England wrap up big win in third Ashes Test

It was the first time that two England bowlers had taken six-wicket hauls in the same Ashes Test since Botham and Bob Willis each achieved the feat in the extraordinary “500/1 match” at Headingley in 1981, where England defied the odds to win after following-on. An unbeaten knock to see England home and Ian Ronald Bell is back.

England’s three-day victory capped an incredible turnaround since their 405-run hammering in the second Test at Lord’s.

Once known for hitting the stumps at the wrong end as he ran in to bowl, Steven Finn made a triumphant return to test cricket at Edgbaston, extracting maximum bounce and spearheading England to an eight-wicket victory Friday over Australia in the third Ashes test with a career-best 6-79.

England clearly missed fast bowler James Anderson, who retired in mid-over on Thursday with a left side strain, and was also out of the fourth test at Trent Bridge, starting next Thursday.

“It couldn’t be more fitting could it, for Belly to be walking off 60-odd not out in his home Test match to win the game”, said Cook. The bowlers set the tone on Day 1.

A particular concern is the form of the 34-year-old Clarke, one of the outstanding batsmen of his era.

“As long as we play our best, I am confident we can beat whatever 11 players we play against”.

David Warner noted Clarke wasn’t alone in struggling with the bat. You can see the wicket has deteriorated.

“It swung and seamed throughout the whole game”.

Australia is unlikely to make any changes to its bowling line-up, which performed well enough to restrict England to 281 in its first innings.

“You just wonder if the cricket gods have something in store for us”.

The fall of openers Alastair Cook (7) and Adam Lyth (12), proved to be mere blips in the home team’s chase rather than any real sign of an unlikely Australian fightback.

Bell played aggressively from the outset, crashing three boundaries in four balls from Starc before Clarke shelled a chance at slip in the same over. Those very senses looked in working order as he strode to the crease today, after Alastair Cook had been bowled by a cracking delivery by Mitchell Starc, and whipped his first ball through mid-wicket for four. I set off for another one and then thought, he’s right.

“I would have liked a few more runs in the first innings“.

As the match continued at break-neck pace, Peter Nevill and Mitchell Starc frayed English nerves slightly by advancing Australia’s lead rapidly in the morning session on day three. He was, however, given a reprieve on 20 when, with England 35 for 1, he edged Starc to second slip only for Michael Clarke to drop the chance.

England won the third Ashes test by eight wickets with more than two days to spare at Edgbaston on Friday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

But in his past 28 innings – a span stretching back to December 2013 – Clarke has reached 25 just six times and scored two hundreds.

“Class is everlasting, Ian Bell is a implausible cricketer, however we have got to maintain backing the proper horses and belief me, Ian Bell is certainly one of them”, Cook advised reporters.

“The captain is due to get off the plane, that’s the plan for the next test match”, he told reporters.