Australia have seized the top spot in the ICC Test Rankings following a thrilling victory over England in the first Ashes Test at The Edgbaston in Birmingham. After trailing throughout the majority of the game, the Pat Cummins-led team made an incredible effort to take victory from the jaws of defeat by winning by two wickets. The Aussies, who were at the second spot with 116 points, certainly have surpassed India, who were at the top of the standings with 121 points, but the ICC has not yet altered the rankings.
With the thrilling Edgbaston win, Aussies have also attained top stop in ongoing WTC cycle.
ENG vs AUS Highlights: Cummins, Lyon Star with bat as Australia beat England in 1st Ashes Test
The first Ashes Test in 2023 saw an outstanding performance from England as well. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, the hosts’ Bazball strategy put Australia under extreme strain since they continued to chase down the bowlers and score runs at a pace of about 5. While Jonny Bairstow (78), Zack Crawley (61), and thirties from Harry Brook and Ollie Pope helped England reach 393/8 before they unexpectedly declared, Joe Root (118*) was the standout with the bat as he hammered a stunning century. Then, English bowlers paid back the confidence skipper Ben Stokes had placed in them by dismissing Australia for 385 runs and gaining a 7-run lead.
Australia’s lone fighter was Usman Khawaja, who scored a remarkable 141 runs. Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad each took three wickets for England. The second essay was fairly challenging for the home team with the bat as the Australian bowlers put them to the test. However, crucial 40s from Ben Stokes, Joe Root, and Harry Brook enabled them to score 273 runs in the second innings, giving Australia a target of 280 runs to pursue. The same amount of wickets were taken in the second innings by Nathan Lyon, who had taken four in the first.
Usman Khawaja held the one end, but the other end continued losing wickets. The opening batter was struck out by captain Ben Stokes, who entered the game late and came to bowl for the first time in the second innings during the fag end. Alex Carey was the significant victim that Joe Root took down. The counterattack was then spearheaded by Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins, who led his team back into the match. They managed their jitters well, continued chipping in, and won the game for their team and took a 1-0 lead in the series.
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