England Crumble to Defeat in Brisbane

England have been humiliated in Brisbane, as Australia have crushed the visitors by 381 runs, to take a 1-0 lead in the series.........

With eight second innings wickets remaining on Day 4, and over 500 runs to claim an unlikely win, England's middle order was once again blown away by raw pace and aggression from Mitchell Johnson, and a real worry now is the mental state of some of England's batsmen when they go out to face the left armer.

From the moment Kevin Pietersen fell in the morning session, there was little doubt of the outcome, although a rear guard action from Alastair Cook (65) and Ian Bell (32) suggested the visitors would at least make a fight of things.

However, as soon as both had departed, following a rain deluge, the middle order once again collapsed, as England lost four wickets for just nine runs to leave the hosts celebrating a famous win.

Their was one funny sight at the end, as the Australian players tried to lap up the adoring crowd, there simply wasn't one, as the locals weren't bothered to see their nation win the test match.

First Ashes Test, Brisbane : Australia 295 & 401-7 dec beat England 136 & 179 by 381 runs

(scorecard to follow...)