Australia seals 1st Gaba Test by 9 wickets to go up 1-0 in the Ashes 2021-22.
The Ashes 2021-22: Australia led by new leader Pat Cummins thrashed England in the first Brisbane’s Gaba test match of the Ashes 2021-22 by a huge nine wickets. The hosts comprehensively overwhelmed the visitors to go up in the five matches series by 1-0.
Joe Root and Dawid Malan offered a good fightback in response to Aussie’s sensational bowling display, but the two could not do much as they both fell short of their well structured centuries on day four. Root scored 89 while Malan fell on 82 in the second innings of England.
Australian spinner Nathan Lyon picked four wickets while Pat Cummins and Cameron Green got two. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc fetched one apiece to end English innings at the Gaba.
Earlier, England won the toss and opted to bat first, which apparently didn’t go well in the favour of the visitors.
Australian bowlers outclassed English batters in mere 147 runs on day one. In English first innings Haseeb Hameed scored 25 runs while Jos Buttler and Ollie Pope scored 39 and 35 respectively to provide some resistance to the Aussie bowlers.
Pat Cummins picked up his maiden fifer as the captain while Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood picked two each. Cameron Green also scalped his maiden test wicket.
In response to England’s mere 147 runs total, Australia opened its attack nicely. Opener David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne stitched a good partnership of 156 runs. Warner scored 94 runs while Labuschange mustered 74 runs.
To take the Aussie lead further ahead, middle-order batsman Travis Head smacked a blistering century on day three. He plundered a massive 152 runs in 148 deliveries to take Australia to 425 runs in the loss of 10 wickets.
England’s Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson picked three wickets each while Chris Woakes scalped two. Spinner Jack Leach and Joe Root got one apiece in their bag.
The visitors in their second innings couldn’t do better work. The only hope was Joe Root and Dawid Malan who garnered over 190 runs on day three.
Australian bowlers did fantastic work in the opening session of day four to reduce England to mere 297 runs.
The hosts were given a target of 20 runs to win the first test match at the fortress Gaba. Australia collected 20 runs easily to end the test match.
Travis Head was adjudged as the man of the match for his scintillating 152 runs knock in less than run a ball.
