England surrendered on the final day of the first Ashes Test, giving Australia a crushing 251-run win and a 1-0 lead in the series.
Needing to bat out the day to earn a draw - chasing 398 to win was never in the offing - England at one stage lost six wickets for 37 runs on the way to being bowled out for 146 at Edgbaston.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon took advantage of the worn pitch to claim 6-49, while paceman Pat Cummins picked up 4-32 as the tourists surged to victory just before tea.
It puts them ahead in an Ashes series in the UK for the first time in 14 years.
England can rightly point to the fact they have been without pace bowler James Anderson for almost the whole game – he pulled up with a recurrence of a calf injury after bowling only four overs on the first morning.
However, the wisdom of selecting Anderson in the first place can be questioned, while the hosts will also rue a collapse of 4-18 on the third morning, some curious tactics on the fourth day and an awful shot by Jason Roy that began the final-day slump from 60-1.
In truth, though, this match will be remembered for the brilliance of Australia batsman Steve Smith, whose twin centuries rescued his side from 122-8 in the first innings and again from a deficit of 15 runs when three wickets were down in the second.
While there was turn on offer for Lyon, an otherwise dead surface should have given England the opportunity to put up a better fight than they did in front of the final-day crowd in excess of 10,000.
That they were bowled out so meekly says much about the potency of the Australian attack, but also the tendency of England's batting to fall in a heap.
After Rory Burns gloved a Cummins lifter to point, Roy and Joe Root were comfortable in a stand of 41, even if Root twice used the review system to reverse decisions made by umpire Joel Wilson – the seventh and eighth time that the West Indian had seen his calls overturned in the match.
After Roy was bowled, the skittish Joe Denly was caught at short leg and when Root went the same way, England's fate seemed sealed before lunch.
Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes offered no resistance and even though the crowd sang for the shots of Chris Woakes, the last three wickets fell for 10 runs.
Taking Anderson's injury, England's collapses and Australia's excellent final-day bowling into account, there still remains one overriding reason for the result of this match; the immovable Smith.
From 17-2 in the first innings and 27-2 in the second, his fidgeting, flamboyant leaves and nudges off the pads for scores of 144 and 142 sucked the life from England – all this while dealing with constant taunting from the Edgbaston crowd in his first Test after being banned for the ball-tampering saga.
He has slipped back into the form that brought him 687 runs in Australia's 4-0 win in 2017-18 and, if he continues, it seems hard to imagine anything other than the urn returning down under.
Smith set up the final-day push for victory, allowing Lyon to expertly exploit the conditions with accuracy, bounce and sharp turn, backed up by the hostility of Cummins.
Yes, openers David Warner and Cameron Bancroft failed in both innings, but Matthew Wade got a century in a middle order where the rest all made contributions, questions over captain Tim Paine's place have eased and there is still the pace of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in reserve.
It is early in the series, but Australia are well-placed for a first away Ashes win since 2001 and have earned 24 points in the new International Cricket Council Test Championship.
Little more than three weeks on from a glorious day at Lord's, England are facing tough decisions over some of the players that won them the World Cup.
Off-spinner Moeen Ali bowled desperately poorly in this match and is averaging only 15 with the bat in his last 12 Tests. He will come under pressure from Jack Leach.
Similarly, wicketkeeper Bairstow has made four consecutive single-figure scores and could lose his place to Ben Foakes or an all-rounder if England opt to give the gloves to Buttler.
On top of that, the loss of Anderson, England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker, is an immeasurable blow, even if the fiery Jofra Archer is waiting in the wings to make his debut.
And, while opener Burns made a maiden Test century at Edgbaston, there are questions over whether Denly is worth his place at number four.
England must find answers for the second Test, because another defeat would almost certainly put the Ashes beyond reach.

Luckless West Indies conceded their three-match series to India at Fort Lauderdale on Sunday after thunderstorms stalled an already stuttering run chase, leaving them with a 22-run defeat under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.
In pursuit of 168 for victory at the Central Broward County Stadium, lightning and rain sent players from the field at 1:40 pm with the Caribbean side on 98 for four in the 16th over, still requiring 70 runs to win from 27 balls.
However, the rain never relented and when the contest was called off 45 minutes later, West Indies were well short of the par score of 122.
The defeat followed their four-wicket loss in Saturday’s opener as they will now head into the final T20 International on Tuesday in Guyana (*see end of article for update) trying to avoid yet another whitewash to the Indians.
Hoping to level the series, West Indies were set back early when they lost both openers with eight runs on the board after three overs.
Left-hander Evin Lewis was brilliantly caught and bowled by seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar without scoring – his second “duck” in as many days – while Sunil Narine, promoted to open in place of John Campbell, missed a heave and was bowled by off-spinner Washington Sundar for four.
All-rounder Rovman Powell then stepped up to stroke a top score of 54 – his second T20 International half-century and second in four outings – as he repaired the damage in a 76-run, third wicket partnership with left-hander Nicholas Pooran (19).
Powell faced 34 balls and lashed half-dozen fours and three sixes while Pooran uncharacteristically struggled, requiring a whopping 34 balls for his knock and hitting just one four.
With the required run rate having climbed to beyond 12 runs per over, Pooran caved in to the pressure and holed out in the deep off left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya (2-23) – Manish Pandey on the ropes pulling off the now familiar toss-up catch.
And three balls later in the same over with just a run added, Powell, who had notched his half-century off 30 balls in the 13th over, was trapped lbw by one that pitched and straightened.
By then, the required run rate had climbed to over 13 runs per over leaving the Windies with a mammoth task and Kieron Pollard (8 not out) and Shimron Hetmyer (6 not out) were only just getting settled when the weather ended the contest prematurely.
Opener Rohit Sharma had earlier stroked 67 off 51 deliveries as India, opting to bat first, got up to 167 for five off their 20 overs. Captain Virat Kohli chipped in with 28 and opener Shikhar Dhawan, 23, two innings that helped India to a competitive score on a pitch where free-scoring was difficult.
Rohit struck six fours and three sixes, posting 67 for the first wicket with Dhawan who counted three fours in a 16-ball knock before missing a swing at seamer Keemo Paul and having his stumps rattled in the eighth over.
Rohit found an ally in Kohli to add a further 48 for the second over as India reached 77 without further loss at the half-way stage, and then passed triple figures at the start of the 13th over when Rohit cleared the ropes with captain and seamer Carlos Brathwaite.
Fast bowler Oshane Thomas (2-27) broke the stand when he had Rohit caught by Hetmyer running back at cover in the next over and Rishabh Pant lasted just five balls for his four before also falling to Thomas in the 16th over, taken by Pollard on the third man boundary.
India’s momentum was further stalled when Kohli lost his middle stump to left-arm quick Sheldon Cottrell (2-25) but Pandya, who finished on 20 not out, then belted two of three sixes in the last over from Paul which cost 20 runs, to give the visitors strong finish.
*UPDATE: Virat Kohli (59) and Rishabh Pant (65*) scored half centuries as India defeated West Indies in the third T20I to complete a 3-0 series whitewash. Kieron Pollard scored another fifty as WI posted 146/6 after India opted to field. Deepak Chahar struck thrice, Rahul Chahar took one and Navneet Saini took the wickets of Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard as India replied with 150/3 with 5 balls remaining.

By Romeo Kaseram

Alvin Isaac Kallicharran was born on March 21, 1949 at Paidama, Berbice, Guyana. While visiting India on his 70th birthday, Kallicharran recalled his early boyhood years while speaking with N. Ram, chairman of The Hindu Publishing Group, revealing his early years were spent in poverty with 11 siblings, and as many as 20 people living in a tiny house. He recalled being unable to buy cricket equipment, saying: “I would cut a piece of wood and use it as a bat. Then I would make a wooden ball and roll rubber bands over it. I would tie the ball to a tree and then practise all my shots.” Additionally, “When in school, I used to come home at night after playing and find no food. Then I would do menial labour to earn money to buy hot food.”
Yet Kallicharran thrived despite the indigence, his talent and aptitude emerging with ongoing refinement on the field, which opened up the way for his successful cricketing future. Thus, at the youthful age of 17, Kallicharran was already at the helm, selected as captain of the Guyana U-19 team in 1966. In March 1967 he played his maiden first-class game for Guyana against Windwards, in what was then the Shell Shield competition. With both talent and prolificity blossoming, four years later, in 1971, he made it into the Warwickshire Second XI.
In April 1972 Kallicharran made the pick for Test cricket, announcing the start of a promising professional career by scoring an unbeaten 100 in his debut against New Zealand in front of a home crowd at Georgetown. In the second Test match, which was played at the Oval in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, Kallicharran scored another century, this time 101 runs.
His One Day International debut in Leeds in September 1973 was not as stellar as the Test century opener, scoring 26 off 68 deliveries. However, he wrapped up the following ODI at Kennington Oval after Roy Fredericks put down the foundation with 105 runs, scoring an unbeaten 53 to lead West Indies to an 8-wicket victory.
Much is made of Kallicharran’s diminutive presence at the wicket. Mile Selvey, writing in ESPNcricinfo, tells us Kallicharran was “[proof] positive that small can be beautiful in Test cricket. He had poise, balance, orthodoxy, a full range of strokes off either foot, and a bat that because of its size relative to him, appeared far too large to a generation of hapless bowlers”.
Also, Suraj Choudhari, writing in the website CricketSoccer, presents a picture of poise, dominance, and fluidity, saying: “Despite his short stature, Kallicharran had the elegance, the charm and almost every stroke in his armory. His balance was just perfect and was equally equipped against any kind of attack. He rendered batting a joy to behold; the southpaw won thousands of hearts with his graceful stroke-play and was a vital cog in the side during his playing days.”
Among the more memorable moments in Kallicharran’s Test career are two events that are folkloric in West Indian cricket. One is the slender Kallicharran punishing a thundering goliath, the Australian fast bowler, Dennis Lillee, scoring 35 runs off ten deliveries. Choudhari recounts the encounter during the 1975 ODI game at the Oval, noting the partnership between Kallicharran and Fredericks added 124 runs.
However, it was Kallicharran who was “the wrecker-in-chief in this partnership, scoring 78 off 83 deliveries with the help of 14 boundaries and a solitary six”. Says Choudhari: “[What] made this innings memorable was [Kallicharran’s] onslaught on Lillee. He went berserk and scored 35 runs off the last 10 deliveries bowled to him by Lillee. He scored 4,4,4,4,4,1,4,6 and a 4 in an era, where the balance between bat and ball was equal. It’s never easy to smash a bowler like Lillee in the manner Kallicharran did, it requires courage and most importantly, the mentality.”
Commenting on the stunning punishment Kallicharran meted out on that day, Cricket Country notes: “Never before and never since the legendary Lillee was treated by any batsman in world cricket the way [Kallicharran] did that day… All this while, we had only heard of Lillee spelling destruction for the opposition batsmen, but the roles were reversed… Kallicharran’s pyrotechnics was part of an exhilarating 124-run second-wicket stand with… Fredericks which ensured that only the winning formalities were to be completed when his destructive 83-ball 78 – punctuated with 14 fours and one six – came to an end.”
The other historic episode involved a fatigued and inattentive Kallicharran leaving the pitch at the end of the day. As Choudhari recalls, “One of Kallicharran’s finest innings came against England at Port-of-Spain in 1973-74, where he scored an inspiring 158. However, at the end of the first day, Kallicharran was batting on 142, when his partner Bernard Julien played out the last ball towards Tony Greig at point. The southpaw walked down towards the pavilion without returning to the crease. Greig was aware of this and threw the ball towards the non-striker’s end to have Kallicharran run out. Umpire Douglas Sang Hue ruled him out but Kallicharran was given a new life the next morning when tension started mounting on the tour.”
While Kallicharran’s career was notable for his ascendancy with the bat, along with his right arm off-breaks, it was also marked by controversy. One episode involved him leading an unofficial rebel tour to South Africa in defiance of the Gleneagles Agreement. According to this agreement, Commonwealth Presidents and Prime Ministers were to discourage contact and competition with sporting organisations engaging with apartheid South Africa.
However, Kallicharran also rose in the leadership ranks, and was West Indies captain from 1977-1978. His promising career ended prematurely, with final Test Match and ODI appearances in 1981 with the latter part of professional play spent in domestic cricket with the Orange Free State and Transvaal in South Africa. According to Wikipedia, among his career highlights are Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1973), and a team member when West Indies won the 1975 and 1979 Cricket World Cup trophies. Highest score was 187 against India in the 1978-79 tour, and 206 while playing against minor county Oxfordshire in the 1984 One Day Natwest Trophy. He played 66 Tests, with an average of 44.43, with 21 half-centuries, and 12 centuries coming off his bat.
Kallicharran received the British Empire Medal in the 2019 New Year's Honours List for services to cricket and charity. He lives in Northolt, England, and coaches youths across the country on the finer points of the game.

Dale Steyn, the legendary South African pacer, has announced his retirement from Test cricket. The 36-year-old said that he made the decision to prolong his career. Steyn, though, will continue to be on a national contract in white-ball cricket and therefore is available to play for South Africa in One-Day and T20 Internationals.
In his retirement statement, the fast bowler spoke highly of Test cricket, confessing how he found it to be the "best version of the game".
"Today I walk away from a format of the game I love so much. In my opinion Test cricket is the best version of this game," Steyn said. "It tests you mentally, physically, emotionally. It's terrible to consider never playing another Test again but what's more terrifying is the thought of never playing again at all. So I will be focusing on ODIs and T20s for the rest of my career to maximise my full potential and ensure my longevity in this sport. I'd like to thank everyone in cricket, no one specific, because everyone has been a part of my journey. And I look forward to continuing to play for the Proteas in the shorter formats," he added.
The great South African paceman has been laid low by a spate of injuries in recent times. In December 2015, he injured his shoulder in the Durban Test versus England and was ruled out of the rest of the rubber. Dr Steve Roche conducted the surgery to re-attach his coracaid. Unfortunately, for Steyn, he again injured the coracaid process - which in turn helps to articulate the tip of the upper arm (called the humerus) and the collar bone - during the Perth Test in 2016. Steyn returned for the Test series against India in 2018, but only to sustain a "freakish" foot injury.
He made a successful comeback to the Test arena during the 2018-19, playing against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. However, he suffered another shoulder problem during the IPL 2019 and subsequently, couldn't play in the World Cup due to the injury.
Steyn made his Test debut way back in December 2004 against England at Port Elizabeth, found his way into the Test side on the back of a fine show in the 2004-05 domestic season, which included a five-wicket haul against Warriors in October. On his Test debut, Steyn showed promise by bagging the scalps of both Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan.
Steyn ends his Test career as South Africa's highest wicket-taker with 439 scalps at an average of just 22.95. He picked up a rich haul of 26 five-fors, including game-changing spells on subcontinental wickets of Karachi, Nagpur and Galle. He was also instrumental in helping South Africa post a historic Test series win in Australia in 2008-09 by picking up a 10-wicket haul in the match and also a crucial fifty in the MCG Test.
His best bowling figures for a match came in the Wanderers Test versus Pakistan in February 2013 when he bagged 11 wickets for just 60 runs. He also has the fifth best strike rate among retired cricketers in Test cricket (qualification: 2000 balls), behind George Lohmann, JJ Ferris, Shane Bond and Sydney Barnes.

Brendon McCullum announced his retirement from all forms of cricket and confirmed he will no longer be part of the Global T20 League and the Euro T20 Slam. The former New Zealand captain, who retired from international cricket in 2016, will call it quits after Toronto Nationals' final league game against Montreal Tigers.
"It is with great pride and satisfaction that I am today announcing my retirement from all cricket," he said on Monday (August 5). "I now won't be playing in the Euro T20 Slam and I thank the organisers for their support and understanding.
"As much as I am proud of what I've achieved in my 20-year professional career - more than ever I could have dreamt of when I first entered the game - I have felt the drive to keep going harder to maintain in recent months. My style of cricket has been full of noise, full throttle. From Culling Park to Lord's and everything in between, there have been some wonderful memories. Unfortunately, the sacrifices needed and commitment required to play that kind of cricket have now become too great. I owe it to myself and the teams I represent to close that chapter rather than just plough on regardless of what I know to be true."
In February this year, McCullum had called time on his Big Bash career and stressed he's looking forward to transitioning into a coaching role. "The next chapter, both in media and coaching, will challenge me further," McCullum said. "I am sad to leave playing the game I love behind, but I am excited about what the future holds. It's been one hell of a ride but I've always maintained that all good things must come to an end."
McCullum, at the point of this being written, featured in 370 T20 matches - scoring 9922 runs at a strike rate of 136.49. He played 101 Tests, 260 ODIs and 71 T20Is and was instrumental in turning New Zealand into a world-beating side.

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