The Ashes: England lose first Test by 251 runs after batting collapse
Written by News on 05/08/2019
England have been beaten by Australia in their Ashes opener at Edgbaston, losing by 251 runs after a second innings collapse.
Nathan Lyon took six wickets for 49 runs as the tourists consigned England to their first defeat at the Birmingham ground in more than a decade.
England ended all out for just 146.
Star man Ben Stokes managed just six runs, as did Jonny Bairstow, while those at the top of the order also struggled to build momentum.
The top scorer for the home side was Chris Woakes, who managed 37, with nine wickets falling for just 86 runs once Jason Roy – part of the opening batting pair – was dismissed for 28.
Australia had lost 15 successive games at Edgbaston since 2001, but they denied their opponents the chance of scraping a draw with a brutal bowling display.
It was quite the comedown for England after the World Cup glory of just three weeks ago.
They would have fancied their chances after Australia stumbled to just 122 for eight after winning the toss, but two outstanding individual performances proved crucial.
Steve Smith scored a century in each innings, before Lyon took any hope of a draw away from England with a performance of verve and precision.
Pat Cummins also made a worthy contribution by taking four wickets for 32.
Both will be keen to make a similar impact in the second Test at Lord’s, but England coach Trevor Bayliss may be tempted to make changes.
Moeen Ali and Joe Denly appear to be under the most imminent threat after hapless outings, while Bairstow and Roy will also be disappointed with their form.
Speaking afterwards, former Australia captain Smith – who was playing in his first Test match since being suspended for ball tampering last year – told Sky Sports: “I love playing cricket here in England, the atmosphere’s always amazing, and the boys turned up and played a really good game of cricket.
“To go 1-0 up in the series is a big boost.”
The second Test gets starts on 14 August.
(c) Sky News 2019: The Ashes: England lose first Test by 251 runs after batting collapse
