Ashes: Advantage England after Broad leads bowling attack

Captain Cook speared a drive to point off Mitchell Starc - but on 21 for one, England were 143 in front after impressive bowling from Stuart Broad especially and James Anderson had seen Australia lose their last five wickets for 44 to be bowled out for 308.

Broad and Mark Wood gave the opposition no leeway from the outset on a sunny day in Cardiff, rewarded with two lbw verdicts and only one run scored - and then Anderson (three for 43) hastened the process again with the second new ball.

Shane Watson was perhaps marginally unlucky, pushing forward at Broad and unsuccessful with DRS after Marais Erasmus had given him out - ball-tracking demonstrating a mere clip on the top of leg-stump, enough to confirm the dismissal via umpire’s call.

There was no semblance of doubt over nightwatchman Nathan Lyon’s departure, though, beaten on the crease by Wood.

It took Brad Haddin 16 balls to get off the mark, achieved on the introduction of Ben Stokes for Broad but in unconvincing fashion with a ‘pull’ for four off an inside-edge which just missed off-stump and sped past the wicketkeeper.

Haddin followed up with two more conventional boundaries in the same Stokes over, and it was no surprise that Cook recalled Broad as soon as the new ball was taken.

It was Anderson who struck, though, finding Haddin’s outside edge on the back foot and Jos Buttler taking a low catch to his right.

After Mitchell Johnson then chipped Broad tamely to midwicket, Anderson ensured the three-figure lead when he had Starc edging to third slip for a duck as Australia’s last three wickets fell for just four runs.