UNB, Brisbane :
Stuart Broad took two wickets and Jimmy Anderson struck on the fourth delivery with the new ball, giving England the upper hand on day three of the Ashes cricket series opener as Australia struggled to 213-7 despite Steve Smith’s defiant innings.
England captain Joe Root set some unusual fields and had Chris Woakes and Jake Ball bowling short at Smith to try to prise his Australian counterpart out, but it was England’s Ashes veterans who exploited the conditions almost to perfection.
Smith batted through the session to remain unbeaten on 81 from 214 balls at lunch, with Pat Cummins unbeaten on 2 and Australia still 89 runs in arrears.
Australia resumed Saturday at 165-4 in reply to England’s first innings of 302, and only added 10 to the overnight total before Shaun Marsh (51) paddled a regulation slower ball from Broad (3-31) to Anderson at mid-off to break up the innings-reviving, 99-run fifth-wicket partnership.
The 34-year-old Marsh, whose recall at No. 6 attracted intense scrutiny, repaid selectors with his eighth test half century and helped Australia recover from a precarious 76-4 the previous evening.
Smith then combined with Tim Paine and took the total from 175-5 to 202 before Anderson struck in the first over with the new ball. Paine, playing his first test in seven years, got a thick edge and was well caught behind for 13.
Mitch Starc (6) drove Broad down the ground for a big six to get off the mark but was out two balls later, getting a leading edge to give a return catch to the bowler, leaving Smith to bat with the tail.
Much was made before the series about Australia’s unbeaten run at the Gabba dating back to 1988, which was two years after England last tasted victory in a test at Brisbane.
Against a confident England attack, Smith batted with guarded determination to score 17 runs in the morning session, offering just one half-chance when a short ball from Broad clipped the shoulder of his bat and his body before landing in front of the slips.
Root persisted for a while against Smith with the fields, including a 6-3 set up with nobody in front of square on the off side, but it was the new ball rather than tactical placements that brought the tourists most of the success before lunch.
