World Test Championship (Ashes Series) Played at Birmingham August 1-5, 2019
England Vs Australia
Brief Scorecard
Australia 1st Innings : 284 All Out (SPD Smith 144, PM Siddle 44,TM Head 35,SCJ Broad 5/86 ,CR Woakes 3/58 ) and 2nd Innings 487/7 Declared ( SPD Smith 142, Matthew Wade 110, TM Head 51, JL Pattinson 47*, UT Khawja 40, TD Paine 34,BA Stokes 3/85,MMAli 2/103 ) Beat England 1st Innings 374 All Out ( RJ Burns 133,JE Root 57,BA Stokes 50 ,CR Woakes 37, SC Broad 29, PJ Cummins 3/84, NM Lyon 3/112, PM Siddle 2/52 and JL Pattinson 2/84) and 2nd Innings 146 All Out ( CR Woakes 37, JJRoy 28, JE Root 28, NM Lyon 6/49, PJ Cummins 4/32) by 251 runs
Player of the match: SPD Smith
When Australia set a target of 388 to win or survive the fifth day gripping and turning wicket the fate of the match was written in the black and blue. In this late summer sky do not open up and Australia possessed a person named NM Lyon to exploit the situation. Lyon (6/49) looked unplayable and with Cummins (4/32) his able allay pulled out the wisdom teeth of English lions crushing them to 146 All out. All guns blazing Australia winning the first ever match of the world test championship went 1-0 ahead in the Ashes Series. The redoubtable Steve Smith for his 142 and 144 scored in two innings of the test was named player of the match without no fuss.
ASHES WAS CREATED WHEN AUSTRALIA IN THE FIRST TEST OF THE CRICKET HISTORY HUMILIATED ENGLAND. NOW ENGLAND EMBRACED THE SAME FATE IN THE FIRST EVER MATCH OF WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP. WHAT IS THERE AFTER ASHES ENGLISHMEN CAN CREATE?
As soon as Tim Pain won the toss and elected to field Naser Hussein and Michael Arthurton were heard telling “A good toss to win, batting against Lyon on this wicket in the fourth innings wont be easy.” However England bowled and batted exceedingly well in the first innings. Only Steve Smith proving a “Rock Of Gibraltar” in the face of aggressive Broad and Woakes led Australia to a face saving 284 all out in the first innings. Smith scored 144. England batted superbly responding with 374 thereby taking a very useful 90 runs first innings lead. Rory Burns scored his first test century 133 to be exact. Australia as it does very often looked silky and sublime. Smith played another Bradman like innings this time 142 becoming the only fifth Australian batsman in the history of the Ashes series scoring hundred in either innings of a test. Mathhew Wade (110) also scored century. Inspired Australia not only wiped out first innings deficit but declaring their second innings closed at 487/7 Kangaroos took impregnable 387 runs lead. Who did not know that overhauling the target or mere surviving day five on a turning wicket against a quality off spinner Nathan Lyon was way beyond Englishmen? Lyon clinically dispatched awful Englishmen taking 6/49. PJ Cummins (4/32) gave him good company. Australia won bid by 251 runs.
Smith was peerless being the quickest scorer of 25th test century apart from the greatest batsman of all time the one and only Sir Donald Bradman. How brilliantly he returned after his year of nightmare putting past the painful memory of suspension for ball tampering. On a wicket where England scored only 146 all out in the second innings Smith scored 144 and 142 in the two innings of the test. True England was handicapped with a bowler short after their star new ball bowler James Anderson limped out of the test very early on day one. Yet the over all performance of England apart from the first innings was demoralizing. On a wicket which had lot of purchase for spinners MM Ali failed to impress. England bowled and batted pretty poorly in the second innings. We are not sure whether Anderson will feature at all in the series with calf injury. Wood is also not fit. We are not sure Plunkett or Archer would be ideal for tests. Australia on the other hand have Satrc and Hazzlewood in their arsenal. With advantage in their favor Australia may grow from strength to strength gaining momentum. A great test wins after a demoralizing CWC 2019.
BDST: 1020 HRS, AUG 6, 2019
RS
