Australia have won the first Ashes Test in epic fashion with Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon putting together an unbeaten 55-run stand to guide their side to a two-wicket victory.
Ahead of a rain-hit final day at Edgbaston, every result was possible, and that continued to be the case when play finally got underway at 2.15pm BST.
Over two extended sessions, the pendulum swung both ways on multiple occasions, England at one stage appearing to be on the brink of another famous victory under Ben Stokes when reducing Australia to 227-8, still 54 runs short of their 281 target.
However, captain Cummins and tail-ender Lyon batted with a combination of resilience and class, defying an England attack that could not find the final answer to stop the recently-crowned World Test champions from moving 1-0 ahead in the five-match series.
With Australia requiring 174 runs to win and England needing to take seven wickets, there was the potential for a classic battle to unfold once the rain had finally relented and play got underway in the middle of the afternoon.
However, that is not how things transpired during the opening two hours 15 minutes, Australia initially erring on the side of caution and England struggling to create opportunities despite generally bowling with accuracy.
Nightwatchman Scott Boland hung around before he edged through to Jonny Bairstow off the bowling of Stuart Broad, bringing Travis Head to the crease and with it a change of intensity.
GOT HIM! 💪
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 20, 2023
It's a HUGE wicket for England as Travis Head is dismissed 🏴 pic.twitter.com/Gk61CmRaeG
During the first three deliveries of a Moeen Ali over, Head made 10 runs, yet two balls later he would fall to the blister-hindered spin bowler as he edged through to Joe Root at slip.
Australia looked vulnerable at 143-5, but Cameron Green combined with Usman Khawaja to put on 41 runs before tea, the latter reaching a patient 57 from 162 balls to frustrate England.
The tourists returned for the final session of the match needing another 98 runs, but a sixth wicket fell when Green (28) chopped onto his own stumps off the bowling of Ollie Robinson.
At this point, Stokes had kept the ball out of his hand, but in fitting fashion, he struck with his 12th ball of the day to, at the time, take the crucial wicket of Khawaja, whose defiance ended with 65 from 197 balls.
A FAMOUS victory for Australia in the first Test of the 2023 Ashes series 🏆🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/8pt5zauQ9v
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 20, 2023
Root had already put down two sharp caught-and-bowled chances before he kept a shot from Alex Carey (20) within his grasp at the second attempt, the writing now seemingly on the wall with Australia's tail exposed.
Instead, Cummins (44*) and Lyon (16*) produced a partnership that will live long in the memory, compiling 55 runs from 12 overs to get the Baggy Greens over the line.
England had their chances - Stokes almost pulled off yet another wonder catch to add to his own personal collection - but Cummins and Lyon impressively held their nerve amidst the tension in Birmingham, mixing aggressive hitting with sound decision-making to give Australia the edge in the series.
Darren Plant
