Usman Khawaja was the hero for Australia on day two of the Edgbaston Test, scoring a 15th Test century and guiding the visitors towards 5-311 at stumps, still trailing England by 82 runs.
England was seemingly on top after claiming three wickets in the morning session, including the crucial scalps of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, but Khawaja’s rearguard ensured the Test match was delicately poised ahead of day three.
Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali each snared two wickets, while South Australians Travis Head (50) and Alex Carey (52 not out) provided valuable contributions with the bat.
Smith GONE as England take 3rd wicket | 00:38
‘INCREDIBLE’: BROAD’S SCHEME PAYS OFF
Stuart Broad had never dismissed Marnus Labuschagne in red-ball Test cricket before this year’s Ashes series, and the England quick only needed one delivery at Edgbaston to rectify that.
Having just knocked over Australian opener David Warner for 9 on Saturday morning, Broad revved up the Birmingham crowd before charging in and removing the world’s No. 1 Test cricketer for a golden duck.
Broad’s outswinger kissed the outside edge of Labuschagne’s bat, with England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow taking a one-handed catch low to his right. The Australian No. 3 sheepishly trudged back to the sheds having fished at a delivery he should have left alone.
“That was the perfect ball,” Broad told Sky Sports at stumps.
“I’ve been looking to bowl that to Marnus by design … it was a plan I wanted to do, so to do it was really nice.”
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Earlier this year, Broad revealed he had been developing his outswinger with Nottinghamshire bowling coach Kevin Shine in the County Championship, and the changes were specifically designed to trouble Labuschagne and Steve Smith.
“It’s the reason I wanted to change something, to try and bring their outside edge in more,” Broad said back in April.
“My stock delivery will always be wobble seam trying to nip back on off stump, because I think that’s the most dangerous ball. But to (Labuschagne and Smith), I think dragging them across with away swing is quite important. So this action tweak is pretty much designed at those two, and it was good to see it really swinging away today.
“You always have to be looking for something to improve … I’m constantly working on things in training to see if something can work to implement in games.”
‘THIS IS BAZBALL’: STOKES’ CAPTAINCY MASTERSTROKE
Ben Stokes’ dismissal of Steve Smith was one of the decisive moments at Edgbaston on Saturday, but the Durham all-rounder’s aggressive captaincy also accounted for the dangerous Travis Head later in the afternoon session.
Moeen Ali, playing his first Test match since August 2021, opened the bowling after lunch on day two, and Head immediately targeted the off-spinner, smacking seven boundaries including a belligerent six that sailed over long-off.
Most captains would have pulled Ali out of the attack after he conceded 45 runs from his first six overs following the lunch break — but not Stokes.
The England captain brought the mid-on and mid-off up, luring Head into once again attacking down the ground — and the South Australian took the bait.
Head miscued the lofted drive and chipped a catch towards mid-wicket, departing for 50 and giving Ali his first Test wicket in almost two years.
“It’s brilliant captaincy, it’s aggressive captaincy,” former England batter Kevin Pietersen said on Sky Sports commentary.
Moeen produces moment of magic! | 00:27
As part of England’s ‘Bazball’ philosophy, Stokes was willing to leak runs to take wickets, sticking with aggressive field settings regardless of the match situation.
“One of the most important things of that dismissal was the brave captaincy with Ben Stokes,” former Australian spinner Steve O’Keefe said on Channel 9.
“What does Stokes do with Mooen Ali, who’d gone for 45 runs from six overs? He puts a second slip in and keeps a catching mid-wicket.
“It’s just the bravery of this English team, playing Bazball and maintaining their consistency to pick up wickets.”
The innovative Stokes called upon seven bowlers in the morning session, including part-timer Harry Brook.
“What is going on here?” Australian legend Ricky Ponting said in commentary.
Former England captain Mike Atherton responded: “This is Bazball.”
‘NEGATIVE CRICKET’: AUSTRALIA’S ‘TIMID’ BATTING
Australia’s defensive field placement ruffled some feathers on Friday, but the visitors’ “timid” batting was what raised eyebrows early on day two of the Edgbaston Test.
Runs were hard to come by for the Australians on Saturday morning, getting the action underway with a trio of maidens. After facing 12 consecutive dot balls, a frustrated David Warner threw his wicket away by playing a reckless shot outside off stump, departing cheaply for 9.
“England have made it really hard for Australia to score,” Ponting said on Sky Sports.
“You could argue that led to Warner’s dismissal. The scoreboard was going nowhere, the pressure built and Warner played a shot he probably wouldn’t have.”
Australia was in dire straits at 2-29 when Marnus Labuschagne departed the following delivery — in response, Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith immediately stamped on the brakes, scoring at 2.37 runs per over throughout the morning session.
It was a stark contrast to England’s aggressive approach the previous day, when they scored at 4.65 runs per overs in the morning session despite losing a handful of early wickets.
“The intent probably hasn’t been quite where you would want it to be, but that’s the way they play,” Ponting continued.
“I don’t think they have done anything different.”
Australia only scored 13 singles before lunch on day two, while England mustered 54 singles during Friday’s morning session, partly because of the defensive field settings.
“It just looks like negative cricket, an un-Australian way of playing,” former Australian spinner Steve O’Keefe said on Channel 9.
”Australia is on the back foot, tentative with their footwork, and it’s not working for them at the moment.
“They’re barely going at two runs an over and are doing … the complete contrast of what England did in their first innings when they had the chance to bat.”
ENGLAND’S KEEPING GAMBLE BACKFIRES
England’s decision to drop wicketkeeper Ben Foakes ahead of the Ashes came back to haunt them on day two of the Edgbaston Test.
Australia was 4-148 in the 46th over when all-rounder Cameron Green, who was yet to score, skipped down the pitch and looked to attack England spinner Moeen Ali — but the all-rounder was beaten on the inside edge.
However, England gloveman Jonny Bairstow missed the regulation stumping chance, handing Green an early reprieve.
It proved a costly error — Green combined with Usman Khawaja for a 72-run partnership for the fifth wicket to revive Australia’s innings.
“He’s very square on … that left hip’s not really opening or riding the bounce,” former Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara explained on Sky Sports commentary.
“He also didn’t expect it to turn, and sometimes you have to anticipate it, know that it’s going to come at you through the gate — make that adjustment, take a step to your left, and if it beats the outside edge, you’ll still have a good sighter.”
Former England captain Nasser Hussain continued: “He gets a good sighter of it. He sees the ball all the way, there’s no batter in the way or anything.
“He’s got that ball in his vision absolutely perfectly, and then because it spins a long way he’s in the wrong place.”
Bairstow’s day went from bad to worse when he dropped a catch off Joe Root’s bowling in the 80th over, gifting rival wicketkeeper Alex Carey a second life on 26.
Earlier on day two, the Yorkshireman had taken a smart one-handed catch to remove Marnus Labuschagne for a golden duck, also plundering an entertaining 78 (78) in England’s first innings.
Foakes, widely considered to be England’s best wicketkeeper, was axed ahead of the recent Lord’s Test against Ireland after Bairstow returned from his horrific leg injury.
England couldn’t fit Bairstow, Foakes and Harry Brook in the same starting XI, and the Surrey wicketkeeper was the unlucky player forced to make way.
Bairstow, who had not donned the gloves in a Test match since September 2021, was backed as England’s first-choice wicketkeeper for the Ashes in his absence, but the gamble backfired on Saturday afternoon.
‘SCARED EYES’: WARNER FALLS TO NEMESIS YET AGAIN
It was almost inevitable.
When David Warner hopped off the Australian team bus on Friday morning, an England fan yelled at the veteran opener: “Broady’s gonna get ya!”
The prophecy came true just over 24 hours later.
Stuart Broad dismissed his bunny for a 15th time on day two of the Edgbaston Test, removing Warner for 9 to continue his stranglehold over the Australian.
The left-hander chopped back onto his stumps after slashing at a wide delivery in the eleventh over, sending the Birmingham crowd into a frenzy. His lack of footwork remains a glaring concern.
BROAD GETS WARNER AGAIN in double strike | 00:57
Warner has now been dismissed by right-armed seamers from around the wicket in 11 consecutive Ashes innings in England, averaging 9.45 during that period. Broad utterly embarrassed Warner during the 2019 Ashes, dismissing him seven times while conceding just 35 runs across the series.
The 36-year-old vowed to be more aggressive when facing Broad in England this year — and he certainly lived up to that promise.
“When I’m at my best, I’m taking the bowlers on,” Warner told reporters in December.
“I can probably be a bit more aggressive and go back to the older me, take them on a little bit more.
“It’s about just having that comfort of backing yourself, and I always do that, but I felt a sense of responsibility to actually adapt to the wicket and conditions that were in front of me, but now it’s just going back to looking to score and then my defence will take care of itself.”