BIRMINGHAM: The weather turned in Australia’s favour as England lost both openers in their second innings of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston on Sunday.

England were 28-2, a lead of just 35 runs, when a huge downpour sent the players hurrying off the field at 3:50 pm (1450 GMT) on the third day.

They had been making steady progress at 26-0 off 6.5 overs when an initial rain delay stopped play for an hour-and-a-quarter.

That might have been it for the day before the advent of modern drainage methods and floodlights being used in Tests to counter the gloom.

But after the match resumed in overcast skies, conditions were now hugely in favour of World Test champions Australia’s pace attack.

Only 20 minutes’ more play were possible before the weather intervened again, but that was enough time for England to lose two wickets for no runs in four balls as 27-0 became 27-2.

Australia captain Pat Cummins led the way, Ben Duckett edging to Cameron Green, who dived forward to hold his latest excellent catch in the gully.

Scott Boland then had Zak Crawley caught behind off a superb full-length ball that angled in and straightened to take the edge.

But the rain then checked Australia’s advance, with Ollie Pope and star batsman Joe Root, whose unbeaten 118 was the cornerstone of England’s 393-8 declared, both yet to get off the mark.

Earlier, England finally saw the back of Usman Khawaja but only after his painstaking century had effectively turned the first of a five-match series into a one-innings showdown.

Khawaja’s 141 was the cornerstone of Australia’s 386 all out — just seven runs behind on first innings, with the Ashes-holders all out on the stroke of lunch.

Australia, bidding for a first Ashes series win in England in 22 years, resumed on 311-5.

Khawaja was then 126 not out after ending his decade-long wait for an Ashes hundred in England, with Alex Carey on 52, after Australia had recovered from 67-3.

Both batsmen had been given reprieves, with Khawaja bowled off a Stuart Broad no-ball on 112 and Carey dropped by opposing wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow on 26.

Bairstow had made a run-a-ball 78 in England’s first innings, but his bad time behind the stumps continued as he gave Carey another ‘life’ off just Sunday’s fourth ball, dropping a one-handed chance off James Anderson’s bowling.

But Anderson, the most successful fast bowler in Test history, took matters into his own hands as the 40-year-old bowled Carey between bat and pad for his first wicket of the series.

New batsman Cummins launched off-spinner Moeen Ali for two sixes and later hoisted Broad high over the rope as well as Australia moved closer to drawing level.

Broad had labelled the pitch “soulless’ on Saturday, but the innovative tactics that have characterised the leadership of England captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum helped wrap up the Australia innings quickly.

Khawaja was finally bowled by Ollie Robinson trying to pierce an unusual “umbrella field” as an impressive 321-ball innings, including 14 fours and three sixes, finally came to an end.

The final four Australian wickets fell for just 14 runs in 23 balls, Robinson (3-55) ending the innings when he had Cummins caught in the deep by Stokes for 38.

SCOREBOARD

ENGLAND (1st Innings) 393-8 decl (J. Root 118 no, J. Bairstow 78, Z. Crawley 61; N. Lyon 4-149)

AUSTRALIA (1st Innings, overnight: 311-5):

D. Warner b Broad9

U. Khawaja b Robinson141

M. Labuschagne c Bairstow b Broad0

S. Smith lbw b Stokes16

T. Head c Crawley b Ali50

C. Green b Ali38

A. Carey b Anderson66

P. Cummins c Stokes b Robinson38

N. Lyon c Duckett b Robinson1

S. Boland c Pope b Broad0

J. Hazlewood not out1

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-6, NB-15, W-1)26

TOTAL (all out, 116.1 overs)386

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-29 (Warner), 2-29 (Labuschagne), 3-67 (Smith), 4-148 (Head), 5-220 (Green), 6-338 (Carey), 7-372 (Khawaja), 8-377 (Lyon), 9-378 (Boland)

BOWLING: Broad 23-4-68-3 (7nb); Robinson 22.1-5-55-3 (1nb, 1w); Anderson 21-5-53-1; Brook 3-1-5-0 (1nb); Ali 33-4-147-2; Stokes 7-0-33-1 (6nb); Root 7-3-15-0

ENGLAND (2nd Innings):

Z. Crawley c Carey b Boland7

B. Duckett c Green b Cummins19

O. Pope not out0

J. Root not out0

EXTRAS (LB-2)2

TOTAL (for two wickets, 10.3 overs)28

STILL TO BAT: H. Brook, B. Stokes, J. Bairstow, M. Ali, O. Robinson, S. Broad, J. Anderson

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-27 (Duckett), 2-27 (Crawley)

BOWLING: Cummins 5.3-1-9-1, Hazlewood 2-0-10-0, Lyon 1-0-6-0, Boland 2-1-1-1

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2023