Trott succumbs to Johnson assault
Jonathan Trott imploded under the pressure of Mitchell Johnson’s searing leg stump attack as England stumbled badly in their bid to save the first Test.
Trott holed out to Nathan Lyon in the deep to end a brief period of living dangerously against the left-armer after England were set 561 to win at the Gabba or survive 195 overs to save the game.
It was the fifth time in five innings against Johnson that Trott has succumbed cheaply to the speedster.
His innings of just nine meant he had scored 23 runs but got out five times in his past 40 deliveries from the menacing quick spread over this match and the 2010-11 series.
Opener Michael Carberry also fell for a duck, unluckily squeezing a defensive shot at the irrepressible Ryan Harris back through his pads and onto the stumps to give Australia a perfect start to their bid to take the 10 wickets required to give them an Ashes lead.
The target was 537 runs away as Alastair Cook reached 11 not out in England’s 2-24 but he was fortunate to survive partner Kevin Pietersen’s first ball in the middle.
Pietersen called him through for the shortest of singles and Cook would have been run out by David Warner’s throw had George Bailey not dislodged a bail just before the ball arrived with Cook struggling to make his ground. Pietersen was three not out at the end.
Michael Clarke’s declared Australia’s innings as soon as it passed 400 to leave England with a historically impossible task to win the match and an immense challenge to save it.
Perhaps the only benefit for England is that showers are forecast in Brisbane for the next two days.
Brad Haddin scored half-centuries in each innings of a match for the first time when his punishing 53 helped Johnson (39 not out) get the total to 7-401.
Bailey lasted just 10 balls after tea before Graeme Swann drifted the ball past his bat to rattle his off stump.
Swann finished with 2-135 to give up 215 runs in the match as Australia maintained their plan to attack him at every opportunity.
He had exceeded that tally twice before, including at Old Trafford this year, but only three off-spinners in Test history have conceded as many runs from as few as his 53 overs.
