Mitchell Marsh and Mark Wood dazzle on hectic opening day of Headingley Test

Aussie all-rounder hits quickfire century while returning England pacer grabs five wickets

Mitchell Marsh of Australia celebrates with Travis Head after reaching his century during day one of the Headingley Test against England on Thursday, July 6, 2023. Getty

Mitchell Marsh's run-a-ball 118 was the cornerstone of Australia's 263 all out on the first day of the third Ashes Test at Headingley on Thursday after the tourists collapsed either side of his blistering century.

England fast bowler Mark Wood took 5-34 as the hosts backed up captain Ben Stokes' decision to send Australia into bat on a green-tinged pitch after winning the toss.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins then reduced England to 22-2 before all-rounder Marsh, playing his first Test in nearly four years, had Zak Crawley (33) well caught at first slip by David Warner in the latest example of the tourists' superior fielding.

At stumps, England were 68-3 - a deficit of 195 runs - with Joe Root 19 not out and Jonny Bairstow one not out on their Yorkshire home ground.

But it was also another day of missed opportunities for England as Root dropped a regulation first slip catch off Chris Woakes when Marsh had made just 12.

Australia would have been 98-5 but for Root's error and it was one England could ill-afford at 2-0 down in the five-match series.

Marsh made England pay with a superb hundred while sharing a stand of 155 with Travis Head, whose 39 was the second highest score of the innings.

But from 240-4, Australia lost their last six wickets for 23 runs as Durham quick Wood, in his first Test since playing away to Pakistan in December, ripped through the tail.

His wickets were badly needed by England, a bowler down after Ollie Robinson limped off shortly before tea with a back spasm.

Marsh got to play after fellow all-rounder Cameron Green was ruled out with a hamstring strain following Australia's 43-run win at Lord's last week, and made the most of his chance.

A single off spinner Moeen Ali saw Marsh reach his hundred in just 102 balls including 15 fours and three sixes.

The morning session, however, belonged to Wood.

The 33-year-old showed showing what England had missed in his absence. He bowled the usually obdurate Usman Khawaja (13) with a 95 mph delivery that flattened the opener's leg stump.

Wood bowled the second fastest spell in Tests in England with an average speed of just under 93mph and a top pace of 96.5mph.

Steve Smith walked out in his 100th Test fresh from a hundred at Lord's. He had made just four when he inside-edged Robinson only for diving wicketkeeper Bairstow to drop a tough one-handed chance.

But Bairstow held a routine catch when Smith, on 22, got a thin nick off Broad, the senior bowler in an attack without the rested James Anderson.