Warner’s great escape as Australia dominate Ashes opening day

David Warner completed his first hundred of the Ashes series yesterday after getting a lucky break on 99, before Steve Smith ominously cruised to an unbeaten half-century as Australia took the honours from England on the first day of the fourth test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

With the Ashes already back in Australia’s hands after the home side easily won the first three matches of the five-test series, England toiled hard on a placid surface that offered little assistance to the bowlers but had little to show for their efforts against a ruthless opposition chasing a second straight sweep on home soil. When play ended on day one, Australia were sailing along at 244-3 in their first innings with Smith not out 65 and Shaun Marsh with him on 31.

Warner laid the foundations for Australia’s innings with an entertaining 103 after dominating a 122-run partnership with Cameron Bancroft (26), but England succeeded in putting the brakes on Australia’s scoring when they removed both openers after lunch, then Usman Khawaja (17) after tea.

England almost got Marsh before he was off the mark when Stuart Broad struck him on the pads but the appeal was turned down and the Australian knuckled down to share an unbroken stand of 84 with his skipper, who has been a thorn in England’s side throughout the series, scoring a hundred in the first test and a double in the third.

Warner has had a lean series to date, making just one-half century in the first three tests, but the 31-year-old made amends by making a Boxing Day century in front of more than 88,000 spectators, albeit with a slice of good fortune.

He smashed Moeen Ali straight over his head for six in the last over before lunch to go to the interval on 83 but slowed down after the re-start, spending 45 minutes in the 90s and almost coming unstuck on 99 when he chipped a simple catch to Broad at mid-on. Warner was furious with himself as he started to trudge from the field, thinking he had blown his opportunity to reach triple figures, only to be given a reprieve when television replays showed bowler Tom Curran had overstepped for a no-ball. Given a second chance, the left-handed Warner flicked the next ball he faced square of the wicket for a single to post his 21st test century.