In the highly-anticipated opening match of the 2019 Ashes series, it was Australia who came out on top against England, defeating their arch-rivals by 251 runs in a match that was evenly contested for four of the five days at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
Following this contest, Paul Radley provides his player ratings – no prizes for guessing how Steve Smith will have fared . For the Australia player ratings, browse through the photo gallery above, and for the England player ratings, take a look at the photo gallery below.
Rory Burns (8/10): Rode his luck as he played and missed more than 40 times in the first innings. But a maiden Test century on Ashes debut is not to be sniffed at. AFP
Jason Roy (4/10): Should really be in minus figures for charging past one when trying to save the game. Needs to get his head round Test cricket fast. Getty Images
Joe Root (5/10): Another unconverted half century in the first innings let Australia off the hook. If he’d made it big, the game could have been England’s. AFP
Joe Denly (4/10): Protected by Root leapfrogging him in the batting order, but it had little effect as Denly made 18 and 11 in the match. Getty Images
Jos Buttler (2/10): Edgbaston was thought of as England’s fortress, but Buttler must hate playing there. Innings of five and one were the latest in a poor run for him at the ground. Getty Images
Ben Stokes (7/10): The knighthood will have to wait, but he showed again why he is the darling of the Barmy Army with a fine first-innings 50 and a bowling effort full of heart. Getty Images
Jonny Bairstow (3/10): Two single-figure scores in the match, and messy with the gloves, too. It is not a new thing, either. His Test form has been a worry for some time now. Getty Images
Moeen Ali (3/10): Bowled the perfect off-break to get rid of Tim Paine in the second innings. The rest of his game? Ouch. PA Wire
Chris Woakes (7/10): It was concerning for England that Woakes showed the best aptitude of any of their batsmen on the last day, despite coming in at No 9. AFP
Stuart Broad (7/10): His place was under threat before this series, with the emergence of Jofra Archer and Sam Curran, but he showed that he is England’s Ashes talisman with a five-for. PA Wire
James Anderson (2/10): Managed just four overs with the ball, then succumbed to the calf injury that had dogged his build up to the series. It cost England badly. AFP
Updated: August 05, 2019, 6:57 PM