Australia thrash England with 251-run win in the Ashes
Men’s Ashes: First Spacesavers Test, Edgbaston ( day five to five)
Australia 284 ( Smith 144, Broad 5-86 & 487-7 dec ( smith 142, Wade 110)
England 374 ( Burns 144) & 146 ao (Woakes 37, Lyon 6-49)
Australia won by 251`runs go 1-0 up in five-match series.
England capitulated to off-spinner Nathan Lyon’s devastating bowling on a worn out pitch on fifth day to claim 6-49, and Pat Cummins picked up 4-32 as tourists registered victory before tea and put them ahead in an Ashes series in the UK for the first time in 14 years.
Australia’s Steve Smith made life difficult for England with his second century of the match, as Moeen was unable to tied up an end and the part-time spinners were expensive , pace bowlers Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes pounded away on a surface giving them very little help. Steve Smith is now level with Steve Waugh on 1 Ashes centuries only Bradman (19) and Jack Hobbs (12) have more and moved up to 18th in the all-time Ashes scorers list after 24 tests, as no other player in this series is in the top 50.
On final day Australia delivered a crushing blow to 251- run win and a 1-0 lead in the series, with England chasing 398 to win was England at one stage lost six wickets for 37 runs on the way to being bowled out for 146.England was without services of injured pace bowler James Anderson for almost the entire game as he pulled with a recurrence of a calf injury after bowling only for four overs in the first morning.
The second test is at Lords 14-18 August.