Australia emerged victorious against England by 2 wickets in the Ashes 2023, taking a 1-0 lead. Captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon showcased their skills on Day 5 to secure the win. The final day of the first Test was interrupted by rain, leading to an early lunch break. When play resumed, Usman Khawaja faced a tough battle as Australia lost wickets from one end.
Despite the dismissal of Usman Khawaja by Ben Stokes, it appeared that the game was over for Australia. However, Captain Pat Cummins ensured a phoenix-like rise from the ashes and guided his team to victory alongside spinner Nathan Lyon.
First innings
England won the toss and elected to bat first. Josh Hazlewood got an early breakthrough by dismissing Ben Duckett for 12, while Zak Crawley stood strong at the other end with a score of 61. Ollie Pope contributed with 31 runs, but eventually fell victim to the wiles of spinner Nathan Lyon. Joe Root played a remarkable innings, scoring an unbeaten 118 runs. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Root kept the scoreboard ticking. Jonny Bairstow joined Root and showcased some explosive shots, but was sent back to the pavilion by Lyon. England declared their innings at 393/8.
Australia’s opening pair of David Warner (9) and Usman Khawaja (141) started their innings with vigor. However, Stuart Broad dismissed Warner in a brutal fashion and immediately followed it up by getting rid of Marnus Labuschagne for a duck. Steve Smith managed to score 16 runs before being dismissed by Ben Stokes. Travis Head provided some support to Khawaja, who played some magnificent shots. Cameron Green (38), Alex Carey (66), and Pat Cummins (38) also made valuable contributions as Australia finished their first innings at 386, trailing by 7 runs.
Second innings
England’s second innings got off to a disastrous start, with openers Ben Duckett (19) and Zak Crawley (7) departing early. Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon ensured that no English player could score more than 40 runs. Joe Root and Harry Brook managed to put up scores of 46 each, but the rest of the batting lineup collapsed. In the end, England were bundled out for just 273 runs.
Chasing a target of 280 runs, Australia relied on their openers Usman Khawaja (65) and David Warner (36) to provide a solid start. However, Marnus Labuschagne (13) and Steve Smith (6) failed to make a significant impact. Scott Boland (20) and Travis Head (16) tried to support Khawaja, but Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali proved to be formidable opponents. Eventually, Ben Stokes dismissed Khawaja, and Australia found themselves in a precarious situation. However, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon displayed great resilience and determination, batting till the last run to secure victory for their team.