Daily Cricket News

Ashes, 5th Test: Watson, Khawaja consolidate

Sydney: Chris Tremlett dismissed Phil Hughes in the over before lunch on Monday to give England's attack a wicket it earned through perseverance in the opening session of the fifth Ashes cricket Test against Australia.

The Australian openers batted with determination and caution to move the total to 55 without loss going into the 30th over before Tremlett had Hughes caught at third slip by Paul Collingwood for 31 three balls before the scheduled end of the session.

Shane Watson was unbeaten on 19, with Pakistan-born Usman Khawaja set to start his first Test innings the first ball after lunch.

England has already retained the Ashes after taking an unbeatable 2-1 lead with an emphatic win in the fourth Test at Melbourne last week, but is aiming for its first Test series win in Australia since 1987.

Michael Clarke won the toss — his first as stand-in captain for injured Ricky Ponting — and decided to bat despite gloomy, overcast conditions expected to favour seam bowlers.

The England attack duly tied down the Australians for the entire session and although Tremlett troubled both openers, the bowlers weren't rewarded with any genuine chances in the first 29 overs as Hughes and Watson defended with discipline.

But just when it looked like the perfect, gritty start Clarke had urged of his lineup, Tremlett tempted Hughes with a short ball and the 22-year-old Australian feathered a head-height catch to Collingwood.

It was Hughes' highest score of the series — he was called up for the Perth Test to replace injured Simon Katich and hadn't made it past 23 in four innings.

He survived a few half chances before stroking consecutive boundaries against Tim Bresnan in the 13th over, playing and missing one delivery before driving the next to the long-on boundary and cutting the subsequent ball past point in a rare flurry of run scoring in the first hour.

Khawaja, given his debut after six months on the fringes when Ponting was ruled out due to a broken finger, will be tested early on his home turf at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The leading batsman in Australia's domestic competition in the last two seasons is one of two players making their Test debut for Australia in Sydney. Left-arm spinner Michael Beer was picked as the slow bowler despite having only seven first-class matches to his credit.