England not getting carried away just yet

Cricket: Andrew Strauss said England would savour their win over Australia but the reverse in the corresponding Ashes four years…

Graeme Swann leads the celebrations after taking the wicket of Peter Siddle to claim the second test. Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images
Graeme Swann leads the celebrations after taking the wicket of Peter Siddle to claim the second test. Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

Cricket:Andrew Strauss said England would savour their win over Australia but the reverse in the corresponding Ashes four years ago had taught them not to take anything for granted in the rest of the series.

Encapsulating England's businesslike approach to the Ashes series, which they now lead 1-0 after the innings and 71-run victory, Strauss said there would be celebrations but it would be back to work tomorrow.

"We're very pleased with what we've done this week," the England captain said. "We've got some great momentum now in this series and we've got to keep it going. In some ways it exorcised the demons from four years ago here but now it's back to square one."

Four years ago, England declared on 551 but still fell to defeat with a batting collapse on the final day of the match at the Adelaide Oval. Kevin Pietersen, named man of the match after scoring 227 and taking the key wicket of Michael Clarke, said the contrast with 2006 made the victory all the sweeter.

READ MORE

"The best feeling is walking into the dressing rooms having won this test match," he said. "Four years ago it was a very, very horrible dressing room to walk into, a very quiet dressing, a very negative dressing room and not as united as the dressing room is at the moment.

"Individual performances obviously add to a team victory and I think the team victory today is incredible, it's the best feeling, no matter who gets the runs and who takes the wickets.

"Victory in Australia, I haven't had one, Straussy hasn't had one in test cricket, is a great feeling and we're going to enjoy it. But we're not going to get complacent because we know as soon as complacency sets in, it bites you."

Graeme Swann completed a five-wicket haul and James Anderson took two wickets in two balls as the tourists' took their first test victory on Australian soil since the 2002-03 tour and a first series lead in Australia since 1986-87.

Australia resumed on 238 for four, having lost the key wicket of Michael Clarke to part-time spinner Kevin Pietersen on the last ball of day four. With Clarke, his team's best player of spin, back in the pavilion, the Australians were always going to struggle on a fifth-day pitch providing turn for Swann.

Any hopes of a gritty fight back to salvage a draw were extinguished quickly when Mike Hussey, who had been the pick of Australia's batsman in the series to date, attempted a rash pull shot off the bowling of England quick Steve Finn.

Anderson took the easiest of catches at mid-on to remove Hussey for 52, then struck with his own bowling, dispensing with Brad Haddin courtesy of an outside edge for 12.Anderson then trapped Ryan Harris lbw for his second golden duck of the match on the next ball, though he was denied a hat-trick when Xavier Doherty fended off a short-pitched delivery on the first ball of his next over.

In between Swann had accounted for the out-of-form Marcus North with a plum lbw, although he was forced to call for the TV umpire after his appeal was refused, to give England three wickets in four deliveries.

The spinner then delivered the coup de grace, clinching a comprehensive victory by bowling both Doherty for five and Peter Siddle for six to finish with five for 91 and the Australians all out for 304.