Cummins Takes 5 Wickets On Debut As Captain

Updated: Dec 8, 2021 4:42 pm

New Australian captain Pat Cummins took 5 wickets on the opening day of the 2021/22 Ashes series as the hosts took a commanding position in the opening test in Brisbane.

England would win the toss and elect to bat first.

Teams

Australia would name Marcus Harris as David Warner’s opening partner with Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Travis Head (picked ahead of Usman Khawaja) in their middle-order. All-rounder Cameron Green would be their number 6 with debutant wicketkeeper Alex Carey next with Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood making up their bowling attack.

England named Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed as their openers with Dawid Malan, captain Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope making up the rest of the top 6. Wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Jack Leach complete the team as England left out Stuart Broad in favour of the Somerset left-arm spinner.

Morning Session

It was a disastrous start for England with Starc bowling Burns around his legs off the opening ball of the series with Malan following shortly after, giving Carey his first catch in test matches as he edged behind Hazlewood for 6.

Root soon followed as he edged to Warner at first-slip off the same bowler for a 9-ball duck before Stokes would edge Cummins to Labuschagne at third-slip for 5 – Hameed and Pope would be the not out batsmen with 25 and 17 respectively as England would struggle to 59/4 from 26 overs.

Afternoon Session

The fifth wicket of the innings would fall to the fourth ball of the session with Hameed knicking off to Smith at second slip without adding to his score at lunch off Cummins’ bowling before Buttler (pictured below) would come out counter-attacking to try and get the visitors back into the game – the England keeper eventually out caught behind for 39 off the bowling of Starc.

Pope would hook a short ball out to Hazlewood to give Green his first Test wicket, out for 35, before Robinson would be caught behind trying to drive the following over for another duck.

The ninth wicket of the innings saw Wood glance a Cummins (pictured below) delivery straight to Harris at short leg for 8 with the final wicket seeing the captain complete his 5-fer with Woakes the last man out, caught by Hazlewood at fine-leg, for 21 – Leach finishing 2 not out as England struggled to 147 all out.

Evening Session

There was no play after tea due to rain.

ENG 147 (50.1 overs)