After three breathless Test matches in the Ashes series, the first day at Old Trafford reverted to a more traditional day of Test cricket, with Stuart Broad joining a select group with his 600th Test wicket, as Australia finished the first day 299-8.
No side has ever won the toss, bowled first and then won a Test match at Old Trafford, in 84 matches at the ground, but England under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have never given much credit to what has gone before.
It was Chris Woakes who was the pick of the England bowlers, continuing where he left off at Headingley. With 4-52 from his 19 overs, he has continued to prove to any doubters that he is one of the best in home conditions.
While Broad might have been overshadowed by Woakes just looking at the day’s play, his achievement in the format overall cannot be underestimated. Moeen Ali said in the build-up to the Test that “old is gold” when referring to the veteran bowling attack in England’s side (with Mark Wood the youngest of the five bowlers at 33), but they showed their skill on the first day, to keep the Australian wickets tumbling at a steady rate.
Only James Anderson has more Test wickets as a fast bowler than Broad, who reached the milestone 600th when Travis Head fell for England’s trap. The Australian batter could not resist hooking the ball and played it straight to Joe Root on the deep fine-leg boundary, and he had to depart for just 48.
England were rewarded for their persistence throughout the day, and unlike the other matches in the series where the wickets tended to fall in flurries or spells, it was a case of consistency and patience that reaped the rewards. At lunch, the tourists were 107-2, with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne at the crease, but as they have done for most of the series, England claimed the two key wickets before they were able to really put the pressure back on the home side.
Smith in particular played an uncharacteristic innings, hitting from the outset, including a six off Ali, before England successfully overturned an on-field decision for lbw, with Mark Wood trapping the former captain for just 41 from 52.
Woakes’s ninth wicket of the series was not only his second of the over, but it helped dispel some of the questions surrounding Jonny Bairstow’s ability behind the stumps. It was a stunning diving catch low to his right to leave Australia 255-7. Woakes’s nine wickets of the series have cost just 177 runs, and he has undoubtedly been a key asset since being recalled ahead of the Headingley Test match.
Chris Woakes celebrates with teammates on a day when he took four tickets— (Getty Images)
For Australia, it was a day of missed opportunities to capitalise. Any chance could be key, with rain due to affect play on days four and five, limiting the prospect of a result, although the home side will try anything to avoid a first draw in the Bazball era. David Warner made 32, Labuschagne 51, Smith 41, Head 48 and Marsh 51 but none of them were able to push on and really look to take the game away from England, or force them into more daring tactics during the rest of the game.
In the final hour of play, England stifled Australia’s flow of runs. When Marsh was out, Australia had 255-7, but they only put on another 44 runs in the final 20.1 overs of play, and took the wicket of Alex Carey.
At times it felt like Australia were playing for the draw, inexplicable on day one but possible with the current weather forecast, but England will be buoyed by how freely the wickets fell, including batters who had looked settled and comfortable at the crease.
