Australia on front foot
Come-from-behind victory turns series on its head
IT took 18 years for Ashes glory at Edgbaston, but a finalday demolition by Nathan Lyon secured an Australian victory for the ages after a match in which reborn Steve Smith started rewriting the record books again.
Lyon had six wickets and was on a hat-trick when the last brick in England’s crumbling resistance, a limping Jimmy Anderson, walked to the wicket halfway through the day that started with home team hope.
Anderson survived, but Pat Cummins got rid of Chris Woakes to roll the meek home team for only 146 as Australia went 1-0 up and put its foot firmly on England’s throat.
The teams will head to Lord’s for next week’s second Test in startlingly different positions to what could have been expected when the Aussies were 8-122 on day one.
But Australia rocked the foundations at “Fortress Edgbaston” on days two and four then barged through the gates on day five to record a 251-run victory and a first, in any form of cricket, at the Birmingham ground since 2001.
That victory was achieved under the guidance of steely minded former captain Steve Waugh, who is part of the 2019 touring party and aware he is in the presence of something special.
That something is Smith, who piled on twin centuries in a man-of-the-match performance that sent shudders through the stunned England camp amid expectations he is only just beginning.
Waugh labelled Smith, the former Test captain who returned chastened by a 12month ban but seeking runs, not redemption, a “genius” as he confounded the home team for more than two days.
Umpiring errors littered the match, and the continued appointments of Joel Wilson and Aleem Dar for the next two Tests could come into question. They threatened to overshadow the final day too before Lyon stole the spotlight with three first-session wickets which started the rot for England’s batsmen.
When the off-spinner removed England captain Joe Root 10 minutes before lunch, slumped shoulders pointed to the inevitability of a series-starting loss. England was four down at lunch, seven down 20 minutes after resuming, as Lyon sent batsmen spinning back to the sheds.