Ashes paper talk: The view from Australia
Sunday 12 July 2015 07:34, UK
The view from down under follwing Australia's 169-run defeat to England in the Ivestec Ashes first Test.
England were on top for the entirety of the opening Test at Cardiff and completed a handsome victory inside four days.
Unsurprisingly perhaps, the Aussie press have pulled no punches in their assessment of the Baggy Greens' performance...
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
The lesson from the Welsh capital, if it wasn't already the view of the tourists, was that despite all the drama England have been through lately, from the sacking of their head coach and director of cricket to their shambles of a World Cup campaign, they are going to be far from the rollover here some might have forecast.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Wasn’t this supposed to be a walkover? Weren’t they a joke, a rabble, a laughing-stock stumbling from one Kevin Pietersen PR disaster to the next? Then we come out to Cardiff and whattaya know? They can play.
MELBOURNE HERALD SUN
If Anderson was after a quick dose of Aussie bashing before flinging down his first delivery at Michael Clarke and co, he was in the right place.
Not that it seems Team England needed any boost in confidence. It now appears obvious that any talk of their disastrous World Cup campaign, on-going dramas with Pietersen, coaching machinations and a no-show to the series’ official launch by bowler Stuart Broad after a big night out, were of a lot more interest to English journalists than to English players.
BRISBANE TIMES
A comprehensive win for England and a much needed one as well. They were spot on right throughout, they batted well, fielded well and bowled extremely well to draw the first blood at Cardiff and lead the series 1-0.
ADELAIDE ADVERTISER
Chasing victory on UK soil for the first time in 14 years, Australia’s desperate cricketers were comprehensively outplayed in every department, as Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali and Joe Root led the home side to a 169-run triumph on day four.
CRICKET.COM.AU
The Australia team that arrived in Britain barely three weeks ago as odds-on to break their 14-year Ashes drought on enemy territory now faces a sizeable task to regroup and get their campaign back on track for the second Test just days away.
