Australian greats Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting have rounded on England’s Ollie Robinson after the seamer’s provocative display in the Ashes opener at Edgbaston.

Robinson was happy to offer Australia some verbals on and off the pitch during England’s tense two-wicket defeat, offering an expletive-laden send off to centurion Usman Khawaja and then defending his behaviour in a press conference where he asked: “If you can’t handle that, what can you handle?”.

The combative seamer took match figures of five for 98 in the first Test and was not sanctioned by the match referee, but his conduct appeared to rile two men who were far from shrinking violets in their own playing days.

Hayden took aim at Robinson’s lack of express pace and suggested Australia should be looking to hammer him out of the attack.

Declining to use Robinson’s name in an appearance on SEN Radio, he said: “The other bloke, he’s a forgettable cricketer.

“(He’s) a fast bowler that is bowling 124kmph nude nuts and he’s got a mouth from the south. Someone like him, you can just go, ‘Brother, I’m coming at ya’. Davey Warner can do that, right. He can just say, ‘You’re bowling 120′.”

Ponting, who was namechecked by Robinson as someone who had sledged England in the past, also rose to the bait.

“If he is sitting back thinking about me, then no wonder he bowled like the way that he did in that game, if he’s worried about what I did 15 years ago,” he told the ICC Review Podcast.

“This England cricket team hasn’t played against Australia and they’ll find out pretty quickly what playing Ashes cricket and playing against a good Australian cricket team is all about. If Ollie Robinson hasn’t learned that already after last week, then he’s a slow learner.

“He’ll learn pretty quickly that if you’re going to talk to Australian cricketers in an Ashes series, then you want to be able to back it up with your skills.”

Robinson is sure to have a target on his back when the series resumes at Lord’s next week, but fellow seamer Stuart Broad is reluctant to pass on the baton.

Broad has long been the preferred target for Australian fans, dating back to a curious incident in 2013 when he declined to walk after his outside edge was parried to slip.

Replying to a Twitter post from Australian broadcaster Fox Sports, which referred to Robinson as ‘No.1 Villain’, Broad wrote: “I can’t have lost that tag already can I?! Disappointing.”

Sir Geoffrey Boycott has said England “have got carried away with Bazball” after they suffered defeat in the first Ashes Test.

The hosts are 1-0 down with four matches to play after being beaten by two wickets by Australia in a dramatic finale at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

England head coach Brendon McCullum has said of England’s commitment to risky, aggressive cricket – nicknamed Bazball – that “you’re not always going to win and we understand that, but we want to keep getting up and throwing punches as a team”.

Former England batter Boycott wrote in the Telegraph: “England have got carried away with Bazball and seem to think entertaining is more important than winning.

“But England supporters want one thing more than anything else – to win the Ashes. Scoring fast runs, whacking lots of fours and sixes is lovely. It is great. But only if England do not lose sight of the big prize which is to beat Australia.

“If at the end of the series Australia go home with the Ashes we will feel sick, regardless of how much we have been entertained.

“They are in danger of letting hubris be their downfall or, quoting William Shakespeare in Hamlet, being hoist by one’s own petard. They are going to defeat themselves. It would be sad if playing exciting cricket for a year is going to their heads.

“By all means entertain but cricket is like chess. There are moments when you need to defend. Sometimes you need to be patient and accept it. Do not just attack, attack, attack. England need a bit of common sense and pragmatism.”

Skipper Ben Stokes leads the team back into action when the second Test starts next Wednesday at Lord’s.

Head coach Brendon McCullum insisted England felt “validated” despite an agonising defeat in the first Ashes Test, and doubled down on the selection gamble of Moeen Ali.

England drove the game forward for the majority of five gripping days at Edgbaston but still find themselves 1-0 down with four to play after Australia’s more conservative approach carried them to a two-wicket victory in the dying moments of the final evening.

It needed a brilliant match-winning intervention of 44 not out from captain Pat Cummins to seal the deal, as England failed to defend a target of 281 thanks to his ninth-wicket stand with tailender Nathan Lyon.

England skipper Ben Stokes refused to entertain regrets after the match, commending his team for setting up a dramatic finish to a game that could have fallen flat due to a slow pitch and rain delays.

McCullum is cut from exactly the same cloth and he saw enough from his side to feel sure that their commitment to risky, aggressive cricket was the right way to go.

“I’m really proud of the boys to be honest. I thought it was a cracking Test match,” he said.

“I’m sure everyone that watched all around the world and everyone who was here at Edgbaston absolutely loved it and that includes us. I had an absolutely amazing time.

“Obviously you’d rather have won the game – that’s just the nature of sport sometimes – but I thought the way that we played validated our style of play.

“We firmly believe, the skipper and I, that this gives us our greatest chance.

“Of everyone that has watched this game over the last five days, I would be very surprised if there were too many people who disagree with how we go about playing, because everyone was left entertained.

“You’re not always going to win and we understand that, but we want to keep getting up and throwing punches as a team.”

McCullum was equally undeterred when it came to questions over Moeen’s painful return to the Test arena.

The 36-year-old was tempted out of red-ball retirement after Jack Leach went down with a stress fracture but, despite producing a couple of superb wicket-taking deliveries, he was reduced to a peripheral role in the critical fourth innings after a blister opened up on his right index finger.

That left England relying heavily on Joe Root’s part-time off-breaks and invited speculation over Moeen’s place in the second Test at Lord’s next Wednesday.

McCullum suggested some thought would be given to possible call-ups – with Surrey’s Will Jacks the most obvious candidate – but was confident that the injury could be resolved in the coming days. If that is the case, he guaranteed Moeen another shot.

“You’ve got to have some ideas and some theories up your sleeve and some options as well, but I’m pretty confident that we can get on top of Mo’s finger,” he said.

“That will give us an opportunity to select him in the next game and if he’s available, he will be selected.

“I thought Mo did a great job – he bowled a couple of absolute ‘jaffas’ in the game and that’s what his role was, to try and make breakthroughs when he had the opportunity.

“He’s got a big smile on his face, he’s loving being back playing Test cricket, which is testament to the game and also Stokesy and all the boys for making the environment one that you want to be a part of.”

Jonny Bairstow was another player who had some words of encouragement from McCullum after a tricky time behind the stumps.

He dropped a couple of catches and missed a stumping in the match, leaving some pining for the absent Ben Foakes and his imperious glovework.

Bairstow’s return from a broken leg and the emergence of Harry Brook at number five means Foakes will continue to be the odd man out and McCullum, a former international wicketkeeper, declared himself content with the status quo.

“I thought they were pretty tough mistakes to be honest. I’ve kept over here before, it’s not the easiest place. When the ball is spitting and bouncing out of the rough, it can be quite difficult,” he said.

“I actually thought Jonny kept really well right throughout. If you look at the way he progressed throughout the game, I think he found a natural rhythm.

“We know what he offers with the bat, him coming in at seven is a real weapon for us as well, so I think he’ll be better for the run.”

Australia’s two-wicket victory over England in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston ranks alongside some of the greatest matches played between cricket’s oldest rivals.

Here, the PA news agency highlights some key stats from an incredible game.

Culture clash

A big part of the allure surrounding this match and the rest of the series relates to the styles of cricket that both teams play, which could hardly be more different.

Australia play tough, attritional cricket designed to grind down their opposition, while England have adopted an ultra-aggressive style under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, aimed at generating results – whether that be a win or a loss.

This clash of ideologies was on full display in Birmingham.

Australia and England scored a near-identical number of runs (668 compared with 666) and lost the same number of wickets (18), but Pat Cummins’ side faced 1,252 deliveries compared with England’s 866.

Australia were happy to bide their time, scoring at a rate of 53.35 runs per 100 balls on average, while Stokes’ men looked to force a result by striking at 76.91.

The difference in approach was embodied by the teams’ key batters – England’s reverse-ramping Joe Root faced just 207 balls for his 164 runs across both innings, while Australia’s stoic Usman Khawaja scored his 206 runs from 518 deliveries and became the 13th player in history to bat on all five days of a Test match.

Ebb and flow

Australia’s win was especially thrilling because of the way the match seemed to swing back and forth throughout.

Just seven runs separated the sides after the first innings, in which England surprisingly declared on 393 for eight and Australia lost their last four wickets for 14 runs to be bowled out for 386.

The drama went up a notch in the second innings, however, as both teams repeatedly threatened to get ahead before losing a wicket.

Eighteen of the 19 second-innings’ partnerships reached double figures but only four passed 50, with the highest being Australia’s opening stand of 61 between Khawaja and David Warner.

Similarly, 19 of the 21 batters scored 10 or more runs, with only Zak Crawley (seven) and Steve Smith (six) falling in single digits.

Redemption

Australia captain Cummins and spin bowler Nathan Lyon were key figures in the thrilling Edgbaston victory, having also played a central role in a heartbreaking defeat at Headingley in 2019.

Cummins conceded the winning runs four years ago as Stokes led England to an unlikely win, while Lyon missed a crucial run-out chance in the penultimate over.

This time, the pair inspired their side to victory with an unbroken partnership of 55 from a perilous position of 227 for eight when Alex Carey – the last recognised batter – was dismissed.

Cummins and Lyon had already performed heroics with the ball to limit Australia’s target to 281.

They took a combined eight wickets for 143 runs from 42.2 overs in England’s second innings, compared with two for 121 from 24 overs by Australia’s remaining bowlers – Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland and Cameron Green.

England are waking up to defeat in the first Test against Australia for the third Ashes series in a row.

The tone of the game may have been different, with Ben Stokes’ side making most of the running across five enthralling days to set up a finish, but the end result was the same as 2017, 2019 and 2021.

Australia held the urn aloft in each of those series, flexing their muscles in matching 4-0 wins on home soil and retaining after a 2-2 draw on tour four years ago.

England will now need to overturn a 1-0 deficit with four games to play, but what should they do to make that happen?

Keep the faith in ‘Bazball’

Defeat against their bitter rivals will hurt, but now is not the time to rip up a playbook that has delivered 11 wins from 14 Test matches under Ben Stokes’ captaincy.

In particular, England have proven that their ultra-aggressive batting style can hurt an Australia attack who hoped they would be immune.

They scored at a rollicking 5.03 an over in the first innings and kept it up at 4.11 on a trickier surface in the second and landed important blows along the way.

Scott Boland went around the park for the first time in his Test career and Joe Root’s reverse ramps will have tested the egos of the Australian quicks.

Fix Moeen’s finger or find a replacement

There was always going to be an element of risk in summoning Moeen Ali out of international retirement when Jack Leach went down with a stress fracture.

The 36-year-old last played first-class cricket almost two years ago and his lack of conditioning came back to haunt England when his right index finger blistered then burst open.

He found it difficult to grip and rip the ball from that point onward and was able to offer just seven overs on day five as part-timer Joe Root picked up the bulk of the work.

If the medical staff are confident they can rectify the situation in the coming days Moeen should get another chance at Lord’s, but if there is a chance of history repeating then Surrey’s Will Jacks looks like the next man in and should be called up.

Dial down the declaration addiction

For the second game in a row England have lost a Test match after declaring eight down in the first innings.

New Zealand edged them by a single run in Wellington back in February and now Australia have snuck across the line.

Stokes’ penchant for calling an early end to his side’s run-scoring has been a fascinating facet of his captaincy and at times has worked brilliantly – including three Tests ago in Mount Maunganui.

But pulling out after just 78 overs, the earliest ever declaration in the Ashes, may have been slightly too radical. Root was racing along on 118 not out and it would not have taken him long to score enough runs to alter the final outcome.

Rally around Bairstow

By choosing to drop Ben Foakes, a player Stokes has frequently described as the best wicketkeeper in world cricket, England opened themselves up to criticism. But with Harry Brook undroppable after a prolific winter and the star performer of 2022, Jonny Bairstow, fit again, Foakes was the fall guy.

Bairstow is an experienced gloveman but put down at least three chances that he would have hoped to take, racking up a tab that his dashing 78 in the first innings did not fully clear.

Those who advocate a Foakes recall at Lord’s can think again, with the squad already announced and Bairstow going nowhere.

For now they need to get behind a player who thrives on confidence and certainty over his role. Neither he nor England can afford any more costly slip-ups, but showing faith might be the best way to avoid them next week.

Let Wood make his mark

One thing England lacked in their XI at Edgbaston was outright pace, a quality Mark Wood brings in abundance. With Jofra Archer and Olly Stone both out injured, he is the only man available who can routinely clear 90mph.

He is best used in short, sharp spells and concerns over Stokes’ ability to share the workload may have played a part in him missing out in the first Test. But on a Lord’s pitch that can play flat, he might be just the tonic.

Wood was England’s most impressive performer Down Under in the 2021-22 Ashes and already has Australia’s respect.

After an unusually quiet outing, record wicket-taker James Anderson could be in line to stand down but it might also be possible to lean on Root’s spin and choose a four-strong pace cartel. Either way, it feels like Wood is a game breaker they cannot afford to overlook.

England and Australia have been fined 40 per cent of their match fees and deducted two World Test Championship points for slow over-rates in their thrilling Ashes opener at Edgbaston.

Despite serving up a breathless finale in Birmingham, where the tourists snatched a two-wicket victory on a see-saw fifth evening, both teams have been punished for failing to get through their overs quickly enough.

Captains Ben Stokes and Pat Cummins pled guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanctions, so there was no need for formal hearings, the International Cricket Council said.

As the match was the first in the new WTC cycle, that means England’s reward for the attacking tactics that moved the game towards its dramatic conclusion despite long rain delays is to sit on minus two in the table. Australia picked up 12 points for their Cummins-inspired win, so drop back to 10.

All 22 players have also lost 40 per cent of their match fees, which equates to around £6,000 for the English contingent.

Mark Ramprakash expects Mark Wood to return to the England line-up for the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.

Australia won the opening game of the series by two wickets on a dramatic final day at Edgbaston as the hosts failed to break a 55-run match-winning ninth-wicket stand between Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon.

Former England batter and batting coach Ramprakash, who played 52 Tests, reckons the bowling attack will be given serious consideration by coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.

“By and large, England will be happy they played the brand of cricket they wanted to,” Ramprakash, 53, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“The only thing is, they have asked for quite flat wickets which are batter-friendly which can, to a degree, negate England’s greatest bowler in Jimmy Anderson, who only took one wicket in the game.

“His form will perhaps be a bit of a concern going forward to Lord’s and they will have to make a call on selection.

“It was a big thing for Moeen Ali to come back in but, with the amount of overs he bowled, he ripped the skin off his spinning finger and that impaired his performance in the second innings and that is something they will have to look at very closely.

“I expect Mark Wood to be seriously considered because England need some pace in their line-up.

“It is just injecting a bit of life. If Moeen is struggling, what variety do England have in their attack if the wicket is flat? I do expect Wood to come back in.”

Australia drew first blood in the 2023 Ashes as Pat Cummins led his side to a heart-pounding victory over England at Edgbaston.

The first Test of the series swung backwards and forwards for the full five days, before the tourists finally secured a two-wicket win at 7.20pm on day five – 80 minutes after the scheduled close.

Captain Cummins played the decisive hand, hitting an unbeaten 44 in a ninth-wicket stand of 55 with Nathan Lyon. Watching Australia chase down 281 was a gut-wrenching result for an England team that had been responsible for making a result possible in the first place.

A frustratingly placid pitch and two rain-shortened days meant a draw should have been the likeliest outcome, but their rapid rate of scoring – 5.03 an over in the first innings and 4.11 in the second – moved the game forward at pace. Ben Stokes’ audacious declaration to set up the game had a similar effect.

Stokes looked to have set up an England triumph when he defied his long-standing knee injury to remove player-of-the-match Usman Khawaja for 65, but in the end they could not finish the job and will head to Lord’s down 1-0 with four to play.

Selection gamble leaves England in a spin

When England persuaded Moeen Ali to come out of retirement after almost two years as a white-ball specialist, they knew it was a roll of the dice. In the end the gamble cost them during a tense finale as the all-rounder was unable to play a full role due to a painful open blister on his right index finger. He was able to contribute just seven overs at a time when he should have been a key weapon, with Joe Root’s part-time off-breaks accounting for 15. Moeen did manage to dismiss Travis Head, but he was also the team’s most expensive bowler and was a bystander at the business end. Will England double down in the second Test or send for back-up?

Half-chances add to England’s missed opportunities

Wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow faced criticism for his glovework earlier in the match, with four possible chances getting past him. But England saw another couple of fiendishly difficult openings go begging off Australia’s match-winning duo. Root got a hand to a low return catch while Cummins was still in single figures, but could only parry it, while Stokes came desperately close to a sensational take in the deep as Lyon hit out. He leapt into the air and plucked the ball out of the sky, but could not keep it under control as he came crashing to the ground. Had either of those fiendishly hard chances stuck, England would surely have been celebrating at the close.

Australia’s best ever Ashes chasesBig numberView from the dressing roomWhat comes next

While the dust settles on a thrilling week, things are only beginning to get going in the women’s Ashes. Attention moves quickly from West Midlands to East Midlands, with the one-off Test between Heather Knight’s England and Alyssa Healy’s Australia starting in Nottingham on Thursday. For the men’s squads there is time for a few days off before renewing hostilities at Lord’s next Wednesday.

Australia captain Pat Cummins led his side to a remarkable two-wicket victory in the Ashes opener at Edgbaston, holding his nerve in a heart-pounding chase that left Ben Stokes and his England team distraught.

The shadow of the famous 2005 Test between the old rivals had loomed large over this final day but where England edged that one in a dramatic two-run win, Cummins exorcised some of those ghosts as he ushered the tourists home amid unbearable pressure.

Cummins made an outstanding, unbeaten 44 as he led a match-winning stand of 55 with number 10 Nathan Lyon, who clung on for 16 not out. Between them they ensured Australia successfully completed their second highest chase in England conditions, reaching a target of 281 that had seemed beyond them less than an hour earlier.

Stokes looked to have dealt the decisive blow when he landed the key wicket of Usman Khawaja, defying the aches and pains of his chronic knee problems to dismiss the man who seemed to hold the result in his hands.

But the England skipper’s Midas touch evaded him when he leapt to pluck an outrageous one-handed catch out of the sky, only for the ball to slip through his fingers as he fell to earth. Lyon, on two at the time, was able to breathe again and kept his captain company until the climax.

The end came in agonising fashion at 7.20pm – 80 minutes after the scheduled close due to morning rain – when Cummins steered the ball to deep third and a sprawling Harry Brook parried the ball for four.

Stuart Broad lit the fuse on England’s victory push with two huge wickets as a compelling Ashes opener built towards a thrilling conclusion at Edgbaston.

Broad got England’s ‘fortress’ rocking in the evening session as he had Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith – numbers one and two in the Test batting rankings – caught behind during an electric spell.

With adrenaline coursing through his veins Broad would have loved nothing more than a crack at the man who occupies third place on that list, but Australia opted to shield Travis Head from the late pressure and sent out Scott Boland as nightwatchman.

Australia ended a gripping fourth day on 107 for three chasing 281, with all results on the table heading into what is set up to be a classic finale.

The tourists had made an assured start to the chase, with Usman Khawaja and David Warner putting on 61 for the first wicket before Ollie Robinson got one to clip the latter’s outside edge to get his side up and running.

England had earlier been bowled out for 273, an erratic but entertaining innings punctuated with dashing strokeplay but haunted by a feeling of impermanence.

There was not a single half-century on the card, with Joe Root and Harry Brook both reaching 46 and Ben Stokes contributing 43.

Had any of the three lasted the course, the game might have slipped away from Australia entirely, but Root was stumped for the first time in his 131 Test career as he charged Nathan Lyon and Brook tried too hard to generate a boundary that was not on offer.

Stokes, whose attacking principles run through the DNA of his side, played a notably responsible knock but was stopped in his tracks by his excellent opposite number Pat Cummins.

England’s commitment to high-risk, high-impact cricket hurried the first Ashes Test towards a gripping conclusion, setting Australia 281 to win on day four at Edgbaston.

Resuming on 28 for two, England put their foot to the floor as they moved to 273 all out at the end of an elongated afternoon session.

The hosts would have loved one of their middle-order batters to kick on to a substantial score, but saw Joe Root (46), Harry Brook (46) and Ben Stokes (43) dismissed one by one just as they were dragging control away from the Australians.

There were important runs too from from the tail, Ollie Robinson making 27 as the last two wickets put on 44.

Despite delivering emphatically on their promise to entertain, even those who roared their approval from the stands may reflect that England over-reached against Nathan Lyon at times.

Root was stumped for the first time in 131 Tests when he ran down the pitch and swiped fresh air and Brook cut short a highly promising stay when he dragged to midwicket trying to force a boundary.

Former captain Root set the tone for a colourful day with an audacious start, attempting his trademark reverse ramp off Pat Cummins’ first delivery of the morning.

Root has become a master of that audacious stroke but, even by his own standards, attempting it so early – with a crucial Test match balanced on a knife-edge – showed remarkable chutzpah.

Undeterred, he went back to the well twice in the next over, launching Scott Boland over the wicketkeeper’s head for six and then flicking four more beyond the slip cordon. It was a faintly surreal, but utterly exhilarating opening salvo.

England continued to go after Boland, who shipped 31 off his first three overs as his reputation for economy took its second battering in four days.

By contrast, Cummins was working up a head of steam at the Pavilion End and he produced a picture-perfect inswinging yorker to see off Ollie Pope (16), thudding the base of off stump as the batter groped for contact. He finished with four for 63 – an outstanding effort by any measure.

That left England 84 ahead and three down, but the arrival of Brook ensured the tempo did not slow. He took just three balls to register his first four, punching Cameron Green down the ground and quickly dialling up the aggression.

He helped himself to 13 off Lyon’s first over – not the kind of reception the spinner would have anticipated on a wearing pitch – and later launched him over extra-cover with a clean swing of the bat.

Lyon got his rewards for sticking at it, Root overly giddy as he ran down the pitch and left Alex Carey a simple stumping.

Stokes unexpectedly cooled things down, playing safely as he realised the importance of slowing Australia’s roll, but Brook lost his patience as Lyon dried up the scoring options.

Within sight of a first Ashes fifty he swiped at the spinner and was well caught by the diving Marnus Labuschagne at midwicket.

Jonny Bairstow successfully overturned an lbw decision just before lunch, with England heading in at 155 for five. They made another 118 in the middle session, but were bowled out in the extra half-hour as they wrestled for the upper hand.

Bairstow took the lead past 200 with successive fours – an impeccable square drive and a thick edge to deep third – but he was undone lbw by the wily Lyon for 20.

That left Stokes in charge of building the lead and he batted with deliberate focus, putting away the slogs that have too often followed him around as captain.

He hit five boundaries in almost two hours of observance, before his opposite number Lyon trapped him leg-before with the lead at 217.

England will have been happy with their finishing position from there, Moeen Ali making a scratchy 19 and Robinson showing real composure as he chipped away vital runs.

He was close to being out for five, but Labuschagne brushed the ball across the ground after claiming the catch at short leg. He holed to give Lyon a fourth, with Stuart Broad and James Anderson adding 17 more before the latter edged Cummins behind.

England’s commitment to high-risk, high-impact cricket hurried the first Ashes Test towards a gripping conclusion, setting Australia 281 to win on day four at Edgbaston.

Resuming on 28 for two, England put their foot to the floor as they moved to 273 all out at the end of an elongated afternoon session.

The hosts would have loved one of their middle-order batters to kick on to a substantial score, but saw Joe Root (46), Harry Brook (46) and Ben Stokes (43) dismissed one by one just as they were dragging control away from the Australians.

There were important runs too from from the tail, Ollie Robinson making 29 as the last two wickets put on 44.

Despite delivering emphatically on their promise to entertain, even those who roared their approval from the stands may reflect that England over-reached against Nathan Lyon at times.

Root was stumped for the first time in 131 Tests when he ran down the pitch and swiped fresh air and Brook cut short a highly promising stay when he dragged to midwicket trying to force a boundary.

Former captain Root set the tone for a colourful day with an audacious start, attempting his trademark reverse ramp off Pat Cummins’ first delivery of the morning.

Root has become a master of that audacious stroke but, even by his own standards, attempting it so early – with a crucial Test match balanced on a knife-edge – showed remarkable chutzpah.

Undeterred, he went back to the well twice in the next over, launching Scott Boland over the wicketkeeper’s head for six and then flicking four more beyond the slip cordon. It was a faintly surreal, but utterly exhilarating opening salvo.

England continued to go after Boland, who shipped 31 off his first three overs as his reputation for economy took its second battering in four days.

By contrast, Cummins was working up a head of steam at the Pavilion End and he produced a picture-perfect inswinging yorker to see off Ollie Pope (16), thudding the base of off stump as the batter groped for contact. He finished with four for 63 – an outstanding effort by any measure.

That left England 84 ahead and three down, but the arrival of Brook ensured the tempo did not slow. He took just three balls to register his first four, punching Cameron Green down the ground and quickly dialling up the aggression.

He helped himself to 13 off Lyon’s first over – not the kind of reception the spinner would have anticipated on a wearing pitch – and later launched him over extra-cover with a clean swing of the bat.

Lyon got his rewards for sticking at it, Root overly giddy as he ran down the pitch and left Alex Carey a simple stumping.

Stokes unexpectedly cooled things down, playing safely as he realised the importance of slowing Australia’s roll, but Brook lost his patience as Lyon dried up the scoring options.

Within sight of a first Ashes fifty he swiped at the spinner and was well caught by the diving Marnus Labuschagne at midwicket.

Jonny Bairstow successfully overturned an lbw decision just before lunch, with England heading in at 155 for five. They made another 118 in the middle session, but were bowled out in the extra half-hour as they wrestled for the upper hand.

Bairstow took the lead past 200 with successive fours – an impeccable square drive and a thick edge to deep third – but he was undone lbw by the wily Lyon for 20.

That left Stokes in charge of building the lead and he batted with deliberate focus, putting away the slogs that have too often followed him around as captain.

He hit five boundaries in almost two hours of observance, before his opposite number Lyon trapped him leg-before with the lead at 217.

England will have been happy with their finishing position from there, Moeen Ali making a scratchy 19 and Robinson showing real composure as he chipped away vital runs.

He was close to being out for five, but Labuschagne brushed the ball across the ground after claiming the catch at short leg. He holed to give Lyon a fourth, with Stuart Broad and James Anderson adding 17 more before the latter edged Cummins behind.

England will be hoping for calmer conditions as they seek a match-winning lead in the first Ashes Test, having lost both openers during a hostile spell under lights at Edgbaston.

The home side lost two wickets for two runs during an short but intense 20-minute period on the third afternoon, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley unable to survive under dark, floodlit skies.

Rain arrived to spare England any further losses and they will resume on Monday just 35 ahead. Joe Root and Ollie Pope are the men at the crease, tasked with taking the game away from a touring side who will fancy their own chances of setting up a finish.

The forecast looks encouraging for day four, but the prospect of more unsettled weather on Tuesday means things may need to move quickly for either team to assume full control.

Robinson riles Australia

Ollie Robinson could be on the verge of replacing Stuart Broad as public enemy number one in Australia. Having whipped up the pre-series rhetoric by predicting England would give their rivals “a hiding”, he reacted to bowling out centurion Usman Khawaja with a blunt, expletive-heavy send off. He drew plenty of criticism for his outburst, not least on social media, but was unrepentant in his media rounds. He suggested he was merely adding to the “theatre” of the series. He went on to accuse the opposition of playing “defensive” cricket and having “three number elevens”. Expect things to get spicy when he takes the crease.

Mo’s woes

As far as birthdays go, Moeen Ali’s 36th was one to forget. The returning off-spinner started his morning by being fined 25 per cent of his match fee for using an unauthorised drying spray on his hands during the previous evening’s play, then shipped three sixes in a loose four-over spell.

More worryingly, Moeen appeared to be struggling with an open blister on his right index finger and there are some concerns over how he will pull up ahead of what should be a central role in the fourth innings. He has already bowled 33 overs, seven more than he managed in the entirety of the recent Indian Premier League season. With the pitch beginning to take turn, England will need plenty more out of him to justify their decision to cajole the all-rounder out of retirement.

Big number

Jonny Bairstow made a dashing run-a-ball 78 at a crucial time in the England innings, but that was also the exact number of runs his three missed chances behind the stumps cost his side in the field. A botched stumping of Cameron Green and two dropped catches off Alex Carey helped Australia get within seven of England’s total and invited familiar talk of Ben Foakes’ impeccable glove work. Bairstow is inked into this side for the long haul but he will be hungrier than ever to make a big contribution in the remainder of this game.

Head wins over the Hollies

Travis Head’s back-and-forth with the Edgbaston crowd continued on day three, with fans in the Eric Hollies Stand enjoying every chance they got to get under his skin as he fielded on the boundary rope in front of them. But when Australia emerged after a long rain break in the afternoon, Head charged ahead of the pack and sprinted over to take his position at deep square leg with uncharacteristic gusto. The gesture drew a warm cheer from his tormentors, who warmed to him.

On the first day of the Test, Head put a target of his back with some sloppy fielding efforts that saw him drop Harry Brook and then fumble a boundary soon after. Head played along when the crowd mockingly cheered him for a straightforward stop a few moments later and raised his hand in acknowledgement, drawing a further cheer from the crowd.

England’s fielding adjustments

The ultra-attacking fields set by Ben Stokes have become a key tenet of his captaincy over the past year. But even by his own standards, the pattern he set for Khawaja in the 112th over was audacious. He conjured an ‘umbrella’ field – a semi-circle of close catchers with three on each side of the wicket – in an attempt to unsettle a man with 141 runs to his name. Khawaja obliged immediately as Robinson delivered an accurate yorker, missing with an unusually wild stroke. The Australian took the bait, charged down the track and paid with his off stump.

England were left cursing their luck after losing both openers under dark skies in a 20-minute spell that may have altered the course of the first Ashes Test.

Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley fell in successive overs on the third afternoon as they battled fiercely difficult batting conditions and an Australian attack intent on seizing its chance.

The pair had walked out under thick, dark skies after a 75-minute rain delay and failed to survive a mini-session that saw 22 balls bowled, two runs scored and two wickets fall under the floodlights.

Further downpours spared Ollie Pope and Joe Root, who will resume on 28 for two and attempt to turn a narrow lead of 35 into a match-winning position.

The Dukes ball, which had offered nothing over the first two days, came to life during that brief period, but it took considerable skill from Pat Cummins and Scott Boland to ensure it did not go to waste.

Cummins had Duckett (19) brilliantly taken in the gully, the latest on Cameron Green’s production line of outstanding catches, while Crawley (seven) endured a handful of close calls before Boland finally took his outside edge.

Beyond that there were half-a-dozen loud appeals as the ball wobbled through the air and zipped off the pitch, and England will be relieved not to have suffered further losses before the rain returned to bring an early end to proceedings.

Until their struggles in failing light and unsettled overheads, England had enjoyed the best of the day and moved themselves back into a strong position.

They took Australia’s last five wickets for 48, bowling the tourists out for 386 to sneak a slim first innings lead of seven. Ollie Robinson belatedly announced himself in the series, following a wicketless outing on Saturday with three dismissals, with James Anderson and Stuart Broad taking one apiece.

Australia began on 311 for five, 82 behind but seemingly well set with centurion Usman Khawaja at the crease alongside Alex Carey.

Anderson almost parted them with the fourth delivery of the morning when he took Carey’s inside edge from round the wicket.

Anderson had already started to celebrate as Jonny Bairstow tumbled low to his right, but watched in dismay as the ball squirmed free from the wicketkeeper’s glove.

It was a painful start for Bairstow, who already had a missed stumping against Green and another dropped catch off Carey on his ledger, and his frustration was plain to see.

Anderson went back to the drawing board and got his man for 66, forcing one through Carey’s defences and trimming the bails.

Moeen Ali started up at the other end, fresh from receiving a fine from the ICC for using an unauthorised drying agent on his hands during Saturday’s play. If that was an unwanted present on the spinner’s 36th birthday, then things did not get a lot better as he worked through a messy spell.

A return to first-class cricket after almost two years in retirement has clearly caused some damage to the all-rounder’s spinning finger – hence the spray which caught the match referee’s attention. He got away with one loopy full toss but could not stop Cummins launching him for a couple of sixes as he struggled to get any purchase on the ball.

Ben Stokes began to set some highly unusual fields in a bid to knock Australia off their stride and it seemed to work when Robinson uprooted Khawaja’s off stump for 141.

With a ring of catchers stationed in front of square on both sides of the wicket, the centurion tried to manufacture a blow through the covers and ended up misreading a precision yorker.

The tail was knocked over with efficiency after that. Nathan Lyon pulled Robinson straight to deep square-leg and Boland backed away visibly before popping Broad to silly point for his third of the innings. Cummins was last to go for 38, holing out off another Robinson short ball.

Duckett and Crawley made a measured start after lunch, taking advantage of Australia’s cautious fields to pick up easy singles for the second time in the match.

After 6.5 overs they had moved to 26 without loss, in no trouble at all. The subsequent rain delay, and the sharp deterioration in conditions, meant things were incomparable when they re-emerged in nightmare circumstances at 3.30pm.

The rain was close, but not close enough to spare the top-order pair as Australia made full use of the assistance to claim the upper hand.

England lost both openers under dark skies at Edgbaston as Australia seized the initiative on day three of a gripping first Ashes Test.

England lost Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley in consecutive overs in desperately difficult batting conditions in a mini afternoon session slotted awkwardly between two heavy rain showers.

That left the home side 28 for two, a fragile lead of 35 with everything still to play for.

The hosts had rallied impressively with the ball in the morning session, taking the last five Australian wickets for 75 runs to eke out the narrowest of seven-run leads.

Their openers then added another 26 after lunch in untroubled fashion, only for everything to change in dramatic circumstances after a 75-minute rain delay in the afternoon.

The teams came back out under thick black clouds at 3.30pm, with the floodlights cranked up and batting conditions suddenly the most precarious of the match.

Only 22 deliveries were possible before an almighty downpour, with England losing two wickets for just two runs as the Dukes ball came alive in fading light. Duckett (19) fenced at one that wobbled in the air and straightened up off the pitch from Pat Cummins, with Cameron Green pulling off the latest in a long line of outstanding catches in the gully.

Crawley (seven) then followed in the next over, Scott Boland capping an outstanding burst from the Birmingham End by finally to taking a thin nick after multiple close calls. There were half a dozen loud appeals in addition to that crucial double strike, with each batter seemingly clinging on in trying circumstances.

When the rain did come it was a sweet relief for Ollie Pope and Joe Root, surely sparing England further losses.

The day began with Australia on 311 for five, still 82 behind but seemingly well set with half their wickets in hand and two set batters at the crease. England needed early breakthroughs to nudge themselves back in front and James Anderson almost delivered one when he took Alex Carey’s inside edge with his fourth delivery of the morning.

Anderson had already started to celebrate as Jonny Bairstow tumbled low to his right but watched in dismay as the ball squirmed free from the wicketkeeper’s glove.

It was a painful start for Bairstow, who already had a missed stumping against Cameron Green and another dropped catch off Carey on his ledger, and his frustration was plain to see.

Anderson continued to cause the left-hander problems and got him after 20 minutes, forcing one through Carey’s defences from round the wicket and trimming the bails with precision.

Moeen Ali started up at the other end, fresh from receiving a fine from the ICC for using an unauthorised drying agent on his hands during Saturday’s play. If that was an unwanted present on the spinner’s 36th birthday, then things did not get a lot better as he worked through his spell.

A return to first-class cricket after almost two years in retirement has clearly caused some damage to the all-rounder’s spinning finger – hence use of spray which caught the match referee’s attention.

He got away with one loopy full toss but could not stop Cummins launching him for a couple of sixes as he struggled to get any purchase on the ball.

Ben Stokes began to set some highly unusual fields in a bid to knock Australia off their stride and it seemed to work when Robinson uprooted Khawaja’s off stump for 141.

With a ring of catchers stationed in front of square on both sides of the wicket, the centurion tried to manufacture a blow through the covers and ended up mis-reading a precision yorker.

The tail was knocked over with efficiency after that, Lyon pulling Robinson straight to deep square-leg, Boland backing away and popping Stuart Broad to silly point and Cummins holing out off another short ball.