Steve Smith’s wonderful 144 sees Australia bounce back from Stuart Broad barrage on day one of the Ashes
Today was a big day for Steve Smith.
The first day of an away Ashes series and, more pertinently, the first Test match 16 months on from his very public shaming, lying, tears and grovelling.
The pressure was on at Edgbaston, but Smith didn’t show it, blocking out the boos with a typically patient, dogged and vitally important innings of 144 to ensure Australia moved from the brink of embarrassment at 122-8 and into the realms of advantage on 284.
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Smith’s unorthodox technique doesn’t make him the prettiest to watch, but he’s incredibly effective, forcing bowlers to deliver the ball where he wants it.
Almost singlehandedly he tipped the scales, reaching a brilliant hundred before accelerating to inflict real damage on England.
The year away has done him no harm; the former captain is simply in a league of his own at the top of Test cricket and could well be a thorn in the side of England’s Ashes hopes.
Broad steps up
For a man so often associated with his bowling partner, Stuart Broad performs well without him.
When Jimmy Anderson left the field with another calf injury having delivered just four overs, the worrying began for the home fans. And while that feeling didn’t disappear completely, the performance of Broad meant the loss of the country’s greatest ever fast bowler was softened.
Broad’s most famous spell – his scarcely believable 8-15 to bowl Australia out for 60 at Trent Bridge in the 2015 Ashes – came with Anderson on the sidelines and with his partner in crime stricken. England’s second most successful bowler stepped up to the plate.
It didn’t quite measure up to some of his former hot streaks – Broad has taken five wickets in a single spell seven times – and he enjoyed some good fortune, but he showed all his skill to take 5-86, move onto 100 wickets against Australia and make a mockery of those questioning his longevity.
Woakes’s skill
Joe Root lost the toss at Edgbaston, but after the first hour it looked a stroke of good fortune as England gave the crowd plenty of opportunity to voice their opinions on the returning sandpaper scandal three.
Broad sent David Warner and Cameron Bancroft on their way past the baying fans before Chris Woakes gutted the middle order to take his and Broad’s streak of Test wickets to 17, after their combined skittling of Ireland.
Woakes is an under-appreciated asset, but that status can’t last much longer. His 6-17 to roll out Ireland for 38 owed a lot to the helpful Lord’s conditions but it was his subtle mastery of his skill which brought rewards of 3-58.
He used the natural angle to have Usman Khawaja caught behind before setting up both Travis Head and Matthew Wade and dismissing them lbw with identical inswingers.
Umpiring woes
While England’s inroads had plenty to do with skill, they also came with a heavy dollop of chaos courtesy of the men raising the finger.
Umpires Joel Wilson and Aleem Dar had a terrible day, with a Warner edge behind not spotted, two lbws coming from deliveries missing the stumps given and, for good measure, a chunky inside edge on a Peter Siddle lbw overturned on review.
Kumar Dharmasena made headlines for all the wrong reasons during the World Cup and his colleagues’ performances have worsened the woe.
Tail wagging
It was a day of two halves for England, with a wicket-laden morning drifting into a run-saturated evening.
While Smith was responsible for half of his side’s runs, he wouldn’t have been able to score the vast majority of them if Australia’s tail end hadn’t stuck around with him.
Siddle’s assured 44 and Nathan Lyon’s solid 12 not out saw Australia’s No10 and No11 occupy the crease for 40.4 of the innings’ 80.4 overs and frustrate England’s weakened attack.
It’s too early to judge conclusively, and England negotiated their two overs without trouble on 10-0, but their efforts alongside Smith could end up proving decisive if the trend of low-scoring Test matches continues.
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