All the build-up to the Ashes started with a wicket off the first ball as Mitchell Starc cleaned up Rory Burns for a golden duck. It could not have been any better for the bowler after his place in the side was questioned by many. England have had issues with their top order, and a wicket off the first ball would have set panic in the dressing room. In this piece, we analyze how Australia managed to dismiss England for 147 on Day 1 of the first Test match.
Setting up Joe Root
Josh Hazlewood picked up the wicket of Dawid Malan and at 11/2, the England captain was in for a tough battle. Pat Cummins recognized the moment very well and brought himself on from the other end. Australia had their two best bowlers bowling to the best batter from England. Cummins and Hazlewood had dismissed Joe Root seven times each before today. It took Hazlewood only nine balls to set up Root beautifully. It was a mixture of seam movement both in and away, which kept Root guessing. Hazlewood was able to beat Root’s inside edge and outside edge on consecutive balls before finding the perfect delivery which took the edge. Interestingly, Root didn’t face a single ball from Cummins.
Rotation of Bowlers
The rotation of bowlers was a topic of huge discussion amongst the cricketing pundits, given that a bowling captain might over-bowl or under-bowl himself. But interestingly, even in an innings that lasted just 50.1 overs, the three pacers each bowled 12-13 overs, the spinner bowled nine, and the all-rounder, Cameron Green, did his job by picking up the wicket of Ollie Pope (inning’s second-highest run-scorer) in the three overs that he bowled.
Bringing on himself when Root was in the middle, was one of the key bowling changes (at least planning-wise) Cummins made in the England innings. The next was bowling the first over himself after lunch, as generally, batters need some time to get their innings going after a break. In hindsight, it looks like a great move as he picked up the wicket of the opener Haseeb Hameed, who managed to survive the first session. Often, even the most experienced captains forget to seize such moments, but Cummins making a tactically brilliant decision in his first match as captain is a sign of a great mind.
Cleaning the tail
Last summer against India on the very same ground, Australia restricted them to 186-6 in the first innings, which was followed by a 100 run partnership, changing the entire scenario of the match. Similarly, dismissing England’s wicketkeeper, Jos Buttler, and having the opposition at 112-6, there were possibilities of the England tail wagging with the likes of Chris Woakes, who has a Test average of 27, and Jack Leach, with a personal best of 92 in a Test match.
But it seemed like the Australians had a pre-planned tactic against these lower-order batters. Three of the last four wickets fell off short pitch balls, challenging the batters to pull and clear the long boundary. Two batters were caught at fine leg by Hazlewood, and one was dismissed at short leg.
Conclusion
A top-order collapse was a possibility going into the Test match, given the form of the England openers, and Joe Root the only batter in form. It turned out to be a nightmare when they lost an opener off the first ball, and some brilliant planning by the Australians kept Root guessing before he eventually edged one behind. It was a combination of some poor batting and good strategic bowling, which was well managed by the new captain. Cummins’ captaincy was as good as his five-wicket haul.
Australia will feel it was a good toss to lose, and England might have missed an opportunity by not playing Stuart Broad and James Anderson. Statically, resting Anderson can be called a fair move as he has only seven wickets at the Gabba, his worst returns on any Australian ground. He will be up and fresh for the Pink ball Test match at Adelaide, his favorite in Australia. On the other hand, Broad has performed the best in Brisbane. Australia would want to bat once, given the chances of slight rain in the coming days, and the visitors would want to get them all out before conceding a huge first-innings lead.