ENG vs AUS, 1st Ashes Test, Day 3: Australia Captain Pat Cummins Rocks England

Australia captain Pat Cummins starred with both bat and ball as the Ashes-holders had the better of a rain-marred third day in the first Test against England in Birmingham on Sunday. The lower-order batsman made a useful 38 in a total of 386 that left Australia just seven runs behind on first innings. And the fast bowler then dismissed Ben Duckett before England also lost their other opener, Zak Crawley, in a dramatic 20-minutes' play between the showers. England were 28-2 in their second innings, a lead of just 35 runs, at stumps after a huge downpour at 1450 GMT had sent the players from the field.

They had made steady progress when an initial rain delay stopped play for an hour-and-a-quarter.

But after the match resumed in overcast skies, with the Edgbaston floodlights piercing the gloom, conditions were now hugely in favour of World Test champions Australia's pace attack.

And they made the most of a brief 22-ball session by taking two wickets for no runs as England slumped from 27-0 to 27-2.

Cummins led the way, with Duckett edging the 30-year-old low to all-rounder Cameron Green, who dived forward to hold his latest excellent catch in the gully.

Three balls later, Scott Boland had Crawley caught behind off a superb full-length delivery that angled in and straightened to take the edge.

Ollie Pope and star batsman Joe Root, whose unbeaten 118 was the cornerstone of England's first-innings 393-8 declared, were both yet to get off the mark when the umpires finally abandoned play for the day at 1713 GMT.

Khawaja's epic innings

Earlier, England finally saw the back of Usman Khawaja but only after his painstaking 141 had effectively turned the first of a five-match series into a one-innings showdown.

Australia, bidding