Australia’s Mitchell Johnson took his 300th Test wicket, but England still built up a useful lead in the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston yesterday.
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With Australia staring defeat in the face, Johnson admitted: “It’s not ideal, it’s not something we’re happy about”. If we get 120-30 we’ve got to have a really hard crack.
Ian Bell, with his second half-century of the match on his home ground following promotion back to number three, made the task look unnervingly simple – even after the early loss of captain Alastair Cook – as England knocked off their target of 121 in 32.1 overs.
England’s Ashes campaign has suffered a major blow with star fast-bowler Jimmy Anderson ruled out of the fourth Test due to a side strain.
A mere 19 matches in the 138-year history of Test cricket had ended inside two days, with the last occurrence in England when the West Indies were beaten by an innings and 39 runs at Headingley in 2000.
Ball-tracking technology showed he got just one right with the second hitting the top of middle stump. “Hopefully I can come back stronger”.
James Anderson had Australia in a soup on Day 1.
England’s leading wicket-taker in tests bagged his 18th five-wicket haul when Mitchell Johnson (3) sliced to Ben Stokes.
Other than opener David Warner’s counter-attacking 62-ball 77, the tourists’ scorecard was dominated by a flurry of single-figure scores before rookie wicketkeeper Peter Nevill posted a gutsy and unbeaten 37.
The only blemish for England was the injury concern to Anderson shortly after he had dismissed Warner.
The end of an eighth-wicket stand of 64 was a relief for England, but Starc (58) was intent on making them sweat a little more and completed his 50 too with a swat over long-on for six off Moeen Ali. He struck in his first over again, having wrongly reviewed an LBW decision against Jos Buttler, he got him the very next ball.
The pair added fast runs after lunch, Moeen once more displaying how worthwhile he’s coming in at quantity eight.
It was not obvious that either Bairstow, to his first ball from Johnson, or Stokes to his second could have done anything much different to avoid edging behind two brutish short deliveries.
Johnson steamed in and directed a bouncer that was homing in on Bairstow’s throat, the startled batsman fending it off with glove to be caught behind.
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Former England global John Lever says that there is no reason to think that England can’t go on and win the Ashes should they wrap up victory in the third Test at Edgbaston.
