OTD: Death of another Ashes dream, England dismissed for 186

Another Ashes dream for England was demolished by their arch rivals Australia on August 10, 1997, at Nottingham. In the second innings of the game, England needed to score 451 to win the game. They decided to go for an adventure shot, which made the Australians' task a lot easier. 

The attacking mindset of English batters did not go well for them, and the batting lineup fell apart. Graham Thorpe's unbeaten 82-run innings was the only hope for the home team, but the other batters of the team were far away from their best. Australian bowlers did not hesitate to take their chances. Utilizing only 4 bowlers, Mark Taylor's Australia bundled 

Mike Atherton-led England only for 186, and the Australia cricket team won the match and crushed England's dream by 264 runs. Ian Healy was awarded the man of the match award for his effective batting performance and fielding efforts.

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Second innings showed England the mirror 

During his behind-the-stump duties, Healy successfully completed 7 catches in the entire Test match. The middle-order batters' 63-run innings came at the right time when the baggy green squad was slightly in a tight position with England in the second innings. Neither with the bat nor with the ball was England ever on the same level as Australia in that game. The touring team dominated Nottingham from the beginning of the match, and as per expectations, it ended in a one-sided draw. 

The England cricket team took a gamble by introducing the Hollioake brothers. It was the debut match for both Adam Hollioake and Ben Hollioake, but their inclusion could not provide any notable difference for their team under pressure. 

Summary of the match:

England vs Australia, August 7-10, 1997:

Australia: 427 and 336

England: 313 and 186 (Target: 451)