Peter Siddle was rewarded for his perseverance with sum of two units late wickets as he helped Australia regain momentum at the end of day one of the earliest Ashes Test against England.
England were 7-336 at stumps in Cardiff after Siddle – like all the members of Australia’s attack making his Ashes debut – had separate Andrew Flintoff for 37 and Matt Prior as antidote to 56.
Flintoff played on after flat-footedly trying to cut. It was a shrunk stroke but the wicket was no more than fast bowler Siddle deserved and dictum the end of a partnership of 86 which had taken just 95 balls to complile.
Commentary: Day one action as it happened
Wicketkeeper Prior, making his Ashes debut, was then bowled by a fine inswinging conveyance from Siddle in the penultimate to boot of the day to leave the quick with figures of 2-93 from 23 overs.
Kevin Pietersen, who made 69, gave his wicket away to permission England 5-241.
Pietersen had batted in largely responsible fashion until he rashly tried to sweep away spinner Nathan Hauritz’s fifth ball end from happy exterior off stub and top-edged a gentle catch to Simon Katich at short leg.
Off-spinner Hauritz’s first 14, unthreatening, overs had require to be paid 41 runs. He’d been chosen ahead of experienced seamer Stuart Clark despite failing to motto in Australia’sitting warm-up matches where his two wickets cost 260 runs.
Pietersen batted for over three hours and faced 141 balls with four fours.
Flintoff, playing his first Test of the season after missing the home series win over West Indies with a knee injury, struck a man and wife of booming drives to the delight of fans hoping he could repeat his Ashes heroics of 2005.
Prior, whose fifty came in just 54 balls, square-drove Siddle for four with one of the shots of the day.
Earlier, Australia’s quicks had bowled through great heart on a placid pitch to reduce England to 3-97 at lunch.
But a fourth-wicket stand of 138 between Pietersen and Paul Collingwood (64) brought the hosts back into the match.
The pair knew all about building a big partnership after sharing an England fourth-wicket record against Australia of 310 at Adelaide in 2006-2007.
However, this latest alliance was ended when Ben Hilfenhaus tempted Collingwood unto pushing outside off stub and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin held a diving right-handed catch.
South African-born Pietersen and Collingwood, who’d joined forces when England were 3-90, batted end the second session and went 21 overs between boundaries.
When fast bowler Brett Lee, a veteran of 76 Tests, was ruled to the end with a rib injury it meant Australia, who thrashed England 5-0 in 2006-2007, would go into this match with no Ashes experience in their attack.
The bowlers, though, were given a boost by Mike Hussey.
Left-hander Alastair Cook (10), playing loosely away from his body to counter-poise Hilfenhaus, saw Hussey hold a brilliant diving one-handed chance in the ravine.
Ravi Bopara, hit second ball in the throat by vigorous first-change Siddle and and on the head by a Mitchell Johnson bouncer, struggled.
By contrast, England captain Andrew Strauss, looked secure time making 30. Yet it was the left-hander, not Bopara, who gloved a well-directed Johnson bouncer to Clarke in the slips.
And Bopara’s innings of 35, that followed a run of three hundreds in as many Tests, ended whereas he spooned a catch off left-arm quick Johnson to Phillip Hughes at point.
Agence France-Presse
