Australia edge a THRILLING first Ashes Test at Edgbaston by just two wickets as Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon steer them to victory target of 281 after England had been on the brink of glory
- The match was finely poised heading into the final day at Edgbaston on Tuesday
- England looked to be in control when Alex Carey fell but Cummins took control
- Cummins enjoyed an unbroken stand of 55 with Nathan Lyon at the end
It takes something special to upstage the captaincy of Ben Stokes but Pat Cummins managed it here on Tuesday to seal a famous victory for Australia in an epic first Test.
Stokes and England had made all the running, produced most of the entertainment and had looked certain to seal a victory every bit as special as the most famous of the lot here in 2005 when Joe Root held on to a spectacular return catch to dismiss Alex Carey.
At that stage Australia were eight down and still needed 54 to reach their victory target of 281 while Stokes was being lauded for another inspirational piece of leadership in leaving his part-time off-spinner on even though the second new ball was due.
But that was when Cummins, along with Nathan Lyon, provided one last, dramatic twist to a Test full of ebbs and flows by finally breaking free from the shackles that had uncharacteristically restricted Australia throughout this opening Ashes salvo.
Australia had again taken the traditional Test route, moving painstakingly towards their target throughout a tense, slow-burner of a fifth day delayed until 2.15pm by rain.
Pat Cummins inspired Australia to victory at Edgbaston with a captain’s knock on day five
The Australia captain enjoyed an unbeaten partnership of 55 with Nathan Lyon to win the game
Australia will now take a 1-0 lead into the second Test at Lord’s in eight days’ time
It looked as if their defensive approach would cost them dearly when Usman Khawaja, seemingly fatigued by his Herculean efforts in this match, was bowled by who else but Stokes for 65 off 197 balls and then when Carey soon followed to Root.
Yet Cummins, seemingly happy to let Steve Smith make most of the decisions in the field, now stood up as captain, hitting Root for two sixes in an over to spark what became a Test-winning unbroken stand of 55 with Lyon to grab victory deep into the last hour.
There was one more chance for England and it came when Stokes almost pulled off a carbon-copy of his famous catch in the World Cup against South Africa four years ago at the Oval when he dived backwards and seemed to have got rid of Lyon off Stuart Broad.
But the ball agonisingly bounced out of his hand to reprieve a tail-ender showing icy cool along with his captain in overcoming England and another raucous full-house.
The end came when, with three needed, Cummins steered Ollie Robinson down to third man where Harry Brook misfielded, the ball went to the boundary and the Australian captain lifted his team-mate aloft in delight.
Only once before have Australia ever chased this many to win a Test in England and that came in 1948 when they had Don Bradman in their side. So this is a very special way for them to launch their attempt to win an Ashes series here for the first time since 2001.
But for England there was crushing disappointment. They will talk of their pride in being involved in another classic Test, just like their one-run defeat by New Zealand earlier this year, and the wider picture of their quest to re-invent Test cricket. But this will hurt.
England really should have won and can only blame themselves. They missed four chances in the Australian first innings including one when Broad bowled Khawaja off a no-ball, an over-stepping habit he repeated 11 times in the match.
Usman Khawaja batted the majority of the day once more until he was dismissed by Ben Stokes
The game appeared to be swaying into England’s favour when Joe Root dismissed Alex Carey
There was another crucial miss when Jonny Bairstow and Root stood statically when Khawaja edged Jimmy Anderson between them in the very first over of the second innings.
And when England had Australia eight down on Tuesday with a new ball due there should have been no way back for the new world champions, the golden touch for once eluding Stokes when he kept Root on too long and mysteriously failed to call on Anderson.
The England captain stuck with the old ball until the 86th over with 27 still left for victory and perhaps the lack of movement with the new one for Broad and Robinson when it was finally taken and the help it gave Australia in playing their shots was the reason why.
Stokes first innings declaration will be a huge talking point but it was entirely in keeping with England’s brave new methods, was wildly acclaimed by the crowd on Friday night and was not nearly as costly to England as their first innings sloppiness in the field.
There was misfortune for England, too. Their gamble in bringing Moeen Ali out of Test retirement after injury to Jack Leach backfired and even though the off-spinner took the wicket of Travis Head with his fifth ball on Tuesday he was not fit to take a full part.
Root stepped into the breach by bowling a 12 over spell for just 27, Australia curiously reluctant to take him on until Cummins rose to the challenge when it was most needed.
Stuart Broad was in fine form again and picked up the wicket of Scott Boland early on
Ben Stokes and his side will stick to their guns as they look to bounce back at Lord’s
Moeen, with his spinning finger badly blistered after taking on workloads he was unused to with the red Dukes ball, must be doubtful for the second Test next week and, if he is ruled out after one game back, Will Jacks will be the favourite to replace him in the squad.
But, really, England would be better off leaving the spinning at Lord’s to Root and bringing Mark Wood into the side for Moeen to join Broad, Anderson and Robinson, as long as they are all genuinely fully fit. Anderson and Robinson seemed restricted here at times by the minor injuries that threatened their participation in this eagerly anticipated Test.
When the dust settles England will know they again produced some special, modern cricket in this Test. Broad was superb, rising to the occasion yet again and finishing with three second innings wickets when he added nightwatchman Scott Boland on Tuesday with the help of a fourth catch from Bairstow.
And Root was superb with both bat and, mostly, with ball on Tuesday, not least when he made that extraordinary start to the fourth day and put England in the ascendancy for the umpteenth time in the Test.
But ultimately it was Australia who triumphed and, with a drawn series enough for them to retain the Ashes, they know England will again have to make all the running if they are to lift the urn for the first time since 2015.
In the remaining four Tests, though, they will have to finish off the job too.
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