Ashes T1 Lunch: England Struggle After Sedate Start

Australia were the team breathing easy at the lunch break on the first day of the first Test at Cardiff as England slumped into a problem.
England’s sedate start and the subsequent silence was broken only by the wicket of Alastair Cook, caught by Mike Hussey in the gully off Ben Hilfenhaus with England’s score on twenty-one. The other England opener, Ravi Bopara, and England captain, Andrew Strauss, were put through the short ball stress and just when it appeared they saw off the danger with just about a half hour to go before lunch, Strauss fell to Mitchell Johnson, the top edge off the bouncer costing the captain his wicket.

Seventy-six for two turned into ninety for three as Bopara was foxed by a slower delivery from Johnson. Now it was up to Kevin Pietersen to stand tall and the crisis man Paul Collingwood keeping him company till lunch. Clearly Australia would feel they have a hold on the match with England in a precarious position at ninety-seven for three, and virtually no momentum to count on, simply a game of survival that England flattered to deceive but could not pull off.

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