Ashes 2019: 1st Test – Key talking points as Australia romp to series lead
Australia blazed England away on Day 5 of the opening Test of the Ashes at Edgbaston. England needed to showcase mental fortitude on the final day against a wave of Australian attack. But they failed in their task miserably, falling to a meek 251 run defeat. In the end, Australia emerged as the better unit in all departments of the game. England will have to work out some serious issues with the 2nd Test match at Lord’s coming up soon.
Here we take a look at a few key talking points from the match:
Will the Ashes be the Steve Smith show?
This was Steve Smith’s match. Making a comeback after a year-long ban, Smith displayed why is the best in the world. Scoring two brilliant yet contrasting centuries in both the innings, his quality was the difference between the two sides. Smith is never satisfied with his performances and his hunger for betterment makes him the beast he is. Having already slain England in the first Test, this Ashes could well witness one of the greatest ever performances by a batter in a series.
Nathan Lyon’s excellence shines through
What a brilliant asset Nathan Lyon has been for Australia throughout the years. Bowling a brilliant defensive spell in the first innings, Lyon turned out to be the match-winner in the second. His attacking lines were too much for the brittle English batsmen to handle. This versatility has made him one of the greatest bowlers of the current era and the finest off-spinner which Australia has produced. After all, he is nicknamed the GOAT for a reason.
Can England grind it out?
The captain wants a response at Lord's. #Ashes pic.twitter.com/F6dR52HLVl
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 5, 2019
England do have some brilliant attacking talent on their roster. The likes of Buttler, Bairstow and Stokes are a delight to watch when in full flow. But the big question still lingers. When the chips are down, do England have enough batsmen in the middle order to fight it out? Test cricket is a different ball game altogether and the manner in which the English batters collapsed on the final day has raised a lot of questions. The current pool looks brittle and fragile and with a brilliant crop of Australian bowlers, will England find a solution?
Umpiring standards set a new low
Some high-quality cricket was witnessed during the Edgbaston Test. The same cannot be said about some of the umpiring by Joel Wilson and Aleem Dar. The former standing in his maiden Test after being promoted to the Elite panel certainly had a game to forget. There were a staggering 15 incorrect decisions during the Test match, 10 of those coming from Wilson. In a high-profile series, such a high volume of wrong calls are simply unacceptable. The ICC will need to have a cold hard look at the standards of umpires. There might also be a rethink on the rule of only umpires of neutral nationalities officiating in a Test match.
