Forced to bat, Australia punished fading England bowling in ideal conditions at Lord’s to post 339-5 by stumps on the first day overnight of the second Ashes test.
Australia won a thrilling Ashes opener by two wickets at Edgbaston as captain Pat Cummins’ six-smashing 44 not out and Usman Khawaja’s patient 65 combined to give England’s ‘Bazball’ cricket revolution a lesson from Down Under.
England’s batters faced threatening clouds above and hostile Australian bowlers below as the latest twist in a dramatic Ashes opener at Edgbaston saw the hosts reduced to 28-2 in their second innings on Sunday for an overall lead of 35.
Australia needs 174 more runs and England seven more wickets in a gripping Ashes series opener that will be decided on the fifth and final day at Edgbaston.
Opener Usman Khawaja raced away in delight and threw his bat high in the air after scoring his first test century in England as Australia reached 311-5 on day two of the Ashes at Edgbaston overnight.
England demonstrated its ‘Bazball’ confidence - the attacking brand of cricket made famous by Kiwi batsman-turned-coach Brendon McCullum - by daring to declare at 393-8 against Australia after Joe Root’s 30th test century on the opening day of the Ashes series.
Australia was primed for the Ashes series after winning the World Test Championship by crushing India by 209 runs on the fifth morning of the final at the Oval this morning.
The Black Caps will kick off their 2023 Cricket World Cup campaign with a blockbuster rematch of their heartbreaking defeat in the 2019 final against England.
Australia foiled India plans to milk ideal bowling conditions by batting brilliantly on the first day of the World Test Championship final at the Oval on Wednesday.
Black Caps spin bowler Ajaz Patel has not been offered a central contract by New Zealand Cricket a year and a half after becoming just the third player in test cricket to take all 10 wickets in an innings.
