ASHES PLAYER RATINGS: Anderson was not at his best while Khawaja held together Australia’s batting

Australia narrowly edged the first Ashes Test by two wickets after Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon saw them home on a thrilling final day of action at Edgbaston.

Beginning the day on 107-3 chasing 281 to win, play eventually got underway at 2:20PM after the morning was washed out due to rain.

You couldn’t afford to take your eyes away from the action throughout as England and Australia continually traded blows.

It looked as if Ben Stokes‘s side would emerge victorious when they had the visitors, 227-8, requiring another 54 to win, but an inspired unbroken ninth wicket partnership between Cummins and Lyon meant it was first blood to the Aussies.

Below, Mail Sport’s Lawrence Booth examines how each player got on at Edgbaston. 

Australia won the first Test in thrilling fashion as they edged home by two wickets at Edgbaston

It was a cruel end for England after what had been a captivating five days of Ashes cricket

ENGLAND 

Zak Crawley 7

Instant history with his first-ball four, and went on to a fluent 61 in his first home Ashes innings. Got a good one from Boland in the second innings in the trickiest batting conditions in the match.

Ben Duckett 4

Famously leaves little outside off stump, which twice proved his undoing. Might have been a bit more circumspect in the second innings, when dark clouds seemed to demand caution.

Ollie Pope 5.5 

Got out to a nothing ball from Lyon in the first innings, but could do little about Cummins’s inswinging yorker in the second. Averages 14 in his four Ashes Tests.

Joe Root 9

Imperious in the first innings, impish in the second – not least when he tried to reverse-ramp Cummins’s first ball of the fourth day. Stumped for the first time in his 131 Tests, which suggests the wrong choice of shot to Lyon. Stepped up with ball as Ali faltered.

 Harry Brook 6.5

Looked classy in both innings, but 32 and 46 left plenty of runs in the middle. His first-innings dismissal was mainly unlucky, and partly dozy – he should have covered his stumps as the ball ballooned out of his eyeline.

Joe Root was at his brilliant best with the bat and stepped up with the ball when needed

Stuart Broad remains a magnificent competitor and accounted for Marnus Labuschagne twice

Ben Stokes 7

You’ve got to hand it to him: he won’t settle for a dull Test. The debate will continue to rage about his first-evening declaration, but had he caught Lyon in spectacular fashion with Australia still 37 short, he might have been hailed as a genius. Two big wickets, and a handy 43.

Jonny Bairstow 7

Made a crucial, innings-shaping 78 on the first day, then held a beauty to dismiss Labuschagne for a duck. But he was scrappy behind the stumps, reviving the old argument about him and Ben Foakes. Still feeling his way back after injury.

Moeen Ali 5.5

Dismissed Head twice and bowled Green with a beauty, but struggled throughout with a finger blister that ensured a regular supply of buffet balls. Cameos of 18 and 19 for old time’s sake.

Ollie Robinson 7.5

Made a quiet start, but burst into life with his expletive-laden dismissal of Khawaja, and was one of Stokes’s go-to bowlers on the agonising final afternoon. Useful runs too, but may regret saying Australia had three No 11s.

Stuart Broad 8

Said he’d been working on an awayswinger for Labuschagne and Smith, then removed them in three innings out of four. Things might have been different had he not bowled Khawaja with a no-ball in the first innings, but he remains a magnificent competitor.

James Anderson 5

Not at his best, by his own admission: just one wicket in 38 overs, even if he should have had Khawaja in the first over of Australia’s chase. England will need to monitor his fitness in the weeks ahead.

But Jimmy Anderson struggled as he took just one wicket in 38 overs across the match

Moeen Ali also faltered as he was hampered by a finger blister on his return to Test cricket

AUSTRALIA 

Usman Khawaja 9.5

Deserved to be on the winning side after holding together both Australian innings, facing 518 balls in all and spending 13 hours 40 minutes at the crease. Also did a touching press conference with his small daughter on his lap.

David Warner 6

Began in familiar fashion by falling to Broad for the 15th time in Tests, but gave Australia’s chase of 281 a decent start, before being caught behind off Robinson for 36.

Marnus Labuschagne 2

Undone twice by his desire to feel bat on ball, and by Broad’s pre-series plan to get him with the outswinger. That’s one century in 31 Test innings outside Australia for the world’s No 1 batsman, compared with nine from 37 innings at home.

Steve Smith 3

Cut a frustrated figure throughout the Test, whether it was disagreeing with Hawk-Eye’s interpretation of his first-innings lbw, or fiddling constantly with Australia’s fields – despite Cummins being captain. Round one to England.

Usman Khawja was brilliant at the top of the order as he held Australia’s batting together

But it was a tough Test for Labuschagne who continues to struggle outside of Australia

Travis Head 7

Changed the momentum of Australia’s first innings with a Bazball-style 50, but looked jumpy on the final afternoon, when he fell to Ali for the second time in the game.

Cameron Green 6.5

Lucky not to be stumped for a first-innings duck, but ended up playing two important innings. His other main contribution was not with the ball (he bowled only eight overs), but in the field, brilliantly catching Duckett in the gully.

Alex Carey 7.5

Kept impeccably, equalling the Ashes record with nine dismissals in a match, and twice batted adventurously for 66 and 20, even if he rode his luck both times.

Pat Cummins 9

Had to contend with jibes about negative captaincy on the first day, but responded with two crucial knocks either side of four second-innings wickets. His last-day nerves helped his country to one of their most famous wins.

Nathan Lyon 8.5

Kept his head under fire to collect nine wickets, including three stumpings, and move within four of 500 in Tests. Was called a “s*** Moeen Ali” by the Hollies Stand, then came out and helped Cummins knock off the runs.

Pat Cummins was superb as he helped guide his side to one of their most famous ever wins

Nathan Lyon was brilliant with the ball and then came out to help Cummins knock off the runs

Scott Boland 5

Picked ahead of Mitchell Starc partly because of his greater accuracy, he disappeared for 5.65 an over – easily the most expensive of his nine Tests. Only looked consistently dangerous when the clouds rolled in on the third afternoon. A decent hand as nightwatchman.

Josh Hazlewood 5.5

A touch rusty in only his fifth Test in two injury-hit years, and went at 4.36 an over all told – the most expensive match of his 60-Test career. But he scored an early victory over Duckett, and removed Stokes cheaply on the first day.