— Photo: AFP

RUN MACHINE: Australia's Michael Hussey continued his amazing run with the bat.

ADELAIDE: Australia virtually made sure it would regain the Ashes with a six-wicket win over England. Mathematically, it is possible for England to win two of the remaining three matches, but as it showed here, it has lost the spirit of 2005 while the World champion appears to be better than ever, even if one or two players have their eyes on pension plans and old age bus passes.

Shane Warne said after the six-wicket victory that he felt it was his finest Test and it is not difficult to agree. He bowled throughout the England innings on the final day — 32 of the 73 overs — in 34 degrees. No one needed reminding what a great bowler he is after his 694 Test wickets and only a curmudgeonly Englishman could register anything but admiration for the mixture of skill and showmanship that is his trademark.

Warne finished with four for 49 and the important run out of Ian Bell. A long time ago, Steve Waugh remarked that a run out is often the cause of a collapse and so it proved. Andrew Strauss was probably wrongly given out caught at short leg as he tried to smother the Warne spin at 69 for two.

Loss of concentration

One run later, Bell lost concentration as he ran which enabled Michael Clarke to gather the ball and hurl it to Warne who made a direct hit from a couple of yards. Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff soon followed: 89 for five or 127 ahead at lunch and looking like losers.

Paul Collingwood, maker of a double century in this match, needed 50 minutes to hit a boundary. His battle lasted 199 minutes. After Geraint Jones, Ashley Giles, Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison followed he found another brave heart in James Anderson who stayed 40 minutes for a single.

Collingwood was undefeated for 22, but the puny total of 129 meant that Australia needed only 168 to win in 36 overs. As you might expect, Flintoff bowled with all the energy that made him a match-winner when the Ashes were brought home but there was a lack of energy from the rest that always made victory unlikely.

Michael Hussey, an overnight star at 31, was superb and injected dash into the innings from the moment he arrived ahead of Damien Martyn who, not surprisingly, hit one lovely four and slashed a catch to slip.

The Aussies celebrated victory as if they had won every sporting trophy on earth but who can blame them. Their grounds are full, the game is alive again and they can profit for the rest of their lives from the notoriety that goes with Ashes heroics in this country.

Tense

Is the series over? Has the great England adventure come to an end? I fear so. They looked tense all day. They cannot replicate 2005 without Michael Vaughan's captaincy, Marcus Trescothick's heavy bat, Harmison's best and Simon Jones's fast reverse swing. Duncan Fletcher, the coach, seems unwilling to let Monty Panesar loose although he would have been an asset in that final 36-over slog.

The other substitutes are not able to fill the gaps adequately. I have no doubt that the Australians will keep winning, maybe take this series 5-0 no matter how well England plays and go on to capture the World Cup.

They have the weaknesses associated with age. Ponting, for all his Man of the Match awards, is far from a great captain and they need to get Shane Watson fit to give their team balance.

The Australians are winners because 20 million Australians actively participate in their battle plans. They have just overcome a good team aided by the Barmy Army, the finest backing group cricket has ever known. Best since Bradman's 1948 Invincibles? I think so.

England — 1st innings: 551 for 6 decl.

Australia — 1st innings: 513.

England — 2nd innings: A. Strauss c Hussey b Warne 34, A. Cook c Gilchrist b Clark 9, I. Bell (run out) 26, P. Collingwood (not out) 22, K. Pietersen b Warne 2, A. Flintoff c Gilchrist b Lee 2, G. Jones c Hayden b Lee 10, A. Giles c Hayden b Warne 0, M. Hoggard b Warne 4, S. Harmison lbw b McGrath 8, J. Anderson lbw b McGrath 1, Extras (b-3, lb-5, w-1, nb-2): 11; Total (all out in 73 overs) 129.

Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-69, 3-70, 4-73, 5-77, 6-94, 7-97, 8-105, 9-119.

Australia bowling: Lee 18-3-35-2, McGrath 10-6-15-2, Warne 32-12-49-4, Clark 13-4-22-1.

Australia — 2nd innings: J. Langer c Bell b Hoggard 7, M. Hayden c Collingwood b Flintoff 18, R. Ponting c Strauss b Giles 49, M. Hussey (not out) 61, D. Martyn c Strauss b Flintoff 5, M. Clarke (not out) 21, Extras (b-2, lb-2, w-1, nb-2): 7; Total (for four wkts. in 32.5 overs) 168.

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-33, 3-116, 4-121.

England bowling: Hogard 4-0-29-1, Flintoff 9-0-44-2, Giles 10-0-46-1, Harmison 4-0-15-0, Anderson 3.5-0-23-0, Pietersen 2-0-7-0.

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