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The third Ashes Test at Edgbaston was setting up to be an interesting contest, with changes being made to the English line-up, and Haddin being left out.
Steven Finn replaced Mark Wood, who I thought bowled well in the first two Tests, and Jonny Bairstow replaced Gary Ballance, who had trouble with the Australian bowlers.
FULL SCOREBOARD FROM DAY 1 AT EDGBASTON
On what looked like a far better pitch than was played on at Lord’s, Australia won the toss and elected to bat. Early ball movement proved fruitful for England, with David Warner being given out lbw by Anderson for two.
Smith was looking frustrated in Finn’s first over of the series, and took the bait from Finn on his last ball of the over, an outside-edge carrying to Cook at the slips, being dismissed for seven.
Australia was in real trouble by the 12th over, Clarke getting clean bowled by a jaffa from Finn and exiting after making 10.
Australia was looking very similar to England at Lord’s by this stage, being down 3/34 after 12 overs. Play was called off next over due to rain.
It resumed with about half an hour left until lunch, and Australia needed to stabilise during this final period before lunch.
Rogers and Voges ended the session on a much better note, finishing the session at 3/72 from 19 overs. During the lunch break there was more rain, delaying the start of play further.
Voges fell soon after lunch for 16, indecision costing him as the ball caught the bottom edge of the bat as he tried to leave it, carrying to a diving Buttler.
Mitch Marsh fell soon after for a duck, edging an out-swinging ball from Anderson to the keeper.
This brought Peter Nevill to the crease, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the selectors might have been second-guessing themselves over the retention of Nevill over Haddin today.
Nevill failed to provide the spark we needed so desperately, he left a gem of a ball, which swung in and clipped off-stump, only making two.
Anderson brought up his five-wicket haul with the dismissal of Johnson, with the big lefty flashing at the ball on the front foot, and Stokes taking the catch just above the grass at fifth slip.
Rogers continued to shine in the English conditions, getting to a gutsy 50 in the 28th over. Two overs later, play was suspended due to rain, with Australia at 7/99.
Australia made it to 110, before Rogers fell for 52, out lbw to Broad, giving Broad his first wicket of the day. Starc fell a couple of overs later, getting out in similar fashion to Voges, under-edging to the keeper off Broad, getting out for 11.
Lyon and Hazlewood clung on for three more overs, before Lyon was bowled by Anderson for 11 in the 37th over.
Anderson was far and away the pick of the bowlers, taking 6/47 off 14.4 overs, and ending the Australian innings at 136.
The Australian attack would have to bowl like they did at Lord’s to minimise the damage they’ve suffered in their first innings.
They got through four overs before the covers were brought out again, and the umpires decided to have the tea session then.
This left Australia with about three hours left of play on day one, weather permitting.
It took another four overs for Hazlewood to make the breakthrough, enticing Lyth into a reaching drive which he edged to Voges at first slip, out for 10.
England was looking much stronger than Australia in their first innings, with Cook looking settled and the Australian attack starting to look frustrated.
Bell and Cook were looking far better than the Australian batsmen, and they continued to emphasise Australia’s poor batting.
By the 17th over England were 1/76, and Australia at this stage were at 3/55. A shocking catch came in the 18th over, Cook trying to pull Lyon, instead hitting the ball straight into Voges’ stomach, and Voges clinging onto it with his elbows, a bemused Cook departing for 34.
Bell and Root continued to take to the Aussie attack, with Bell making his half-century, though he didn’t last much longer.
Bell tried to take on Lyon down the ground, though he mis-timed it and it went pretty much straight up, Warner managing to get under it and take what was a difficult catch at midwicket, being caught out for 53.
Rain again stopped play, this time in the 29th over, and the match officials decide to abandon play for the day, with England finishing at 3/133 from 29 overs.
Australia’s bowlers really had to perform well to try and defend their meagre first innings total, but they failed to do so, making it look like a completely different pitch to what they were batting on just a few hours earlier.
It looked like they were trying too hard, many balls being over-pitched and sliding across the batsmen, which ended up costing Australia precious runs.
Australia’s bowlers will have to perform much better tomorrow if they want to minimise England’s lead at the end of their first innings.
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