England’s Bowling Collapse Deepens Ashes Misery in Sydney
If you’re trying to track the England cricket team versus Australian men’s cricket team timeline, this fifth Ashes Test in Sydney feels like another painful chapter being added in real time. On paper, England actually gave themselves a fighting chance. Joe Root’s superb 160 was the kind of innings England have been crying out for all series, and a total of 384 looked respectable in conditions that were expected to help the bowlers. For a brief moment, it felt like England had finally found some footing.
That feeling didn’t last long.
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What followed was one of the most dismal bowling days England have produced in recent memory. By the close of play on day two, Australia had cruised to 166 for 2 in just over 34 overs, barely breaking sweat. The advantage England had earned with the bat was surrendered almost immediately, and it was done in a way that has become depressingly familiar throughout this Ashes series.
The core issue was simple and brutal: England could not bowl a consistent length. From the opening overs, Australia were offered width and short balls, and they happily helped themselves. Seven boundaries came in the first six overs alone, all from deliveries that sat up begging to be cut or pulled. Former England spinner Phil Tufnell summed it up mercilessly, rating the performance a “two out of ten” and questioning how professional bowlers could miss the top of off stump so often.
There were brief flashes of control. Ben Stokes managed to pin Jake Weatherald lbw, and Josh Tongue momentarily applied some pressure. But even then, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne calmly rebuilt, putting together a commanding partnership that drained any remaining belief from England. Australia’s scoring rate told its own story, with boundaries flowing at a pace that underlined just how little pressure was being applied.
Questions were also raised about leadership and tactics. Brydon Carse was again handed the new ball despite limited success in that role, while Tongue, England’s most effective seamer in the series, was held back. Stokes himself, who has a strong record against left-handers, remained reluctant to open the bowling, a decision that puzzled many observers and reignited debate around England’s strategic stubbornness.
Looking at the bigger England versus Australia timeline, this match feels less like an isolated failure and more like a warning sign. With Anderson, Broad, and Woakes retired, and injuries limiting other options, England’s bowling cupboard suddenly looks worryingly bare. In conditions that were meant to suit them, these are the bowlers England currently have—and the alarm bells are ringing loudly about what comes next.
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