Jos Buttler fought with everything he had, trying hard to help England scrape through for a draw but Australia were too good as they won the second Ashes 2021-22 Test in Adelaide on Monday. Jhye Richardson was Australia's star performer with the ball in the fourth innings, snaring a five-wicket haul and making it count in the absence of senior players like Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Australia now head to Melbourne for the third Test, knowing that they would not be able to lose this series unless there's a miraculous turn from England. Team India Engages in Intense Nets Session Ahead of First Test Against South Africa in Centurion (View Pics and Video)

England had six wickets to play with on the final day and it did not take much time for Australia to get into the act, taking down two batsmen in quick succession. First to fall on Day 5 was Ollie Pope and then Ben Stokes followed suit, as the hosts sniffed a win. The pair of Buttler and Chris Woakes hung on for some time, giving England a glimmer of hope that they can pull off a draw but the chances of that started becoming bleak with the latter being bowled by Richardson. Buttler continued waging what looked like a lone battle and it seemed that he was slowly doing the unthinkable, i.e helping England avoid a defeat.

But a marathon 207-run innings came to an end in the most unlikeliest of manners as he, while trying to play a shot, knocked his stumps behind. And that spelled the end of England's hopes of a draw in Adelaide. From then on, Australia wiped off the remaining batsmen in no time as they secured a 2-0 lead in the series.

Take a look at stat highlights of the match:

#Jhye Richardson got his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

#Marnus Labuschagne was named Player of the Match for his 103 in the first innings and 51 in the second.

#Jos Buttler played a total of 207 balls, which is his second-longest innings in Test cricket.

#Buttler was dismissed hit-wicket for the very first time in his First-Class career.

#Buttler had a strike rate of 12.56, the third-lowest in a Test innings (minimum 200 balls)

The third Test would be played in Melbourne on Boxing Day as England would have plenty to ponder about. The series is not yet over for them and a collective performance coupled with instances of individual brilliance can still help them fight back in the series. Australia on the other hand, would eye another win which would help them pocket the series and retain the Ashes.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 20, 2021 03:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).