Pat Cummins celebrating Australia’s 1st Ashes Test triumph© Twitter
The first Ashes Test between India and Australia turned out to be a nail-biter, with both teams remaining in contention to win the contest till the end. At last, it was a brilliant partnership between Australia skipper Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon that saw them successfully chase down the target of 281 runs. What followed next explained the importance of the victory as Cummins found it hard to control his emotions after hitting the winning runs for his team, taking a 1-0 lead in the 5-match series.
England did well on the 5th day after rain forced the game to start late. With the early dismissals of the likes of Scott Boland, Travis Head, Cameron Green, and Alex Carey, the hosts put themselves in the driving seat but the challenge of Cummins and Lyon came out of the syllabus.
While Cummins went on to score 44 runs off 73 balls, Lyon gave him excellent company with 16 off 28. Their partnership of 55 runs for the 9th wicket dented England’s hopes of taking a lead in the series.
As Australia sealed the victory, Cummins dropped his helmet and the bat to take a run around the field in celebration. He even lifted Lyon in his arms, celebrating the win in extravagant fashion. Here’s the video:
The iconic finish this match deserved
| Relive the winning moment from an exhilarating 1st Test in #TheAshes #SonySportsNetwork #RivalsForever #ENGvAUS #Ashes2023 pic.twitter.com/qTQ9RiWGQg
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 20, 2023
To put things into context, this is the joint-highest score that has been chased down by a visiting side at Edgbaston, with South Africa also chasing down 281 in 2008.
Overall, the 55-run stand between Cummins and Lyon was the 4th highest in the history of Test cricket for the 9th wicket in a successful run-chase. The successful 282-run chase is also Australia’s 4th highest in the history of the Ashes.
England, having lost the opening Test, would look to bounce back in the following matches.
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