Australia v England - First Test

Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane

Australia: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, DG Bradman, AR Border, SR Waugh, KR Miller, +IA Healy, *R Benaud, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, DK Lillee.
England: JB Hobbs, *L Hutton, ER Dexter, DI Gower, MC Cowdrey, IT Botham, +LEG Ames, FS Trueman, DL Underwood, JB Statham, RGD Willis.

Debuts: ER Dexter (ENG)
Umpires: BL Aldridge (NZL) & LH Barker (WI)
Toss: England

The non-selection of Bill O'Reilly, leading wicket taker on Australia's recent tour of India, was a major talking point in the build up to the first Test, but all this was soon forgotten once the action got underway at a cloudy Gabba. A devastating opening burst from Lillee, including the wicket of Hobbs with the very first ball of the series, left England reeling at 6-3, and it took a 132 run stand for the sixth wicket between Hutton and the ever-reliable Ames - who was dropped by Woodfull when on just 15 - to set the tourists back onto something approaching an even keel. Hutton's century spanned five hours and was one of his most crucial innings for England, but both he and Ames perished before stumps on the first day and the new ball finished off the innings on the second morning for a disappointing 252.

Lillee got the series off to an electrifying start

Lillee had bowled with commendable ferocity to claim just the third five wicket haul of his career, but when Australia came to bat it was Fred Trueman's turn to extract some life from the wicket. He sent Bradman back to the pavilion with just 2 to his name, and although the Australians spent most of day two quietly accumulating runs to leave them reasonably well placed at 197-5 at the close, Trueman burst back into life on the third afternoon after much of the morning's play had been lost to rain.

With the new ball in his hand, Trueman produced a startling burst of 4-4 in seventeen deliveries to send the Australians hurtling from 219-5 to 244 all out, and after struggling for most of the match thus far, the tourists suddenly found themselves with an 8 run lead at the game's halfway stage. Hobbs, Hutton and Gower all managed to get themselves out when set, but England ended day three well placed at 180-3, with Dexter unbeaten on 64. His innings had mixed imperious strokeplay with good fortune in equal measure - he was dropped on 17 by Lillee and survived a supremely confident appeal for a bat/pad catch on 31, Benaud the unlucky bowler on both occasions - and on the fourth morning he continued on to within seven runs of a century on debut before Davidson trapped him lbw with one that kept a touch low.

Dexter showed flashes of brilliance on debut

Australia now had their opening after a 130 run stand between Dexter and Cowdrey, and from thereon in only Botham's rapid 44 troubled the hosts as the trend for tail-end collapses in this match continued. England lost their last five wickets for just 19 runs on the fourth afternoon as the new ball again proved a lethal weapon, and their final total of 340 set Australia a target of 349 runs to win on a pitch that was by and large still holding up nicely. Two late wickets in a rain-hit evening session - including Bradman's, bowled by Trueman for the second time in the match for 28 - dented Australia's hopes though, and an incredibly tense final day saw the game's momentum change hands at regular intervals as neither side could establish a telling advantage.

Border made a typically pugnacious 64 before being brilliantly run out by Botham, and by tea the scoreboard read 265-7. With 84 runs still required all Australia's hopes were now pinned on Ian Healy, who had played magnificently on his way to an undefeated 70, and England needed his wicket quickly. In the third over of the final session Botham obliged, producing a magnificent inswinging yorker to uproot Healy's middle stump and, roared on by a mass of travelling support, Botham then induced edges from both Davidson and Lindwall in consecutive overs and England had won an incredibly hard fought first Test. It had been a wonderful recovery by the tourists after having been 6-3 on the first morning, and the teams now head west to Perth with England leading an Ashes series for the very first time.

Ian Botham was inspirational on the final day

Score Summary
ENG 1st Inns 252 (Hutton 104, Ames 75; Lillee 5-67)
AUS 1st Inns 244 (Woodfull 53, Miller 48, Border 47; Trueman 6-47)
ENG 2nd Inns 340 (Dexter 93, Cowdrey 69, Botham 44)
AUS 2nd Inns 275 (Healy 72, Border 64; Botham 4-54)

ENGLAND WON BY 73 RUNS

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
(click to enlarge)

Close of play

Day one - England 1st innings 230-7 (Trueman 7*, Underwood 5*; 86 ov)
Day two - Australia 1st innings 197-5 (Miller 40*, Healy 7*; 64 ov)
Day three - England 2nd innings 180-3 (Dexter 64*, Cowdrey 15*; 54 ov)
Day four - Australia 2nd innings 93-3 (Border 12*, Waugh 4*; 38 ov)
Day five - Australia 2nd innings 275 (100.5 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Border passed 4000 career runs, the second Australian after Bradman to do so
▪ Benaud passed 1000 career runs
▪ Botham reached 100 career wickets with the dismissal of Healy in Australia's second innings

Man of the Match: IT Botham