Although it was a dead rubber, Australia were looking to send a message in the final Test at The Oval.
Day four was a race against time for Australia; rain was forecast to interrupt play after lunch.
Obviously this meant the Aussies needed early wickets, and Siddle was the man who delivered.
In the 84th over Siddle trapped Mark Wood on the crease and the appeal went up for lbw, though they were denied by the on-field umpire.
The referral saw a reversal, with the footage showing the ball struck Wood on the pads before hitting the bat, so the decision was reversed and Wood had to walk, making 6 from 16.
Jos Buttler’s stand ended prematurely, driving on the up and the ball stayed in the air just long enough for Mitchell Starc to take a rolling catch just above the grass, sending Buttler back on 42.
Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali occupied the crease, bringing England to 8-247 at drinks after 92 overs. Not long after drinks play was called off due to rain.
Play finally resumed after about three hours, and not long after another wicket fell. Australia were one dismissal closer to winning.
In the 98th over, Siddle pierced the gap between Broad’s bat and pad, the ball straightening off the bounce, and a little inside edge pushed the ball into the off-stump. Broad out for 11.
Fittingly, Peter Siddle was the man who ended the match, making Ali push tentatively at a ball moving across from him, nicking it to Peter Nevill for his fourth wicket of the innings, making his figures 4-35 from 24.4 overs.
Australia got England all out for 286 runs in 102 overs, defeating them by an innings and 46 runs.
JimmyB
Guest
Ok, I'll be the pedant and point out that England didn't retain the Ashes, they regained them. Just the one letter makes all the difference...unless we're pretending that the 5-0 didn't happen, in which case I'm down with that.
Arthur Pagonis
Roar Guru
Mark Taylor said of Steve Smith, "Get ready mate, here come the grey hairs.". Michael Clarke and Chris Rogers can add colours to theirs. They were/are fantastic guys, salt of the earth cricketers of the Australian variety…like hundreds before them. The ECB finale for both was magnificent, and they were magnificent in their remarks to questions. Many thanks to Andrew Strauss and Gemma Ward for the send-off. It touched my heart. It reveals to cricketers everywhere that the strain, pain and pure athletic fun of cricket keeps the older and younger guys fit, healthy and wealthy...and wise….and that is the message it needs to send to young people. Cricket is NOT an elite sport. It is for the people. It is a great builder of character and has many great characters in it. I hope the ECB, BCCI and CA come to realise this. Cricket must be expansionist and inclusive of boys, girls, men, women…everywhere. There are 100 countries with boys and girls like Michael and Buck just waiting to get involved. They don’t need hubris and furore at the top. They need jobs in cricket to feed into! That means a World Cricket League and national Leagues in 3 forms of the game. They are great Aussies, Chris and Michael. They have tried with every sinew in their bodies to be great for Australia to win every game they played, which is why they won the final Test yesterday. And so they went out with a big smile and a weight like a piano off their backs. And we must honour them as heroes. They won't be lost to cricket, Australian Cricket or any kind of cricket. They will be back for us to see on the Big Screen some time real soon. Thanks for everything fellas. You have that true Aussie spirit and have been a living example of it right throughout. ARTHUR PAGONIS MANAGING DIRECTOR AUSTRALIA GLOBAL TRADING PTY LTD 10 HERTZ WAY, MORLEY, W.A. 6062 AUSTRALIA PH. 61.8.9377 3833, FAX 61.8.93773877, MOBILE 61. 409918874 SKYPE: apagonis2 WEB: www.ausglobaltrading.com