England v Australia - First Test

Edgbaston, Birmingham

ENG: *L Hutton, G Boycott, WR Hammond, KF Barrington, MC Cowdrey, AW Greig, +LEG Ames, JC Laker, FS Trueman, AV Bedser, DL Underwood.
AUS: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, DG Bradman, AR Border, SJ McCabe, KR Miller, +IA Healy, *R Benaud, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, TM Alderman.

Debuts: TM Alderman (AUS)
Umpires: Khizer Hayat (PAK) & DL Orchard (SAF)
Toss: England

The Ashes. Cricket's greatest rivalry. The number one and number two ranked teams in ATG history. Could there be a more perfect backdrop for the start of a series? Both sides would be without key players for the first Test though, with Jack Hobbs (back) and Dennis Lillee (knee), forced to sit out, and Terry Alderman would make his debut for Australia after impressing in the tour match against MCC.

Hutton won the toss and batted, but it was Alderman and co. who held sway over the course of the first two days as England struggled towards 300 under cloudy early season skies. With bad light curtailing play on day one, England batted until past tea on the second day, crawling to a disappointing total of 293, an innings that centred entirely around Ken Barrington's eight hour 133. All six bowlers employed by Richie Benaud claimed victims, and three times England lost wickets in the last over of a session, including Hammond for a second ball duck on the first morning.

The recalled Alec Bedser (37) had helped to add 84 for the ninth wicket with Barrington - one run short of equalling the national record - but this was to be his most positive contribution in the match as Australia took hold of the game over the course of days three and four. With Edgbaston now bathed in weekend sunshine, it was Don Bradman who made hay as the tourists ground the English bowlers into submission. First Bill Lawry stroked a fluent 63 on his return to the team, then Bradman hooked up with Allan Border to the tune of 206 runs for the third wicket as England toiled for two and a half sessions without a breakthrough.

Border contributed a typically gritty 90 from his new position at number four, but Bradman went on to record a monolithic 177, compiled in over eight and a half hours of immense concentration. It wasn't the Don's most fluent innings by any means, but it was certainly one of his most important, and it gave Keith Miller license to swat a blistering 118 ball century, studded with nine fours and six sixes, as Australia ran up a total of 491-6 before Benaud declared. None of England's bowlers made any sort of impression, and with four sessions left to play it was now down to the batsmen to salvage a face saving draw.

Run scoring again proved problematic for the hosts though, and after Alderman removed both openers, England's malaise of losing a wicket at the close of the session continued, Barrington departing for 17, bowled by Benaud in the last over of the fourth day, and England entered day five on 85-3, still 113 in arrears. Hammond and Cowdrey saw things through to the stroke of lunch, but once again a wicket fell as the tea was about to be poured, Hammond fending Davidson to Benaud at leg gully for 39 on this occasion, and from 142-4 the innings died a slow death over the next session and a half.

Greig and Ames again went cheaply, and when Cowdrey eventually departed for 47, bowled by Davidson having played himself into a strokeless torpor over the course of the afternoon, it was all but over. The only question seemed to be whether Australia would have to bat again, and when Bedser was last man out, caught behind off Miller for 2, England were still one run short of making Woodfull and Lawry strap on their pads. Australia had won by an innings and one run with sixteen overs to spare, and as much as they deserved their victory it was nonetheless a surprise, given the relative form of the two teams over the course of recent series. England put up a decidedly lacklustre performance over the five days here, and they will need a far more positive approach at Lord's if they are going to seriously threaten Australia's hold on the Ashes.

Scores
ENG 1st Inns 293 (Barrington 133)
AUS 1st Inns 491-6 dec (Bradman 177, Miller 109, Border 90, Lawry 63)
ENG 2nd Inns 197 (Cowdrey 47)

AUSTRALIA WON BY AN INNINGS & 1 RUN


Man of the Match: DG Bradman