's in 1920-21 – to lose an Ashes series 5-0. It is a distinct possibility.

England have little time to work at their game before the next Test match, which starts in Perth on Friday. Even if Hussain's side were playing well, the omens would not be good at the WACA because England have only won there once in nine attempts. Hussain expects no favours from Australia.

"As far as the cricket in Perth goes, I anticipate exactly the same Australian cricket side turning up" said a sad-looking England captain. "They will want to beat us 5-0. They will be completely cut-throat and they will show us no mercy at all. It will be exactly the same and unless we improve we will get beaten. There's no shame in losing, though, if you give it your best shot."

It would be easy just to slate England and lay the blame for another one-sided Test match at their feet. Yes, this was another poor performance by Hussain's team and it is infuriating to see them make the same basic mistakes over and over again. They are up against a great team, though, and a failure to acknowledge this would be wrong.

However, with the scoreboard at one stage reading 295 for 3 on the first day, England were in total control of this Test match. They were in a position from which they should expect to win. But a combination of lack of belief and the inability of several players to perform under pressure meant that such an advantage was frittered away.

It should not have, but one ball changed the course of the whole game. It was in the last over of the first day and it dismissed Michael Vaughan for a brilliant 177. On the second morning the momentum was back with Australia.

To a large extent England are playing about as well as Steve Waugh's ruthless side are allowing them to. Australia's bowlers wear you down with their accuracy and aggression and their batsmen do not let you settle. As a side they put you under pressure from the first ball of the day to the last and, if you are not up to it, as some England players obviously are not, it is only a matter of time before your failings are exposed.

"If you don't get your disciplines right here, you get blown away" Hussain said. "To improve I think we have to look at Australia. There is no disgrace in having a look at the best side in the world and trying to learn from them. You look at the way Ricky Ponting is batting and learn from him and the same applies to their bowlers and the way they get six balls in a row on an area the size of a plate."

It is not only English cricketers who leave Australia with their credibility in tatters. England are in fact the only side to have won a Test match in Australia in the last six years. This was in Melbourne four years ago but since the winter of 1996-97 the men in baggy green caps have won 22 of the 30 matches they have played at home.

England started the day with only one thing to play for – respectability. After losing the previous six sessions the game had gone and watching yesterday's play was painful, as Australia slowly squeezed the life out Hussain's beleaguered side.

Still requiring 174 runs to make Australia bat again, Vaughan and Robert Key, England's two in-form players, walked to the middle with the score 36 for 3. Key got off the mark to the first ball he faced from Andy Bichel, who was completing his over after dismissing Hussain on Saturday evening. This, however, was the only run he scored before he limply pulled a short ball from Bichel to Darren Lehmann at short mid-wicket. The positioning of the fielder was precise and suggested that Waugh was not solely working on his batting while he was at Kent at the end of last summer.

At 40 for 4 many in the crowd would have been planning what to do with themselves in the afternoon. Alec Stewart had other ideas. Playing as though he had nothing to lose – which he did not – Stewart went after the bowling. The 39-year-old took a liking to Bichel and it was not long before he overtook Vaughan.

Their partnership of 74 was ended by a magnificent piece of cricket from Glenn McGrath. The normally free-scoring Vaughan had struggled against Shane Warne, who was bowling round the wicket and into the foot-holes. Having conceded runs in only six of the 57 balls he bowled at Vaughan, the leg-spinner changed tactics and returned over the wicket.

The Yorkshire opener saw this as a sign to at last play a shot. He swept and the resulting top edge flew to deep square leg where a slow-starting McGrath began running to his left. Everyone but McGrath thought Vaughan was safe until the fast bowler, after running 30 metres, took off and dived full stretch, at full speed, to take one of the best outfield catches you will ever see.

Vaughan could not believe it as he walked past the elated Australians but off he walked and with him went England's last chance of achieving their simple goal. The catch seemed to spur on McGrath and, with drizzle drifting across the ground, the players were on and off for the next hour and a half but this did not dampen Australia's desire to finish the game.

Craig White fell weakly, having a hook for the second time in the match and Stewart, after a spirited 57, was plum in front to a Warne top-spinner. With Andrew Caddick hampered by a back spasm, Matthew Hoggard and Stephen Harmison quickly came and went before McGrath found the outside edge of Richard Dawson's bat to win the game.

Ten minutes after the end heavier rain began to fall but for the second Test match in a row England left town with what they deserved – nothing.

ADELAIDE SCOREBOARD

Fourth day; England won toss

ENGLAND – First Innings 342 (M P Vaughan 177; S K Warne 4-93, J N Gillespie 4-78).

AUSTRALIA – First Innings 552 for 9 dec (R T Ponting 154, D R Martyn 95, A C Gilchrist 54; C White 4-106).

ENGLAND – Second Innings (Overnight: 36 for 3)
M P Vaughan c McGrath b Warne 41
R W T Key c Lehmann b Bichel 1
ÝA J Stewart lbw b Warne 57
C White c sub (B Lee) b McGrath 5
R K J Dawson c Gilchrist b McGrath 19
M J Hoggard b McGrath 1
S J Harmison lbw b Warne 0
A R Caddick not out 6
Extras (b3,lb4,nb8) 15
Total (257 min, 59.2 overs) 159

Fall (cont): 4-40 (Key), 5-114 (Vaughan), 6-130 (White), 7-130 (Stewart), 8-132 (Hoggard), 9-134 (Harmison).

Bowling: McGrath 17.2-6-41-4 (nb4) (4-1-14-1, 13.2-5-27-3); Gillespie 12-1-44-1 (5-1-17-1, 6-0-21-0, 1-0-6-0); Warne 25-7-36-3 (nb4); Bichel 5-0-31-2 (one spell each).

Progress: Fourth day: 50: 72 min, 15.2 overs. 100: 126 min, 28.4 overs. Lunch: 119-5 (Stewart 53, White 1) 41 overs. Rain delayed restart until 2pm. Rain stopped play: 2.25-2.35pm 130-5 (Stewart 57, White 5) 47 overs. RSP: 3.05-3.22pm 134-9 (Dawson 1, Caddick 0) 53.1 overs. 150: 254 min, 58.3 overs. Innings closed: 3.48pm.

Stewart 50: 81 min, 67 balls, 6 fours.

Umpires: S A Bucknor (WI) and R E Koertzen (SA).

Man of the match: R T Ponting.

AUSTRALIA WON BY AN INNINGS AND 51 RUNS

Third Test: Australia won by 384 runs

Third Test: 29 Nov-3 Dec (WACA, Perth)

Fourth Test: 26-30 Dec (Melbourne)

Fifth Test: 2-6 Jan (Sydney)