BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) -Australia’s bowlers struck twice in quick succession in a devastating spell against England at Edgbaston on Sunday, before heavy rain washed out the later sessions on the third day of the series-opening Ashes test.
Play was abandoned around 1715 GMT with just 32.4 overs bowled following a lengthy rain-enforced break with England on 28-2, a lead of 35 runs, after Australia were bowled out for 386 in the morning session in reply to the hosts’ first-innings total of 393.
The match was first halted after lunch with England cruising on 26 for none and looking firmly on course to build up a sizeable lead.
However, those plans were derailed when they lost openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in the span of just three overs as Australia took advantage of favourable conditions in a brief restart, with the tourists’ fast bowlers getting the ball to move dangerously.
Pat Cummins dismissed Duckett for 19 after Cameron Green pulled off a spectacular diving catch in the slips.
Three balls later, Crawley (7) followed him off the field after edging a Scott Boland delivery to wicketkeeper Alex Carey, leaving the pair of Joe Root and Ollie Pope on strike – both of whom are yet to get off the mark.
“It was sort of the first time the pitch came out a little bit in three days,” bowler Ollie Robinson told the BBC.
“If we carried on batting, it might have been a slightly different approach, but still positive… Hopefully we can get the ball moving and bat all day tomorrow. I think anything over 300, we are right in the game.”
The outlook for Monday is more promising, with Britain’s Met Office predicting a largely rain-free day.
Australia’s first innings total was seven runs short of England’s 393, with Usman Khawaja’s mammoth innings coming to an end when he was bowled for 141 by Robinson before lunch.
The visitors, who resumed on 311 for five, lost both settled batters, Khawaja and Carey, before three more wickets fell in quick succession.
Khawaja played with great composure for most of his knock, but when England captain Ben Stokes piled on the pressure with an aggressive field placement, the 36-year-old took the bait.
He came charging down the wicket in his attempt to blast a shot over the ‘reverse umbrella’ field, but Robinson’s inch-perfect yorker uprooted his off-stump.
“(I was) trying to get him to play shots he’s not comfortable with,” Robinson said. “I’ve been practising a bit of T20 recently, went to the yorker and it came off.”
Earlier on Sunday, James Anderson was denied Carey’s wicket in the day’s first over due to a Jonny Bairstow drop, but an angling delivery from the veteran bowler snared the Australian for 66 two overs later, ending his 118-run stand with Khawaja.
Captain Cummins contributed 38 runs, hitting Moeen Ali for two sixes in an over, before holing out to deep square leg to bring the innings to an end.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, IndiaEditing by Toby Davis)
