Ashes 2015: James Anderson burst helps England take charge

Third Test, day one, Edgbaston:

Australia 136: Rogers 52, Anderson 6-47

England 133-3: Bell 53, Lyon 2-3

England bounced back from their Lord's humiliation to seize control of the third Ashes Test in an astonishingly one-sided day first day at Edgbaston. 

Feeding off the passion of a boisterous crowd at the venue where they famously ignited their 2005 Ashes campaign, England bundled out the tourists for 136 on a seaming pitch and reached 133-3 at the close.

A potent James Anderson took his best Ashes figures of 6-47, and Steven Finn marked his first Test appearance for two years with the wickets of Steve Smith and Michael Clarke, who had earlier won the toss and chosen to bat.

On a day punctuated by short rain delays, the mood of England and their supporters was lifted further still by the sight of Ian Bell flaying the Australia attack around the ground under floodlights in the evening session.

Five balls after reaching fifty, however, Bell tossed his wicket away with a needless heave at Nathan Lyon that took a fraction of the gloss off England's near-perfect day.

New match, new England

Despite Bell's frivolousness, England were unrecognisable from the meek outfit that had been bowled out for 103 on the fourth day of the Lord's Test as Australia romped to the 405-run victory.

The tourists, whose innings duration of 36.4 overs was two balls fewer than England's at Lord's, will rue some injudicious shots from their middle order.

But on a pitch offering just enough sideways movement and carry to assist their bowlers, England put themselves well on course to take a 2-1 lead in the series with two matches to play.

Unselectable to unplayable

                     Steve Smith was Steven Finn's first Test wicket since Ed Cowan in July 2013 

An ankle injury to Mark Wood gave Finn the opportunity to play Test cricket for the first time since he was dropped after the first Ashes Test in 2013 and later sent home from the 2013-14 tour down under, having been deemed "unselectable" by then coach Ashley Giles.

Some 18 months later, on an overcast morning at Edgbaston, Finn was closer to unplayable as he accounted for Smith and Clarke inside his first three overs.

Smith was caught behind for seven off a gem of a delivery which moved away off the seam, while Clarke was bowled by a superb yorker for 10, making it eight innings since the Australia captain last passed fifty.

Looking every inch the bowler who in 2011 became the second fastest Englishman after Ian Botham to take 50 Test wickets, Finn continued to unsettle the Aussie batsmen with sharp, short balls and fuller deliveries that had them groping outside off stump.

Oh Jimmy, Jimmy….

James Anderson has now claimed four five-wicket hauls against Australia - more than against any other team 

With Finn softening up the Australia batsmen from one end, Anderson began knocking them out from the other.

In an extraordinary spell of seam bowling after lunch, the Lancashire bowler - who went wicketless at Lord's - took 4-7 in 19 balls to leave Australia in ruins on 94-7.

Adam Voges and Mitchell Marsh were both caught behind, Peter Nevill was bowled without playing a shot and Mitchell Johnson edged to fourth slip.

Stuart Broad trapped Rogers lbw and found Mitchell Starc's edge before Anderson bowled Lyon to wrap up a barely believable innings.

Misfortune and madness

Adam Lyth has now failed to pass 40 in eight of his nine Test innings 

England's dismissals featured a mixture of bad luck and recklessness on the batsmen's part.
Adam Lyth fell firmly in the latter category as he swiped at a wider ball from Josh Hazlewood and was caught in the slips.

Alastair Cook added 57 for the second wicket with Bell, but fell in bizarre circumstances when a full-blooded pull off a Lyon long-hop somehow lodged in the arms and belly of Adam Voges at short leg.

Bell, promoted to three after Gary Ballance was dropped, delighted his home crowd as he drove and pulled his way to a half-century off 51 balls.

But his attempted assault on Lyon failed miserably as he lost control of his bat and ended up with it dangling from one hand as David Warner ran back from short midwicket to take the catch.

Australia opener Chris Rogers on Sky Sports: "Very disappointing, we won the toss but England put us under pressure and we didn't respond. You have to give their attack credit, but there's times when you have to fight, and some of the shot selection... we needed to have a better day.
"The pitch was quick enough, it took the edge and carried and England exploited it well and hit the right lengths. It's going to be tough throughout the game, there's enough grass on the pitch but there's cracks in it too so it could be difficult in the fourth innings, but we're behind the game at the moment."

England paceman James Anderson on Sky Sports: "We're very happy, especially after losing the toss, we created pressure to get them out for a low score and then the guys batted well.
"There was a large percentage of bad shots from them, but saying that, Chris Rogers was watchful and then put away the bad ball.

"The pitch carried more than Lord's, so Broady and I discussed that trying to hit the pitch hard, wobble the ball and hit the seam on a full length was going to do more than swinging it, and it worked well for us."

More from England paceman James Anderson on Sky Sports: "I've done some great work in the nets with Ottis Gibson over the last few days.
"Steven Finn has had a tough 18 months and worked so hard to get back in the Test side, so everyone in the dressing-room's delighted for him and he looked a threat.
"Conditions were in the bowlers' favour here today with the rain and the lights on, the more sun gets on the pitch it'll be easier to bat, so hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow."

Geoffrey Boycott
Ex England Batsmen on Test Match Special

"I am pleased for Steven Finn. Two years ago I saw him and thought we were lucky to have him and then he had all that trouble clipping the wickets that caused them to try and change his action.

"He gets wickets and he gets them at a cheap rate. Anyone like that, you have him in your team, you put him in your pocket and carry him around with you.

"It is a God-given gift to get wickets."

Shaw Post believes that the England Cricket Team will be very happy with how the first day of the Third Test went. They managed to bowl beautifully to get Australia out for just 136 before closing the three runs behind with seven wickets in hand. For England to win this match they'll be hoping that Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes all manage to get centuries tomorrow to help steer the England Cricket Team to a lead of 300.

As for the Australian Cricket Team they'll be feeling very awful with how the day has gone as they turned up on the morning of the this test match with sheer arrogance. Instead of being patient and knowing when to leave the ball they persisted in trying to flog it around the field. They should never have underestimated the bowling of Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Steven Finn as it has left them in a very sticky situation.