Australia cruise to 1-0 Ashes lead

Australia openers David Warner and Cameron Bancroft have cruised to a 10-wicket win on the fifth morning of the opening Magellan Ashes Test to claim a 1-0 series lead.

Bancroft, on his Test debut, hit the winning runs to finish 82 not out, while David Warner was punishing on England's bowlers in reaching 87.

Warner had quickly moved to 63 on the fifth morning, a poignant number on the third anniversary of the death of Australia Test batsman Phillip Hughes. Warner paused to look at the sky, and the Australians wore black armbands in commemeration.

There was scandal overnight as reports emerged of an altercation between England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow and Bancroft in a Perth bar four weeks ago. It is understood the incident was minor, but has still made headlines to provide a further complication for England on the brink of falling behind in the five Test series. 

Australia had begun the final day a mere 56 runs away from victory after England's batting order faded for the second time in three days, and Australia's win saw their imposing unbeaten record at the Gabba stretch into a 30th year.

Chasing 170 to win on a moribund surface that has been easier to tame the older the ball becomes, Australia's openers eased through a potentially hazardous 34-over period to close out an enthralling and at times controversial fourth day.

Australia's brand new opening partnership were cautious early in their innings before increasing the tempo late in the day, hitting 12 boundaries and a six between them as debutant Bancroft celebrated his maiden Test fifty.

With Australia claiming a 1-0 series lead, England would now need to replicate the heroics of their legendary 2005 side, the last time a team lifted the Ashes urn having lost the opening match of the series.

And with just four days until the start of the day-night clash in Adelaide on Saturday, it's the double capitulation of England's lower order that will be chief amongst their concerns.

Having taken the final six England wickets to fall on Friday for just 56 runs, the Australians claimed the last four today for just 10 in a little more than three overs as their pre-series pledge to bounce out the tail came to fruition.

That combined with the career-best form of Nathan Lyon, who picked up his 50th wicket of the calendar year today, and the ease with which Warner and Bancroft batted late in the day means the Aussies will, barring an unexpected twist on Monday, take plenty of momentum and confidence along with the series lead to Adelaide later this week.

England's collapse in the second session came after skipper Joe Root and opener Mark Stoneman, their two overnight batsmen, had earlier pushed their defiant partnership towards 50 as a lacklustre start from Australia's quicks and the increasingly older ball made survival seem far more probable than it had been on a fiery third evening.

It fell to Australia's chief pre-series provocateur, spinner Lyon (3-67), to provide the breakthrough. The threat of a delivery going on with the arm from around the wicket enticed the left-handed Stoneman (27) into an uncertain push outside off stump and a thick edge was well held by Steve Smith at first slip.

Captain and spinner then combined for a near carbon copy dismissal just six overs later, with Dawid Malan edging a straighter delivery into Smith's waiting hands to end the Ashes debutant's innings on 4.

But the most telling blow came moments before lunch when Josh Hazlewood (3-46) claimed the potentially match-sealing wicket of Root.

A ball after England's skipper passed 50 for the 46th time in Tests, and discussion began that there would be no better time than now for him to improve his historically poor conversion rate, Hazlewood jagged one back into the right-hander's pads, trapping him so adjacent with the woodwork that he didn't even opt to use one of England's two available reviews.

Apart from the contribution of the respective lower orders, the difference in this Test, and between the world's No.1 and No.2 Test batsmen, can be laid bare by the ability of Smith and Root to convert 50s into 100s. Smith's unbeaten 141 in Australia's first innings was his 21st Test ton to go with 21 half-centuries, while Root's score of 51 on Sunday was his 33rd fifty to go with 13 hundreds.

But England's skipper wasn't the only touring batsman to be mesmerised by the incisive bowling of Lyon from one end and the Gatling gun of Australia's dangerous three quicks from the other.

A 42-run stand between Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow pushed England's lead past 100 before Tim Paine justified his recall with an opportunistic stumping of Moeen, whose back foot, after countless video replays, was deemed to be on but not behind a generously painted crease line at the Vulture Street End.

And with England's lower order set up by Hazlewood and Lyon, Mitchell Starc (3-51) returned to knock them down.

Despite showing signs of a sore right ankle, the left-armer dug deep late in his spell to remove Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow and Stuart Broad in the space of just 10 deliveries, the former two dismissals coming from short balls and the latter to a contentious – but ultimately correct – caught behind decision.

Another short delivery, this time from Pat Cummins (1-23), in the next over ended the innings on 195, leaving just 170 runs between the Australians and a valuable 1-0 series lead.

Which, barring a batting calamity on Monday morning, they will take with them to Adelaide.

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers.

England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.

First Test Australia won by 10 wickets. Scorecard

Second Test Adelaide Oval, December 2-6 (Day-Night). Tickets

Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Tickets

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Tickets

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21