The Ashes: Ponting offers no excuses for defeat

Ricky Ponting of Australia is interviewed after the second Ashes test at Adelaide Oval. Photo / Getty Images

Australia's worst Ashes cricket defeat at home for 45 years was so abject that even the heavens mocked them.

A monsoonal downpour swept across Adelaide Oval about 2 hours after Peter Siddle's crooked defensive stroke had been punctured by Graeme Swann (5-91) to hand England victory by an innings and 71 runs in the second Ashes test.

Some greater character and fight across the match would have strung it out to secure a rain-assisted draw, but Australia's surrender has granted England the chance to keep possession of the urn far more quickly than anyone counted on.

England will retain the Ashes if they win the third test in Perth from December 16 - a strong incentive for Andrew Strauss's team given no touring party in Australia has secured them before Christmas.

The totality of their domination over five days was aptly summed up by the final morning, as Australia lost a devilish last 6 wickets for 66 to be bowled out for 304.

This was arguably Australia's darkest home test match since December 28, 1986, the day the Ashes were last given up at home when England rumbled to victory in Melbourne.

In terms of runs it was the heaviest defeat since Bill Lawry's side lost to England by an innings and 81 runs at the SCG in 1965.

The triumph was also England's 100th test win over Australia.

Captain Ricky Ponting admitted he did not foresee the emergence of such a gulf between the two sides, though there have been signs all summer that Australian cricket has reached its weakest point for at least 20 years.

"Probably not, no. And you probably wouldn't have thought so after the first two or three days of the Brisbane game either," Ponting said. "I thought the way everything was heading for us up there we were playing some good cricket and were on the right track and had a group of players together skill-wise certainly that were going to be good enough.

"There's nothing we would have changed preparation wise or personnel wise, we've got everything the way we wanted it to be, purely and simply we've been outplayed."

Australia have far more problems than can be fixed with one or two changes. Their bowling lacks penetration, their batting lacks application and the entire team - not to mention Cricket Australia - is in a state of bewilderment at events.

Ponting conceded the task of securing 20 wickets looked beyond his side at present.

"We didn't get many wickets in the second innings in Brisbane and we didn't get many here this week, so it's definitely been hard work for our guys.

"I don't think the England side have that much more firepower in their bowling attack than what we have. I just think they've been able to execute things better and the England batsmen have put our bowlers under more pressure than our batsmen have pressured their bowlers."

After Mike Hussey (52) was first out early on day five, the rest folded all too easily. Swann led the mop-up operation, doing as he was expected to on a turning Adelaide pitch, with strong support from pacemen Steve Finn (2-60) and Jimmy Anderson (2-92).

Hussey's was the only wicket of consequence, and it was Finn who dismissed him. Handed the new ball for the first time because of Stuart Broad's absence, he induced a miscued pull into the hands of Anderson at mid-on, and from there the home side never stood a chance.

- AAP