Australia pacer Pat Cummins bowled a top-quality yorker to get rid of England batter Ollie Pope during the side’s second innings in the first Ashes Test. Coming over the wicket, Cummins bowled a 139 kmph delivery and rattled the stumps of Pope. The ball went past Pope as he failed to drag his bat down in time. The wicket duly put Australia on top as England were reduced to 77 for 3 with Joe Root being joined by new batter Harry Brook.

Watch the dismissal here:

The perfect yorker

Pat Cummins at his sizzling best #SonySportsNetwork #TheAshes #ENGvAUS #RivalsForever pic.twitter.com/E6EIHQBI2u

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 19, 2023

On Day 4, Stuart Broad took two late wickets on Monday to pile pressure on Australia as the opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston headed for a dramatic finish.

Australia were making steady progress at 78-1 in pursuit of a victory target of 281 when veteran paceman Broad removed both Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith — the world’s two top-ranked Test batsmen — to leave the Ashes holders 89-3.

At stumps, the world Test champions were 107-3, still needing a further 174 runs to win on Tuesday’s final day.

But Usman Khawaja, who ended his decade-long wait for an Ashes hundred in England with 141 in Australia’s first-innings 386, was still there on 34 not out.

The left-handed opener is now set to become only the second Australian, after Kim Hughes against England at Lord’s in 1980, to bat on all five days of a Test.

Broad said he was optimistic conditions on Tuesday would favour England’s quicks.

“I think there is supposed to be a bit of cloud around tomorrow,” he told Sky Sports. “We saw how much it zipped around when there was the cloud the other day.”

Broad, who has taken 2-28 in nine overs, added: “We feel pretty confident we can go and get seven (more) wickets.”

Khawaja should have been out to just the fifth ball of the innings when he edged James Anderson but neither wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow or first slip Joe Root moved for the catch.

With AFP inputs