A ton of joy for Chris Rogers and Australia in Ashes Test at Durham

Tourists in the driving seat once again following a poor start to the day's play at Durham.

Australia's Chris Rogers struck a century during Day 2 of the fourth Ashes Test at Chester-le-Street.
Powered by automated translation

Chester-Le-Street // Chris Rogers described scoring his maiden Test century for

as the "best moment of his career" as an unbeaten 101 helped the visitors assume control of the

.

Rogers scored 101 runs from 233 balls while somehow surviving the bowling of Stuart Broad, who took four Australian wickets for 48 runs at Durham.

The men in Baggy Green reached stumps on 222 for five, before bad light stopped play prematurely, to trail England by just 16 runs.

Rogers, 35, told Sky Sports Ashes: "[It feels] pretty ... good to be honest.

"I've had a long career and didn't think I'd get this opportunity, let alone to score a hundred. To get a hundred is the best moment of my career."

"To play for your country is unbelievable. To wear the Baggy Green and get a hundred is something no one can take away from you. I'm extremely happy at the moment.

"I think when the ball is harder it's seaming and it's swinging, so that's the challenge, so you just have to ride your luck, and I had plenty of luck today.

"On these wickets you can't push out at the ball or you'll nick it or miss it so the key is just to hold your shape as long as possible."

Rogers rejected suggestions that Australia are starting to dominate after building momentum in the previous Test at Old Trafford, only for rain to force a draw and allow England to retain the urn.

"I don't know about that, I think there's a long way to go," he said.

"I thought we had a very good day on Saturday but we were up against it earlier on today with a few wickets but we fought hard.

"We need to get a lead and this wicket's not going to get any better. If we can get through and things keep going our way then hopefully we can get on the board."

It was a particularly good day for Broad who, despite being thwarted in his attempts to dislodge Rogers, took the wickets of David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Michael Clarke and Shane Watson - the first three falling inside the first 14 overs.

"It was a really good day but credit obviously has to go to Rogers," Broad said. "He was gritty and he played the line so if it seamed he played and missed most of the time.

"He took his runs when they were available and it was a well put together hundred. He's put his team in a decent position but from an English point of view, with the new ball round the corner tomorrow, if we get early wickets then we'll be in a strong position."

There was also a further demonstration of the vagaries of the decision review system (DRS) when Rogers called for a rethink on umpire Tony Hill's caught-behind decision off Broad's bowling.

Hot Spot indicated ball on pad only and when lbw came into the equation, an "umpire's call" simulated impact with the top of off-stump but that was of no use to England - because the initial verdict was for a different mode of dismissal.

"I've never had a given-out reviewed as 'out, out and out', and then given not out," Broad added. "We went through all the emotions: celebrating the wicket, then we saw the review and it hitting the stumps but we heard Hill say 'not out'.

"I think the rules are changing to make a bit more sense in October, but the confusing thing is if he's given out lbw but he's nicked it and caught, is that out? So it's a bit of a strange one."

Follow us