Sat, Jul 11, 2015 page20

• Australia batting collapse puts the hosts in control

  • AFP, CARDIFF
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  England established a useful lead in the first Ashes Test at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, Wales, yesterday after making short work of Australia’s lower order.

  At lunch on the third day England were 21-1 in their second innings — 143 runs in front.

  Adam Lyth was 7 not out and Gary Ballance nought not out after surviving some fiery overs from Australia’s pacemen.

  

  England’s Adam Lyth plays a shot against Australia on the third day of the first Ashes Test at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, Wales, yesterday.

  Photo: Reuters

  It seemed England might have an absolutely ideal morning by reaching lunch without losing a wicket, but shortly before the interval England captain Alastair Cook exited for 12 in Mitchell Starc’s opening over when he drove the left-arm paceman low to Nathan Lyon at point.

  Earlier, England dismissed Australia for 308 in reply to their own 430.

  That gave them a first-innings lead of 122, which owed much to Joe Root’s 134 and Moeen Ali’s 77.

  

  England’s Mark Wood, right, appeals for leg before wicket against Australia’s Nathan Lyon, unseen, on the third day of the first Ashes Test in Cardiff, Wales, yesterday.

  Photo: Reuters

  Australia opener Chris Rogers’ 95 on Thursday was the top score of an innings where the next best effort was skipper Michael Clarke’s 38.

  The tourists struggled in the face of tight pace bowling backed up by off-spinner Ali capturing the key wickets of Steven Smith and Clarke.

  Ali reckoned England were in “pole position” on Thursday after Australia lost Ashes debutant Adam Voges just before the close and ended the day on 264-5.

  

  England’s Moeen Ali, center, celebrates with his teammates after taking the wicket of Australia captain Michael Clarke, unseen, on the second day of the first Ashes Test at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, Wales, on Thursday.

  Photo: Reuters

  “I think we’re ahead,” said Ali, who shot to prominence last year with 14 wickets in England’s home series win over India. “That last wicket put us into pole position a bit more.”

  Both Ali and Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon have been targeted by opposition batsmen already as both sides look to take an aggressive approach.

  However, Ali was able to outwit Smith when he spotted the batsman’s charge and induced a leading edge which was caught by Cook at short mid-on.

  “He kept using his feet at me and I almost went a little bit one-day mode — trying to bowl it at his hip, or fire it down the leg-side, and he got himself into a bit of a mess really,” Ali said.

  “He can take you down, but he can also give you a chance — and I’m always telling myself that I’m one ball away from getting a wicket,” added the 28-year-old Worcestershire all-rounder, who also caught and bowled Clarke.

  “I think these guys [Australia] are going to try to attack me a little bit more than India did last year,” he said. “So I’m developing a few other things, trying to mix my pace a little bit more.”

  As for his dashing 88-ball innings, Ali said: “I just go out and play exactly the same way I would do batting in the top order.”

  Rogers’ 95 saw the 37-year-old set a new record for most successive Test half-centuries without a hundred when his seventh straight half-century ended five runs short of what would have been his fourth Ashes ton.

  Rogers, who plans to retire after the series, said: “It’s always disappointing when you get so close and maybe I could have done a slightly better job for the side.”

  Ashes-holders Australia, bidding to win their first series away to England in 14 years, lost their last five wickets for 44 runs yesterday.

  They saw two wickets go down having added just one run to their total.

  Shane Watson, not for the first time, was trapped leg before wicket playing round his front pad, as he fell for 30 to Stuart Broad.

  Watson reviewed, but replays showed the ball clipping the top of leg-stump.

  It was the 28th time Watson had been out leg before wicket in a Test, with his percentage of leg before dismissals, 26.66, the highest of any player with at least 100 Test innings.

  The all-rounder’s exit meant Nos. 3, 4 5 and 6 (Smith, Clarke, Voges and Watson) had all fallen in the 30s for the first time in any Test innings.

  Then 265-6 became 265-7 when nightwatchman Lyon was trapped plumb leg before wicket to paceman Mark Wood.

  Brad Haddin, so often a thorn in England’s side, struck three fours in as many balls off Ben Stokes during a brisk 22, but was undone by the new ball when he edged James Anderson to opposing wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.

  Anderson (three for 43) ended the innings when Root held a sharp catch at third slip to dismiss Starc.
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