In the opening Ashes Test between England and Australia, a rain-truncated Sunday at Edgbaston saw England gain a slender seven-run first-innings lead. However, Australia fought back by claiming two early wickets, setting up an intriguing fourth day of play.
The third day witnessed seven wickets falling before rain interrupted the proceedings, leaving England at 28/2 with a lead of 35 runs heading into the final two days of the Test match.
During a brief period of play between rain delays, Australia made crucial breakthroughs by dismissing both of England's openers. As play resumes on the fourth day, Joe Root and Ollie Pope will be looking to contribute to England's total, with both batsmen yet to score.
On Sunday morning, Australia resumed their innings at 311/5, aiming to build a substantial lead. However, James Anderson provided an early breakthrough for England by dismissing Alex Carey for 66, securing his first wicket of the match.
Australia's captain, Pat Cummins, and centurion Usman Khawaja then steadied the innings as England employed unconventional bowling tactics to slow down the scoring rate. Notably, an unusual field placement led to Khawaja's dismissal, bowled by Ollie Robinson for an impressive 141.
England swiftly wrapped up the Australian tail, with Robinson claiming two more wickets by dismissing Nathan Lyon (1) and Cummins (38). Stuart Broad also contributed by taking the wicket of Scott Boland, who departed without scoring.
The final five wickets fell for just 75 runs, with Robinson finishing as England's standout bowler with figures of 3-55, while Broad ended with 3-68.
In their second innings, England began steadily with openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett at the crease before rain interrupted play. However, a brief dry spell allowed a short 3.4-over session, during which Australia struck back by removing both openers. Pat Cummins took a brilliant catch in the gully to dismiss Duckett for 19, while Scott Boland accounted for Crawley, who scored 7.
Due to the rain, only 32.4 overs could be played on Sunday, depriving the fans of an enthralling day of cricket. The umpires inspected the ground multiple times as the rain subsided, but conditions did not permit a resumption of play.
Brief scores: England 393/8 decl & 28/3 in 10.3 overs (Ben Duckett 19; Pat Cummins 1-9, Scott Boland 1-1) lead Australia 386 all out in 116.1 overs (Usman Khawaja 141, Travis Head 50, Alex Carey 66; Stuart Broad 3-68, Ollie Robinson 3-55, Moeen Ali 2-147) by 35 runs.