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First Ashes Test, day 1: Poms utterly embarrassed in Ashes carnage

Pat Cummins’ first day as Australian Test captain went swimmingly, with England rolled for an embarrassing total at the Gabba.

Andrew McMurtry and Nic Savage
8 min read
December 8, 2021 - 6:07PM
It was the perfect start for Mitchell Starc. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
It was the perfect start for Mitchell Starc. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The first day of Pat Cummins’ Test captaincy could not have gone much better, as Australia rolled England for 147 on day one of the highly-anticipated Ashes series.

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After the visitors won the toss and elected to bat first at the Gabba, Mitchell Starc sent the Brisbane crowd into a frenzy by taking a wicket with the first ball of the match — the fourth time it had happened in Ashes history.

Josh Hazlewood had an incredible morning session, taking 2/3 from his first seven overs, before Cummins cleaned up the tail to take a five-wicket haul on captaincy debut.

Incredibly, it was the paceman’s first five-wicket haul against England.

Australia’s response with the bat was delayed several hours as rain fell on the Gabba deck, with play eventually abandoned due to bad light. The first Test will resume on Thursday morning at 10.30am AEDT.

Wet weather has hampered England’s preparation since arriving in Australia, which hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the old enemy. The Poms haven’t tasted victory at the Gabba since 1986 and have won just a single series Down Under in the last 35 years.

Cummins snares a five-wicket haul

Pat Cummins’ first day as Australian Test captain is going swimmingly.

England’s Mark Wood became the speedster’s fourth victim of the day, with the tailender looking to fend a searing short delivery towards the legside.

But the ball ballooned towards Marcus Harris under the lid at short leg, who claimed a comfortable catch.

England No. 11 Jack Leach entered the Gabba arena, and Australia’s bowlers will be desperate to send him back in the sheds quicker than Headingley 2019.

Meanwhile, Queensland Police has posted to Twitter: “Queensland Police are launching an investigation into a group impersonating a Test batting order at the Gabba.”

Cummins then secured the sixth five-wicket haul of his Test career by removing Chris Woakes for 21, caught at deep fine leg by Josh Hazlewood.

England ultimately made a team total of 147, their fourth-lowest first innings score at Brisbane, with Cummins claiming 5/38 on captaincy debut.

The 28-year-old becomes the first Australian captain to take an Ashes five-wicket haul since Richie Benaud in 1962.

Aussie young gun claims maiden Test wicket

Cameron Green has finally secured his maiden Test wicket, removing Ollie Pope — England’s last recognised batter — for 35 at the Gabba.

The tall paceman unearthed the breakthrough with the first delivery of his second spell of the day, with Pope top-edging a well-directed bouncer towards the square leg boundary.

Steaming around from deep fine leg, fellow speedster Josh Hazlewood dived and took a classy catch inches from the turf, and the Aussies celebrated the 22-year-old’s maiden Test scalp.

The smile on Green’s face was intoxicating — a mix of relief and pure elation.

Ollie Robinson was the next man at the crease, but he only lasted three deliveries, with skipper Pat Cummins finding the Englishman’s outside edge in the 45th over. Australian debutant Alex Carey pocketed his this catch of the innings.

Tailender Mark Wood makes his way to the middle, with England 8/122 in Brisbane. Coincidentally, Australia was 8/122 on day one of the Edgbaston Test in the 2019 Ashes series.

Soon after, England avoided its lowest ever Test score at the Gabba — 134, made in 1958.

Starc gets his second

The dangerous Jos Buttler has made his way back to the sheds for 39 after edging a delivery from Mitchell Starc, giving debutant Alex Carey his second catch at Test level.

Coming from over the wicket, Starc got the Kookaburra to move away from the right-handed Buttler, who was flat-footed at the crease.

“Australia needed that wicket,” the legendary Shane Warne said in commentary.

Buttler and Ollie Pope had combined for a crucial 52-run partnership, at least partly salvaging England’s poor start in the first innings.

All-rounder Chris Woakes joins Pope in the middle with England now 6/112.

Australia’s first DRS blunder

Tim Paine was infamously very poor with his reviews, and sadly, newly-elected Australian captain Pat Cummins seems to have similar problems with the DRS.

In the 35th over of England’s innings, Mitchell Starc’s leg-side delivery glanced the thigh guard of wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, and debutant Alex Carey celebrated a dismissal behind the stumps.

After consulting his teammates, Cummins called for the review — but Hotspot replays showed Buttler’s bat did not touch the Kookaburra on the way through to Carey.

Buttler survives, and remains unbeaten on 29. At drinks, England was 5/108.

Replays showed Job Buttler did not hit the ball. Picture: Fox Cricket
Replays showed Job Buttler did not hit the ball. Picture: Fox Cricket

Captain Cummins gets the breakthrough

Pat Cummins snared the first breakthrough after the lunch break, immediately removing England opener Haseeb Hameed for 25.

For the fourth ball of the afternoon session, Hameed prodded at a length delivery outside the off stump and the thick edge flew towards Australian vice-captain Steve Smith at second slip.

“The captain breaks through immediately,” former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist cried on Fox Cricket.

“(Hameed) could have let it go.”

England gloveman Jos Buttler joined Ollie Pope in the middle with the visitors reeling at 5/60. But the fearless wicketkeeper quickly set about shifting momentum back in England’s favour, racing to 26 not out off 26 balls with a flurry of expansive strokes.

Australia run rampant in Ashes chaos

Former Australian spinner Kerry O’Keeffe said the best thing Pat Cummins did on his first day as Test skipper was lose the toss and it’s hard to argue.

The Aussie captain joined the party to dismiss Ben Stokes and leave England languishing at 4/29 as the all-rounder joined Joe Root, Rory Burns and Dawid Malan back in the pavilion.

On a bit of a green top and under cloudy skies at the Gabba, it’s been brutal going for the Englishmen as Australia ran riot in the first session.

Cummins admitted at the toss he would have batted first but fate was on Australia’s side as the new captain took his first wicket of the day when an outside edge from Stokes saw the ball sail into the safe hands of Marnus Labuschagne at third slip.

‘Insane’ Ashes ball can’t be believed

Mitchell Starc has shocked the cricket world. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Mitchell Starc has shocked the cricket world. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Mitchell Starc claimed a wicket with the first ball of the Ashes series, bowling Rory Burns around his legs to stun cricket fans as England collapsed on the first morning.

The anticipation for the first ball was palpable as Starc charged in and he didn’t disappoint. His 142.1km/h thunderbolt pitched on leg stump and swung late to get behind Burns’ pads as he fell across the crease, hitting leg stump as the Gabba crowd and Aussie team went berserk.

“Bowled him first ball,” Adam Gilchrist screamed. “The inswinger from Starc, immediate breakthrough, Australia can’t believe the start they’ve got away to.”

It was just the fourth time in 140 years of Ashes cricket a wicket has fallen on the first ball of a Test match.

Shane Warne told Fox Cricket: “Australia couldn’t have wished for a better start.”

The commentators weren’t the only ones in disbelief.

Australia struck again through Josh Hazlewood in the fourth over, handing Alex Carey his first Test catch as Dawid Malan went fishing at a ball he probably shouldn’t have.

Hazlewood had his second wicket soon after, bowling a peach of a delivery that caught England captain Joe Root’s outside edge and was taken by David Warner at first slip.

It was carnage as England slumped to 3/11 after six overs.

England Ashes bombshell is ‘absolutely crazy’

Aussie opener David Warner revealed Australia’s joy at hearing Jimmy Anderson would be rested for the opening Test match of the summer.

England dropped a second selection bombshell on Wednesday morning when it revealed Stuart Broad would also be left out of the side — the first time in five years neither Broad nor Anderson were part of a Test match XI.

England skipper Joe Root said the side was “blessed with a very good seam attack” and Broad’s omission was a “very difficult decision”.

England are going with Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes as their quicks, alongside spinner Jack Leach.

Broad’s omission was good news for Warner, who has been dismissed by the paceman 12 times in Tests.

Unconfirmed as yet but it’s looking likely. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Unconfirmed as yet but it’s looking likely. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images

The 39-year-old Anderson is the most prolific wicket-taking quick in history and third-highest wicket-taker of all time with 632 scalps.

Warner, who Anderson has dismissed nine times in 31 innings in Test cricket, said it was “big” as the right-armer has tormented Australia in the past.

“Having Jimmy out is a big thing for us,” Warner said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.

“It’s not just his wicket taking ability, but his line, length and control is always outstanding. As a batsman you can never get on top of him, so having him out is big.”

Warner said potential replacement Chris Woakes was “just as good a bowler”, but he doesn’t hold the same fear Anderson does for the Aussies.

Anderson has taken 104 wickets at 34.57 against Australia in his career and has 60 wickets at 35.43 in 32 career matches Down Under.

Woakes, on the other hand, has taken 21 wickets at 43.90 against Australia over nine Test matches.

“He doesn’t have the wickets on the board but he’s a phenomenal bowler and he always hits those line and lengths,” Warner said of Woakes.

“So, they do have good replacements for him (Anderson).”

Will Jimmy Anderson be missed? (Photo by Patrick Hamilton / AFP)
Will Jimmy Anderson be missed? (Photo by Patrick Hamilton / AFP)

Star’s sad post hours before series starts

Just hours before the first ball of the series, Ben Stokes has paid tribute on social media to his late father, who died a year ago today.

Ged Stokes, a New Zealand rugby league international, died after a battle with brain cancer on December 8, 2020.

Ben, who was initially not picked in the England touring squad after taking a mental health break at the same time as healing an injured left index finger, was later added to the team and wrote a touching message about his dad.

Stokes wrote: “I wasn’t sure if I would ever walk out onto a field ever again a few months ago, I find it amazing that when I do walk out tomorrow I’ll be remembering you exactly 1 year on since you left us …. You are gonna be with me this whole week”.

Ged, who played rugby league in England in the 1980s and returned as a coach, was diagnosed with brain cancer in January 2020.

New Zealand-born Stokes missed most of England’s summer Test series against Pakistan after returning to Christchurch to be with his father.

The all-rounder has been a thorn in the side of Australia in recent years, having been the main man in the last series which was drawn in England, mainly thanks to his insane innings in Leeds where he won an unwinnable match off his own bat.

Australia: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood. 12th man: Jhye Richardson

England: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (C), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Jack Leach.

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