Australia steadily progress at Tea on Final Day of Ashes opener

In a session characterized by caution and a slow scoring rate, Australia reached 183 for 5 at Tea on the final day of the Edgbaston Test against England. The visitors added 76 runs to their total, losing only two wickets in the process. Usman Khawaja, who has displayed immense resilience by batting throughout all five days of the Test, remained unbeaten on 56* in the second innings. As the teams head into the final session, Australia requires 98 runs for victory, while England needs five wickets to secure a win.

Play began late in the day due to rain, resulting in a delay of almost three hours. The sluggish pitch offered little assistance to bowling threats, leading both teams to adopt a patient approach. Australia adopted a defensive strategy, adding just 21 runs in the first hour of play, while England tried to adopt an aggressive approach.

Advertisement

After conventional methods failed against Khawaja and nightwatcher Scott Boland, England resorted to the short-ball tactic, a strategy employed by both teams throughout the Test match. However, the breakthrough did not come from a short delivery. Stuart Broad deceived Boland by delivering a full ball, catching him on the crease and inducing an edge to the wicketkeeper.

Moeen Ali was introduced into the attack nearly an hour later, despite nursing an injured index finger. However, his initial overs were expensive, conceding 10 runs, including two boundaries, against Travis Head. Nevertheless, Ali managed to dismiss the Australian No. 5 batsman, as Head edged a delivery to Joe Root at slip.

Although Moeen offered loose deliveries, Australia opted for a more cautious approach against the spinner, patiently waiting for opportunities. Khawaja reached his half-century in the dying minutes of the session by pulling a short-of-length delivery for a couple of runs past the wicketkeeper.

Khawaja and Cameron Green safely guided Australia to Tea, extending their sixth-wicket partnership to 40 runs.

Brief Scores: England 393/8 decl. (Joe Root 112*, Jonny Bairstow 78, Zak Crawley 61; Nathan Lyon 4-149, Josh Hazlewood 2-61) & 273 (Joe Root 46, Harry Brook 46; Pat Cummins 2-63, Nathan Lyon 2-80) lead Australia 386 (Usman Khawaja 141, Alex Carey 66, Travis Head 50; Ollie Robinson 3-55, Stuart Broad 3-68) & 183/5 (Usman Khawaja 50*, David Warner 36; Stuart Broad 3-42) by 97 runs