Friday 10 July 2015

Ashes 2015: England have 122-run lead after bowling Australia out for 308

England have a 143-run lead at lunch on day three of the first Test of the Investec Ashes series after enjoying a cracking morning in Cardiff.
Australia resumed on 264-5 on Friday but only added another 44 as England's seamers bowled beautifully to work their way through the order, eventually dismissing the tourists for 308.
However, the morning ended on a low note for the hosts when captain Alastair Cook fell just before lunch, which they reached at 21-1.
England seamers Stuart Broad and Mark Wood kicked off proceedings first thing with some fine pace bowling and Broad was rewarded when he removed Shane Watson lbw for 30 after just one run had been added to the overnight score.
The Aussie all-rounder has a propensity to fall leg-before but was a tad unfortunate here, opting to review the decision, only for the replays to show Broad's inswinger would have just about clipped the top of leg stump.

There was no doubt about another lbw a couple of overs later, Nathan Lyon (6) trapped plum in front by a lovely inswinging yorker from Wood (2-66), without any more runs having been added to the total.
Mitchell Johnson joined Brad Haddin and the duo added 39 for the eighth wicket, Johnson slamming Moeen Ali (2-71) for four over mid-on in typically pugnacious fashion.
Haddin took 16 balls to get off the mark, and only then managing a fortunate four off Ben Stokes as he almost inside-edged an attempted pull into his own stumps, but he then hit two more conventional boundaries in the same over.
But the new ball swiftly brought the end of the Australia innings, as James Anderson probed in typically expert fashion.
 England's leading Test wicket-taker removed Haddin (22) with an outswinger which caught a thin edge and was smartly caught by wicket-keeper Jos Buttler as he dived to his right.
Johnson (14) then fell tamely in the next over, clipping a Broad (2-60) delivery off his legs but straight to Gary Ballance at mid-wicket.
The home fans were enjoying a delightful Friday morning in the Cardiff sunshine and Anderson (3-43) brought the innings to a close in the following over with another fine away swinger, Mitchell Starc (0) trying to drive but only nicking to Joe Root, who took an excellent diving catch at third slip.
England openers Cook and Adam Lyth then set about building on the lead and they made fairly serene progress until the final ball of the seventh over, when Cook (12) edged an attempted drive off Starc and Lyon dived forward at backward point to take a great catch.
Gary Ballance (0 not out) and Lyth (7 not out) then saw England to the interval although not without alarm, Lyth edging Josh Hazlewood through the slips for four and Ballance almost nicking a superb Starc delivery.

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