England suffered a disastrous start in the Ashes today when Glamorgan fast bowler Simon Jones suffered a serious injury and Australia dominated after being put into bat. The hosts finished the first day at The Gabba on a massive 364 for two thanks to the amazing play of Ricky Ponting, who scored 123, and Matthew Hayden, who recorded an unbeaten 186.
England captain Nasser Hussain had won the toss but decided to put his trust in an inexperienced attack. His plan backfired however as his side suffered their worst start to an Ashes series since 1989 when Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor finished the opening day of the first Test at Trent Bridge on 301 without loss.
It was obvious from the very beginning that Hussain's tactics would fail as openers Justin Langer and Hayden built up a 67-run partnership in only 71 minutes. Jones was introduced by Hussain and he made a breakthrough when he surprised Langer with the bounce and inducing him into edging behind to wicketkeeper Alec Stewart.
However, it was all downhill from there for Jones as he fell foul of a nasty accident in the outfield only four overs after the interval. He twisted his right knee attempting to stop a Ponting on-drive race to the boundary and was carried off on a stretcher. It is believed he suffered ruptured cruciate ligament damage and will be out of action for at least six months.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
