Marsh brothers on cloud nine after twin centuries
The day belonged to the Marsh brothers. Shaun and Mitchell notched up their second centuries of the series, while accompanying each other in a 169-run stand, to deepen English wounds on the fourth day of the final Ashes Test in Sydney. By stumps, England were 93/4, still 210 runs in arrears, needing something extraordinary from their overnight pair of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow.
Ahead of the series, the selection of Mitchell and Shaun raised questions from some quarters, especially with the likes of Peter Handsomb left out. However, the two have changed perceptions since then, their delight at the current state of affairs evident as they fronted up to the media after the end of the day’s play.
“It's been an amazing six weeks to be around the guys and score a few runs. It has been really special to be a part of an Ashes series, (given) the position we were," said Shaun. "I just tried to get runs and have a bit of fun when I got picked and not put too much pressure on myself and just go out there and enjoy it."
Mitchell agreed with his brother, and conceded there was a time the current situation seemed implausible. “To be honest, I didn't think I was going to take any part in this Australian summer, because of my injury and, obviously, because of selection,” he said. “So it's been a pretty good month for both of us, really, and we are just happy to be here now and to be contributing to a winning Australian team."
The mood was distinctly different in the England camp. They needed their batting to remain firm after Australia declared with a lead of 303. Instead, Alastair Cook and Mark Stoneman were both packed off within six overs. Nathan Lyon ended the day with figures of 2/31, with the important wickets of Cook and Dawid Malan both among England’s top-scorers this series.
Paul Farbrace, the England assistant coach, praised Lyon for the impact he has had on this Ashes. “We talked a lot before we came about how he (Lyon) would bowl, about his high quality,” said Farbrace. “He's had a fantastic effect on this series. He has been able to come on and bowl long spells, (going) right back to Brisbane. He bowled brilliantly from there. In a way, we've not got away from his stranglehold.
“He bowled very well to start with there, we found him hard to rotate against, and he's gone on to have a massive effect on this series. Along with Steve Smith, he's been their star performer, in that he has allowed their seamers to rest. He's always been a threat and it always seems that he's taken important wickets throughout the series, which is testimony to his high level of skill.”
England will soon begin the process of reviewing their performance in the series, and Farbrace believed one of things they had to look at was personnel in different conditions. “You need to start identifying the type of personnel you need, character-wise and skill-wise to come here and win,” he said. Mason as a leg-spinner … we're going to need high-quality spin to help us win on these surfaces. Lyon has played a massive part in this series, so it isn't always about fast, bouncy Australian wickets. It is about adjusting to the very different wickets we've had here. The honesty and the planning for next time has got to start as soon as possible.”