JOIN USAll round Ali puts England ahead
England’s Moeen Ali starred with both bat and ball on the second day of the first Ashes Test against Australia at Sophia Gardens on Thursday.
Ali scored a quickfire 77 in England’s first innings 430 — the first time in three Ashes series they had passed 400.
The off-spinner then captured the key wickets of Steven Smith and Australia captain Michael Clarke — both out in the 30s as Australia ended the day on 264 for five.
That left them 166 runs behind and with much depending on their lower order if they were to prevent England establishing a significant first-innings lead.
All-rounder Shane Watson was 29 not out and nightwatchman Nathan Lyon unbeaten on six. There was heartache for Australia opener Chris Rogers who set a new record for most successive Test fifties without a hundred when his seventh straight half-century ended on 95.
England dismissed Australia dangerman David Warner for 17 when the opener edged James Anderson and England captain Alastair Cook held a sharp catch at first slip.
Ali, however, had the last laugh after England's pacemen had struggled on a placid pitch at a sun-drenched Sophia Gardens.
An ungainly Smith got a leading edge and Cook, belying his reputation for cautious captaincy, held a catch having stationed himself in an unusual short mid-on position.
Rogers was 74 not out at tea, having joined West Indies greats Everton Weekes and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Zimbabwe's Andy Flower and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara in scoring seven Test fifties in a row.
All the other four members of the quintet had a century in their sequence of fifties and Rogers, with three Ashes hundreds behind him, came tantalisingly close.
He got away with a top-edged hook off Stuart Broad, the ball sailing over Ali's head at long leg for Rogers's first Test six.
Rogers then went to 95 when an inadvertent uppercut off Broad flew over the slips for four. But trying to cut a ball from fast bowler Mark Wood that cramped him, Rogers was caught behind. Ali struck again when he caught and bowled Clarke for 38 as he held on to a hard-hit drive.
Shortly before stumps, Australia lost Adam Voges for 31 when the Ashes debutant's loose one-handed drive off all-rounder Ben Stokes was caught by Anderson at short extra-cover.