The England players celebrate after winning the fourth Ashes cricket test match against Australia at the Riverside cricket ground in Chester-le-Street near Durham yesterday.
CHESTER-LE-STREET, United Kingdom: Stuart Broad bowled England to a stunning 74-run fourth Test win over Australia with more than a day to spare as they took an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match Ashes series, yesterday.
Australia, set 299 to win at Chester-le-Street, were well-placed at 168 for two but slumped to 224 all out as paceman Broad took six wickets for 50 runs for a Test-best match haul of 11 for 121.
The victory means England, who had already retained the Ashes, have won three successive Test series against Australia for the first time since the 1950s.
Australia, looking for their first win in eight Tests, lost five wickets for 13 runs as 168 for two was transformed into 181 for seven.
Man-of-the-match Broad, who had taken five first-innings wickets, enjoyed a purple patch of six wickets for 20 runs in 45 balls, with Tim Bresnan taking two for eight in 24.
David Warner and fellow left-hander Chris Rogers gave Australia a solid platform with an opening stand of 109 before first-innings century-maker Rogers edged off-spinner Graeme Swann to Jonathan Trott at slip on 49.
Swann then had Usman Khawaja lbw for 21.
Warner, who missed the first two Tests of the series, both of which Australia lost, after being banned for punching home batsman Joe Root in a Birmingham bar in June, looked in fine touch while making a 74-ball half-century that included a six off Swann.
But on 71, he was drawn forward to a Bresnan ball angled across him, and edged it to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.
Broad then dismissed Australia captain Michael Clarke for 21 with a superb delivery that came into the star batsman and clipped the top of off stump, before getting Steven Smith to play on after bottom-edging a hook.
Shane Watson, like Smith, was out for two as he fell in familiar fashion, lbw playing across his front pad, to Bresnan.
He reviewed Aleem Dar’s decision but, with technology indicating the ball would have clipped leg stump, the Pakistani umpire’s call was upheld.
The collapse continued as Brad Haddin, the last of the recognised batsmen, was lbw, moving across his stumps, to Broad for four.
Australia, understandably, challenged but with the Decision Review System indicating the ball would have just hit the top of leg stump, New Zealand umpire Tony Hill’s original verdict was confirmed and Australia were 181 for seven, with both sides having used up their reviews.
And when Broad had Ryan Harris lbw, Australia were exactly 100 runs shy of victory with just two wickets standing. AFP
