"Ice in his veins": Stunning result in First Ashes Test
Australia has emerged victorious in the first Ashes Test, with captain Pat Cummins chasing down 281 with just two wickets left inside the final five overs on the last day at Edgbaston.
Cummins scored an unbeaten 44 as he and Nathan Lyon (16) put on 55 for the ninth wicket to bag the win — a thrilling reversal of Australia’s famous two-run loss at the same ground in 2005.
The captain and Lyon hit occasional boundaries, wearing several short balls on the body before Cummins got a thick edge to third man off Robinson and Harry Brook’s fumble on the boundary saw Aussie fans and players erupt in raptures — reigning in a 1-0 lead in the series.
"Ice in his veins," England great Michael Atherton said in commentary when Cummins' boundary sealed the result.
"Pat Cummins has led his side to a famous victory here at Edgbaston.
"Seventy-two they needed when he came to the crease and he has got his team over the line.”
Aussie cricket legend Ricky Ponting was astounded.
"What an end to a Test match, what a game of cricket," the former captain said.
Needing 174 runs to win at the start of the day, in-form opener Usman Khawaja laid a platform for the late charge with 65 off 197 balls, before being bowled late in the day.
He admitted he was “Sh****ng [himself]” as he watched the rest of the brutal run chase from the sheds.
Despite being confined to a knee brace, Ben Strokes brought himself on to bowl and claimed the wicket of the eventual man of the match, Usman Khawaja.
As the Aussie dressing room spiralled into a frenzy, an elated Cummins raced over to Lyon at the opposite end of the wicket and lifted his batting partner off the ground.
The pair were then seen in a triumphant embrace as ecstatic Aussies in the Birmingham crowd celebrated the incredible result.
The victory — initially appearing highly unlikely when Lyon joined Cummins with the visitors needing 54 runs to win — made for Australia’s highest successful run chase against England since 1948.
Image credit: Getty