In the highly captivating Ashes opener at Edgbaston, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has imposed fines of 50 percent of the match fees on both Australia and England for their slow over rates. Additionally, each team has been docked two World Test Championship points for their sluggish play.

ICC stated in a release, “Captains Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes admitted to the offense and accepted the proposed penalties, eliminating the need for formal hearings.”

The thrilling first Test of the Ashes series saw England suffer a dramatic two-wicket defeat, setting the stage for an enthralling contest between cricket’s greatest rivals.

During the final day, a crucial unbroken partnership of 55 runs between Australia captain Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon proved decisive as the tourists successfully chased down a target of 281.

This loss marks only the third defeat for England in 14 Tests since captain Stokes joined forces with coach Brendon McCullum last year.

The second Ashes Test is scheduled to take place at Lord’s, commencing on June 28.

Australia Captain Pat Cummins Leads Dramatic Two-Wicket Win over England in First Ashes Test at Edgbaston

Australia’s cricket team, led by captain Pat Cummins, secured a thrilling two-wicket victory over England in the first Test of the Ashes series at Edgbaston. Chasing a target of 281 runs, Australia found themselves at 209/7, still requiring 72 runs for victory. It was then that fast bowler Cummins joined the crease after the dismissal of Usman Khawaja, who had previously scored a patient 65 runs following his impressive first-innings century of 141.

Even with Alex Carey’s dismissal, leaving Australia at 227/8 and requiring 54 more runs, Cummins formed an unbeaten partnership of 55 runs with Nathan Lyon, steering Australia to a memorable win. The match echoed the intensity of the famous 2005 Ashes clash at the same venue, where England secured a two-run victory.

Cummins, ending the match with an unbeaten 44, delivered the winning blow by edging Ollie Robinson to third man, where Harry Brook’s diving effort unfortunately resulted in the ball crossing the boundary rope. Lyon, who had missed a run-out opportunity in the dramatic one-wicket loss at Headingley during the drawn 2019 Ashes series in England, remained unbeaten on 16.

This victory puts Australia, the reigning World Test champions, ahead with a 1-0 lead in the five-match series as they strive for their first Ashes victory in England in 22 years.

Cummins emphasized Australia’s commitment to their traditional game plan, disregarding the hype surrounding England’s aggressive “Bazball” approach. “One of the beauties of this series is the totally contrasting styles,” remarked Cummins after the nail-biting win. “We both played to our strengths. You don’t necessarily know which style is better, but it makes for good entertainment.”

Player of the match, Khawaja exemplified Australia’s approach, displaying composure in both innings while playing at his own pace and method. Cummins acknowledged Khawaja’s performance, stating, “He showed composure in both innings, playing at his own pace, playing his own method, and didn’t get caught up in anything else.”

England will rue several missed opportunities throughout the match, particularly when Lyon was dropped by Ben Stokes at square leg when he was on just two. Stokes also missed a one-handed diving chance off Stuart Broad’s bowling, failing to hold onto a pull shot, resulting in the ball striking the ground.

Stokes, who made the surprising decision to declare at 393/8 on the first day, remained resolute, stating, “Scoring 390 and then being able to declare sends a message to Australia about how we want to take them on… We’ve managed to stand up to Australia, and being in control for most of it makes it hurt a little bit more that we’ve lost, but there are four more games left.”

After a rain-affected morning session on Tuesday, Australia resumed their innings at 107/3, with veteran seamer Broad having dismissed Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith late on the fourth day. Khawaja, unbeaten on 34, batted throughout all five days of the Test, becoming only the second Australian after Kim Hughes in 1980 to achieve this feat.

Spinner Moeen Ali, grappling with a finger injury, made an impact with his first ball of the day, dismissing Travis Head after conceding a boundary off a rank long hop. Moeen’s fifth delivery, a classic off-spinning delivery to the left-hander, found the outside edge and was caught by Joe Root at slip, leading to exuberant

Usman Khawaja Breaks Decade-Long Wait with Maiden Test Hundred in England

In the Ashes opener at Edgbaston on Saturday, Usman Khawaja ended his ten-year wait for a maiden Test century in England, leading Australia’s recovery. After Stuart Broad dismissed David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne in successive balls, followed by Ben Stokes capturing the wicket of star batsman Steve Smith, Australia found themselves struggling at 67/3.

However, they made a strong comeback, reaching 311/5 by stumps on the second day of the five-match series. Opening batsman Khawaja remained unbeaten on 126, while wicket-keeper Alex Carey provided solid support with an undefeated 52, forming an unbroken partnership of 91 runs.

Despite their recovery, Australia still trailed by 82 runs, as England had declared their first innings at 393/8, anchored by Joe Root’s unbeaten 118.

Ahead of the match, Australia captain Pat Cummins had emphasized that his team did not need to adopt England’s aggressive batting style, known as “Bazball.” He stated that it was perfectly acceptable for their batsmen to take their time and play patiently to reach a hundred, even if it required facing 200 balls.

Khawaja’s innings exemplified this approach as he reached his century in 199 balls, his 15th in Test matches and seventh in the last 18 matches since his recall last year. He sealed his hundred with a well-executed late-cut boundary off Stokes.

In a moment of suspense, Khawaja’s resilient innings seemed to come to an end when Broad bowled him for 112 in the first over with the new ball. However, replays revealed that Broad had overstepped the crease, resulting in a marginal no-ball, and Khawaja was given a reprieve.

Broad had earlier dismissed Warner for the eighth time in Ashes matches, having troubled him throughout the 2019 series. Warner, on nine, chased a wide delivery from Broad, inside-edging it onto his stumps.

The crowd erupted when Labuschagne, the top-ranked Test batsman globally, fell for a golden duck, edging a Broad outswinger that was superbly caught by diving wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow.

Smith managed to avoid a hat-trick but struggled during his brief innings of 16, failing to hit a single boundary. Stokes, despite concerns about his bowling fitness due to a longstanding knee injury, trapped Smith lbw with a ball that nipped back.

As the ball grew older and batting conditions improved, Khawaja and Travis Head thwarted England’s progress with an 81-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Both left-handers took on Moeen Ali, hitting the recalled off-spinner for sixes on his home ground in Birmingham.

Stokes persisted with Moeen, who was playing his first Test in nearly two years after a hiatus from red-ball cricket. The persistence paid off when Head, fresh from a century in Australia’s World Test Championship final victory over India, was dismissed for a brisk 50 off 63 balls, dragging a drive off Moeen to Zak Crawley at midwicket.

At 148/4, Australia had a scare when Cameron Green charged down the wicket on his second ball but missed a stumping opportunity that Bairstow couldn’t capitalize on. Green was eventually bowled by Moeen for 38, but not before he had put on a crucial 72-run partnership with Khawaja.

Bairstow, who scored a quick-fire 78 on Friday, also dropped Alex Carey, then on 26 off occasional spinner Root. Despite the availability of a potentially better wicket-

Australia thrashed England 4-0 in the last edition of the Ashes – a result which led to the sacking of coach Chris Silverwood and later saw Joe Root step down as captain. England, now led by skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, is due to host Ireland in a one-off test before facing the Australians in the Ashes.

Australia is currently the top-ranked team in Tests, while England is fourth. The women’s Ashes will be held in a multi-format series consisting of one test match, three one-day internationals, and three Twenty20 internationals. It will begin on June 22.

The Test will be England women’s first over five days on home soil, and their first visit to Trent Bridge since 2000, while Edgbaston, Lord’s, and The Oval will all be hosting their first Women’s Ashes T20Is. Women’s Test matches are usually held over a maximum of four days, unlike five in the men’s game.
Australia women won the multi-format Ashes this year.

After the Ashes, the England men’s team will host New Zealand in four ODIs and four T20s.