Melbourne, Dec 26: England’s earnest dressing-room discussions about improving shot selection failed to bear fruit on Sunday’s opening day of the third Ashes cricket Test, as shambolic batting delivered a Boxing Day feast of wickets for Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
England was bowled out for 185, before Australia reached 61-1 at stumps. Admittedly England, humiliated in a 275-run defeat in Adelaide, faced a tough task to bounce back on Sunday.
Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss and invited England to bat first on a green MCG pitch.
World No.1-ranked bowler Cummins (3-36), spinner Nathan Lyon (3-36) and left-arm quick Mitchell Starc (2-54) combined to pressure England’s batters.
Cummins ripped through England’s top order. The skipper took three wickets in the opening session after winning the toss and bowling.
Rain delayed the start of play for 30 minutes before Cummins removed Haseeb Hameed without scoring and Zak Crawley for 12. Dawid Malan added 48 for third wicket with Root, before Cummins was rewarded in the final over before lunch, as Malan was caught at first slip for 14.
Australia claimed another three wickets in the middle session, dismissing the dangerous duo of Root and Stokes (25). The departure of Buttler for three, after aiming a wild slog to deep mid-wicket off the bowling of Lyon in the last over before tea, summed up England’s struggles against Australia’s disciplined bowling.
Root added to his side’s woes outside off stump by offering a catch to wicketkeeper Alex Carey off the bowling of Mitchell Starc at 82-4.
Stokes tried to lift England’s scoring rate by launching into an aggressive cut shot off the bowling of Cameron Green, but the left-hander was caught at gully at 115-5. Dubutant Scott Boland got his first test wicket by trapping Mark Wood leg before.
Jonny Bairstow hit 35 before falling over as he edged a bouncer from Starc to gully at 159-8. Lyon removed tailenders Jack Leach (13) and Ollie Robinson (22).
David Warner and Marcus Harris (20*) shared an opening stand of 57 for Australia. Warner was caught at gully off the bowling of Jimmy Anderson for 38. (AP)
