ENG vs AUS 5th Test Day 1: England and Australia played out a closely contested first day of the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval on Thursday. England were bowled out for 283 after a fine century from Harry Brook, while Australia reached 61-1 at stumps, trailing by 222 runs.
Brook was the star of the show for England, scoring 135 off 144 balls. He shared a partnership of 151 with Zak Crawley (56) for the second wicket, before putting on 61 with Jonny Bairstow (35).
After Brook’s dismissal, England lost wickets at regular intervals, but they still managed to post a competitive total.
Australia’s bowlers were led by Mitchell Starc, who took four wickets for 59 runs. Josh Hazlewood and Todd Murphy also picked up two wickets each.
In reply, Australia made a steady start, with David Warner (26) and Usman Khawaja (26*) putting on 49 for the first wicket. However, they lost Warner in the final over of the day and will need to bat well on day two if they want to win the match.
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Key moments:
- Harry Brook scores a brilliant century to help England post a competitive total.
- Mitchell Starc takes four wickets for Australia, but England still manage to post a good score.
- David Warner and Usman Khawaja make a steady start for Australia, but they lose Warner in the final over of the day.
Looking ahead:
The second day of the match is expected to be another good day for batting, so Australia will need to make hay while the sun shines.
England, on the other hand, will be looking to build on their first-innings total and put Australia under pressure.
The match is evenly poised at the moment, and it should be a fascinating contest over the next four days.