England romped to a crushing 169-run victory over Australia in the first Ashes Test at Cardiff to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Chasing an unlikely 412 to win, Australia lost four wickets for nine runs in 35 balls either side of lunch and were bowled out for 242 one hour after tea on Day Four.
Stuart Broad was England’s inspiration, taking the wickets of three of Australia’s top four batsmen. And, following a brief lower order rally, Joe Root showed his golden touch to take two of the last three wickets, including Mitchell Johnson for a spirited 77.
The win is a huge fillip for England, who lost the last Ashes series 5-0 down under and have only won one of their last five Test series.
Having been reduced to 43-3 on the first morning, they rebounded to produce four days of high-class, aggressive cricket in their first match under Australian coach Trevor Bayliss.
Australia, strong favourites to retain the Ashes before the series, now have only five days to recover and reassess their tactics before the second Test starts at Lord’s on Thursday.
Bell & Co Tourist Fixture
Derbyshire vs Australia
Thursday 23, Friday 24 & Saturday 25 July
Derbyshire welcome Australia to Derby in the Bell & Co Tourist Fixture on Thursday 23 July for the start of the three-day tour match. Buy your matchday tickets in advance & save £4 per adult ticket purchased. Watch international stars including Mitchell Johnson, Michael Clarke, Steve Smith and David Warner in action at Derby.
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