The two players who stood out on a wild opening day at Headingley, as England and Australia battled for supremacy on a juicy Headingley pitch, were Mark Wood and Mitchell Marsh.
Wood, who was brought back into the lineup following concerns about his fitness, bowled with consistent pace and aggression to claim his first five-wicket haul in a home Test. Mark Wood also assisted England in quickly finishing off Australia’s innings after an underappreciated scene-stealing performance from Marsh had threatened to win the match.
At the conclusion of an interesting first day of play at Headingley, a few returning players delivered as England entered the final session at 68/3 in response to Australia’s 263.
After almost four years away from the Australian Test XI, Mitchell Marsh made his comeback and delivered an incredible century to save his team. Mark Wood and Chris Woakes, a team representing England, each took eight wickets while playing for the first time in this series.
Stuart Broad continued to be David Warner’s adversary as England got a great start with the ball after choosing to bowl first. A happy crowd was delighted when the pacer got the opener to edge one behind in the game’s very first over.
Mark Wood presented challenges during the brief period in which Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne consolidated. With a delivery that went in an uprooted Khawaja’s leg stump, Wood, who was regularly bowling at speeds near 95 mph, was rewarded.
Immediately after the wicket, Labuschagne made a commendable comeback with a clean drive for a boundary, but Australia was wary of Wood’s hot spell. However, a diving Steve Smith prevented Ollie Robinson from reaching the inner edge of the ball at the other end. The chance was not seized by Jonny Bairstow.
Following a few overs, Bairstow missed another opportunity, this time giving Travis Head a reprieve. The vital wickets of Labuschagne and Smith were lost on both occasions, but England came back quickly in both cases. Additionally, the latter, who was taking part in his 100th Test match, squandered a review while returning to the pavilion after clearing an edge behind.
Following lunch, a second missed catch, however, proved to be far too expensive for the home team. Joe Root gave Marsh a break when he was batting at 12, and the all-around player made England pay dearly. Marsh, who was in charge of Australia’s comeback, went on a boundary-hitting rampage and reached fifty off 59 deliveries.
Travis Head took a back seat as he changed to another gear after passing the milestone in order to shock the home crowd. Marsh reached a century off just 102 balls, despite Ben Stokes’ persistent switching of bowlers to little avail.
Marsh continued to rule even after surpassing his hundred, and at one point was striking at almost a run-a-ball. To the relief of England, a run came in the last over before tea when Marsh inside-edged Woakes onto his thigh pad, which bounced up to second slip and walked.
After a remarkable 155-run partnership finally ended, England had the chance to take advantage in the final session. The innings was quickly completed with the pacers running amok, and they did it in style. Wood amassed a five-for as Australia lost their final six wickets for just 23 runs during this process.
Despite the fact that England scored 18 runs in its first three overs of reply, Pat Cummins was crucial in Australia’s comeback with the ball as he took important wickets of Ben Duckett and Harry Brook in quick succession to put the pressure back on England. When given an opportunity at No. 3, Brook edged to second slip while Duckett, who hit two fifty-pluses at Lord’s, got a thick outside edge that was caught by the keeper.
When it seemed as though Zak Crawley and Joe Root might go until stumps, Marsh grabbed control with the ball. The pair had been scoring runs at a brisk pace to elevate England. He tucked one away from Crawley, taking the outside edge and bringing England to 65/3 after already making a significant impact with the bat.
However, Root and Bairstow still have a lot of work to do on the second day to solidify England’s position after successfully navigating five difficult overs before stumps.
Brief scores: England 68/3 (Zak Crawley 33; Pat Cummins 2/28) trail Australia 263 (Mitchell Marsh 118, Travis Head 39; Mark Wood 5/34, Chris Woakes 3/73) by 195 runs