Australia go 2-0 up over England

Australia have scored another emphatic victory over England by winning the second Ashes Test at Adelaide inside four days, by an innings and 51 runs.

On Sunday, England were bowled out for 159 to allow Australia to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Australia showed exactly how a classy all-round team performance can win Test matches. As simple as it may seem, Australia won was because their batsmen played positively and scored the runs, and because their bowlers put the ball in the right places to take the wickets.

On a wicket which did deteriorate for the batting side, England were unable to put runs on the board after the first day. This despite Australian No 9 Andrew Bichel making 48 runs on Saturday.

The overnight break after day three gave the visitors no joy or respite. The second complete over of the morning resulted in the loss of Robert Key for one. Key, hailed as a possible threat for the Australians after his 174 not out against Australia A, pulled Bichel straight to Darren Lehmann at mid-wicket. Bichel's two wickets and runs will help his cause in the fight with Brett Lee for the final position for the third Test in Perth.

Key's departure brought Alec Stewart to the crease and with him came some old British bulldog fight. He carved out a fifty, showing brashness and ingenuity. But Stewart, who made 57, was a lone warrior. He brought up his 8,000th Test run to put him twelfth on the all-time list of run-scorers.

Opener Michael Vaughan, after his first innings score of 177, offered some support. But he holed out to Shane Warne (three for 36) after some Glenn McGrath magic. On 41, Vaughan tried to dismiss Warne over the boundary only to be on the receiving end of one of the catches of the summer.

McGrath, fully outstretched and parallel to the ground, caught Vaughan at deep mid-wicket with one hand. The ball bobbed out of his left and into his right to give Warne his first wicket of the innings. It was a wonderfully-timed piece of fielding, with McGrath never taking his eyes off the ball.

A light sprinkling of rain gave both sides a longer lunch but it only seemed to delay the inevitable. When play resumed, all-rounder Craig White lasted over three quarters of an hour until he was caught by substitute fielder Lee, at mid-on, off the bowling of McGrath (four for 41). White could only add five to the total with Warne completely shutting down his end and the pacemen not giving much width.

Stewart fell victim to Warne for the 14th time. Warne trapped the 39-year-old lbw with a slider, signalling the beginning of the end. Paceman Matthew Hoggard was bowled by McGrath, and Stephen Harmison, trying to play to the onside, fell lbw to Warne without troubling the scorers.

The final partnership between Richard Dawson (19) and Andrew Caddick (6 not out) put on 25 runs. Dawson, in particular, played some strong square drives - once taking 12 off McGrath with three consecutive boundaries. He became McGrath's fourth wicket of the innings after the quick tempted him outside off. Trying to put it away, the 22-year-old got an inside edge to Adam Gilchrist.

The final day was an excellent exhibition of controlled bowling from the Australians. The bowlers gave England no peace and were continually hungry for wickets. England will need to consolidate and turn things around in the next five days, with the third Test starting at the WACA on Friday.