England search for answers

BRISBANE – England have just three days to come up with some answers after a crushing 277-run loss to Australia in the opening Ashes cricket Test at the Gabba yesterday.

The tourists’ grip on the famous urn has been weakened a little after Australia’s dominant performance in the first of five Tests, amassing a total of 804 runs in two declarations and bowling the tourists out twice to wrap up victory in Monday’s morning session. Andrew Flintoff’s team head to Adelaide for Friday’s second match of the contest looking to overcome a number of problems, most pressing the out-of-synch bowling of pace spearhead Steve Harmison.The giant Durham speedster opened the series with a monstrous wide delivery that skewed to second slip and came away from the Brisbane Test with an unflattering one wicket for 177 runs.An in-form Harmison is vital to England’s chances of holding on to the Ashes they took off Australia in last year’s unforgettable series in England.Man-of-the-match and Australian captain Ricky Ponting said Harmison was a key player for England in the series.Australia needed just 90 minutes on the final morning to snare the five remaining wickets to mop up victory.There are parallels to the last series when Australia swept to an emphatic 239-win in the first Test at Lord’s only to lose the series 2-1.But Ponting, who scored 196 in the first innings, is determined to avoid any such repeat.Flintoff, preferred to Andrew Strauss as Ashes tour skipper in the injury absence of 2005 series leader Michael Vaughan, said England must be pro-active.”We can’t mope around.We can’t sit around thinking too much, we’ve got to learn from it obviously.There’s still four games to go,” he said.Australia totally dominated the first three days, but England gained some encouragement from a rousing 153-run fourth-wicket stand between Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen over two and a half hours Sunday that rattled the Australian attack.Nampa-AFPAndrew Flintoff’s team head to Adelaide for Friday’s second match of the contest looking to overcome a number of problems, most pressing the out-of-synch bowling of pace spearhead Steve Harmison.The giant Durham speedster opened the series with a monstrous wide delivery that skewed to second slip and came away from the Brisbane Test with an unflattering one wicket for 177 runs.An in-form Harmison is vital to England’s chances of holding on to the Ashes they took off Australia in last year’s unforgettable series in England.Man-of-the-match and Australian captain Ricky Ponting said Harmison was a key player for England in the series.Australia needed just 90 minutes on the final morning to snare the five remaining wickets to mop up victory.There are parallels to the last series when Australia swept to an emphatic 239-win in the first Test at Lord’s only to lose the series 2-1.But Ponting, who scored 196 in the first innings, is determined to avoid any such repeat.Flintoff, preferred to Andrew Strauss as Ashes tour skipper in the injury absence of 2005 series leader Michael Vaughan, said England must be pro-active.”We can’t mope around.We can’t sit around thinking too much, we’ve got to learn from it obviously.There’s still four games to go,” he said.Australia totally dominated the first three days, but England gained some encouragement from a rousing 153-run fourth-wicket stand between Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen over two and a half hours Sunday that rattled the Australian attack.Nampa-AFP