Steven Smith played a knock of 144 runs to steer Australia from 122/8 to 284 runs on Day 1 of the first Ashes Test match on Thursday.
England came out to bat for just two overs, after bundling out Australia for 284 runs. The Three Lions did not lose any wicket and ended the day at 10/0, still trailing Australia by 274 runs.
Opting to bat first, Australia got off to a horrendous start as the side lost their top-order for just 35 runs on the board. David Warner (2), Cameron Bancroft (8) and Usman Khawaja (13) all failed to leave a mark. Warner was adjudged LBW, but replays showed that the ball was missing the leg stump. The left-handed batsman did not opt for a review.
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Smith and Travis Head stitched a 64-run stand, but Head (35) was sent back to the pavilion immediately after the lunch break by Chris Woakes.
After Head’s dismissal, Australia lost their next four wickets cheaply and the side found itself staring down the barrel at 122/8. Skipper Tim Paine (5), Matthew Wade (1), James Pattinson (0) and Pat Cummins (5) were dismissed in quick succession.
Coming into bat at number ten, Petter Siddle showed resilience with the bat and he gave Smith much-needed support at the crease. Smith and Siddle put up an 88-run stand, taking the team past the 200-run mark.
Siddle (44) missed out on his half-century and was sent back to the pavilion by Moeen Ali as he had him caught at short leg. After Siddle’s dismissal, Smith changed gears and started looking for big shots to take the team to a safe score.
Along with Nathan Lyon, Smith stitched a 74-run stand, which saw the right-handed Smith bringing up his century. Stuart Broad finally dismissed Smith, giving him a five-wicket haul and ending Australia’s innings at 284.
(ANI)