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