Tag: Australia

ASHES 2015: ENGLAND SMASH AUSTRALIA BY EIGHT WICKETS TO RETAKE SERIES LEAD.

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3rd Test, Day Three, Edgbaston. 

England managed to win the third Ashes test with two days spare, as they crushed Australia by 8 wickets at Edgbaston.

Ian Bell continued his resurgence with the bat with an unbeaten 65, as the hosts managed to chase down their target of 121 for victory inside 32.1 overs.

Joe Root also contributed an unbeaten 38 to settle the match, despite the hosts losing captain Alastair Cook for just seven at the start of the innings.

Australia had earlier added 97 runs before losing their three remaining wickets- with Steven Finn recording his best test figures of 6-79.

The tourists slogged the ball around the ground, with Peter Nevill leading the charge by reaching a half-century. He was caught behind not long after though, when he edged Finn’s delivery into the gloves of Jos Buttler.

Mitchell Starc and Paul Hazlewood added 28 before the latter was caught brilliantly by Root.

Starc, who had also slogged his way past fifty, clipped Moeen Ali’s delivery to extra cover, and to the roar of the England crowd- England had set themselves up nicely to finish the match within nine sessions.

England were however up against a resilient Starc.

As a result, the Aussie fast bowler dismissed both Cook (7) and Adam Lyth (12) early on. He clean bowled the England skipper with a fastball that swung inwards devilishly.

He then caught under pressure Lyth for LBW to leave the home fans holding their breath.

But Ian Bell, who has received criticism throughout the series, proved his credentials with a calm, professional half century, which included five boundaries. However he did offer Australia a great chance for his wicket.

Australian captain Michael Clarke spurned a simple catch when the Warwickshire batsman edged Starc’s pacey delivery to slip.

It proved to be the deadliest of blows to the tourists, as Bell and Root saw out the game to leave England one win away from regaining the urn.

It was another ‘reaction’ performance from England, which seems to be a constant theme in this year’s Ashes series.

Australia bounced back from a crushing first test defeat to smash England at Lord’s last week to level the series.

But this week it was England’s turn to turn the tide of the series in their direction once again, with three days of brilliant cricket. Including the two 6-wicket hauls by James Anderson and Steven Finn- the first time that happened in a test match by two English bowlers for 34 years.

“The way Jimmy Anderson bowled in that first innings was fantastic,” claimed a jubilant Cook.

“It’s also been an amazing comeback from Steven Finn. Standing there at slip, you thought he was going to get a nick every ball. The character he has shown to come back after a lot of hard work is incredible.”

Steven Finn added: “This week has been fantastic and I’m thoroughly enjoying Test cricket again.

“There were a few nerves in the first few balls and you question yourself but after that it was focusing on getting people out.

“I did doubt at times if I’d play again but knew I could be good enough again. To be stood here now, there is no better feeling.”

Australia will have to ponder on their batting performance after they failed to post decent totals on what was a relatively flat pitch.

“It’s very hard to explain,” said Clarke.

“Credit has to go to England, they bowled well on day one and we didn’t bat anywhere near we’d have liked. I still would have batted first; you can see the wicket has deteriorated.

“It swung and seamed throughout the whole game. We probably had the best batting conditions, we just didn’t execute with bat and ball.”

The fourth test commences on August 6th at Trent Bridge.

* QUOTES FROM BBC SPORT. 

ASHES 2015: STEVEN FINN’S 5 WICKET HAUL PUTS ENGLAND IN COMMANDING POSITION.

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3rd Test, Day Two, Edgbaston. 

England produced another day of mesmerising cricket to leave themselves on the brink of winning the third test at Edgbaston.

Steven Finn continued to impress on his return to the England fold with a five-wicket haul, as the hosts ripped through the Australian batting line up for a second time in as many days.

Australia, who started the day perfectly when Mitchell Johnson dismissed Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes inside three deliveries, are facing what looks like an impossible task to stay in the test match. They ended the day on 168-7, a lead of just 27 runs.

Moeen Ali’s 59 and Joe Root’s 63 helped the hosts reach 281 before being bundled out. The highlight being Ali and Stuart Broad’s record breaking eighth wicket partnership for England at Edgbaston, which consisted of 89 runs.

Australia started strongly in their second innings- with opener David Warner scoring a 35-ball fifty. It equalled the quickest half-century in Ashes history by Graham Yallop.

However, with Australia looking good at 62-1, Alastair Cook switched Finn to the Pavilion End, and the test swung back into England’s favour as a result.

The Middlesex seamer dismissed Steve Smith for the second time in the match when the Aussie top-edged, gifting Jos Buttler the simplest of catches.

Then after Tea Finn reeked havoc. Michael Clarke and Adam Voges edged two of the seamers deliveries to third and second slip before Mitchell Marsh was cleaned bowled.

And when James Anderson claimed his seventh wicket of the match, dismissing danger man Warner in the process, Australia were just 111-6.

A 45-wicket partnership by Peter Nevill and Johnson saved the tourist’s blushes, but Finn wasn’t done yet, and got Johnson just before the close of play.

Finn’s 5-45 was his first five wicket haul for England in just under two and a half years, but the bowler admits the game is far from over.

“The game is definitely not won yet,” he said.

“They have players who can bat so there will still be pressure. We need to do a professional job tomorrow.

“It has been a while since I’ve played Test cricket so to come here and take wickets was great.”

For Australia, it is an evening to ponder on how they can save this test match. Johnson did manage to reach the 300-test wickets milestone though with the dismissals of Bairstow and Stokes. The fast bowler was however, not satisfied by his team’s performance.

“It’s not ideal, it’s not something we’re happy about,” admitted Johnson.

“We’re 23 runs ahead and we need a big partnership in the morning to get the ball rolling. We played some shots we didn’t need to and the guys will be disappointed. We need to stop this rot.

“It looked at one stage like we wouldn’t make them bat again. If we can get to 120 or 130 ahead we’ll have a really good crack at them.”

 *Quotes from BBC Sport.

ASHES 2015: ANDERSON OBLITERATES AUSSIES ON DAY ONE AT EDGBASTON.

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3rd Test, Day One, Edgbaston. 

James Anderson ripped through the Australian batting line up to help England seize early control of the third test at Edgbaston.

With the series tied 1-1, and on a day consisting of several rain delays, England’s bowlers were able to whittle Australia down to just 136, before ending the day on 133-3.

Anderson posted his best ever Ashes figures of 6-47, while Steven Finn repaid the selectors for his inclusion with the crucial wickets of Steve Smith and Aussie captain Michael Clarke.

On a pitch that appealed to the England seamers, the tourists could only manage to withstand 36.4 overs at the crease, although Steve Rodgers managed to record his ninth test half century in 11 matches.

Finn, who was making his first England appearance since being dropped 18 months ago from the last Ashes series in Australia, managed to get the two crucial wickets of the innings. Firstly, his perfect delivery to Smith was caught behind. Clarke was then clean bowled for just 10- meaning his batting average over the last 12 Ashes test has fallen to 19.2.

However, it was James Anderson who was the man of the hour. Unplayable at times- he swept aside more than half of the Aussie batting line-up alone. Adam Voges and Mitchell Marsh were caught behind, Peter Nevill clean bowled and Mitchell Johnson caught at fourth slip before he capped off his innings with the dismissal of Nathan Lyon.

“We’re very happy, especially after losing the toss,” claimed Anderson after the day’s play.

“We created pressure to get them out for a low score and then the guys batted well.”

The Lancashire bowler also had words of praise for fellow seamer Finn.

“He (Finn) has had a tough 18 months and worked so hard to get back in the Test side,” Anderson said.

“So everyone in the dressing room is delighted for him and he looked a threat.”

Stuart Broad also got in on the action, taking two wickets to rise to fifth on the all time test wicket takers list.

After bowling Australia out, England looked to score a decent total to take total control of the test, but things didn’t go so smoothly. They lost a wicket early as Adam Lyth sliced a Paul Hazlewood delivery straight to slip.

Alastair Cook and Ian Bell made a 57 run partnership before the England captain picked out Voges at square leg.

Bell himself had a mini revival at his home ground, scoring a half-century. But he gave up his wicket needlessly as the day fizzled out. The Warwickshire man lost control of his bat after attacking Lyon’s welcoming delivery, causing his shot to go up rather than distant. It resulted in gifting David Warner the simplest of catches.

England will still be happy though with their performance, especially after their showing at Lord’s last week.

Another strong day and they will certainly be favourites to take the third test and lead the series 2-1 with two still to play.

“It was a very disappointing day,” admitted Rodgers.

“England put us under pressure and we didn’t respond. You have to give their attack credit, but there are times when you have to fight, and some of the shot selection…we needed to have a better day.

“The pitch was quick enough and England exploited it well and hit the right lengths. It could be difficult in the fourth innings, but we’re behind the game at the moment.”

*All quotes from BBC Sport. 

ASHES 2015: Australia Win One-Sided Second Test to Level Series.

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2nd Test, Day Four, Lord’s.

Australia thrashed England at Lord’s by 405 runs to level the Ashes series 1-1 with a day to spare.

England’s horrific second innings batting collapse added salt into the wounds, as they were bowled out for just 103 on what was a decent batting pitch.

Australia had earlier in the day racked up another 146 runs, before declaring on 254-2 just before lunch. This meant England would need to withstand five sessions (or 155 overs) of brutal Australian bowling to save the test.

They managed to survive just 37.

With all their wickets in tact at lunch, no one would have seen the avalanche that was about to unfold. Alastair Cook, Gary Ballance and Adam Lyth were all caught behind to begin the carnage.

Under pressure Ian Bell could then only master up 11 runs from 50 deliveries before he poked a Nathan Lyon ball straight to short leg for the simplest of catches.

Just as the hosts thought it couldn’t get worse, Ben Stokes was daftly run out for zero. Somehow, he failed to ground either himself or his bat when Mitchell Johnson arrowed a throw directly at the stumps.

By tea England were five down and knew they just had to see the day out without losing any more wickets.

Instead, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali both came and went within five deliveries from Johnson.

Stuart Broad, the only England player to have played decent cricket in this test, slugged the ball about to a quick 25 score before he was caught at cover to make it 101-8.

Only two more runs were added before Josh Hazlewood then wrapped up proceedings. He clean bowled both Joe Root and James Anderson, sparking wild celebrations for the Australians.

The only concern for the winning side was the health of in-form opener Chris Rodgers, who retired on 49 due to illness. He watched on from the pavilion for the remainder of the day, but should feature at Edgbaston in nine days time.

The defeat was England’s third heaviest against their rivals, and must now consider changes- particularly at the top of the order.

“When you get bowled out for 100, it isn’t good enough,” admitted Cook.

“Australia put us under pressure and we weren’t able to deal with it.

“We have come up short this week. But we have to take this on the chin. Now it’s about the character we need to show in order to bounce back.”

For Australia, it was the perfect response to their defeat in Cardiff last week as they now aim to win their first Ashes series in England since 2001.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better performance,” said a ecstatic Michael Clarke.

“We didn’t play our best at Cardiff, but now we can look in the mirror and say we played some good cricket here.”

It’s funny just how much can change in a week.

Australia this time last week looked nothing like the side that has transformed since Darren Lehmann took over. England played the perfect test in Cardiff, but couldn’t replicate that form at Lord’s. Now it is them who need to ponder long and hard about how they can recover at Edgbaston.

The third test begins on July 29th.

ASHES 2015: Australia Well On The Way To Level Series.

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2nd Test, Day Three, Lord’s. 

Australia are well on the way to levelling the Ashes series after another dominant display at Lord’s on day three of the second test.

Mitchell Marsh took the two crucial wickets of Alastair Cook (96) and Ben Stokes (87), as the tourists eventually bowled out the hosts for 312.

A calm and collected David Warner and an ever reliant Chris Rodgers then saw out the day, reaching stumps in 108-0, 362 runs ahead of England.

At 30-4, England looked odds on to have to follow on, but a spirited effort from Stokes and Cook led to a 145-run partnership to save the team from any embarrassment.

With the England skipper leading from the front, it looked like Cook was heading towards a three figure score, but he lost concentration for a split second, costing him his wicket for 96.

He became the first English batsman to be dismissed seven times whilst in the 90s, a record he won’t want to remember.

Australia thought that they had Jos Buttler for just nine but replays showed that debutant wicketkeeper Peter Nevill had in fact grounded the ball. However, the England wicketkeeper could only add four before edging to Nathan Lyon.

Australia’s hero of the England innings though was Marsh, who took his opportunity with both hands. His bowling inflicted most of the damage, with a perfect delivery clipping the bails for Stokes on 87, before clean bowling Cook.

David Warner seemed much more composed than in the first innings, as he reached his 50 off 71 balls. However it could have been so very different. Adam Lyth could only parry a sharp edge from Warner to the boundary.

It was the third catch of the match England have failed to take, all of which would have changed the whole perplexity of the match. Rodgers and Steve Smith were dropped in the first innings before Warner in the second.

With the weather looking fair on Sunday, Australia could declare at lunch and try to make their job on day five a much simpler one. England are staring down a barrel of defeat unless they manage to stay in for five sessions, something only five teams have ever done in the history of the sport.

“At the moment, we’ve got to get our head around the fact that we are probably going to have to bat 150 overs to try and save the game,” said Stokes.

“If there’s ever a wicket to do it on it’s this one. There are no real demons in it, there’s not too much pace and there’s not too much turn.”

Australia’s Marsh told BBC: “We’ve got ourselves in a great position to really drive the game.

“I’m sure Michael Clarke has a total in mind, but I’m not sure. I imagine it will be around the 450 to 500 mark.”

ASHES 2015: Australia Looking Cosy at the Home of Cricket after One-Sided Second Day.

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2nd Test, Day Two, Lord’s. 

Australia look strong favourites to level the Ashes series as they continue to dictate the second test at Lord’s.

After declaring on 566-8, the Aussie bowlers then demolished the top of the England batting order, to leave the hosts on 85-4 at the end of day two.

Steve Smith was the hero of the visitors innings- scoring 215 to become the third Australian to score 200-plus at the ‘Home of Cricket’.

After more than eight hours at the crease, facing 346 deliveries in the process, Smith engineered his sixth three figure total in his last eight tests, all of which have come during his first innings at the crease.

Had anyone before the match question his rank as second best in the world, they were silenced very quickly.

After breaking the record for the most runs in an Australian second wicket partnership at Lord’s, Smith’s batting partner Chris Rodgers fell for 173 to Stuart Broad, the only shining light of what was a very grey England bowling performance.

Broad took 4-82 in the end; with part time spinner Joe Root second best on the English bowling sheet with figures of 2-55.

If there was anything wrong with the Australian batting performance, it was the coming and going of captain Michael Clarke for just seven runs of 31 balls.

The batsman, whose batting record since the last Ashes series reads worse than Shane Watson, who was dropped for the second test, may want to move himself back down to number five in the order. His batting average at five is far better than his one at four.

After Australia declared, England faced the mammoth task of staging their own huge score to match their rivals- however it didn’t take long for the hopes of the nation to slowly crumble away.

Adam Lyth went for a two ball duck and not long after Gary Ballance was clean bowled by Mitchell Johnson. Ian Bell and Joe Root, who played so magnificently with the bat in Cardiff, both went for one as the weary hosts were left 30-4, with 19 overs still of the day to go.

Captain Alastair Cook and Ben Stokes saved England from any more embarrassment as they produced an unbeaten 55-run partnership to see the day out.

With fatigue kicking in, this will be a huge test for England to try and draw the test. One thing in their favour presumably is the weather, with heavy rain forecast for Sunday.

“There are no demons in the pitch but we had a ropey 20 minutes,” Broad told BBC Test Match Special.

“We’ve still got a chance to bat big. We have to apply ourselves. We’ve got 16 wickets to play with in this Test and if people get in and play to their game plan, they’re going to be hard to get rid of.”

The day though truly belonged to the Australians, who know a series draw would see them retain the Ashes. A win at Lord’s would mean a first test victory in England since 2001.

“England will be having a good night’s sleep and digging in,” Johnson told Sky Sports.

“Hopefully they’ll play that aggressive brand of cricket they’ve been talking about and we’ll see where that goes.”

ASHES 2015: Australia Bite Back With Record Partnership To Dominate Opening Day at Lord’s.

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2nd Test, Day One, Lord’s.

Chris Rodgers and Steve Smith both scored centuries as Australia ended day one of the second test on 337-1 to seize control at Lord’s.

Following their heavy defeat in Cardiff, the tourists hit back with a five-star batting display from opener Rodgers and second best batsman in the world Smith.

Despite David Warner handing his wicket recklessly to England, the two batsman were confident on what was a slow pitch with little bounce in the capital.

Their partnership of 259 broke an 85-year record for an Australian second-wicket partnership. It had previously been 231 set by Bill Woodfull and Don Bradman.

Rodgers also overcame a record of seven consecutive fifties without converting them to three figures as he scored his highest test score of 158. As a result, he became just the fifth Aussie to score over 150 runs in one innings at Lord’s.

“It’s one of the proudest moments of my life,” said the Aussie opener.

“To get a hundred here is so special.”

Smith in contrast played like two different batsman. Taking 111 balls to make it to half a century, he smashed his next 50 runs in just 50 deliveries.

“The pitch was a little bit slow and if you got in you needed to go big,” said Smith.

“I wanted to make it count today and get up on that board. It was about keeping England out there for as long as possible.”

As Australia eye up a massive score in their first innings, England will be desperate to find more wickets on what will be a crucial second day.

The English bowlers will feel a bit of injustice, as they didn’t play entirely bad. Stuart Broad was, in particular, very consistent with the ball. His high-pitched deliveries were unplayable at times, but narrowly missed the bails.

Mark Wood also played well once he got going, but again his unplayable deliveries just went wide of the stumps.

The same can’t be said of James Anderson, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, who were punished when they pitched the ball too short.

“Hats off to the two guys who made hundreds – they played brilliantly throughout the day,’ said Anderson.

“They stayed patient, they attacked us when they could and made it really difficult for us to bowl at them for long periods of time and create that pressure.”

It was the first time in 22 years that England only took one wicket on the opening day of an Ashes Test match, and just the second time that only one wicket was taken in a Lord’s test.

England know that wickets are needed to get their foot back in the door and keep their Ashes lead in tact.

But with Michael Clarke and debutant Mitchell Marsh, who scored two hundreds in the warm up matches heading into the Ashes, to come in, things are looking good for Australia.

ASHES 2015: England Win First Test To Take Lead In Series.

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1st Test, Day Four, Cardiff. 

England crushed Australia by 169 runs to take a 1-0 series lead in this year’s Ashes.

In a brilliant display with the ball, the England bowlers dismissed the whole Australian line up for 242 in their second innings. Stuart Broad spearheaded the ruthless performance by Alastair Cook’s men on a fast-paced fourth day.

The result makes England’s dismal performance down under 18 months ago feel like a distant memory, as they produced four days of high quality, exhilarating cricket.

Australia, who were strong favourites to retain the urn, now must regroup and rebuild ahead of the second test at Lord’s next week.

The hosts struggled during the morning session, with Chris Rodgers the only victim heading into lunch. The turning point of the innings was in the final over of the session, when David Warner was trapped LBW by Moeen Ali for 52.

Cook’s decision to allow Ali to bowl the final over was just one of the many masterstrokes the Essex opener made in what was arguably his best performance as England captain.

After the lunch break, England went up the gears, and smashed through the Australian batting line up. Broad took the crucial wickets of Steve Smith on 33, and then Aussie captain Michael Clarke.

Adam Voges and Brad Haddin came and went in quick succession and when Shane Watson was caught LBW to leave the tourists on 151-7, the home fans knew that the result was almost guaranteed.

A brave Mitchell Johnson put up a late fight to keep the Australians in with a shout, striking up a partnership of 72 with Mitchell Starc at the tail end of the order.

However Joe Root, who had batted well earlier in the match, claimed both the wickets of Johnson and Starc.

When Josh Hazlewood smashed a ball from Ali to long on, all the England players, coaching team and supporters erupted with joy.

It was only the third time England had won the opening Ashes test, the last being back in 2013 when they last won the Ashes. In 15 of the last 17 Ashes series, the winners of the first test have gone on to win the urn.

“It was a brilliant performance,” said Cook.

‘This Test couldn’t have gone any better and we’ll enjoy tonight.

“Everyone was talking about what’s gone on in the past, but this is a different side. We had to look forward. We always took the attacking option in this game.

“Joe Root was fantastic and the bowlers were superb.”

New head coach Trevor Bayliss will also be more than satisfied with England’s performance in what was his first match in charge of the team.

For Australia, they have many thoughts to ponder over the next few days.

The main decision to be made whether to drop Watson from the team after being caught LBW yet again (the 14th time against England in 35 innings). His understudy, Mitchell Marsh, scored hundreds in both of the two warm up games ahead of the series and could refresh the middle order for the visitors.

Another worry is the fitness of Starc, who had ankle surgery prior to the first test. Signs of fatigue were clear on the Australian during England’s second innings and the physio’s will hope not to exaggerate any further damage.

“We were outplayed in all three facets,” admitted Clarke.

“England batted well on day one, we didn’t take our catches and our batting let us down in both innings.

“We look forward to making amends in the second Test. I’m sure the selectors will look at everyone’s performance and make a decision.”

ASHES 2015: England leave Australia with ‘Impossible task’ To Take Pole Position in 1st Test.

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1st Test, Day Three, Cardiff. 

England are in firm control of the first Ashes test in Cardiff, although they may now have more than just the Australians to worry about, as they look to take a 1-0 series lead.

Forecasts for Sunday aren’t looking promising, with heavy rain predicted in the Welsh capital all morning. If anything, that should motivate Alistair Cook and co. to get the job done on Saturday.

England are in a great position to win the first test. After dismissing the rest of the Australian batsman in just over an hour Friday morning, they then had a resurgent Ian Bell to thank as they ended the day 411 runs ahead of their bitter rivals.

The visitors themselves began slowly, with Shane Watson trapped LBW by Stuart Broad during the second over of the day. James Anderson also picked up two wickets, moving him up to 11th in the England all-time test wickets list.

Despite losing Cook and Gary Ballance early on, Bell seemed to re-find his form at the perfect moment, scoring 60 runs to build on England’s 122 run lead ahead of their second innings.

He was eventually cleaned bowled by Mitchell Johnson, his first wicket of the match, but the Warwickshire man had caused the major damage to Australia’s hopes of turning the test around in their favour.

The ever-reliant Joe Root and oh so confident Ben Stokes added more gloss to the England scoreboard before a mini collapse from 207-4 to 245-8 had the home crowd on edge.

Step up Mark Wood, who added 32 with his sluggish method to score more runs for the hosts.

He remained at the crease until Anderson became Nathan Lyon’s fourth wicket of the day, meaning the Aussie is the first spinner from his country to take 150 test wickets.

England were all out for 289, but it means Australia must do the impossible in order to win the match.

Chasing 412 to win, Michael Clarke’s team would need to better the great Don Bradman’s team, who chased down 404 against England at Headingly back in 1948.

“We’re definitely still in it,” said Lyon.

“If we bat two days the result will go our way. There’s no reason why we can’t dig deep.

“We’ve got to learn from our first innings with the bat – be more patient. There were too many 30s in the first innings, so we need to try and push on a bit more and have a couple of our top five get big hundreds.”

The weather seems to be the Aussies’ greatest ally- and if they can still be in the match come stumps Saturday evening, then a draw would be a realistic result.

Right now though, this test looks like England’s to lose.

ASHES 2015: Ali Contributes With Bat and Ball To Give England Upper Hand.

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1st Test, Day Two, Cardiff. 

Moeen Ali justified the England selector’s decision to play him over Adil Rashid with an excellent all-round performance, as England gained the upper hand in the first Ashes test in Cardiff.

After scoring 77 with the bat, Ali also took two crucial wickets as visitors Australia ended the second day on 264-5. They are 166 runs behind England, who were dismissed for 430 all out earlier in the day.

Ali added 51 runs to his overnight total as he raced out the blocks in the early morning sunshine in the Welsh capital.

He then claimed the wickets of Australia danger man Steve Smith and captain Michael Clarke to leave England in a commanding position.

The decision to stick with Ali over Rashid was the toughest the selector’s faced ahead of this test match, but they will now feel more than overjoyed with their decision.

Ali looked in top form, and his wickets today also mean that he now boasts a better wicket per ball average (53) than past spinners Graeme Swann (60), Monty Panesar (75) and Phil Tufnell (91).

After being hit for three boundaries in four balls, the spinner confidently decided to again invite Smith on with a bowl, which read ‘come and attack me’. Smith though could only edge the ball, which was caught by Alastair Cook at slip.

He then caught and bowled Clarke on 38, just as the Australian captain was beginning to find his rhythm.

“In the first innings it was important that we got 430 – and the way we put the Australia bowlers under pressure,” said Ali.

“We are slightly ahead. A couple of early wickets tomorrow would put them under pressure. I would rather be in our position than Australia’s.”

Australia had made a decent start to their innings- with veteran opener Chris Rodgers scoring an impressive 95 before being caught behind from a Chris Wood delivery.

It was the seventh consecutive test fifty that Rodgers had scored for the Aussies, however he has failed to convert any of those half centuries into hundreds.

Following his dismissal, the frustration showed as Rodgers kicked the ground in disbelief and grudged off the field of play in a state of disappointment.

“I started to get some rhythm with my feet and weight. Once you hit some out the middle the confidence comes through,” said Rodgers.

“I’m just disappointed I didn’t make it count.

“The pitch is a bit two-paced now. You saw with the Adam Voges dismissal that kicked a little. It is going to get harder and harder, but if you set your stall out and you are happy to bat a long time there is still the opportunity.

“It has been an excellent day of Test cricket. England maybe have the slight upper hand but hopefully we can get a few more runs.”

If England can get back batting with a lead of 60-100, and then score well themselves in their second innings, they should be able to sneak an early victory over their bitter rivals.

The pitch in Cardiff is becoming more of a batsman’s’ nightmare each passing day. There seems to be less bounce on a wicket, which highly favours the bowlers (both seamers and spinners).

It would seem difficult for Australia to chase anything surpassing 350 in order to win this match, but don’t rule anything out- they are still searching for a first Ashes test victory on English soil for 14 years, that’s more than enough motivation for them to turn this test around in their favour.