Cummins the hero as Australia edge England in Ashes thriller

BIRMINGHAM, England : Australia captain Pat Cummins sealed a remarkable two-wicket victory for his side over England in a thrilling climax to a gripping five-day battle in the opening Ashes test on Tuesday.

The visitors, set a 281 victory target, began a rain-delayed day on 107 for three but their chances looked to be slipping away when they were reduced to 227-8.

But Cummins, in partnership with Nathan Lyon, launched a fightback and secured victory with an unbeaten 44.

In suffocating tension and with every ball like a mini-drama, Cummins struck the final boundary thanks to a fumble by Harry Brook to give his side a 1-0 lead in the series.

Unflappable Australia opening batsman Usman Khawaja had earlier kept his team on course for victory with a gritty innings to edge the visitors towards the target.

But in a barn-storming match full of momentum shifts, the pendulum swung England's way when Khawaja was bowled by England skipper Ben Stokes for 65.

When Joe Root held a caught and bowled chance to remove Alex Carey, England seemed to be close to victory. But Cummins refused to buckle, hitting Root's off-spin for two sixes in one over as England delayed taking the new ball.

Australia's ninth-wicket partnership was worth 55 runs from 72 balls with Lyon chipping in with 16.

"I honestly felt pretty good when I came to the wicket because the pitch didn't have any demons in it," Cummins said.

"Both teams spoke a lot about playing your own style. And that's the beauty of this series. Two contrasting styles, playing to our strengths and that made for great entertainment."

England's 'Bazball' style, full of funky field placings, inventive strokes and Twenty20-like scoring rates, had seen them in the driving seat for much of the match.

But