Australia Felix: For three days, the home side dominated the First Test, Andrew Strauss perishing in the first over.
Peter Siddle obtaining Australia’s fifth Ashes hat-trick later on the first day.
Michael Hussey’s 195, full of pulsating pull shots, then placed his team in the lead by 221 runs.
Turn, turn, turn: After Mitchell Johnson’s crucial reprieve for Andrew Strauss…
…Alastair Cook combined with his captain then with Jonathan Trott to bat England to safety, eventually spending all but an hour of the match on the field.
Outrageous fortune: Jonathan Trott’s run out of Simon Katich in the first minutes of the Second Test blew Australia’s first innings wide open.
Kevin Pietersen’s dismissal of Michael Clarke with the last ball of the fourth day did the same to the second.
One Step Ahead: As James Anderson celebrated dismissing Brad Haddin on the last morning, victory was minutes away – rain wasn’t far behind.
A Lot of Hard WACA: Ricky Ponting’s fall to an outstanding slip catch by Paul Collingwood summed up Australia’s first day in the Third Test.
Mitchell Johnson’s peremptory lbw dismissal of Kevin Pietersen was at the centre of Australia’s fightback on the second day.
On his home ground, Mike Hussey was one of few batsmen to conquer the conditions.
Under Siege: The Fourth Test, Ricky Ponting’s last of the summer, was costly to his pocket and reputation. He incurred a heavy fine for a second-day altercation with umpire Aleem Dar.
In between times, Phil Hughes was another victim of Jonathan Trott’s deadly arm.
Ricky Ponting finished a parlous season with the bat on the third day by playing on after a painful second innings to Tim Bresnan.
Vanquished: Graeme Swann’s sprinkler dance (above) and the Barmy Army’s reciprocal exultation (below) marked the retention of the Ashes in Melbourne, while Australia’s captain pondered the turn of cricket’s cycle.
Old Caps, New Heads: In the injured Ponting’s absence, spinner Michael Beer and batsman Usman Khawaja made their debuts for the Fifth Test.
(Left) Phil Hughes then stand-in skipper Michael Clarke (Right) fell cheaply to weaken Australia’s first innings.
Khawaja impressing with his instant strokeplay.
Old Heads, New Attitudes: On the ground on which England’s humiliation had been made complete four years earlier, Alastair Cook…
…Ian Bell and Matt Prior completed effortless hundreds.
Bell completed a season of decidedly mixed results from the referral system by successfully challenging a decision that was almost certainly correct.