Ashes 2023 | Twitter reacts as Wood breathes fire on day one to limit damage after Marsh century

England and Australia produced riveting cricket throughout day one in Leeds to set up an enticing day of cricket on Friday where the hosts would walk in to bat 195 runs behind the visitors. The heavy cloud covering for the majority of the day alongside the covering of grass on the pitch provided plenty of movement of seamers, albeit the batters had a rapid outfield for some compensation, as the men from Down Under put 263 runs on the board after being put into bat first. In response, their rivals managed to tally 68 runs for the loss of three wickets with two local heroes Joe Root (19*) and Jonny Bairstow (1*) firmly occupying the crease.

Stuart Broad drew first blood by getting rid of David Warner in the first over of the match as the rest of Australia's famed top four failed to live up to their plaudits as well, all returning to the pavilion while Australia reeled at 85/4. However, England let slip of their opportunities to seize the day as Bairstow first dropped Travis Head early in his knock before Joe Root let go of a sitter to offer Mitchell Marsh a second lifeline. The duo ended up contributing 155 runs for the fifth wicket, the latter playing the role of aggressor with a brilliant run-a-ball 118. The all-rounder, playing his first Test in four years, struck 17 boundaries and four maximums en route to his third Test ton, all of which have come against England. Marsh eventually succumbed to Chris Woakes on the last ball before Tea which triggered a massive collapse for the Kangaroos as they lost their last six wickets for a paltry 23 runs, four of which were scalped by Mark Wood who claimed his fourth Test five-wicket haul in his first game of the series.

In response, Australian skipper Pat Cummins was on song with the new Dukes as he dismissed both Ben Duckett and Harry Brook for single-digit scores. Zak Crawley played a typically fast-paced knock of 33 to give the hosts some momentum before edging a ball off Marsh to David Warner in the slip cordon. Thereon, Bairstow and Root exercised caution, ensuring England step into Day 2 with everything to play for. 

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