Ashes 2013 Scorecard: Video Highlights, Session Recap from Day 1 at Durham

The fourth Ashes Test got underway with England already sure of retaining the urn after two wins and a draw in the opening three matches.

Despite that, the talk after the third Test was of how good England truly were, given the way Australia had dominated the drawn match at Old Trafford.

With Alastair Cook winning the toss and picking an unchanged XI for the fourth match at Durham's Chester-le-Street ground, England set about ensuring that they won the five-match series outright.

Morning session - England 57-1

The Ashes summer has seen more spells of spectacular cricket and of mind-boggling collapses than it has attritional sessions, but the opening to the fourth Test was dour and tense.

England lost just one wicket—Joe Root for 16—but managed just 57 runs as both Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott scratched around for form.

Australia applied themselves, but their hopes of finding movement and swing were largely dashed, and they had to be patient rather than probing.

Afternoon session - England 155-4

Whatever the batsmen had for lunch, the scoring rate upped dramatically in the two hours which followed it.

England threatened to carry off the day with a strong first 90 minutes of the session, Trott and Cook both moving towards half-centuries. Trott fell out of the blue to Nathan Lyon on 49, but Kevin Pietersen continued where Trott left off with a brisk knock. 

Australia needed something, and struck when Pietersen edged Lyon behind for 26. Cook, who had grafted his way to a half-century, then also fell after leaving a ball from Jackson Bird which dipped back in, meaning the match was more evenly-poised at the interval.

Evening session - England 238-9

Ian Bell, England's best batsman in the series so far, gave his wicket away with an aggressive shot straight after tea which saw him caught at mid-off.

It precipitated one of England's worst sessions of the series to date, with a series of awful shots leaving them well short of the total they might have hoped for.

Matt Prior was adjudged lbw—once Australia reviewed and had the original call of not out overturned—while Jonny Bairstow was given out the same way, only for his appeal against the decision to be dismissed.

Thereafter England's lower order duo Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann were caught playing expansive shots, leaving plenty to be done with the ball when they get the chance to bowl tomorrow.

Here's the scorecard, via Cricbuzz: