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At Old Trafford, Manchester, the Test cricket match turned out to be eventful. Despite the historical record indicating that teams choosing to bowl first had never won at Trafford, England decided to field after winning the toss, with Stokes showing confidence in the decision.
Australia had a rocky start as they lost their opener, Usman Khawaja, early in the innings, with Stuart Broad taking the wicket and reaching 599 Test wickets. He needed just one more wicket to achieve the impressive milestone of 600 Test wickets.
Later, Warner and Labuschagne stabilized the innings and built a solid partnership. However, Chris Woakes dismissed Warner, breaking their stand. Labuschagne then joined forces with Steve Smith, and they managed to build a 50-run partnership. Unfortunately, Mark Wood dismissed Steve Smith when he was on 41.
Despite getting off to promising starts, the Australian batsmen failed to capitalize on them, missing the opportunity to score big runs. Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh were the highest scorers for Australia, both reaching 51 runs. Notably, Mitchell Marsh has been in outstanding form since his return to Test cricket in the previous match.
Travis Head, who has also been in impressive form, came agonizingly close to his half-century, being dismissed on 48 runs. On the other hand, Stuart Broad achieved a significant milestone by claiming his 600th Test wicket, securing the fifth spot among the top wicket-takers, just trailing the legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble. Broad now stands a good chance to surpass Kumble’s record.
Chris Woakes bowled exceptionally well, taking four crucial wickets and putting Australia on the defensive. He dominated the Australian batsmen, dismissing Warner, Marsh, Green, and Carey, exerting immense pressure on their batting lineup.
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