Welcome to news.com.au’s coverage of the first Ashes Test.
The Test is at an interesting stage on day four with all three results still in play.
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England holds the upperhand because it will bowl last, but Australia has taken key wickets to remain in contention. Rain late on day three – and the potential for more on day five – means we also can’t rule out a draw.
How to watch 2023 Ashes in Australia
11.35pm – Cricket legend lashes Pat Cummins
Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow began taking the game away from Australia in the second session, scoring freely to push the lead past 200.
Pat Cummins came in for repeated criticism from Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara, who questioned his lack of adaptability or specific plans for each batsman.
Sangakkara said there was a clear contrast in Ben Stokes’ regular interventions when England was bowling and Cummins’ commitment to bowling line and length.
He clipped the Aussie skipper again while Cummins was bowling and pushed most of his field back to the boundary.
“He just pushes the field back and waits and hopes,” Sangakkara said, in commentary for Channel 9.
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain described it as a one-day field, before correcting himself because “there’s too many fielders out for a one-dayer”.
But Australia found a breakthrough soon after as Bairstow paid for attempting a reverse-sweep of Nathan Lyon. The England keeper was trapped in front for 20, leaving his side 6/196.
And then Cummins made it a double strike, removing Stokes LBW for 43 to leave Australia 217 runs behind with three wickets to take.
10.22pm — Test in the balance at lunch
Scott Boland has almost turned the game right in Australia’s direction in the final over before lunch, rapping Jonny Bairstow twice on the pads.
The ball appears to be finally doing something and Boland looked to have dismissed Bairstow with umpire Ahsan Raza giving it out.
But Bairstow reviewed and the ball went over the stumps.
Steve Smith didn’t believe it, claiming it was the same as his dismissal in the first innings.
The next ball was almost identical but this time Raza didn’t give it out.
Australia didn’t review, but it appeared to also be heading over the stumps.
After yesterday’s rain, there’ll be extended play on day four, with 98 overs scheduled for the day.
10pm — Harry Brook give Marnus catching practice
Another wucket has fallen, leaving the game precariously placed as England fall to 5/150 as Harry Brook hit the ball straight to Marnus Labuschagne.
It was a short ball from Nathan Lyon that probably deserved to get put away but Marnus has taken a diving catch at mid-wicket to make it interesting.
9.19pm — Root’s gone
Joe Root had been tormenting Australia all day but Nathan Lyon has finally struck.
Tossing one up, Root’s eyes lit up and as he charged down the wicket.
But he was beaten in the air with Alex Carey whipping the bails off to send Root back for 46.
It’s an enormous wicket for Australia as England drop to 4/129.
Is this the inroad Australia needs?
While it was great for Australia as Root raced to 46 off 54 balls, English fans weren’t too happy with the dismissal.
Assistant digital editor for London’s City A.M. Jack Mendel wrote: “I don’t understand why Joe Root just got out like he did, when he was batting so well. Surely just keep going.. was hugely unnecessary. Want aggressive, not reckless batting.”
Another social media user tweeted: “Brain dead cricket once again. No need to come dancing down the wicket when you are scoring so freely anyway.”
It was the first time in Root’s 131-match career that he’d been stumped.
Earlier, as he peppered Australia with ramp shots early in a tactic that threatened to take the game away, fans were loving what they saw.
9pm — Aussies brutalised by Root and co.
Australia may have taken a wicket through an inswinging tracer bullet from Pat Cummins but England have put the visitors to the sword in the first hour of play.
England went from 2/28 to 3/121 at the first drinks break.
There have been just 13.3 overs for the day, meaning England have scored 93 off just 81 balls.
8.34pm — Cummins strikes
Australia have been tonked everywhere to start the day but Pat Cummins has finally struck.
An inswinging yorker uprooted Ollie Pope’s off-stump, leaving England 3/77.
But the lead is up to 84 and it’s begining to get daunting with a lot of batting left in the English sheds.
8.10pm — Root’s start is simply absurd
How many times have you seen a ramp shot on the first ball on a day of Test cricket?
Well that is Bazball.
Joe Root played a ramp shot on the first ball of the day and while he didn’t hit it, it signalled his intent.
So when Scott Boland started the second over of the day, Root did exactly what he telegraphed.
After charging and hitting through midwicket, the next ball went for six straight over Alex Carey’s head.
The next ball went for four with the same shot, winding up more down at third man.
It sparked the field move, with two down on the boundary behind the wicket.
It’s not often that Scott Boland has gone for 15 runs in an over in his Test career.
7.30pm — Wild scene cricket has ‘never seen before’
We’ve had nine slips and some wild field placings but by the looks of this English tactic, there’s plenty of left-field approaches that can still surprise.
Usman Khawaja was in peerless form, hitting 141 but he was undone by a yorker from Ollie Robinson as he tried to get Australia to a first innings lead.
But that’s only part of the story.
Zoom out and you’d see one of the most unique fields cricket has seen.
Now dubbed the “Brumbrella”, England put six fielders in the eyeline of Khawaja, tempting the Aussie to go over the top and take them on.
In commentary, Kevin Pietersen said “Have you ever seen a field like that? I haven’t.”
Former Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting was blown away.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a field like that in Test cricket before,” Ponting told the ICC.
“There was just an umbrella of fielders around in front of the batsman’s face. And it was all about bowling a couple of slower balls and being able to bowl a yorker.
“And sure enough, Khawaja used his feet, gave himself some room, gave up his stumps, and the yorker knocked his off stump out of the ground.
“It’s fantastic stuff. It’s really refreshing for the Test game to see a team play this way and a captain happy to try everything he possibly can.”
Ponting praised Ben Stokes’ approach as he continued to move the field around, constantly looking for wickets.
“It’s hard to keep up with them all, he’s making a change almost every ball, which is great, it’s proactive captaincy,” Ponting added.
“He’s always trying to move the game forward, he’s looking at any little way that he possibly can to pick up a wicket and change the momentum of the game.”
7pm — Root’s classy act amid teammate’s tirade
Ollie Robinson’s expletive-laden blow up after dismissing Usman Khawaja has made him a new Ashes target for Australia but one of our oldest enemies has proven he’s a good bloke.
Joe Root has been a thorn in the side of Australia for many years now but after Robinson appeared to tell Khawaja to “f**k off, you f**king p***k,” Root was seen congraluating the Aussie opener for his epic 141.
Fans liked the classy moment from the star.
“Ollie Robinson with the double f-bomb send-off for Khawaja. Meanwhile, Root congratulated him. I wonder which one was classier,” one social media user said.
“Joe Root gives Ollie Robinson an abject lesson in sportsmanship. Just after Ollie tells Usman to ‘f*** off’, Joe goes out of his way to congratulate Khawaja on his innings. Class act,” another wrote.
SEN’s Adam Collins wasn’t a fan of the spray delivered by the English player.
“It just strikes me as so ill-considered and makes no sense to me,” Collins said.
“These two play with such great spirit, I am not sure that was in the spirit though.”
But Robinson doubled down on his send off later on, as it was his first wicket in a home Ashes.
“It‘s my first home Ashes and to get the big wicket at the time was special for me,” Robinson told the media at stumps.
“I think Uzzie played unbelievably well. To get that wicket for us as a team at the time was massive. We all want that theatre of the game, don’t we? So I’m here to provide it.”
Robinson admitted what came out of his mouth was “not appropriate” and blamed the heat of the moment on his outburst.