#Ashtag: Daily social wrap
It was always on the cards. It was only a matter of time. It eventually happened on Thursday (December 18) afternoon, when Pat Cummins got Chris Woakes to nick to Tim Paine.
And it's now official. The urn is back in Australia!
The #Ashes are back where they belong! #ohwhatafeeling @Toyota_Aus pic.twitter.com/qJzxltBYJX
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2017
Australia regain the #Ashes! Victory at the WACA by an innings and 41 runs gives them an unassailable 3-0 series lead! #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/LI5yp3WFsO
— ICC (@ICC) December 18, 2017
The urn returns!! Brilliant performance boys! #Ashes
— Aaron Finch (@AaronFinch5) December 18, 2017
Ashes regained ππ
— Damien Fleming (@bowlologist) December 18, 2017
Loved the emotion in celebration particularly from Tim Paine ππ#Ashes2017 pic.twitter.com/hYHN2PhhJg
For a long time in the morning, though, the focus was on the sky, and the pitch.
Cricket... #Ashes pic.twitter.com/3jJjd2N7c9
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2017
Day 5 pitch prep. A few wet patches from the rain last night πβοΈ pic.twitter.com/pH58n3BPoV
— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) December 18, 2017
Extraordinary footage of the wild weather this morning! It's lucky Blocker Wilson was there to shield the England skipper: https://t.co/dCFFMQASja #Ashes pic.twitter.com/WZEe9YZ5Ap
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2017
England's only hope was rain.
Great news from #Perth ... Its Raining ... #OnOn #Ashes
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) December 17, 2017
Or maybe something like this...
Itβs interesting with this Perth pitch condition.. did you all know that in the good old days there were no covers and you had to bat on what is given. Bradman reversed the batting order and made 270 because the pitch was wet.
— Dean Jones AM (@ProfDeano) December 18, 2017
But once the weather cleared, Josh Hazlewood did this with his first ball, and sent out clear signals.
BANG!https://t.co/57Bmg3zS3P #Ashes pic.twitter.com/s4dUNN9aPH
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2017
Batting was always going to be difficult on this surface. Here's proof.
Good areas.https://t.co/57Bmg3zS3P #Ashes pic.twitter.com/XBjHN1xmzm
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2017
On such pitches, precision in line and length - hitting the crack, in other words - is key. Who better than Hazlewood to do that?
Hazlewood has five! #MagellanMilestones pic.twitter.com/agA4YXL9qT
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2017
England did have one positive, in the form of Dawid Malan.
Amid the wreckage, England seem to have unearthed a decent No 5
— Brett Simba π¦ξ¨ (@BrettSimtba) December 18, 2017
Heartiest Congratulations to @dmalan29 on a terrific hundred at Perth in an Ashes test match.. One of the features has been the driving through covers. Wishing you many more in Three Lions jersey @Middlesex_CCC
— Kartik Murali (@kartikmurali) December 18, 2017
But it'll definitely not be enough to down the disappointment, especially after being in a decent position.
Losing by an innings and 41 runs: some effort after being 368-4 in the first innings. Played, England
— Tim Wigmore (@timwig) December 18, 2017
Kevin Pietersen wasn't going to be lenient in his assessment.
Though he did have some advice for the England captain.
Things were quite different for Joe Root's counterpart, who will be the talk of the town for several days to come.
Aussie skipper Steve Smith is the Player of the Match after his career-best double-ton. What a player! #Ashes pic.twitter.com/5pHaEUsuAa
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2017