Ashes 1st Test reaction: Australia beat England at the Gabba
Home side ease to ten-wicket victory in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane
Australia have taken a 1-0 lead in the Ashes series after completing a comfortable ten-wicket victory over England at the Gabba.
Needing only 56 runs on the fifth and final day in Brisbane, Australia openers David Warner and Cameron Bancroft knocked over the total in just over an hour this morning.
Warner (87 not out) and Bancroft (82 not out) maintained Australia’s 29-year unbeaten record at the Gabba. England will now need to regroup ahead of the second Ashes Test in Adelaide starting on Saturday.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Australia captain Steve Smith, who scored an unbeaten 141 in the first innings, praised his side for continuing their run at the Gabba.
Smith told the BBC: “We played some really good cricket after losing the toss on what was a really good wicket. Nathan Lyon is bowling as well as I’ve seen him bowl. He went wicketless in the first innings then got the reward in the second. Davey [Warner] and Cameron were magnificent.
“I think England have a few newish players that haven’t experienced an Ashes series before. The first Test is important and it’s nice to get it out of the way but we’ve got a big ask on our hands at Adelaide.”
Captain Joe Root rued England’s “missed chances” with both the bat and the ball in Brisbane. Speaking to BBC Test Match Special, Root said: “It doesn’t really feel like a ten-wicket defeat. We came here fully confident we could get the win. For three days we were excellent but missed a couple of chances with bat and ball in the first two innings.
“Mark [Stoneman] and Vincey [James Vince] played outstandingly well. To show that composure, character and skill in their first Ashes Test was exceptional. The wicket got better as the match went on. Steve Smith’s knock was incredible – take it out and we would’ve bowled them out for 150.”
How the cricket media reacted to Australia’s victory
While the Ashes is never won or lost after one Test match, The Times’s Michael Atherton believes a series win for England is “near impossible”.
“The gradient of the mountain facing England just got steeper. By a factor of about ten,” said former England captain Atherton. “To win in Australia is hard enough, to win having lost the opener is nigh-on impossible. Australia’s confidence will surge. They will sense a wounded prey.”
Going into the day-night Test in Adelaide, Atherton says that ultimately England’s key players such as Alastair Cook and Root “have to perform better”.
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew says England must “fix problems” or Australia “will be out of sight” after their win in Brisbane.
While at times England competed “very strongly” at the Gabba, the tourists must address their issues because Australia are “certainly beatable”, says Agnew.
“The way batsmen got out, falling for obvious plans, was really disappointing,” he adds. “Over the course of their two innings, England had seven players get to 38, yet no one went past 83. Those scores do not win Test matches.
“England must take their lead from Steve Smith, the Australia captain who would not get drawn into the traps that were laid for him. He made 141 not out.”
Meanwhile, former England batsman Kevin Pietersen says that defeat in the day-night Test in Adelaide will mean a “long trip” for Root’s side. Pietersen would like to see spin bowler Mason Crane given a chance under the lights with the pink ball in Adelaide.
Pietersen told BT Sport: “I wouldn’t play Jake Ball in the next Test match, absolutely no chance. I’d play Mason Crane, I know it’s under lights but it’s that variation of a leg-spin bowler.
“It’s a real, real, real concern. The concern is the tail of England, it didn’t wag. The concern is the top order. Nobody seemed to be able to play the short ball well. If you want to score runs in Australia you have to play the short ball well.
“There are concerns, there are issues. If they go down in Adelaide, this could be a long trip.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How much of a blow is ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question Action by Hague court damages Israel's narrative that Gaza conflict is a war between 'good and evil'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
UK gynaecological care crisis: why thousands of women are left in pain
The Explainer Waiting times have tripled over the past decade thanks to lack of prioritisation or funding for women's health
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'The Hum': the real-life noise behind The Listeners
In The Spotlight Can some of us also hear the disturbing sound that plagues characters in the hit TV show – and where is it coming from?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Ashes: can England mount a glorious comeback?
feature ‘Herculean’ task follows ugly scenes at controversial second test
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Ashes 2021-22: Test squads, predictions, UK start times, TV coverage
feature Everything you need to know about the Australia vs. England cricket series
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
‘Now the theatre begins’: Aussies react to Ben Stokes’s Ashes inclusion
feature Star all-rounder gives England a major boost ahead of the series down under
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The Ashes 2021-2022: series set for go ahead as Joe Root commits to tour
feature England and Australia hold talks over entry requirements and quarantine concerns
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sport shorts: Joe Root gets Ashes motivation watching The Test on Amazon and Wimbledon looks set to be cancelled
Daily Briefing Ten things from the world of sport on Tuesday 31 March
By The Week Staff Published
-
Today’s back pages: England and Root will ‘urn’ Ashes revenge down under
Speed Read A round-up of the sport headlines from UK newspapers on 16 September
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Ashes: Steve Smith mocks Jack Leach in ‘classless’ celebration
Speed Read Aussies have since denied they were imitating the England spinner
By The Week Staff Published
-
‘It hurts’: Joe Root vows to stay on as England Test captain despite Ashes loss
Speed Read Australia retain the urn after a 185-run victory at Old Trafford
By The Week Staff Published