Australians put up a gutsy all-round display against England to clinch the first Test of the 2017 Ashes series. Steve Smith and his men outclass the Englishmen in all departments as the Aussies went 1-0 up at the Gabba, Brisbane. With 170 runs to win, Australian openers David Warner and fresher Cameron Bancroft performed brilliantly with the willow in hand and took the hosts past the winning line without a loss of a single wicket.
Vice-captain, David Warner who declared the series as a war before it started, while Cameron Bancroft also did the same. Steve Smith must be elated with the massive victory as his team took a giant leap towards bringing back the all-important urn. Here are the five takeaways from the first game of the Ashes:
Steve Smith’s fantastic form with the bat
Australian skipper Steve Smith looks in extraordinary touch with the bat, and it’s a huge plus for the Kangaroos. The fidgety batsman hammered a matured century in the first innings when his team needed the most. His 141 runs unbeaten knock helped the team go past the 300 run mark and gain a much important lead of 26 runs. Smith’s solidity with the bat will provide the team with a pinch of confidence which might add to the group’s immense ability.
Smith shattered quite a few records in the process as he reached a career-high average of 63.21. It also accounted for the highest Test average by any batsman with 100 innings to his name.
England’s inconsistent batting
Though the English team have some series wins to their name since Joe Root took over the monumental responsibility of the English captain from Alistair Cook, the inconsistent batting of the team has been a real headache. Sudden batting collapses marked both the South Africa series and the battle against the Caribbeans, and we saw another example of the same at the Gabba.
From Nasser Hussain to Michael Vaughan, pundits have criticized the lack of partnerships in the England top order and had pointed it out as a major problem in the team. Though the England team crawled past the 300 run mark in the first innings, they got bundled out for a mere score of 195 in the second. None except James Vince and Mark Stoneman could step up with the bat in the first Ashes Test.
Australia’s fierce pace attack
The Australian pace attack is undoubtedly one of the deadliest line up in world cricket right now and is a nightmare of the greatest of batsmen. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins define raw pace, and the trio shattered the Englishmen to cushion the Aussies in the ongoing Ashes series.
Mitchell Starc ended up with six wickets to his name after his return to the team following a foot fracture earlier this year. Hazlewood and Cummins both bagged four scalps each which piled upon the misery of the English team. The trio will be a major concern for the shaky English line up in the second Test, and Joe Root needs to figure out a solution to the same.
Cameron Bancroft’s 80
Cameron Bancroft’s gutsy 170-run stand with vice-captain David Warner was a plus for the Australian team. After a series of opening partners for David Warner, Bancroft looked like the perfect partner the destructive left-hander was looking for at the top.
Bancroft stayed there at the crease for a whopping 182 deliveries and was pinpoint with his concentration. He smashed ten fours and a huge maximum which helped Australia go past the 170 run mark and take control of the driver’s seat in the series.
Australia’s win
Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke made it crystal clear that Steve Smith and his men will have the opportunity to leave footprints on the sands of time if they bring back the Ashes urn successfully. The charming blonde led by example in the match and looks bend towards the motive of reclaiming the prestigious Ashes crown.
The win was a huge boost for the Aussies especially when legends like Shane Warne and Mark Taylor gave England the advantage ahead of the series. Australia will go into the second Test as the clear favourites not only because of the home advantage but also their form.