First blood to Australians as record opening stand seals win

● Warner and Bancroft do job after England set modest target

David Warner and Cameron Bancroft shared a record 173run partnership as Australia wrapped up a 10-wicket win over England in the first Test yesterday seizing the initiative in the five-match Ashes series.

After resuming at 114-0, Warner was unbeaten on 87 and Cameron Bancroft hit the winnings runs, finishing 82 not out, as the Australians surpassed their victory target of 170 with two sessions to spare on the fifth day at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Afterwards, Australian captain Steve Smith said: “The first Test of an Ashes is very important. There was a bit of pressure but really pleased with how we played.” The unbroken stand between Warner and Bancroft, who was playing his first Test, was the biggest opening partnership in a successful fourth-innings run chase in Test cricket history, according to Cricinfo. Australians Archie Jackson and Bill Ponsford put on 172 against the West Indies at Adelaide in 1930.

England are defending the Ashes after a 3-2 win at home in 2015, but they were whitewashed 5-0 on their last tour to Australia in 2013-14.

Smith’s unbeaten 141 from 326 deliveries in the first innings earned him the manof-the-match award. The Australian skipper helped his team recover from 76-4 to reach 328 in reply to England’s 302.

“It meant a lot. I really had to dig deep. It was tough, my slowest [century], but one of my best,” Smith said. “Cameron looked very good, had good plans, played very straight. The partnership with David was magnificent.”

Spinner Nathan Lyon and pacemen Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood took three wickets apiece on Sunday when Australia bowled England out for 195, setting up a seemingly straighforward run chase with four sessions remaining.

The second Test, which will be the first-ever day-night match in an Ashes series, starts on Saturday in Adelaide.

The series-opening match was tightly contested for the first three days, after England won the toss, elected to bat and posted 196-4 on a rain-affected opening day when the pitch was slow and soft.

The Aussie pace trio of Starc, Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, expected to reproduce the kind of intimidating fast bowling that exposed England vulnerability on their last Ashes tour, initially struggled to find their rhythm on a wicket devoid of the pace and bounce the Gabba is famous for.

“We’ve come back from difficult situations, from tough days like today and bounced back straight away, and that’s the mentality we’re going to have” JOE ROOT

The Australians rallied in the first inning after a top-order collapse on the second day and Smith’s innings ensured the hosts had a 26-run lead after the first innings.

With the pitch starting to behave more in line with tradition on days three and four, Australia seized control on Sunday, with England losing their last four wickets for 10 runs and giving the home team plenty of time to chase the 170 runs needed for victory.

England captain Joe Root said: “Steve Smith played exceptionally well on that surface and took the game away from us. In that first innings we were looking to get 400-plus and put scoreboard pressure on them. Then, with Australia 209-7, we were still looking to get a lead but we didn’t and it’s frustrating. We showed great character at times – we’ve got to harness that and turn good starts into big scores. We’ve prepared very well in the warm-up games, played three days of excellent cricket and it’s about making sure it’s five days next week.”

The skipper said newcomers Mark Stoneman and James Vince had put in “excellent” batting displays, adding: “To come into an Ashes series first time round away from home and play like that was exceptional and showed great temperament, skill and character.

“I think that bodes really well for us moving into the series and we have got to harness that and hopefully turn those starts into big hundreds.”

Meanwhile Root was confident spinner Moeen Ali, who suffered a cut to his index finger, and James Anderson, who spent time off the field on day three, will be “fine” when the series resumes in Adelaide. Root added: “Over the last year or so we’ve come back from difficult situations, from tough days like today and bounced back straight away, and that’s the mentality we’re going to have to have next week.”