Australia v England - Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook rescue England

Visit Save For Later

by Crunch Sports Staff

Posted

The first Test looks set to end in a draw after England's fightback on Sunday (credit: Rae Allen)

First Ashes Test, Brisbane
England 260 and 309-1 v Australia 481 (day four, stumps)
November 25th-29th, Brisbane

Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook both hit centuries as England fought back superbly on Saturday to almost certainly guarantee that the first Ashes Test at the Gabba ends in a draw

Strauss (110) put on 188 with Cook (132 not out) - an English record stand in a match at Brisbane - while Cook added a further 121 with Jonathan Trott (54 not out) as England ended 88 runs ahead.

A massively successful day for the tourists was aided by some poor fielding at times, with Australia dropping several relatively easy catches.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting will have gone into the day hopeful of bowling England out completely, but never will he have imagined day four ending with only one wicket taken.

Just 24 hours earlier, Australia looked to be closing in on the win and a 1-0 series lead, with England realistically having needed to bat well into day five to avoid defeat.

But if that was Strauss' aim, it was mission accomplished, as Australia struggled with some average bowling on a flat wicket.

Ponting will also look at how so many chances were missed. Strauss was badly dropped by Mitchell Johnson on 69, while Cook could have gone to Peter Siddle at fine leg when on 103 and Trott was dropped by Michael Clarke at point on 34.

England's fans were in fine voice and at times it was almost like they were the home side as they cheers on Strauss and Cook, who scored quick runs.

Strauss himself had more to cheer as his century ended a run of 13 Tests without hitting a ton.

After tea, Australia had taken the new ball but they still failed to threaten, with Cook and Trott being largely untroubled in the final session, which ended slightly early due to bad light.

England will be delighted with their day, but Ricky Ponting and Australia will be fuming with how day four played out.

Like Like

All Cricket News

Recent Cricket Articles

IPL 2013 - Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Chennai Super Kings preview (15:30 BST)18 May 2013
Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Chennai Super Kings tonight in the 70th game of the Indian Premier League 2013 season (15:30 BST start). Mathematically, Bangalore can qualify for the playoffs even if they lose this game to the Super Kings. Interestingly, even if they win it, they may crash out ...
IPL 2013 - Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians preview (11:30 BST)18 May 2013
Kings XI Punjab host Mumbai Indians today in the 69th game of the Indian Premier League 2013 season (11:30 BST start). Punjab had a good match against the Daredevils, with both bat and the ball. They overcame a slow start to score 171/4 in their 20 overs thanks to a blazing effort by David Miller a...
IPL 2013 - Hyderabad Sunrisers vs. Rajasthan Royals preview (15:30 BST)17 May 2013
Hyderabad Sunrisers take on Rajasthan Royals today in the 68th game of the Indian Premier League 2013 season (15:30 BST start). This is a vital game for both teams, with Sunrisers needing to desperately win if they are to qualify for the playoffs, and the Royals requiring victory to try a...
IPL 2013 - Mumbai Indians vs. Rajasthan Royals preview (15:30 BST)15 May 2013
Mumbai Indians take on Rajasthan Royals later today in the 66th game of the Indian Premier League 2013 season (15:30 BST start). The odds above would suggest that Mumbai are favourites to win this game, but it's a tough one to call as both teams have won 10 of their 14 games and have play...
IPL 2013 - Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Pune Warriors preview (11:30 BST)15 May 2013
Kolkata Knight Riders take on Pune Warriors today in the 65th game of the Indian Premier League 2013 season (11:30 BST start). Kolkata are still in with an outside chance of going through to the playoffs but with Bangalore taking on Punjab before this game, a win for the Royal Challengers...
IPL 2013 - Kings XI Punjab vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad preview (15:30 BST)11 May 2013
Kings XI Punjab play Sunrisers Hyderabad later today in the 58th game of the Indian Premier League 2013 season (15:30 BST start). Hyderabad and Punjab occupy fifth and sixth place in the points table respectively ahead of this game, but while the former have 14 points and can still qualif...
IPL 2013 - Pune Warriors vs. Mumbai Indians preview (11:30 BST)11 May 2013
Pune Warriors take on Mumbai Indians today in the 57th game of the Indian Premier League 2013 season (11:30 BST start). Mumbai are in the top three of the points table and a win against the bottom-placed Warriors should go a long way in sealing a playoff berth. More vitally, the Indians w...
IPL 2013 - Kings XI Punjab vs. Rajasthan Royals preview (15:30 BST)9 May 2013
Kings XI Punjab take on Rajasthan Royals later today in the 56th game of the Indian Premier League 2013 season (15:30 BST start). Punjab's hopes in the competition are hanging by a thread, and a loss here could almost push them out of the competition. They are currently on 10 points and a...
IPL 2013 - Pune Warriors vs. Kolkata Knight Riders preview (11:30 BST)9 May 2013
Pune Warriors face Kolkata Knight Riders later today in the 55th game of the Indian Premier League 2013 season (11:30 BST start). Pune have already been knocked out of the competition as a result of some woeful performances so far, while defending champions Kolkata came into the tournamen...

Recent Articles

Chelsea FC target Jose Mourinho to be sacked by Real Madrid CF?4 minutes ago
Jose Mourinho, who is widely expected to return to Chelsea this summer, could be sacked by Real Madrid before the end of the week, according to reports in Spain. Mourinho is the bookmakers' favourite to be installed as Chelsea's next permanent manager when Rafael Benitez steps down from his interim...
Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona target Neymar - will he stay or will he go?40 minutes ago
Santos striker Neymar continues to be linked with the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea and Real Madrid, but will he be on the move this summer? Neymar is arguably the most sought after player in world football today and has been linked with a number of clubs in recent months, with Bayern Munich, Chelsea...
Marouane Fellaini hints at Man Utd move this summer1 hour 10 minutes ago
Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United, has hinted that he is interested in following David Moyes to Old Trafford this summer. Reports last week had suggested that Moyes, who will leave Everton to take charge of United this summer, is planning to ...
FC Barcelona giving little away on negotiations for Neymar1 hour 18 minutes ago
Tito Vilanova insists he is unaware of whether Barcelona are closing in on a deal for Santos striker Neymar. Neymar is arguably the most sought after player in world football today and has been linked with a number of clubs in recent months, with Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Manchester City, r...
British Open Squash 2013 preview1 hour 37 minutes ago
The British Open Squash 2013 takes place in Hull this week, with Nicol David bidding for a fifth title. The Malaysian superstar comes into this week's tournament with question marks hanging over her form and whether her career is on the down turn, following two defeats suffered in the lead up to th...
Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC target Alvaro Negredo want to join Champions League club1 hour 42 minutes ago
Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo, who has been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea, will only consider a summer move to a club in the Champions League, his agent has stated. Both Arsenal and Chelsea have shown interest in Negredo over the past twelve months, while more recently Everton and W...
Man Utd will enjoy success under David Moyes - Rafael Benitez20 May 2013
Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez believes David Moyes will succeed at Manchester United next season.Moyes was confirmed as United's new manager last week and has agreed a six-year deal to replace Sir Alex Ferguson, who retired after the Red Devils' incredible 5-5 draw with West Brom on Sunday...
David Beckham retires - Top 7 pictures from Becks' final game for PSG20 May 2013
Paris Saint-Germain beat Brest 3-1 on Saturday night in a game which saw a tearful David Beckham bring a close to his glittering career. Beckham had in midweek confirmed he would be hanging up his boots at the end of this season, and Saturday's game appeared to have been his last match after t...
Three reasons why Gareth Bale should forget FC Barcelona, Man Utd and stay at Tottenham20 May 2013
The likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid have all been linked with Gareth Bale in recent weeks, but should he stay at Tottenham? Bale has admitted that a future move away from the Premier League at some point is of interest to him, alerting Barca and Real, but ...