Birmingham
Australia beat England by 251 runs to win the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston on Monday.
England, set an imposing target of 398 to win, collapsed to 97-7 in the post-lunch session on the fifth and final day before being bowled out for 146. Off-spinner Nathan Lyon took 6-49 and fast bowler Pat Cummins 4-32 as Australia enjoyed their first win in all formats at Edgbaston since 2001 — the last time they won an Ashes series in England.
Defeat for the home side ended their run of 11 successive international wins at their Birmingham ‘fortress’. The match was a personal triumph for Australia’s Steve Smith, who in his first Test since a 12-month ban for his role in a ball-tampering scandal, scored 144 and 142.
In the process the star batsman became just the fifth Australian to score two hundreds in an Ashes Test. His first-innings century helped guide Ashes-holders Australia to 284 after they had collapsed to 122-8.—APP
