England hopes of victory in first Ashes Test frustrated by rain at Edgbaston

By Sports Desk June 20, 2023

England’s hopes of pressing for a fifth-day victory in their Ashes opener against Australia suffered a frustrating start as the morning session was washed out at Edgbaston.

The finale was confirmed as a 25,000 sell-out shortly after Stuart Broad produced an exhilarating double strike on the fourth evening, removing key men Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith.

Australia ended on 107 for three, needing 174 more runs to chase down 281, with England buoyant after Broad’s rabble-rousing efforts.

But overnight rain and heavy downpours on Tuesday morning meant no play was possible before an early lunch was called at 12.30pm.

The forecast is more optimistic as the day progresses, but the scheduled 98 overs are already being chipped away, leaving a potentially thrilling finish on the cards.

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    Australia seamer Mitchell Starc heaped praise on Jasprit Bumrah's performance on day one of their Test against India in Perth.

    India struggled with the bat and finished their first innings on 150, with Rishabh Pant (37) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) helping them to improve on a poor start.

    However, the tourists wrestled back control, leaving Australia on 67-7 at the close of play, thanks to Bumrah's inspired display.

    On Friday, 17 wickets fell, the most on the opening day of a Test in Australia since 1952.

    He finished on 4-17, leaving Australia 19-3 inside the seventh over as he took Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney and Steve Smith in quick succession.

    Starc will start at the crease alongside Alex Carey on day two, and he was impressed by Bumrah's efficiency with the ball.

    "So, there's no surprise that he's [Bumrah] been a fantastic bowler across the formats for a long time," Starc said.

    "And again, his skills were on show [on Friday] as to how, how good he is. So, yeah, I'm sure there's something in that release point.

    "That's significant to his action. It's something a lot of people can't do, so I'm not, I'm certainly not going to go and try it. I'll probably snap."

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  • Magnificent Bumrah humbles Australia after India batting collapse Magnificent Bumrah humbles Australia after India batting collapse

    India wrestled control back from Australia to leave them 67-7 at the close of play, despite having been bowled out for just 150 earlier on a remarkable first day in Perth.

    The tourists chose to bat first, having made six changes from their Test defeat to New Zealand earlier this month, but things did not go well for them as they were reduced to 32-3 and 73-6.

    Virat Kohli struggled again and went for just five after being caught by Usman Khawaja. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and number three Devdutt Padikkal were both playing in Australia for the first time and were dismissed for ducks.

    Rishabh Pant (37) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) dragged India to a level of respectability before their bowlers tore through the Australian batting lineup.

    Jasprit Bumrah (4-17) was India's saviour, producing a spell to leave the hosts 19-3. Nathan McSweeney (10) went on lbw after a review, Khawaja (8) was caught in the slips and Steve Smith was out on his first ball after another lbw.

    Both Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh went for a combined total of 17 runs, with Marnus Labuschagne next to go for two off 52 balls. Pat Cummins was the final wicket of the day, meaning Australia finished on 67-7 with Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc at the crease.

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    It was undoubtedly a day for the bowlers on the first day in Perth, with 17 wickets being the most to have fallen on the opening day of a Test in Australia since 1952.

    While all 10 of Australia's wickets were caught, India managed four dismissals through either bowling their opponent or lbw.

    Following his unplayable performance in Perth, Bumrah now has 177 Test wickets for his country and can count himself unlucky not to have had more.

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