The Ashes 2023: Stuart Broad wickets sway first Test England's way
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Late Broad wickets cap thrilling day
First LV= Insurance Ashes Test, Edgbaston (day four of five) |
England 393-8 dec (Root 118*; Lyon 4-149) & 273 (Root 46, Brook 46; Cummins 4-63, Lyon 4-80) |
Australia 386 (Khawaja 141, Broad 3-68, Robinson 3-55) & 107-3 (Warner 36, Khawaja 34*; Broad 2-28) |
Australia need 174 runs, England need seven wickets |
Stuart Broad's two wickets late on day four swung the pendulum of a first Ashes Test that is set for a classic finish at Edgbaston.
England's Broad, so often the man for the big occasion against Australia, removed Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith to leave Australia 107-3 in pursuit of 281.
At the end of another fascinating, fluctuating day, England require seven more wickets and Australia 174 runs for a 1-0 lead.
David Warner and Usman Khawaja quietened the crowd with an opening stand of 61 on a benign pitch, only for Ollie Robinson to remove Warner before Broad sparked pandemonium.
Khawaja, who made a sublime century in the first innings, remains on 34, while nightwatchman Scott Boland survived 19 balls for his 13.
England had dominated an early morning that began with Joe Root attempting an outrageous reverse-scoop at Pat Cummins from the very first ball of the day.
Root was superb in making 46, but England lacked a telling contribution - Harry Brook was out for 46 and captain Ben Stokes 43. Four wickets each for Cummins and Nathan Lyon kept Australia's target manageable.
Crucially, Khawaja edged between first-slip Root and wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow when he had only five, England's fifth missed opportunity of the match.
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Edgbaston set for another Ashes classic
Regardless of the result, this has been a memorable Test, a series opener that has lived up to the hype and ticked off plenty of the Ashes' greatest hits - verbal jousting between the players, Aussie-baiting from home crowd and high-quality, full-throttle cricket.
The fourth day was another breathless affair. Though Root missed the attempted first-ball reverse ramp at Cummins, it was a stunning statement of England's mindset and, amid the carnage that followed, Australia did well to stay in the game.
The target of 281 favoured neither side, even if the win predictor had Australia at 56%. The pitch remains dead and any potential help for the spinners comes with the caveat of the cut on Moeen Ali's finger.
Still, not since 1948 have Australia, and a team including the great Donald Bradman, chased this many runs to win an Ashes Test.
Edgbaston has been the scene of some Ashes epics - England's two-run win in 2005 and Ian Botham's encore to his Headingley heroics in 1981.
If there is to be another, the rain forecast for Tuesday will have to stay away. Even then, the weather could provide another variable to the promised drama.
Broad checks Australia fightback
Broad takes key wickets of Labuschagne & Smith
Australia have been clinging on for most of this game and were in danger of being overwhelmed on the fourth morning.
When Root was causing chaos, Australia scattered fielders and lost their bowling discipline. They were dragged through by Lyon, who bowled 23 overs unchanged and the unrelenting pace of captain Cummins.
From the fifth ball of the run chase, there was the vital life afforded to Khawaja. James Anderson found the outside edge, but neither Bairstow nor Root moved. Realistically, it was the keeper's catch and Bairstow has now missed four chances in the match.
Warner and Khawaja were sucking the life from Edgbaston only for Robinson, after some punchy comments in the media last night, to find enough movement to graze Warner's outside edge.
Then Broad, whipping up a crowd that was all too happy to respond, took over with an expert display of swing bowling.
World number one batter Labuschagne poked behind for the second time in the match, world number two Smith did the same, and England had the upper hand. Just.
England lose momentum after riotous start
Tufnell staggered by Root's first-ball ramp attempt
England were on the back foot after being reduced to 28-2 overnight, but signalled their intent with Root's audacious attempted reverse at Cummins first ball.
Root twice did the same to Boland in the next over, picking up six and four, and the counter was on. Root and Ollie Pope added 50 in 47 balls and, after Pope was bowled by an unplayable yorker from Cummins, Root shared another 52 with Brook in 49 balls.
But eagerness turned to wastefulness and England stalled. Root was batting beautifully before he missed a hack and was stumped, while the fluent Brook pulled to mid-wicket, both off Lyon.
Stokes and Bairstow were under pressure before lunch - Bairstow overturned being given lbw to Boland on one - and were getting on top after the break before two more crucial losses. Bairstow was lbw reverse-sweeping Lyon, Stokes leg before to a searing Cummins in-swinger.
At seven down, only 217 ahead, England needed lower-order runs and, helped by some curiously defensive Australian tactics, got them.
Moeen chipped in with 19 and Robinson stood up to a bouncer barrage in his 27. Anderson reverse-swept his first ball for four before steering Cummins behind to leave Broad 10 not out. The last three wickets were worth 63.
'Clouds, please... but no rain' - what they said
Robinson removes Warner for 36
England seamer Stuart Broad,speaking to BBC Test Match Special: "I thought Australia played brilliantly for the first hour. Ben Stokes said we needed to lift it in the field and we did. Any time you have David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith back in the pavilion you are happy but it will be a thrilling day tomorrow.
"Overall, the ball hasn't really swung a huge amount. I just got wide on the crease and Smith actually nicked the inswinger. I was delighted to get him and Labuschagne because they average in the fifties, so when you are defending a gettable total it's huge.
"You saw when Australia were in the field the other day that with a little bit of cloud and humidity around it which can change conditions and make batting tricky. If you ask me what I'd like to see first thing when I open the curtains? Some clouds around and no rain."
Australia opener David Warner, speaking to BBC Test Match Special: "I think it's quite even. Hopefully the weather doesn't hang around too long tomorrow and the fans get to see some entertaining cricket."