Victory is 'title-winning material'

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MELBOURNE Victory claim they've got the character of A-League champions, while John Aloisi pays the price. Read our Round 12 A-League review.

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VICTORY FLEX MUSCLES

Fresh from seeing his side fight back to force a draw with powerhouses Western Sydney Wanderers, Kosta Barbarouses says Melbourne Victory has the self-belief to win the A-League championship this season.

The attacker was asked on Sunday Shootout whether he could repeat his exploits of 2010-2011, where won the A-League title with Brisbane Roar.

"Earlier in the season we were 2-0 down against Adelaide United and we came back. This week we showed the same," he said.

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"That's Championship winning material. We have shown we never give up."

Shootout host and former Socceroo Mark Bosnich was impressed with what he saw from Kevin Muscat's men at AAMI Park, but said the rookie coach could get even more out of his side with more adventurous tactics.

"Victory normally play with wingers on their opposite sides, Barbarouses on the left and Connor Pain on the right," he said.

"You know they're going to cut in. Wanderers knew and they stifled them well.

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"Kevin Muscat needed to swap it over earlier, he did eventually but perhaps he missed a trick."

Fellow shootout host Craig Moore reserved his place for the Wanderers, who still picked up a point, despite missing attacking weapons Tomi Juric and Shinji Ono, and having Yousouff Hersi come off the bench.

"Wanderers are in a really good position, and to achieve what they did without those three was a great result," he said.

"Victory do play a fantastic brand of football and we saw two teams who know what they want to achieve this season."

HEART TRANSPLANT

Melbourne Heart's 1-0 loss to Wellington Phoenix on Friday night was the final straw for the club's board, sacking coach John Aloisi less than 24 hours later.

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Moore said the decision didn't surprise him, but there are worrying signs moving forward for the club.

"We're in a results business. John Aloisi understands how it operates and won't want people to be sorry for him," Moore said.

"The concern going forward for supporters is what is the future of the club.

"What is going to change? Something has to change."

HOW ALOISI BROUGHT UPON HIS OWN DOWNFALL

HEARTBREAK ALMOST AN ACT OF MERCY

SOONER HEART SELL, THE BETTER

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Bosnich admitted the Heart were in turmoil, but hoped good would come of the situation.

"Right now, right here, that (sacking Aloisi) was the most decisive action we've seen from their board for some time. 17 games, they didn't have a choice," Bosnich said.

"They've lost their way and they need to get back on track. They're losing fans by the second. They need to steady the ship.

"They said they still want to make the finals. That's ambitious and that's a good thing. The players have to bear respobnsilbity and start winning now."

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HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Frank Farina will tell you differently, but Brisbane Roar's dismantling of Sydney FC on Thursday night sent out an emphatic message to their title rivals and re-inforced that Mike Mulvey's side are the competition favourites.

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The Roar played with flair and showed great composure to come from a goal down to hammer the Sky Blues 5-1, a defeat made more bitter with former Sydney FC star Dimitri Petratos scoring a hat-trick against his old club.

The signs are worrying for a Sky Blues outfit who until recently had been cruising. The average age of their starting XI was more than 30, the oldest side they've ever fielded. For the Roar, it's onwards and upwards.

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GAME OF THE WEEK

Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers put on a Saturday night show at a rocking AAMI Park. It was billed as the match of round 12, and it didn't disappoint, Gui Finkler's late strike a fitting way to conclude any match.

Kosta Barboruses was closest to the action, and he enjoyed the spectacle.

"It was a great match to be a part of and just a really good game of football," he told Sunday Shootout.

"You saw two teams with good structures. It had a bit of everything."

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INCIDENT OF THE WEEK

Josep Gomabu lit the fuse ahead of Adelaide United's clash with Newcastle - bringing to light his opponents physical style - and it appeared the Jets players were only too happy to stoke the flames.

Referee Chris Beath dished out seven yellow cards as the challenges came flying in from all directions in a spicy affair at Coopers Stadium, with Marcelo Carrusca receiving special attention from the Jets.

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"We need to protect the players we need to protect the football people,'' Gombau fumed after seeing his playmaker hobble off injured.

Injuries aside, the Reds are on the way up, rising to seventh with their latest win.

"They're building nicely. They're starting to become familiar with the style that's expected of them," Bosnich said.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Not fair, he's good at everything

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CRICKET Confidential takes a different view of the fourth day of the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne, as Australia romped to victory.

HE REALLY IS SUPER MITCH

"He bowls to the left, he bowls to the righ-ight. Mitchell Johnson. His bowling is shite."

This song went to number one with a bullet when the Barmy Army first conceived it back when, well, Johnson's bowling was about as threatening as a water pistol.

And it hurt the sensitive new age guy. It really hurt.

So oh, what joy the moustachioed speed demon must be feeling to finally be feared, and secretly adored by the same England fans, players, and commentators who once derided him.

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Johnson picked up his third man of the match award from four Tests in Melbourne, on the same day that Cricket Australia released GPS figures to reveal the athletic left-armer was running the equivalent of a half marathon on each day of the Ashes series.

So let's get this straight. He's just about taken more wickets than the whole England team combined, he's scored more runs than George Bailey, he hasn't dropped a catch and he's got the only direct hit run out of the series. And he runs half marathons.

To top it off, he loves giving it to Kevin Pietersen and he's humble - attempting to convince the media after the Boxing Day Test that century-maker Chris Rogers was more deserving of the man of the match award.

Who knows, if he was playing for England instead of Australia, they might just have won a game this series.

TWEETS OF THE DAY

IMAGE OF THE DAY

Perhaps in defeat, some humility - Kevin Pietersen posing for a pic with a fan. Pic: Ryan Pierse Source: Getty Images

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Heartbreak almost an act of mercy

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IN his long and itinerant playing career, John Aloisi saw a lot of coaches come and go. Now, 18 months after his first steps into senior coaching, he knows how they feel.

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Less than half way through the season, four of the league's 10 coaches have departed - two out of choice, two sacked. If the former went on to better things - Ange Postecoglou to the Socceroos and Graham Arnold to the J-League - then the two axed, Aloisi and Alistair Edwards at Perth, went kicking and screaming.

HEART SACK ALOISI AFTER 16 WINLESS GAMES

HOW ALOISI GOT THE JOB AHEAD OF ANTE MILICIC

In a salary-capped league, you could argue that the ability of a coach to organise and improve his players is paramount, and the quality most highlighted. Arnold and Tony Popovic have built reputations by taking average players and squeezing every last drop of talent out of them thanks to highly effective coaching.

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But most of all it is results that count, and as with every league around the world, coaches who don't deliver find themselves in the firing line.

At Sydney FC, three defeats in four games had supporters and media almost expecting Frank Farina's defenestration. While never under any threat, Popovic found himself earlier this season fending off accusations of a slump after his team didn't win for three games.

Heart did their best not to act in haste, and those close to the club's decision makers say they put off and put off the execution in the hope that things would turn, until in the end it was almost an act of mercy.

• TOTAL: Played 39, Won 8, Drawn 7, Lost 24 - Scored 40, Conceded 62.
• 2012/13 - Played 27, Won 8, Drawn 3, Lost 16 - Scored 31, Conceded 40 - 27 points - 9th place.
• 2013/14 - Played 12, Won 0, Drawn 4, Lost 8 - Scored 9, Conceded 22 - 4 points - 10th place.
• Worst record of any A-League club during his tenure.
• Aloisi's tenure ended with 17 games without a win and one clean sheet in 19 games.

For in the end, in the A-League as much as anywhere, it's the line of least resistance to get rid of the coach. Unless a player is seen as a particularly divisive figure, they will be safe until the end of their contract.

In that light it takes a brave coach to commit to playing an open and stylish brand of football. Mike Mulvey is continuing the tradition of attacking that Farina and then Postecoglou implemented at Brisbane, and Ernie Merrick is trying hard to fashion a silk purse from a sow's ear at Wellington.

But it's always with the knowledge that with just 10 top-flight jobs in the country, there will always be a line of candidates willing to step into the role. That's what makes coaching in the A-League both the pinnacle of the profession and the loneliest job in the world.

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Melbourne a long way from Mohali

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AS Shane Watson and Michael Clarke embraced in the centre of the MCG on Sunday it highlighted just how far Melbourne is from Mohali.

The celebration that took place between the captain and his former deputy is a world away from the divisive homework scandal in India nine months ago which prompted Watson to consider his future and cost him the vice-captaincy.

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On Sunday he swatted a ball from Monty Panesar to the square leg boundary, raising the bat and free arm in triumph as Australia claimed an eight-wicket win in the fourth Test.

A new high for Australian cricket as the Ashes lead stretched to 4-0 continues to wipe away the memories from one of the most bizarre and painful moments in the sport, when Watson and three others were suspended for failing to complete a simple assignment.

This is the team that lost all four Tests on that Indian tour, suspended David Warner for hitting England's Joe Root in a bar, bombed out in the Champions Trophy, had its coach sacked 18-days before the Ashes began in England then lost that series 3-0.

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Now Australia is just one Test win away from joining the elite. Ricky Ponting's star-studded 2006-07 team and Warwick Armstrong's in 1920-21 are the only other sides to clean sweep an Ashes series 5-0.

It is fitting that Clarke was batting on Sunday when the winning runs were scored given the depths he and new coach Darren Lehmann have dragged this team back from.

Victory at the MCG has reinforced the most remarkable turnaround in history.

No Australian team has ever played so badly and so well in the same year.

The possibility of 5-0 in Sydney next week is extraordinary given that Australia has just dug itself out of the worst run since the nadir of the mid 80s, going nine Tests in a row without a victory.

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As Australia rapidly ran down what could have been a tricky target of 231 Clarke received his own special round of sustained applause after cutting Ben Stokes to the boundary, bringing up 8000 Test runs.

He becomes just the sixth Australian to achieve the feat and will soon move into fifth on the list of Australia's all-time run makers, going past Mark Waugh's 8029.

The warm applause Clarke received on his arrival at the wicket and again for achieving his significant milestone shows how much the Australian captain has been embraced by the public.

He still talks about being booed earlier in his career.

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Australia's Achilles heel during its poor period earlier in the year was its batting yet such has the domination been in this series the home side has the top four run-scorers.

As for England, the barometer of a team is its fielding and the visitors were terrible on Sunday.

Three chances went down, with stand-in wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow responsible for two of them.

The most costly was an edge from century maker Chris Rogers when he was just 19 which Bairstow did not even go for as it sailed away to the boundary.

Who would have thought that four months after winning the Ashes so convincingly, England would unravel so completely.

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Mild upstages wild on Lyon's day

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MITCHELL Johnson is the man who can do everything - and for sheer gladatorial excitement, his duel with Kevin Pietersen late Saturday had the MCG rocking, as only one of the world's greatest sports stadiums can.

But the evil-eyed enforcer was upstaged by the unfashionable, mild-mannered Nathan Lyon - and guess what, another huge crowd probably enjoyed that even more.

If they weren't already doing that, they changed their mind when the smiling off-spinner had England's most controversial cricketer caught in the deep late in the last session, Lyon's 100th Test wicket.

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The crowd of 63,864, which included his family, gave him a rousing ovation when he performed the now ritual gesture of holding up the ball to mark the five-for - and what was probably the decisive wicket of the match.

For any number of reasons, it was a magical moment in what has developed into one of the most interesting - riveting, in fact - Boxing Day Tests in recent memory, the best since England won by 12 runs three tours ago.

And it hasn't been decided yet.

It will be Sunday, with Australia needing 201 with all 10 wickets intact to make it 4-0.

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Given they only managed 204 in the first innings, and the way the match has twisted and turned over the first three days, that's not a doddle, and England wicketkeeper, Johnny Bairstow, insisted on Saturday night that they were confident of turning it around.

But the tourists might be whistling in the dark.

Their' morale won't be helped by the certain knowledge that they surrendered the high ground not once, not twice but three times on Saturday.

They allowed Brad Haddin and Lyon to add 40 for the last wicket - crucial runs in such a low-scoring contest - and then lost 3-1 and 5-6 in embarrassing collapses themselves, bowled out for 179 in just 61 overs.

They squandered a potentially dominating position when they led by 116 with all wickets intact and for their long suffering fans it was beyond disappointing - again.

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Lyon was a big part of both implosions and history is going to record that he has played a bigger part in this summer-long triumph than anyone - himself included, perhaps - would have expected, given he has been dropped from the team twice this year.

He has now taken 16 wickets, more than anyone except the all-conquering Johnson's 31, and it's not just the number but the names - Bell for a first ball duck, Stokes and Pietersen among them on Saturday.

He has become a great story and will remain one whatever happens in the rest of his career, which began in spectacular fashion with a haul of 5-34 on debut against Sri Lanka just over two years ago.

Now, in his 29th match, he has become only the sixth Australian off-spinner to take 100 wickets behind Hugh Trumble's 141 - well over a century ago - Ashley Mallett's 132, Bruce Yardley's 126, former captain Ian Johnson's 109 and, also well over a century ago, George Giffen's 103.

Three years ago he was helping prepare Test wickets in Adelaide, not bowling on them, so it has been a remarkable journey.

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"It seemed a long way away when I started but no-one can take it away from me now," he said.

"It's amazing."

Johnson captivated the crowd, as he had done in the first innings and everywhere else he has been this summer, when he launched the fightback by disposing of England captain Alistair Cook just as he was threatening to take control and put the match out of reach.

Then he threw down the stumps to run out Joe Root and held a good catch to dismiss Bell in quick succession, before challenging Pietersen to a ferocious battle after the tea-break, each man knowing the result of the match might largely hinge on who came out on top.

Johnson was infuriated when Pietersen pulled away during his run-up, saying a child on the boundary was distracting him, and threw the ball towards the slips instead of bowling it.

The pair exchanged plenty of angry words with unpire Kumar Dharmasena forced to order them to cool it.

It might have been ugly but the crowd was loving it.

The running total for the three days is now 233,302, while Channel 9 said 2.6 million watched Friday's play.

If you haven't beern part of it, either on the spot or on the counch, don't miss it on Saturday - it might yet be a thriller.

ron.reed@news.com.au

Twitter: @Reedrw

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Injuries the downside of stability

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THIS is the downside of stability. Ryan Harris has bowled himself to a standstill and Shane Watson is moving like a bullock dray.

Naming the same side in four successive Tests for the first time in almost a decade has given Australia an unexpected look of certainty and confidence levels have gone through the roof with each emphatic victory.

But the last Test in Sydney is a bridge too far.

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Five Tests in six weeks is an enormous ask, particularly for the bowlers, and this side cannot remain intact.

The plan has always been to rest Ryan Harris in Sydney next week following just a three-day turnaround from Melbourne and Saturday produced ample evidence why.

The limp from his dodgy knee has become more pronounced with each passing day and his pace has dropped off a little.

If Harris was to try and play at the SCG next week he would need the postman's motorbike.

On the opening day England managed just two scoring shots off Harris in his eight overs to lunch, and one of them was an edge.

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On Saturday the first three deliveries in England's second innings were all picked off for runs.

Carrying an obvious groin problem, Watson's few overs on Saturday were delivered at Shane Warne flipper pace and the all-rounder was a liability in the field.

There is simply no way Watson can play in Sydney either if he's going to move like that.

How many changes the selectors make and who fills those spots will be intriguing, with the heavy duty tour of South Africa little more than a month away.

If a common sense approach is taken at the selection table now the Ashes have been well and truly won, Harris and Watson should be put on ice until then, lest they do any more damage to their battered bodies.

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The first inclusion should be this summer's permanent 12th man, bowling all-rounder James Faulkner.

Whether he comes in as a straight swap for Harris or the selectors push Brad Haddin to six and include Faulkner as the all-rounder at seven will be a matter of some debate.

In his only Test, at The Oval last August, Faulkner played as the all-rounder with four specialist bowlers during a typically feisty debut.

That would mean dropping George Bailey, who is the least performed of Australia's batsmen this summer and needs something special in Australia's second innings to be sure of holding his place.

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Given stability has been such a key to Australia's success this summer the selectors will be keen to keep changes to a minimum but it is also a chance to look at players ahead of South Africa.

With Watson likely to be missing Australia will need a new number three and the obvious candidate is Alex Doolan, although his form tapered off after a strong start for Tasmania this season.

And he hasn't played red ball cricket for three weeks because of the Sheffield Shield hiatus that makes room for the Big Bash.

Doug Bollinger and Nathan Coulter-Nile have been on standby for the past two Tests, with Coulter-Nile inching towards a Test debut.

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Lyon puts Aussies in box seat

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AUSTRALIA is tantalisingly poised to claim the fourth Test at the MCG on Sunday on the way to attempting a 5-0 whitewash in Sydney next week.

After an extraordinary recovery on day three, Australia needs a further 201 for victory with all 10 wickets in hand.

The character of the batsmen is on the line on Sunday after the bowlers yet again dragged the team back into a match the batsmen threatened to sacrifice.

At stumps Australia was 0-30 after bowling England out for just 179 in its second innings, leaving Australia 231 to win.

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History says the target is not as easy as it looks. Australia has successfully chased more than 200 at the MCG just three times, with the best 5-287 against England in 1928-29, and the last 8-258 against the West Indies during 1960-61.

Saturday's hero was Nathan Lyon, who claimed 5-50 and became just the fifth Australian off-spinner to achieve 100 career wickets, taking them in front of 63,864 fans. More than 230,000 have watched the first three days of the Test.

Lyon claimed the slow pitch was not to blame for the terrible batting collapses by both teams.

"Australia has to really be patient with our batting. It's going to be a massive challenge, there's no doubt about it," he said.

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"We have to hang in there, be patient and show good intent and try and rotate the strike."

Mitchell Johnson also continued his outstanding summer, claiming 3-25 from 15 overs to have 31 wickets at an average of just 14 apiece.

He is on course to have the best series by an Australian fast bowler since Rodney Hogg took 41 wickets against England during 1978-79.

No longer the timid church mouse, Johnson literally went toe-to-toe with England's most dangerous batsman, Kevin Pietersen, on Saturday.

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Looking all the more intimidating with his bristling 1970s moustache, Johnson was furious with Pietersen (49) pulling away at the last minute because of what his batting partner Jonny Bairstow said was a baby crawling behind the sightscreen.

Umpire Kumar Dharmasena was forced to step between the pair.

However flaky Australia's batting above Brad Haddin has been in the first four Tests, England's has been so much worse. On Saturday it was catastrophic.

Haddin (65 not out) top-scored in a last wicket partnership of 40 with Lyon, reducing Australia's deficit to 51.

Asked how valuable those runs might be a matter of fact Lyon replied "I'll tell you tomorrow."

England got away well. Captain Alastair Cook looked the best he has all series on the way to a brisk 51 in an opening partnership of 65 with Michael Carberry.

This gave England a 116-run lead with all 10 second innings wickets in hand, and a golden opportunity to bat Australia out of the match.

But England lost 4-22 including an extraordinary collapse of 3-1 in six balls and then followed that up later in the innings by losing the last five wickets for just six runs in six overs.

In Brisbane England lost 6-9 and 5-21, in Adelaide it was 5-43 and Perth 5-43 and 4-17.

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Heart sack Aloisi after horror run

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JOHN Aloisi's tenure as Melbourne Heart coach is over, after the former Socceroos striker was on Saturday night sacked two years into a three-year deal.

Heart officials were on Saturday locked in meetings and it's believed that they delivered the news to him in the afternoon.

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As Heart finally confirmed that sale talks are taking place, it's understood that Aloisi's departure will be announced on Sunday although club officials on Saturday night denied he'd been sacked.

Former coach and now technical manager John van't Schip or Heart's Spanish assistant Gerard Nus are now favoured to take over from Aloisi.

Heart will now have to sort through a compensation package with Aloisi, 37, who was understood to be earning in excess of $200,000-a-season.

It's unclear what role the consortium in talks with Heart - led by Melbourne Storm chairman Bart Campbell - had in Aloisi's sacking.

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Though Aloisi angrily denounced the idea that he would resign in the wake of Friday night's 1-0 loss to Wellington, Heart's board felt obliged to make the change after a disastrous recent record.

Aloisi cancelled training yesterday after Friday night's defeat left Heart six points behind second-last Phoenix and winless in 17 games - two shy of New Zealand Knights' A-League record.

Aloisi has lost 24 of his 39 games as A-League coach while recording just eight wins and seven draws.

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The Herald Sun on Friday revealed a $12 million sale to the new group was imminent and Heart broke its silence yesterday, confirming talks commenced four months ago and were ongoing.

"Melbourne Heart has been approached by a number of parties over the past 12 months,'' the statement said.

"The club has always maintained that the owners would consider transferring ownership if they considered the sale to be in the best long-term interests of the club, which includes players, staff and members.

"Over the last four months the club's ownership has held discussions with one particular group who has expressed an interest in growing the club.

"Any discussions will ensure the club's existing structures remain, in order to prevent dislocation to the club's philosophies or personnel.''

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It's an intriguing backdrop to Aloisi's future.

Sections of Friday's 6486 AAMI Park crowd chanted "Aloisi out'' and "You're s--t, and we still turn up'' at the final whistle.

And around a dozen fans confronted Aloisi in the car park after the game demanding his resignation with eye witnesses claiming the heated exchange lasted almost 10 minutes.

With Harry Kewell back in action only suspended Patrick Kisnorbo and injured marquee Orlando Engelaar were missing from Heart's best XI against the battling Kiwis.

Melbourne Heart have sacked coach John Aloisi. Source: Getty Images

Van't Schip, who returned to the club on a part-time basis this season, flew back to Europe after last week's Melbourne derby but he has had some input in team tactics and selections this season.

Heart's record makes for horrible reading and its on-field performances continue to be wildly inconsistent, the hallmarks of a coach who had lost his team.

There's no respite for Heart, which travels to Central Coast Mariners next Sunday followed by a tough trip to Perth Glory.

Aloisi had refused to declare wholesale changes for next week but revealed some frustration with his players.

He did not address the squad after Friday's loss and, had been planning to review the game at training this week.

Having coached the youth team for just one season Aloisi's 2012 appointment was a surprise after Heart's No2, Ante Milicic, was passed over to replace van't Schip.

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Hussey can't break Thunder drought

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THE Sydney Thunder have extended their losing streak to 736 days in a dramatic Big Bash League match against the Adelaide Strikers at ANZ Stadium.

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Captain Michael Hussey smashed 85 off 56 balls, the highest individual score of the tournament so far, but it wasn't enough to reach the modest 154-run target.

A decent crowd of 11,068 were at the venue for the Thunder's first home game of the season, encouraging the western Sydney team to finally bring their excruciating 14-match losing streak to an end.

And it was a case of what could have been as the Thunder fell six runs short in a dramatic final over that saw Hussey forced to replace his broken bat, which he then used to sky a Shaun Tait delivery down the throat of Johan Botha.

It was game over, leaving a bemused crowd to silently file out of the stadium.

The Thunder's chase got off to the worst possible start when Daniel Hughes was trapped lbw by Johan Botha for a second-ball duck.

Then two wickets in two balls from Michael Neser, first Carl Sandri then Ryan Carters, threatened to derail the home team's innings.

But that brought the crucial pairing of Hussey and Eoin Morgan to the crease and their mammoth partnership brought 109 runs.

Speedster Tait went for 17 runs in the 11th over, feeling the full force of Hussey's bat. The Thunder skipper belted a six and two fours to put his team in a fighting position.

The former Test star brought up his half-century with a massive six off spinner Adam Zampa and it came off just 31 balls.

Michael Neser celebrates a vital Thunder wicket with his Strikers teammates. Pic: Brendon Thorne Source: Getty Images

Morgan was just as brutal at the other end, hitting two memorable reverse-sweeps for four.

It was always going to require a big partnership from the left-handlers to get the Thunder over the line and they were hardly challenged by the Strikers' bowling or the difficult pitch, until the final over.

Earlier, Adelaide openers Alex Hales and Michael Klinger got the visitors off to a fast start, both getting off the mark with boundaries. They rode their luck early on, but it didn't last.

Hales, the Englishman ranked the best Twenty20 hitter in the world, departed for just 16 when he top-edged a Luke Feldman delivery to Kurtis Patterson, who took a good catch running backwards.

That brought Ashes discard Phil Hughes to the crease, but good bowling from Gurinder Sandhu (0-21) and Chris Woakes (1-31) pegged the Strikers back.

The boundaries dried up, causing a frustrated Hughes to mis-hit one from Italian spinner Sandri and Morgan raced in from long on to take a good, diving catch.

Klinger then unleashed the first six of the innings in the 11th over, hitting Sandri hard and high into the crowd. But the opener fell the very next over, clean bowled by Feldman for 44 off 34 balls.

Nathan Reardon added 32 runs at the end of the innings to give the Strikers something to defend, but excellent bowling spells by Feldman (2-41) and in particular Dirk Nannes (2-22) gave the Thunder a rare sniff of BBL victory.

Re-live all the action right here, with our live blog, featuring social media updates and commentary on all the big moments!

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DRS could cost Bailey his spot

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A CONTROVERSIAL DRS decision could cost George Bailey his brief and joyful Test career following another calamitous Australian batting collapse.

Bailey was given out caught behind for a duck as Australia collapsed to 9/164 on the second day of the fourth Test at the MCG to trail England by 91, but top scorer Chris Rogers (61) claimed that the Tasmanian captain was "adamant" he did not hit the ball.

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"Maybe there's still a few glitches in the system, but overall I think it's working pretty well," Rogers said of the umpire decision review system.

Umpire Aleem Dar gave Bailey not out caught behind cutting, only for the line on real time snicko to vibrate as the ball went past the bat.

England's Joe Root was given out in Perth when there was less movement from the real time snicko line, so third umpire Billy Bowden had no choice but to send Bailey on his way.

It continued a run of largely poor and unconvincing first innings scores from Bailey which may see him miss the next Test in Sydney, let alone the South Africa tour in February, unless he can bat Australia to victory with a significant score.

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Given Brad Haddin's outstanding form it may be better to move him to number six for the last Test, beginning next week, and include all-rounder James Faulkner, who has been 12th man for the first four Tests.

This would take the load off an attack that has been unchanged during all four Tests - although Ryan Harris may not play in Sydney - and cover for Shane Watson, who is unlikely to bowl after suffering a groin problem.

Brilliant pace bowling has regained the Ashes and continues to camouflage inadequate batsmen who have left Australia in a hole again.

Following on from a record Boxing Day crowd of more than 91,000, another 78,346 turned up at the MCG on Friday to watch culpable batting from both sides.

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Bailey scored a 19-ball, 38-minute duck on Friday as Australia collapsed to 6/122 before the imposing Haddin attempted another rescue mission with a blistering counter attack.

He second-top scored with an unbeaten 43 at almost a run a ball. The veteran gloveman is currently Australia's second highest run scorer in the series behind David Warner with 368 at 74.

Australia lost 3/0 in England earlier in the year and all three losses involved terrible batting collapses.

Not surprisingly, Rogers described Friday as Australia's worst of the series as 13 wickets fell for just 193 runs on a slow pitch.

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"We're up against it, but there's a lot of the game to go in this match and we have to fight well for the rest of it," Rogers said.

"The pitch is hard work. If the bowlers put it in the right areas, it's very hard to score. It's a bit two-paced, but you have to adjust and we didn't do that today."

Bailey's series average of 27 isn't a whole lot worse than other modest performers Shane Watson (30), Rogers (31) and Steve Smith (34).

Rogers was the only Australian in the top six who batted properly on Friday for his third half-century of the series.

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