Published: Jul 12, 2013, 02:58 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 12, 2013, 02:58 PM (IST)
Kevin Pietersen was unbeaten on 35 on Day Three © Getty Images
Jul 12, 2013
England ended Day Two of the first Ashes Test against Australia at 80 for two at Trent Bridge on Thursday after Ashton Agar stole the limelight with a record breaking 98 to give the visitors 65 runs lead in the first innings.
Agar played like a seasoned pro and made proficient use of a consistent line of short-pitched bowling from the Englishmen, Steven Finn in particular. The cover-drives were Lara-esque and the pulls would have pleased Matthew Hayden. Agar notched his half-century — the first ever by a No 11 on debut — at a run-a-ball and then brought the scores level with a couple of glorious boundaries off Graeme Swann. It wasn’t the only record wiped off by the teenager, as he soon went past Glenn McGrath’s 61 which was the previous best by an Aussie No 11.
England will start Day Three with 15 runs lead over Australia and would hope that skipper Alastair Cook and star batsman Kevin Pietersen would build on their unbeaten 69-run partnership.
Brief scores:
England 215 and 80 for 2 (Alastair Cook 37*, Kevin Pietersen 35*; Mitchell Starc 2 for 15) lead Australia 280 (Ashton Agar 98, Phil Hughes 81*; James Anderson 5 for 85) by 15 runs.
Catch our live blog of the first Ashes Test between England and Australia here
