England beat Australia by 169 runs in first Ashes Test inside 4 days

London: England beat Australia by 169 runs to win the first Ashes Test at Cardiff`s Sophia Gardens on Saturday.

Australia, set what would have been a new Ashes fourth-innings record winning total of 412, were bowled out for 242 after tea as England went 1-0 up in the five-match series with more than a day to spare.

Stuart Broad led England`s attack with three for 39 as Ashes-holders Australia, who had been 97 for one, collapsed either side of lunch on the fourth day.

England made 430, with Joe Root top-scoring with 134 after being dropped on nought, before dismissing Australia for 308 to establish a first-innings lead of 122.

Their second innings 289 left Australia, who whitewashed England 5-0 on home soil during the last Ashes campaign in 2013/14, with a mammoth run chase.

No side have made more in the fourth innings to win an Ashes Test than Australia`s 404 for three at Headingley back in 1948 when Arthur Morris scored 182 and Donald Bradman, widely regarded as cricket`s greatest batsman, an unbeaten 173.

But the highest individual scores Australia, looking to win their first Ashes series in Britain in 14 years, managed on Saturday were No 8 Mitchell Johnson`s 77 and opener David Warner`s 52.

Root, appropriately, ended the match when he caught Josh Hazlewood at long-off from the bowling of off-spinner Moeen Ali.

The second Test at Lord`s starts on Thursday, with Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc struggling to be fit for that match after suffering an ankle injury in Cardiff.
Brief scores

England 430 (J Root 134, M Ali 77, G Ballance 61, B Stokes 52; M Starc 5-114, J Hazlewood 3-83) and 289 (I Bell 60, J Root 60; N Lyon 4-75)
Australia 308 (C Rogers 95; J Anderson 3-43) and 242 (M Johnson 77, D Warner 52; S Broad 3-39, M Ali 3-59)
Result: England won by 169 runs

Series: England lead five-match series 1-0.

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