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England v Australia, 4th Test: Day 1 Report
by Andy Jalil


Ground:Kingston Oval, Canberra
Scorecard:England v Australia
Player:SCJ Broad, JE Root, JM Bairstow, MA Starc
Event:Australia in England and Ireland 2015

DateLine: 6th August 2015

 

By Andy Jalil at Trent Bridge
In association with INVESTEC

 


Andy Jalil - Cricket Writer and Commentator
Andy Jalil at Trent Bridge
In association with INVESTEC
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Aussies shattered by Broad’s brilliant bowling

 

Nottingham – As if this topsy-turvy Ashes series hasn’t already been action-packed, Stuart Broad’s incredible bowling effort put the balance of play in this Test and the series – in which they lead 2-1 –overwhelmingly in England’s favour. His astonishing return of 8 wickets for 15 in 9.3 overs has not just been his best Test haul beating the previous best of seven for 44 but it is also the third best figures by an England bowler in an Ashes series. It is also the best bowling figures on this ground - his home ground - beating 8 for 70 by Muttiah Muralitharan in 2006.

 

With those figures it would appear as if he was unplayable, perhaps on this greenish pitch and in overcast conditions he was so to an extent, and certainly the Australians in being dismissed for a paltry total of 60 would have felt that way. Only two batsmen just managed to get into double figures and for the first time in Ashes history the extras, of which there were 14, were the highest in the innings. Australia’s innings was the shortest in Test cricket by a team batting first lasting just 18.3 overs in an hour and 39 minutes.

 

England began their innings before lunch, facing three overs and by tea they were 99 for three. Adam Lyth’s poor series has continued as he edged a catch on 14, Ian Bell fell for one and Alastair Cook grafted for 43 before being lbw. All three wickets went to Mitchell Starc but thereafter the rest of in innings was dominated by Joe Root who struck an unbeaten 14th Test century and along with Jonny Bairstow added 173 from 206 balls.

 

They took England to 269 for four with Bairstow falling to a juggled catch by Chris Rogers for 74 – his fifth Test half century – from 105 balls and 48 of those runs came from fours. Root meanwhile had brought up his hundred with a lovely square cut for his 17th four, off David Warner.

 

At close of play he was 124 not out from 158 balls with England 274 for four and leading by 214. With almost a certainty of that lead being increased very substantially, Australia are likely to be put under great pressure the second time at the crease and saving the Test already appears to be a task that they are unlikely to achieve.

 

Earlier, the first Australia wicket to fall was Chris Rogers’ whose dismissal brought Broad the milestone of 300 Test wickets. The ball moved away off the seam from the left hander and Cook at first slip snapped up the catch. It was only the third ball of the match and three balls later he claimed his second victim, Steve Smith, with a thicker edge going to third slip.

 

On the same total of 10, it was Mark Wood’s turn to get amongst the wickets, having returned after missing the last Test with an ankle injury, he struck with his second ball with David Warner inside-edging behind the stumps without scoring. If this was a poor start by Australia the worst was yet to come.

 

Sean Marsh, replacing his brother Mitchell, edged Broad for a head-high catch to second slip on nought and with Broad having Adam Voges fall to a magnificently held catch by Ben Stokes, who dived to hold a right-handed catch at gully with the ball almost having past him, the tourists had lost half their wickets for 21 in 4.1 overs.

 

There was to be no captain’s innings to come to revive Australia as Michael Clarke, having reached double figures, chased one outside off stump and Cook at first slip took the head high catch. That gave Broad astonishing figures of 5 for six in a 17-ball spell. Meanwhile Steve Finn, who had bowled so well in the previous Test with six for 79 in the second innings, had replaced Wood and accounted for Peter Nevill’s wicket bowling him between bat and pad for 2.

 

Broad then finished off with the last three wickets. He had Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson both held by Root at third slip within a run of each other and that was 47 for nine. Thirteen runs were added by the last pair before the lanky England pace bowler wrapped up the innings with his 8th wicket with Nathan Lyon giving Stokes a second catch for 9.

 

(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
Copyright © 2015 Andy Jalil)

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