“There were obviously some personal milestones that were nice to get over, and to pull a Test shirt back on has been great fun”. “My first over went for 14 and I was questioning where it disappeared to but after that I settled in okay and bowled some decent balls”.
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England, set a modest victory target of 121, finished on 124 for two shortly before tea on Friday’s third day.
“You never want to look too far ahead, there was a sniff at one stage but they played well in the middle of the innings“, said Finn.
“James Anderson has a tight side and will be assessed overnight and in the morning”.
The England Cricket Board also stated on Friday that Anderson’s availability for the fifth Test will be decided in due course.
In short England should be looking to wrap up this match by lunch tomorrow as they seem to be feasting on a suddenly shaky Australian batting line up.
“Credit has to go to England, they bowled well on day one and we didn’t bat anywhere near we’d have liked”.
“He’ll be full of confidence but I would hope the attack he’s about to face is a little bit different to what he’s faced in county cricket”, Clarke told an Edgbaston news conference on Tuesday. “Is Jimmy Anderson’s injury that moment?”
Anderson (six for 47) was backed up by fellow quicks Stuart Broad and Steven Finn, on his test return after a two-year absence, as a fascinating Ashes series took another twist.
Warner conceded his side was on the back foot after losing three wickets in the first hour of the match, but suggested England’s bowlers deserve a lot of credit.
“Australia opener Chris Rogers, who was Finn’s captain at Middlesex, recalled seeing the 6ft 7in Finn in tears during a county match at Edgbaston last season”.
Joe Root with 63 top-scored for England who were boosted by an entertaining eighth-wicket stand of 87 between Moeen Ali (59) and Broad (31). Australia seven down buy leading by eight runs. Broad provided solid support at the other end before he scooped a catch to mid-on off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood.
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.
Aleem Dar also erred when giving Nathan Lyon not out twice in two balls when he first arrived at the crease prompting two huge appeals from Ben Stokes.
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Finn was infamously deemed “unselectable” by then-England one-day coach Ashley Giles when sent home early from the woeful 2013/14 tour of Australia, which included a 5-0 Ashes defeat.
