English pacers wreck Aussies on second day

Onions, Anderson steal the show as visitors end their first knock at 263

Although conditions were not especially overcast by English standards, they offered just enough late movement for the pace bowling pair, who exploited the Australian batsmen’s unfamiliarity against the swinging ball.

Australia, who had been 126 for one overnight, collapsed in spectacular style with both Anderson (five wickets for 80 runs in 24 overs) and Onions (four for 58 in 16.4) taking their Ashes Test-best figures.

Then, after England lost opener Alastair Cook for nought, home captain Andrew Strauss, whose 161 helped propel the hosts to a 115-run second Test win at Lord’s, and Ravi Bopara took the home side to 56 for one at tea.

Left-hander Strauss was 33 not out and Bopara 23 not out.
England, who are 1-0 up in the series, enjoyed a spectacular start on Friday with Onions taking two wickets of the day’s first two balls.

Australia resumed with makeshift opener Shane Watson 62 not out and captain Ricky Ponting unbeaten on 17, needing just eight more to surpass Allan Border as his country’s leading Test run-scorer.

Watson could not add to his overnight score when he was lbw to Durham quick Onions.
Next ball Michael Hussey was bowled off-stump after the left-hander deliberately played no stroke to a ball that swung in a touch. Australia were now 126 for three and Onions, who looked decidedly unthreatening while bowling three overs for an expensive 21 runs on Thursday, was on a hat-trick.

The Edgbaston crowd cheered Onions in but new batsman Michael Clarke got out of the way of a short ball.

Meanwhile, Ponting’s three off his legs against fast bowler Andrew Flintoff saw him surpass Border’s record of 11,174 runs in 22 fewer matches than the 156 it had taken the retired former captain to compile his career total.

It also saw Ponting move up into third place in the all-time list of Test run-scorers behind Sachin Tendulkar (12,773) and Brian Lara (11,953).

But the big innings Ponting, who made a superb 150 in the drawn first Test in Cardiff, craved did not come his way on Friday.

Instead, on 38, he feathered an attempted hook off a well-directed short ball from Onions through to wicket-keeper Matthew Prior.

Anderson then, as Onions had done, struck twice in two balls. Left-hander Marcus North edged a full length ball and was brilliantly caught one-handed by a diving Prior, who took the left-handed chance from in front of Strauss at first slip.

Anderson then had Mitchell Johnson, caught on the crease, lbw. Australia’s last two wickets though added 60 runs before Onions, who had two catches dropped off his bowling, ended the innings by having Hilfenhaus caught in the gully.

Reuters

SCORE BOARD

AUSTRALIA (I Innings):

Watson lbw Onions    62
Katich lbw Swann    46
Ponting c Prior b Onions    38
Hussey b Onions    0
Clarke lbw Anderson    29
North c Prior b Anderson    12
Manou b Anderson    8
Johnson lbw Anderson    0
Hauritz (not out)    20
Siddle c Prior b Anderson    13
Hilfenhaus c Swann b Onions    20
Extras (B-5, LB-7, W-2, NB-1)    15     
Total (all out, 70.4 overs)1    263
Fall of wickets: 1-85, 2-126, 3-126, 4-163, 5-193, 6-202, 7-202, 8-203, 9-229.
Bowling: Anderson 24-7-80-5, Flintoff 15-2-58-0, Onions 16.4-2-58-4, Broad 13-2-51-0, Swann 2-0-4-1.

ENGLAND (I innings):

Strauss (batting)    33
Cook c Manou b Siddle    0
Bopara (batting)    23
Total: (for 1 wkt, 18 overs)    56
Fall of wicket: 1-2
Bowling: Hilfenhaus 5-0-23-0, Siddle 6-0-16-1, Hauritz 4-0-4-0, Johnson 3-0-13-0.