Brisbane, Dec 8, 2008 : Australia captain Pat Cummins had a great start to his captaincy stint.He scored five wickets as Australia beat England by just 147 runs on Wednesday’s first Ashes Test at The Gabba. Australia was the happier side of the pair at tea.All pacers finished with wickets against their names.
Rain fell just after England were bowled out, so the final session was postponed and stumps had been called early.After inspecting the pitch, the umpires decided to call off the day’s play due to poor light and wet field.
After England chose to bat first, Australia won the first session on a green pitch at The Gabba.Starc struck with his first Ashes delivery, clean bowling Rory Burns around the legs.
Burns also recorded the sixth duck in Test cricket this season with the first-ball duck.
England was further misery caused by Josh Hazlewood, who drew edges off Joe Root and Dawid Malan’s bats to be pounced by Carey at first slip and David Warner at second slip, respectively, to bring England down to 11/3.
It soon became 29/4 when Ben Stokes, playing in his first competitive cricket match since July ended up defending a rising delivery from Cummins at Marnus Labuschagne’s third slip.
Although Pope and Hameed saved England from danger until lunch, they could not continue.
Cummins struck in the first over, while Hameed scored to Steve Smith at the second slip.
Jos Buttler made some impressive boundaries to lead the fightback against Ollie Pope.
They shared a 52-run stand at the sixth wicket.But it was short-lived as Mitchell Starc encroached on Buttler’s space, forcing him to leave Alex Carey behind.
Three overs later, Pope was out, running fine leg and top-edging the hook, giving Cameron Green his first Test wicket.Cummins quickly took over and took England out of the game.
He also grabbed his sixth five wicket haul in Test cricket.
Cummins is now the first Australian captain to win a five-wicket Ashes Test match since Richie Benaud’s 1962 victory.
He was also the first Ashes Test captain to win a five-wicket match since Bob Willis in 1982/83.In a dreamy start to his life as the captain in one of the longest formats of the game, his 5/38 is also the first fifer against England.
Brief scores: England scored 147 runs in 50.1 innings (Jos Buttler 39 and Ollie Pope 35), Pat Cummins 5/38 and Mitchell Starc 2/35) vs Australia
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