1st Test: England v Australia at Birmingham, 5-9 Jul 2001 CricInfo Live Report

1st Test: England v Australia at Birmingham, 5-9 Jul 2001
Kate Laven

Australia 1st innings: First Hour - Day 2, Lunch - Day 2, Afternoon mid-session - Day 2, Tea - Day 2,
Live Reports from previous days

WAUGH COMPLETES HIS FIRST TEST CENTURY AT EDGBASTON

Steve Waugh added a new chapter to his record books by completing his first Test century at Edgbaston in the npower Ashes Test Match today.

Of the 26 centuries he has made at Test level since 1989, when he scored his maiden century at Headingley, eight have been against England but none has been at Edgbaston. He played a typically defiant innings bringing up the 100 with a legside flick off Craig White that sent the ball travelling to the boundary.

The Australian skipper faced 164 balls, hitting 13 fours and occupying the crease for three and a half hours, having arrived with the score 134 for three when Michael Slater departed.

By the time the century was completed, the total had moved to 327 for four giving Australia a first innings lead over England of 33 runs.

By tea, that lead had increased to 38 as Waugh took a well-earned tea break unbeaten on 101 while partner Damien Martyn had advanced to 32 off 50 balls.

CADDICK ENDS WAUGH TWINS' CENTURY STAND

Andrew Caddick made up for an expensive morning by capturing the wicket of Mark Waugh but Australia were motoring determinedly towards England’s total in the First npower Test at Edgbaston.

Waugh fell one short of his half-century when he offered a faint edge to Alec Stewart off Caddick having faced 142 balls and scored seven boundaries. Earlier, he had been dropped on 29 by Marcus Trescothick at second slip off Ashley Giles three balls after lunch.

Meanwhile brother Steve was heading towards his first Test century at Edgbaston and making sure his side complete their first innings with a convincing lead over England

With an hour to go to tea, Waugh, batting with new partner Damien Martyn, was unbeaten on 79, having put on 133 for the fourth wicket with Mark. But he also had a lucky escape when Ian Ward missed the stumps as he ran for a single. The pick up and throw were lightning fast but ball passed wide of the stumps leaving the skipper flat on his front covered in dirt.

Gough continued to find plenty of bounce in the pitch, one delivery reaching Alec Stewart high above his head despite standing 20 yards back from the stumps. His six-over spell yielded 13 runs but no wickets while Caddick’s figures were 1-75 as Australia moved to 276 for four after 66 overs.

STEVE WAUGH'S HALF-CENTURY FRUSTRATES ENGLAND

Australian captain Steve Waugh wrested the initiative away from England this morning to limit the damage created by the early loss of Michael Slater.

In reaching 35, Waugh achieved a new milestone in becoming only the third batsman in history to make 9,000 Test runs. He joined a distinguished club with Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar the only other members.

By lunch, his unbeaten innings of 62 had put Australia back in command of the First npower Test match and the partnership with brother Mark had put on 104, a new fourth-wicket record for Australia at Edgbaston.

England’s bowlers struggled to maintain any consistency after Gough’s early strike which saw Slater depart for 77 and both he and Caddick, who changed back to his preferred end after having 20 runs scored off his first five overs, proved expensive.

Waugh’s half-century, brought up with an attractive drive to the long on boundary, came from 71 balls and took an hour and a half. His first 30 included five fours but he hit just two more to complete the 50 after Ashley Giles and Craig White were brought into England’s attack.

At lunch, Australia were 238 for three in their first innings, trailing England by 56 runs.

WAUGH TWINS STEADY THE SHIP AFTER SLATER FALLS

England were firing on all cylinders at Edgbaston this morning after a dramatic start to the second day of the npower Test when Darren Gough knocked out Michael Slater’s middle stump with his first delivery.

After the fireworks of the final session yesterday, in which 237 runs were scored including a superb 76 from Slater in 77 balls, another capacity crowd turned up on a dank and misty morning expecting a resumption of normal business.

But Gough had swapped ends and found extra movement under the cloud cover. Slater added a single to his total before the Yorkshireman got his first ball of the day to swing in gently, catching him off guard. The ball went straight through and sent the bails flying, raising a deafening roar from the crowd.

The early breakthrough lifted performances in the field and Ian Ward put paid to Mark Waugh’s first boundary attempt with an athletic leap at cover and a brilliant one-handed stop.

When captain Steve Waugh arrived to partner his brother, Australia moved swiftly back on track and after just 30 balls, Waugh had already made 27, including five powerfully hit boundaries. He exploited some early waywardness from Caddick who was replaced when his five overs went for 20 runs.

After the first hour, the run rate was almost matching yesterday’s remarkable efforts with Australia adding 50 in 12 overs to take the score to 183 for three.