Chris Rogers fell five runs short of a century on Thursday against England but the Australian was happy to have made a big score after admitting to a bout of pre-match nerves.
Rogers’s 95 made him Australia’s top scorer as they reached 264 for five having seen off England’s tail in the morning to bowl out the hosts for 430.
The opener, 37, was caught behind off Mark Wood with Australia on 180 for three.
“When I woke up this morning I was nervous so I would probably have taken that 95,” Rogers told Sky Sports. “It’s always disappointing when you get so close and maybe I could have done a slightly better job for the side.”
Read more: It has been short, but it has been mostly sweet for Australia's Chris Rogers
Asked what was the cause of his nerves, Rogers said: “I don’t really start a series well so it was nice to have a good start.”
Rogers announced before the Ashes that this would be his final series, but he insisted he was not feeling any extra pressure. “I plan to really enjoy this,” he said. “Even though I was nervous, these are opportunities I’ll never get again so I’ve got to make the most of it.”
Rogers conceded that the late loss of Adam Voges, out for 31, left England on top but he said the match remained finely balanced. “I think it was an excellent day of Test cricket, with both teams going at each other pretty hard,” he said. “England might have the slight upper hand but we’ve got some good batting to come so if we can get a bit closer we’ll put the pressure on and you never know what can happen.”
For England, Moeen Ali was the hero as he made 77 to prop up the total and then took two key wickets in Steve Smith and Michael Clarke. “A couple of wickets tomorrow with the new ball and we’re right in it,” Ali said.
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