On Day 1 of the 5th Test match between England and Australia, no one went to the dressing room with tense faces as both teams shared the day in the last test match of the series. Harry Brook scored the most vital 85 runs, which could be the match-saving innings as of now. Harry Brook was quite ultra-attacking in his approach. Australia made one change in the form of Todd Murphy, who replaced Cameron Green, while the hosts fielded an unchanged 11.
England scored 283 runs in 54.4 overs at a run rate of 5.18. In reply, Australia reached 61-1 before the bails were dislodged for the day. The match is taking place at South London’s historical stadium, The Oval.
Top Performer of the Day
England’s attacking batsman Harry Brook bailed out his team from getting all out cheaply, as he scored 85 runs in 91 balls with a strike rate of 93.4. His innings included 11 fours and 2 sixes. He got out on the ball bowled by Mitchell Starc, who aimed for the wide off stump. Harry Brook went for a cover drive but couldn’t convert it into a shot, offering an edge straight to second slip where Smith’s safe hands did the rest.
Australia’s pace bowler Mitchell Starc attained 4 wickets on Day 1, but also leaked 82 runs in 14.4 overs with an economy rate of 5.6, which is the highest among his other teammates. Although he did manage to pick 4 wickets, dismissing Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes.
Slight Edge to the Visitors
Australia is 222 runs behind the first innings score of England. They have a slight edge to make things comfortable for them as Australia survived the last session of day 1, giving away just one wicket to the hosts, that too of David Warner, who once again threw his wicket away after a very good start.
David Warner pulled through the hard phase of the game but couldn’t last long in his innings and got out on the ball of Chris Woakes, who bowled the short of length delivery outside off-stump. Warner got a big edge, and the ball was safely caught by Zak Crawley, who is super active at the second slip. Also, the fielding department of Australia has been very poor in this test match. They dropped almost 4-5 chances, including Brooks, who’s batting at just 5 runs.
What to Expect on Day 2
The first target Australia would be aiming for is to go past the score of England and start scoring a lead. The visitors are still 222 runs behind, which is an uphill task for them, but a lead of 100 runs would hold significant importance for Australia.
In the last test match, Centurion Marnus Labuschagne and settled-looking Usman Khawaja were on the crease, with Steven Smith and Travis Head to follow. Smith and Head scored centuries in the WTC final 2021-23 at the same venue.
Currently, it’s 51-49 in favor of Australia, but things can change rapidly in test cricket. If England manages to get 2-3 early wickets, they will consider themselves as favorites. Australia has to be careful against the spells of Mark Wood and Chris Woakes. We’ll see what Day 2 holds for us and you.
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