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[Watch] Steve Smith's superb catch ends Harry Brook's counter-attack on Day 1 of fifth Ashes Test

Harry Brook's sensational innings of 85 came to an end, thanks to an excellent catch from Steve Smith on Day 1 of the fifth Ashes 2023 Test at The Oval. The England batter played his shots throughout his knock and that ended up being his undoing in the end.

Mitchell Starc got the ball to pitch on a good length and move further away from Brook. The right-hander, however, threw his hands for an expansive cover drive when he was nowhere near the pitch of the ball. The thick edge flew to the right of Steve Smith, who stretched and took a sharp catch with both hands.

Click here for a video of Harry Brook's dismissal:


Australia's day so far apart from Harry Brook's knock

Australia seemed to be in a bit of trouble when they opted to bowl first at The Oval and England got off to a terrific start. However, they fought back and have struck with wickets at regular intervals to have the hosts 250/7 at Tea on Day 1.

Despite being 62/0 at one stage, England slumped to 73/3 and the likes of Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, and Joe Root would be disappointed with their dismissals. Moeen Ali and Harry Brook added 111 runs for the fourth wicket and it seemed like they would consolidate the first innings.

However, it wasn't to be as the visitors struck with four wickets in the post-lunch session to get in a good position in the Test match. Mark Wood and Chris Woakes have added a crucial 38 runs so far for the eighth wicket and the hosts will want them to continue the same way after Tea as well.

Australia, on the other hand, will have an eye on the weather and will know that they need to get England dismissed soon to ensure a modest first-innings score.

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