Malan inspires England with first ton of series

PERTH (Reuters) – Dawid Malan struck England’s first century of the Ashes series as the touring team saw off Australia’s marauding pace attack to emerge on top of an enthralling first day of the third Test at the WACA on Thursday.

The middle order batsman’s unbeaten 110 anchored a flourishing 174-run stand with wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow (75 not out), the pair pushing England to 305 for four at the close of a glorious day in Perth.

England captain Joe Root and his predecessor Alastair Cook may have failed with the bat, but the skipper won perhaps the most important contest of the day when he guessed correctly at the toss and opted to bat first.

Criticized for electing to bowl in the second Test defeat in Adelaide, Root was rewarded this time with three of his batsmen passing 50.

“Tomorrow the first hour is crucial for us,” Malan told reporters after celebrating his maiden ton in his eighth Test.

“We’re going to have to be quite ruthless the way we play tomorrow morning and put them under pressure, get some more overs into their legs.”

The 30-year-old Malan went on to raise his century in style, pulling paceman Josh Hazlewood to the fence to trigger a standing ovation from a crowd of 22,148.

Bairstow played a fine support role on his return to the city where he drew unwanted attention for head-butting Bancroft at a local bar on the first night of the tour.

The pair came together with England 115 for three just after lunch and their ability to survive for nearly two sessions will have inspired Root’s team as the Ashes holders seek to claw back from a 2-0 deficit in the five-match series.

Cook’s 150th Test started sourly, the 32-year-old opener lasting just 16 balls in the morning before being trapped lbw by Starc for seven.

Day 1 at the WACA was overshadowed by spot-fixing allegations in a British newspaper. The ICC said it took the accusations “seriously” but said there was no evidence to implicate any of the match’s players or officials.