Ashes 5th Test, Day 1 Report: On the first day of the final Ashes Test, Australia grabbed a 61-1 lead after dismissing England for 283 runs thanks to four wickets from Mitchell Starc.
Harry Brook sparked England’s “batting brigade” with a brilliant 85-run innings at The Oval, where the Australian team, which leads the series 2-1, is aiming for a third straight series triumph.
The hosts scored 31 boundaries and five sixes but lost wickets in costly clusters within the first 55 overs.
Australia made 61 runs for the loss of one wicket in response to trailing by 222 runs until stumps, as they seek to become the first Australian side to win a series on English soil.
“As the day concluded, Brook expressed his satisfaction, saying, ‘We can definitely call it a good day. During lunchtime, our discussions centered around a target of 250 runs, but we managed to surpass that by a remarkable 33 runs.’ Our batting performance was steady, but credit must be given to the exceptional bowling display by the opposing team.”
When David Warner sliced to second slip for 24, Chris Woakes took England’s sole wicket. In what is becoming a theme, James Anderson searched in vain for inspiration but was unthreatening.
The loss of spinner Moeen Ali, who injured his groin while batting and did not enter the field, did not improve England’s prospects.
After winning the toss for the first time in the series, Australia dismissed both of England’s opening batsmen, as well as Joe Root, in the first session.
Ben Duckett was removed for 41 runs in 12 overs off Stark’s bowling. Pat Cummins got rid of Jack Crawley for 22 runs in the next over, caught in the slip by Steve Smith.
Root was a key wicket, scoring only 5 runs in his attempt to direct Josh Hazlewood’s delivery to third man.
At 73-3, Brooks decided to keep England’s batting strategy positive and reached near to a century with seven boundaries and two sixes by the end of the first session.
He continued to smash Stark for successive boundaries and then a six soon before lunch but survived a dropped catch by wicketkeeper Alex Carey just seven balls after Root was dismissed.
Stark enticed Brooks with a big, wide delivery that enticed everything out of him, but all he accomplished was to give Smith a thick edge.
At seven down, it appeared that a brawl might erupt, but Woakes (36) and Mark Wood (28) had other plans. This collaboration added 64 runs in 65 deliveries.
Opportunities continued to present themselves, as Stark took four wickets for 82 runs before Woakes ended the innings.
Conditions remained beneficial for bowlers throughout England’s 25 overs on the field. Marnus Labuschagne protected the stumps as Usman Khawaja remained undefeated on 26 runs in 75 deliveries.