What a morning for England. A masterclass of bowling from Stuart Broad, Mark Wood and James Anderson had Australia’s tail cleaned up in devastating fashion within the first hour of play. The hosts will be disappointed to have once again lost their captain Alastair Cook so cheaply, but with a lead of 143 at lunch, they will be happy enough with their morning’s work. That’s it for the updates today; we leave it with England well and truly on top in Cardiff.
13.02 – Lunch – Eng 21-1 – Mitchell Starc produces the ball of the series so far with a jaffer that swings from leg to off stump, Gary Ballance tried but got nowhere near it! Another swinging delivery has Ballance doing a pirouette at the crease but England survive and that is lunch. England lead by 143.
12.58 – Eng 21-1 – Josh Hazlewood continues the pressure from the other end and has a muted appeal for LBW against Adam Lyth but the Yorkie is going nowhere.
12.53 – Wicket! Eng 17-1 – Alastair Cook is the first man to go trying to drive a full ball from Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon takes a smart catch at slip. Cook looks so vulnerable on the front foot, if he wants to score runs in this series, he needs to correct that, quickly.
12.47 – Eng 15- 0 – The England openers can smell lunch but there is work to do yet. Johnson, Starc and Hazlewood are bowling with pace but they are struggling for lateral movement – they need a Jimmy masterclass.
12.42 – Eng 15-0 – Adam Lyth goes after one from Mitchell Johnson and lifts the ball dangerously into the air but scrambles through for a single.
12.36 – Eng 11-0 – Australia are struggling to have the same joy as England with the new ball. The Mitchell brothers – Johnson and Starc – are failing to trouble the England openers and Alastair Cook brings a roar from the crowd cutting Johnson to the boundary for four.
12.28 Eng 4-0 – Mitchell Johnson starts things off for Australia and concedes four off the first over due mainly to some busy running from the England openers.
12.22 – Away we go – Alastair Cook and Adam Lyth are on their way to the crease, the Aussies need to strike quickly, they will want a few wickets before lunch.
England are notoriously slow starters in the Ashes. You have to go back to 1997 at Edgbaston for the last time they had a first innings lead in the first Test match of a series against the old enemy……….although England did end up losing that series 3-2.
12.13 – WICKET! Aus 308 all out – The day James Anderson hangs up his boots will be an extremely sad one for English cricket. He finishes off the Aussies getting Mitchell Starc to poke at one outside off stump and Joe Root takes a stunning catch at slip. England have a first innings lead of 122 after a brilliant effort this morning. If they can bat the rest of today and into tomorrow, they will set the tourists a colossal target to chase.
12.10 – Aus 308-9 – Australia are trying to have a swipe but they are struggling to get bat on ball. That 5-0 Aussie whitewash is suddenly looking unlikely…….
12.06 – Wicket! – Aus 306-9 – Mitchell Johnson’s Test match goes from bad to worse as he is caught by Gary Ballance at mid-on playing a poor shot against the bowling of Stuart Broad. Australia’s first innings deficit could be a lot bigger than expected………
England have been fantastic this morning, it has been a masterclass of bowling. Stuart Ball and Mark Wood were on the money straight away with the old ball and James Anderson, as always, has been an absolute magician with the new ball.
12.00 – Wicket! -Aus 304-8 – Jimmy Anderson, the king of swing, strikes with a beautiful ball that moves just enough to find the edge of Brad Haddin’s bat before carrying to Jos Buttler for a routine catch! In the first hour this morning England have grabbed a real hold of this game.
12.52 – Aus 298 – 7 – Jimmy Anderson is getting immediate swing with the new ball including one delivery that moves so much it beats both Brad Haddin and Jos Buttler behind the stumps and goes for four byes.
11.48 – NEW BALL – 292-7 – As expected, England take the new ball straight away – enter James Anderson. The English quicks will be desperate to get hold off the new cherry with Mitchell Johnson as a target in the crease, this is going to be fun.
11.38 – Aus 283-7 – Ben Stokes comes into the attack for England and the Aussies look to counter with some attacking shots. With Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson at the crease, there could be fireworks.
11.22 – WICKET – Aus 265-7 – And another! The England seamers have come out firing this morning and Mark Wood joins the party trapping Nathan Lyon LBW with a full and straight delivery! That is how to bowl to the lower order – full and straight, make them play.
11.08 – WICKET! – Aus 265-6 – England get the dream start as Stuart Broad traps Shane Watson LBW in the first over of the day!
England will be hoping to finish off the Australian batting line-up quickly this morning and secure a first innings lead in the first Test match of this Ashes series on day three in Cardiff.
Day three
So that’s it for the text updates today. England – led by Moeen Ali – went about their business in a positive manner this morning and did well to get their first innings total up to 430.
In response, the Aussies have looked comfortable against the English bowlers but they will disappointed to have lost Steve Smith for 33 in the afternoon session, just when he was starting to look dangerous. At tea the tourists are 145-2 with opener Chris Rogers still at the crease on 74 after he racked up his record equaling seventh consecutive half century, and if he can form a partnership with Aussie captain Michael Clarke this evening, Australia will feel in control heading into the third day of this Test match.
15.43 – Aus 145-2 – And that’s tea. England will still feel slightly the happier with runs on the board, but Australia will feel that on this pitch they can get close to, and probably passed England’s total of 430. This game continues to be in the balance.
15.38 – Aus 145-2 – Michael Clarke has quickly settled and moved to 11. Rogers continues to look unmovable on 74 but England have Stuart Broad back into the attack for a burst before tea.
15.30 – Aus 134-2 – Michael Clarke gets off the mark with a streaky four down to third man. England are on the attack with four slips and a gully.
15.27 – WICKET! Aus 129-2 – Moeen Ali has made the breakthrough! Steve Smith looks to go after Moeen Ali but pops it straight up to Alastair Cook at mid-on! Smith departs after a brisk 33.
15.22 – Aus 125 -1 –Steve Smith edges one towards Ian Bell at slip off the bowling of Ben Stokes but – not for the first time today – it doesn’t carry. Surely England need to get their slip fielders in closer to bat?
15.19 – Aus 125-1 – England have tightened up their bowling but wickets are looking hard to come by. This pitch offers little for the bowlers.
15.15 – Aus 123-1 – The Aussies have gone into their shells as Ben Stokes bowls a maiden. Bring back New Zealand, this is boring!
15.12 – Aus 123-1 – Moeen Ali continues, despite being blasted away by Steve Smith in his last over. Just two off the over this time though.
15.06 – Aus 121-1 – Ben Stokes gets a go with the ball and his first over goes for six runs as Australia continue on the offensive. He is the man that England look to for Flintoff-esque inspiration, and now would be a good time to strike with the Aussies threatening to get away from England.
15.02 – 115-1 – Steve Smith goes after Moeen Ali and hits 13 off the over! Smith moves to 28, I think that is the last we will see of Moeen for a while.
15.00 – Aus 102-1 – Chris Rogers brings up Australia’s century with a textbook cover drive.
14.54 – Aus 95-1 – Chris Rogers cuts Moeen Ali away for four but the ball flew dangerously close to Alastair Cook at slip.
14.48 – 50 For Rogers – 81-1 – Chris Rogers equals the world record for consecutive half centuries with a couple off Moeen Ali. That is seven in a row for Rogers – he started his international career late but has quickly become a rock at the top of Australia’s batting order.
14.46 – Aus 77-1 – Moeen Ali has a strangled appeal for a caught behind as Chris Rogers looks to flick one off his pads but the umpire was never interested.
14.40 – Aus 77-1 – Steve Smith looks to swipe at a short ball from Mark Wood but it slows down after hitting the pitch and catches him in the midriff. Time for drinks.
14.34 – Aus 75-1 – Chris Rogers moves to 45 with a risky shot that was in the air but trickles to the boundary. Rogers has played plenty of county cricket in this country, and he looks comfortable batting on these types of pitches.
14.19 – Aus 60-1 – England have given Steve Smith a working over since arriving at the crease but Australia’s talisman is still there and he gets off the mark cutting Moeen Ali for four.
14.07 – WICKET! Aus 52-1 – James Anderson – inevitably – takes England’s first wicket of the series getting David Warner to edge one to Alastair Cook at slip. Warner departs for 17.
14.03 – Aus 52-0 – Chris Rogers brings up Australia’s 50 with a four tickled down to fine leg. There have been a few hairy moments after Lunch but Australia’s two openers have done well.
13.55 – Aus 43-0 – Stuart Broad teases Chris Rogers into playing a shot outside his off stump but it whistles through to the keeper. England have their tails up – you get the feeling this is going to be a crucial session.
13.48 – APPEAL NOT OUT – 38-0 – England think they have their breakthrough as James Anderson traps David Warner LBW, the umpire’s finger is raised, but a review from the Australian shows that it pitched outside leg. That was so close. England have come out firing after lunch.
13.03 – LUNCH -Aus 26-0 A Moeen Ali maiden brings up lunch with the tourists having safely navigated a dangerous opening session. England will be pleased after piling on the runs quickly this morning but there are plenty more runs in this pitch and the Australian openers David Warner and Chris Rodgers have looked more than comfortably at the crease.
12.57 – Aus 26-0 – Australia are making the pitch look a lot easier than the England openers did. 430 has suddenly changed from a good to an average score……
12.47 – Aus 18-0 – Solid start from the tourists. Stuart Broad is getting the ball to do a bit but James Anderson is struggling from the other end.
12.13 – WICKET (ENG 430 all out) – James Anderson goes for just one swinging wildly at a full ball from Mitchell Starc that crashes into his middle stump which means that the Australian has his five-for, finishing with 5-114. England would have taken 430 at the start of play this morning, now let’s see what they can do with the ball.
12:01 – WICKET (ENG 419-9) – A great knock comes to an end with Moeen Ali edging one off Mitchell Starc to first slip. Moeen goes for 77, Starc is one wicket away from a five-for.
11:51 – England have got through the 400 barrier. They are now 409-8 thanks mainly to a fantastic knock from Moeen Ali. He’s now on 69 after his latest four.
11:45 – WICKET – Stuart Broad has gone for what Geoffrey Boycott called an attempted “slog” off Nathan Lyon. He made 18. England are 395-8 and looking good for a total in excess 400.
11:38 – Moeen Ali is celebrating his half-century. A crashing four takes him to 48 before getting lucky with another boundary. He’s now on 53, Stuart Broad is on 15.
11:22 – Big scare for England. Stuart Broad thought he was out after being caught at short leg off the bowling on Mitchell Johnson. However after a third umpire review he has been given a lifeline as the ball didn’t carry.
11:20am – England are pushing on here. So far Stuart Broad has smashed a six and a four off the same over from Josh Hazlewood. Moeen Ali has creamed a four to the boundary too.
England playing like they’re in a hurry. Currently 362-7.
11am – After the heroics of yesterday from Yorkshire’s very own Joe Root, ably supported by county teammate Gary Ballance, England find themselves at 343-7 on the 2nd day of the first Ashes test at Cardiff.
Can they build towards 400 runs and beyond? Or will they fold quicker than the deckchairs in Scarborough when it rains?
We are about to find out.
Image of Joe Root by Ryan Pierce/Getty Images