Starting the day and their innings needing 412 to win, Australia required a miracle batting performance to win the first Test. Openers David Warner and Chris Rogers were confronted with an in-form opening bowling partnership of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, and neither disappointed. The two produced a beautiful opening spell, giving the batsmen all kinds of difficulties. Unfortunately for the two, it only yielded one wicket: Rogers, caught Bell, bowled Broad for ten.
After the openers came off, the Aussie pair of Warner and Steve Smith took the game to England. They rarely looked like getting out and hit boundaries-a-plenty as whispers of a possible Australia fightback started to get louder. However, in the final over before lunch Warner, who had just gone past fifty, was trapped in front by Moeen Ali.
Shortly after lunch, England made a crucial breakthrough. Steve Smith, the world’s current number one batsman, poked at a Stuart Broad delivery and was out caught at second slip by Ian Bell. Not long after, Broad had Michael Clarke back in the pavilion. The Australia captain, expecting a shorter delivery, slashed without much power to Ben Stokes at point to be dismissed for just four. Then, the very next over, Mark Wood had Adam Voges caught behind for his first wicket of the innings. The score was 106-5: Australia needed 306 to win; England needed five wickets.
Australia had two batsmen fighting for their places at the crease, namely Shane “LBW” Watson and Brad Haddin. The two had a chance at least to impress the selectors, and began to build a promising partnership. But Haddin, needing a bit of luck, fell victim to a brilliant catch by Alastair Cook off Moeen Ali’s bowling for seven. Watson and Mitchell Johnson tried to continue the fight, but Mark Wood dismissed the former for yet another LBW: the 29th of his career. Watson is now fearing the worst as to whether he will feature in the second Test at Lord’s.
Mitchells Starc and Johnson began to lead a fightback. Johnson in particular starting smacking the English spinners all over the park and went past fifty for the eleventh time in his career. Starc held up the other end, giving great support for the frenzied Johnson. Eventually, golden boy Joe Root, most likely the Man of the Match, got Starc thanks to a brilliant catch by Adam Lyth. Not long after, Root and Lyth combined again to dismiss Johnson for 77. Australia were 242-9, and England had plenty of time to finish the game off before the end of the day.
Not long after, Moeen Ali got Josh Hazlewood caught by that man Root in the deep for his third wicket of the day. Moeen continues to take wickets in Test matches, and though he is not on the same plateau as Graeme Swann, he is showing that he is capable of producing the goods at the highest level. Stuart Broad put in a devastating second innings performance, and Joe Root picked up wickets himself. All of England’s main bowlers performed excellently, and this team effort will be require throughout the series.
England take a 1-0 lead in the series and will go to Lord’s in good spirits. However, they must not get complacent, as the last time they thrashed the Aussies at home, they would lose 5-0 Down Under just a few months later.
