Ashes: Smith, Broad star in intense battle at Edgbaston

Birmingham: Stuart Broad made valuable tailend runs and then dismissed Australia's David Warner as England established a strong position in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston on Saturday.

When Warner fell shortly after tea on the third day, Ashes-holders Australia — looking to win their first series away to England since 2001 —were 13 for one in their second innings.

That left them still 77 runs behind England's first-innings 374 all out. In a match already full of overturned decisions, England needed to review West Indian umpire Joel Wilson's original not out call when Warner feathered a catch behind to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow on eight to give Broad his 450th Test wicket.

Warner, one of three Australians together with fellow opener Cameron Bancroft and former captain Steve Smith making a return to Test cricket following lengthy bans for their involvement in a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa last year, walked off to raucous chants of "Same old Aussies, always cheating" from England fans. It was an important blow for Broad, who took 5-86 in Australia's first innings of 284 which featured Smith's superb 144, as new-ball partner James Anderson was off the field with a calf injury that meant England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker only bowled four overs first time around.

Earlier, England opener Rory Burns batted for nearly eight hours to top-score with 133 — his maiden Test hundred — in an innings where featuring half-centuries from captain Joe Root (57) and Ben Stokes (50). England lost three wickets for four runs before lunch to slump to 300-8 — just 16 runs ahead.

But a ninth-wicket stand of 65 between Chris Woakes,

who made 37 not out on his Warwickshire home ground, and Broad (29) boosted

their total.