| 0.0 : Here we are, after rain has decided to stay away for a while. All good (and bad) things come to an end. The Ashes sojourn is all set to wind up with one final Test on this tour. On behalf of my colleagues, I take pleasure in welcoming your company for this fifth and final Ashes match which will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It is a wonderful occasion as it is the New Year's Test plus the Pink Test owing to the McGrath foundation. Above all these though, it is the rain that is already p |
| No game is ever regarded as 'insignificant' in a series as consequential as this. England would aim to have at least one win to their credit while Australia would love to have a clean slate. For the tourists, Chris Woakes is ruled out due to a side strain and Mason Crane is all set to make his Test debut. The youngster will be as eager to make a mark right away, as Mitchell Starc, who will be back for the hosts in place of Jackson Bird. The home side seemed to lack that extra bite in the left ar |
| TOSS - Finally, we have the toss. Joe Root calls right after the flip of the coin and ENGLAND WILL BAT. As known, MASON CRANE is in for Chris Woakes for them. He had received his Test cap from erstwhile English spinner Graeme Swann earlier this morning. MITCHELL STARC takes his spot in the side, replacing Jackson Bird for the hosts. |
| And just to remind you all, it is Lunch time at the SCG. Due to persistent drizzle this morning, they decided to take the meal break early. The toss was scheduled amidst the break. Yes, as bizarre as it may sound, this is just what has happened. A glance upwards still shows the presence of dark clouds. However, until the spots of water keep away, we shouldn't be bothered much. |
| We are all set to get rolling. Wonder who'd be the happier side after the toss. While England have chosen to take first strike, the prospect of the Aussie pacers steaming in under cloudy conditions is a wonderful thought. And the eyes world over will be keenly on the proceedings for just that. To add to that, the visuals just showed Cameron Bancroft with his shin pads in hand. Signs of things to come? My colleague pings me asking whether the mind games have already begun. Had they even stopped? |
| Just another reminder. This is the Pink Test, in support of the McGrath foundation, that supports breast cancer. Tremendous roars all around the ground as the players and the umpires make their way out to the middle. The crowd has to be lauded for staying put in spite of a session being washed out. Michael Clarke on air, reckons that he wouldn't mind batting first there. Alastair Cook and Mark Stoneman stride out just to do that now. Mitchell Starc will steam in from over the wicket first up. Th |
| 0.1 : M Starc to Cook, Ripper first up, yells Bill Lawry on air! A brilliant 138.8 kph yorker right on the mark for the unbeaten double centurion from the last game. Cook does well to jam his bat down and dig it out. |
| 0.2 : M Starc to Cook, And how anti-climatic is this one. Starc bowls it very wide outside off, Cook doesn't even have to think about that. It moves away further and thuds into the keeper's gloves. |
| 0.3 : M Starc to Cook, A touch closer to the stumps, Cook shoulders arms to let it go. |
| 0.4 : M Starc to Cook, Full ball aiming at the off stump, Cook gets half-forward to push this one towards the covers. |
| 0.5 : M Starc to Cook, The king of the jungle leaps! Wonderful effort. Very full and wide outside off, Cook reaches out to that and plays it towards point. Lyon is stationed at backward point, he dives to his left and stops it cleanly. |
| 0.6 : M Starc to Cook, This is well outside off, left alone by Cook. A good maiden over to start from Starc. Shows that he hasn't lost his touch even after sitting out for a game. |
| Josh Hazlewood to bowl from the other end. Three slips and a bat-pad in place. |
| 1.1 : J Hazlewood to Stoneman, What a delivery to begin! Hazlewood runs in from over the wicket and angles this on a length just outside off. Stoneman is rooted to the crease as he looks to offer his bat at that. The ball just flies past the outside edge, not too far from it. |
| 1.2 : J Hazlewood to Stoneman, Length ball on the pads, Stoneman gets it off the inner half through backward square leg for a single. England and Stoneman are off the mark. |
| 1.3 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Length ball just outside off, AC covers the stumps and lets it go. |
| 1.4 : J Hazlewood to Cook, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| The rain effect! The landing area has been affected by it and some saw dust is sprayed in that area. |
| 1.5 : J Hazlewood to Cook, A nervous push from Cook there. Not a shot from a man who is coming on the back of a double hundred, says Bill Lawry on air. This is pitched up to him, he just pushes it back, not confidently. |
| 1.6 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Cook is up and running now. Flicks this length ball through mid-wicket to open his account. |
| 2.1 : M Starc to Cook, This is well outside off, Alastair just lets it be. |
| 2.2 : M Starc to Cook, Delivered in line of the off stump, Cook hangs back and presents a straight bat face in keeping it out. |
| 2.3 : M Starc to Cook, Full and angling down leg, Cook looks to flick but misses. The ball rolls through backward square leg off his pads and a leg bye taken. |
| 2.4 : M Starc to Stoneman, On a length on off, Stoneman stays back and defends. |
| 2.5 : M Starc to Stoneman, Here's the toe-crusher! Things happening already with Starc firing in. Hurls it very full, almost a yorker. Stoneman tries to flick but the ball hits him on the right toe. The Aussies appeal even as the ball goes towards short fine leg and Paine rushes after that. The opening batter wanted a run and came down in search of one but Cook is alert and sends him back. This one's going down leg, as seen from another look. |
| 2.6 : M Starc to Stoneman, This is banged in short on the stumps, MS ducks to let it go. Starc is yet to concede a run here, only a leg bye of this one. |
| 3.1 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Cook flicks it through mid-wicket and gets safely to the other end. |
| 3.2 : J Hazlewood to Stoneman, A touch aerial but safe. On a length angling across the batter, Stoneman plays it uppishly towards mid on. The ball goes on the bounce to the fielder there. It stopped a touch on the track there. |
| 3.3 : J Hazlewood to Stoneman, Mark has pushed it to the cover region. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 3.4 : J Hazlewood to Cook, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| A sprint for Josh! As he runs in to bowl, a spectator decides to have a walk in front of the sightscreen, distracting Cook in the process. Thus Hazlewood has to go back without letting the ball go off his hands. |
| 3.5 : J Hazlewood to Cook, The wobbly-seamed delivery makes Cook play there. Hazlewood lands it on a length outside off, the ball moves away a touch. Cook has a feel for that but misses. |
| 3.6 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Fuller around off and middle, pushed towards mid on. |
| 4.1 : M Starc to M Stoneman, First run off Starc's bowling. This is full outside off, Stoneman drives it through cover-point. Lyon dives, gets a hand to it but fails to not concede a run. |
| 4.2 : M Starc to Cook, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 4.3 : M Starc to Cook, Full and angling on the pads, Cook works it away to fine leg for a single. |
| 4.4 : M Starc to Stoneman, This ball is defended off the back foot with a straight bat. |
| 4.5 : M Starc to Stoneman, FOUR! First boundary of the day! Starc goes too full on the pads in search of the swing. Doesn't get any desired movement and all he does is give away runs there. He spears this full on the pads, Stoneman gets some bat on this one with his flick. Well, he gets more than enough on that. The ball races away through the outfield and into the fine leg fence for a boundary. There was a man in the deep who was running to his right, but he couldn't do much. |
| 4.6 : M Starc to Stoneman, Banged in short, Stoneman ducks to let that go. |
| Early change. Pat Cummins to steam in now. Perhaps Smith doesn't expect the track to assist the seamers for a prolonged duration and hence wants his another mainstream pacer to have a go with the new ball. |
| 5.1 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Cummins begins well. Lands this on a length outside off and gets it to nip in a bit. Cook is waiting on the back foot with a straight bat face and keeps it out safely. |
| 5.2 : Pat Cummins to Cook, This is well outside off, guided towards backward point for nothing. |
| 5.3 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Length ball on off, defended from the crease towards the bowler. |
| 5.4 : Pat Cummins to Cook, On a length just outside off, Cook defends it with an angled bat towards point. |
| 5.5 : Pat Cummins to Cook, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 5.6 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Another delivery on a length to end the over, Cook opens the bat face to defend it towards Lyon at backward point. |
| 6.1 : M Starc to Stoneman, FOUR! Glorious stroke that. Starc spears it full on middle, Stoneman doesn't move his feet much but pushes it down the ground. The timing is so good on that, that the ball races down the fence for a boundary. Although that stroke looked good, Bill Lawry observes that the footwork isn't the best from the southpaw there. |
| 6.2 : M Starc to Stoneman, This one is much better. Full outside off, Stoneman gets to the pitch of the ball and drives it through cover-point. Not much timing on this one as the bowl slows down as it nears the fence. Three runs result. |
| 6.3 : M Starc to Cook, A hint of swing there. Starc bowls this full and angling down leg. Cook looks to work it away but there is a hint of movement away. Ends up getting it off the leading edge towards covers. |
| 6.4 : M Starc to Cook, Nervy Cook! He looked good with his drives in the previous game but not here. Sees the full ball just outside off and looks to drive it through covers. Gets it off the inside edge towards backward square leg, where the fielder does well to deny him a run. |
| 6.5 : M Starc to Cook, Oh Cook, no Cook! Length ball outside off, Cook could just let that go. Instead he looks to have a slash at that and misses. He needs to maintain his calm and play only those deliveries that he HAS to. |
| 6.6 : M Starc to Cook, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 7.1 : Pat Cummins to Stoneman, Fuller outside off, driven towards covers. |
| 7.2 : Pat Cummins to Stoneman, The batsman rocks onto the backfoot and punches the ball. |
| Nice point made by the on-air commentators. They observe that Stoneman hasn't been assured with his footwork, especially to deliveries that are pitched up to him. In the Perth Test, he was struck by a Hazlewood bouncer on the helmet before departing to the short ball after a short while. That has perhaps got him thinking only about the short balls and he is hesitant to come forward. |
| 7.3 : Pat Cummins to Stoneman, This delivery is defended towards point from the crease. |
| 7.4 : Pat Cummins to Stoneman, Length ball angling in from round the wicket, Stoneman clips it through mid-wicket for a brace. |
| 7.5 : Pat Cummins to Stoneman, FOUR! This is much better. This is on a length outside off, width on offer as well. Stoneman has enough for him to free his arms there. Stays back and cuts it through point for a boundary. |
| 7.6 : Pat Cummins to Stoneman, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| Josh Hazlewood back on for another spell. He gets a change of ends here. Perhaps Smith is intent on using his pacers in short bursts here. |
| 8.1 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Begins with a delivery just outside off, Cook feels for it but gets beaten. |
| 8.2 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Cook is on 3 off 31 balls. Normally numbers don't show the mental side of a player but here they do. They show that he has failed to get going and he indeed has. Sees this delivery full outside off, he goes for the drive but misses. Where is the Alastair Cook who was on show at the MCG? |
| 8.3 : J Hazlewood to Cook, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 8.4 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Cook gets forward and blocks this one. |
| 8.5 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Played to the point region by AC. |
| 8.6 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Angled in to the batter, the opener clips it towards mid-wicket. |
| 9.1 : Pat Cummins to Stoneman, On a length outside off, blocked towards point. |
| 9.2 : Pat Cummins to Stoneman, FOUR! Nicely punched. Cummins bowls it on a length around the middle and off stumps. Stoneman gets behind it and pushes it down the ground. The timing is good enough to take it past the ropes. |
| 9.3 : Pat Cummins to Stoneman, Bouncer! The batsman does well to evade it. |
| 9.4 : Pat Cummins to Stoneman, Beaten! Length ball outside off, Stoneman has a feel for that but misses. Close. |
| 9.5 : Pat Cummins to Stoneman, OUT! Cummins draws first blood! The Aussie seamers were probing their way around and now have finally struck. Cummins had beaten the bat on the previous ball with a delivery angled in. Here, the line is the same, just outside off, but the length is a touch shorter. The ball climbs a bit more as well. Stoneman goes on the back foot and hangs his bat out at that. This time the ball doesn't miss the outside edge of the bat. It takes that part of the willow before settl |
| James Vince walks in at no. 3 for England. He has had a decent outing with the bat in the series so far. Yet he is century-less. Chance to make amends. |
| 9.6 : Pat Cummins to Vince, Nice ball to start. Cummins spears in a yorker on the stumps, Vince digs it out nicely. |
| 10.1 : J Hazlewood to Cook, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 10.2 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Cook defends this one by getting behind the line of the ball. |
| 10.3 : J Hazlewood to Cook, The batsman gets an inside edge and the ball hits him on the pads. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 10.4 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Outside off, left alone. |
| 10.5 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Vince misses the clip and wears it high on the thigh pads. |
| 10.6 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 11.1 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Fuller in length and just outside off, Cook leans across and square drives it towards backward point where Lyon dives to his right to get some hand to it. The ball rolls behind and they take a brace. |
| 11.2 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Back of a length delivery, angling in a bit and then moving away after pitching. Cook makes an assured leave. |
| 11.3 : Pat Cummins to Cook, FOUR! Beautiful! Cummins overcooks this one, it's on the stumps, Cook stays inside the crease and brings his bat down at the right time to bunt it down the ground. Warner from mid off gives it a chase but the ball still wins the race. First boundary of the day for Cook. |
| 11.4 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Shortish and outside off, Alastair gets on top of the bounce to dab it towards point. |
| 11.5 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Beaten! Short of a length delivery, in the channel outside off. Cook looks to cut it through the line but there is a bit of extra bounce which beats Alastair. |
| 11.6 : Pat Cummins to Cook, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 12.1 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Fuller ball, in the channel outside off, Vince presses forward and drives it nicely only to find Warner at mid off. |
| 12.2 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Too straight on this occasion from Hazlewood. Vince gets across and flicks it behind square on the leg side for a brace. |
| 12.3 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Outside off, a bit harmless from Josh. Vince initially looks to drive but then bails out of the shot. |
| 12.4 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Another delivery on a driveable length outside off, James is happy to let it be. |
| 12.5 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Hazlewood goes wide of the crease and angles it in on the stumps, Vince is up for the task as he keeps it out safely. |
| 12.6 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Gets behind the line and answers it with a straight bat. |
| 13.1 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Cummins continues round the wicket and bowls it full around off. Cook pats it towards covers and gets to the other end. |
| 13.2 : Pat Cummins to Vince, This ball is defended towards covers. |
| Although on many occasions James Vince has frittered away the starts, Ian Chappell opines that the England selectors need to persist with him for a long time. According to him, the current England no. 3 has looked assured with his footwork and has been a touch unlucky in his dismissals. The expert adds that Tom Westley has failed to impress him and Vince is far superior than Tom. |
| 13.3 : Pat Cummins to J Vince, Length ball around off, Vince gets this off the outer edge towards gully. |
| 13.4 : Pat Cummins to Vince, Length delivery on off, defended from the crease. |
| 13.5 : Pat Cummins to Vince, WIDE! Cummins bends his back and bangs this short on the stumps. Vince looks to go for the pull initially but then decides it is too high for him to make contact and just lets it go. Wide signaled by the umpire, doesn't please the Aussies at all. |
| Pat Cummins to Vince, Much fuller this time, Vince keeps it out off the front foot. |
| 13.6 : Pat Cummins to Vince, This ball is angled in to James, he keeps it out towards mid-wicket. |
| Time for drinks! Try and try till you succeed goes the saying. It aptly fits the bill for the passage of play for Australia. They were bowling probing lines and lengths, beating the edge of the willow on numerous occasions. Not once till the 10th over did the ball bother to kiss the outer edge of the blade. Cummins made the thing happen to end Stoneman's stay, who was the more confident of the English openers out there. Cook is still out there but he has looked a pale shadow of his own MCG self |
| 14.1 : J Hazlewood to A Cook, Full on off, driven towards mid off. |
| 14.2 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Risky! Short ball on off, Cook goes for the pull this time. Isn't entirely in control as he hits this aerially towards deep backward square leg. Gets one as a result. |
| 14.3 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Straight delivery outside off, left alone by Vince. |
| 14.4 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Banged short around off, James evades that one to let the keeper do the rest. |
| 14.5 : J Hazlewood to Vince, On a length aiming at the off stick, JV presents a straight bat face to block that. |
| 14.6 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Harmless delivery outside off, Vince points his bat skywards to let it pass. |
| Spin time. The local boy Nathan Lyon comes into the attack now. He begins with a slip and a short leg in place. Meanwhile, Hazlewood is seeing walking out of the park and Peter Handscomb is the substitute on the field. |
| 15.1 : N Lyon to Cook, Starts off round the wicket and bowls it flat on the pads. Cook goes back and tucks it through square leg for a single. |
| 15.2 : N Lyon to Vince, Floated outside off, Vince lunges forward and defends. |
| 15.3 : N Lyon to Vince, The batsman has played the square drive. |
| 15.4 : N Lyon to Vince, Nicely struck. Vince goes against the turn and drives it wonderfully through covers. Gets two as a result. |
| 15.5 : N Lyon to Vince, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 15.6 : N Lyon to Vince, Served on a fuller length outside off, James gets forward and presents a straight bat face in defense. |
| Double change. Mitchell Starc is brought back for another spell now. |
| 16.1 : M Starc to Cook, This is hurled well outside off, Cook stays back and slaps it through cover-point. The outfield isn't the quickest owing to the rains earlier this morning. Only two runs result off this one. |
| 16.2 : M Starc to Cook, This is angled on the pads on a length, Alastair clips it through backward square leg for another brace. |
| 16.3 : M Starc to Cook, Full on middle and leg, hit straight to the man at square leg. |
| 16.4 : M Starc to Cook, Good bowling. There is a square leg as well as a deep backward square leg in place. Accordingly, Starc bowls it short into the body of Cook. He pulls it all along the ground to the man at the latter position for a single. |
| 16.5 : M Starc to Vince, Starc continues from over the wicket to the right-hander and hurls this full on middle. Vince stays back and defends it with a straight bat. |
| 16.6 : M Starc to Vince, Shortens his length a touch and bowls it outside off. James hangs back and cuts it to the man at point. |
| 17.1 : N Lyon to Cook, Floats it up generously around middle and off, Cook prods forward in defense. |
| 17.2 : N Lyon to Cook, Flatter through the air around off, a bit of extra bounce, Cook shoulders his arms. |
| 17.3 : N Lyon to Cook, Loops it up around middle and off, Cook digs it out towards mid on. |
| 17.4 : N Lyon to Cook, Gives it a lot of flight and lands it full outside off. Perfect length from Lyon. Cook takes a stride forward and pushes it towards cover-point. |
| 17.5 : N Lyon to Cook, Excellent delivery from Lyon, this! Loops it up around off, it turns away just a touch, Cook looks to keep it out off the front foot but the ball just about takes the outside edge to the keeper. |
| 17.6 : N Lyon to A Cook, Floated ball outside off, driven towards cover. |
| 18.1 : M Starc to Vince, FOUR! That's cracked through the off side! Starc from over the wicket, slants it away on a length outside off. Vince with no foot movement goes after it and as a result he laces one through covers for a boundary. No need to run for those! 50 comes up for England. |
| 18.2 : M Starc to Vince, Drops it on a shorter length outside off, Vince hangs back in defense. |
| 18.3 : M Starc to Vince, Superb stop from Mitchell Marsh! Vince anticipates Starc to bowl another short ball and gets one. He swivels and pulls it firmly but Marsh at square leg dives full length to his right to cut a certain boundary. |
| 18.4 : M Starc to Vince, Good length delivery on middle and leg, tucked towards square leg for nothing. |
| 18.5 : M Starc to Vince, Bangs in a short one, it's a well-directed too, Vince is quick to duck under it. |
| 18.6 : M Starc to Vince, FOUR! Up and over! Starc once again goes short and offers width as well. James Vince is quick to rise on the toes and carve it over point for a boundary to end the over. Loved the intent from James here. |
| 19.1 : N Lyon to Cook, Drifting in on middle and off, blocked into the ground. |
| 19.2 : N Lyon to Cook, A bit quicker through the air, but it's on the shorter side. Gives time for Cook to go back and dab it towards point. |
| 19.3 : N Lyon to Cook, Flatter one outside off, Cook has no qualms in leaving that one alone. |
| 19.4 : N Lyon to Cook, Flighted delivery outside off, driven straight to the man at short cover. |
| 19.5 : N Lyon to Cook, Lyon drops it short and outside off, Alastair rocks back and packs a punch to beat the dive of the man at short cover to collect a couple of runs. |
| 19.6 : N Lyon to Cook, Loopy delivery outside off, eased towards wide of mid off for a single to keep strike. |
| 20.1 : M Starc to Cook, Fuller in length and attacking the stumps, Cook gets across and works it towards mid-wicket. |
| 20.2 : M Starc to Cook, A shout for a caught behind! Starc serves it on the leg stump, Cook moves inside the line to clip it away but it goes off something to the keeper behind and the Aussies put in an ambitious appeal. However, umpire Wilson pays no heed to the appeal that has been raised. Replays show it went off the thigh pad. Cook wasn't even bothered looking behind to the keeper, he was seen taking the guard when the opposition was appealing. |
| 20.3 : M Starc to Cook, Good length delivery outside off, Alastair gets behind the line to defend it down solidly. |
| 20.4 : M Starc to Cook, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 20.5 : M Starc to Cook, Hurls it on a back of a length on middle, worked through mid-wicket by Cook for an easy single. |
| 20.6 : M Starc to Vince, FOUR! Boom! Vince isn't afraid to go after Starc. We saw him hitting one through the off side in Starc's previous over and does one again. Starc angles it away on a fuller length outside off, Vince bends his back knee, leans forward a touch and flays it over backward point for a boundary. |
| 21.1 : N Lyon to Cook, Flattish delivery outside off, Cook goes back to punch but mistimes it towards short cover. |
| 21.2 : N Lyon to Cook, Slows it through the air, lands it full outside off, patted towards point. |
| 21.3 : N Lyon to Cook, Alastair has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 21.4 : N Lyon to Cook, Lunges forward to a full ball and defends it with his bat and pad close together. |
| 21.5 : N Lyon to Cook, Camps back to this short ball and punches it straight to short cover. |
| 21.6 : N Lyon to Cook, Flighted delivery outside off, Cook presses forward to block it into the ground. A maiden for Lyon! |
| 22.1 : M Starc to Vince, Starc hits the deck hard but it comes at a comfortable height for Vince to counter it. James hangs back to defend it back down the pitch. |
| 22.2 : M Starc to Vince, Length delivery, curling in just a touch, Vince shuffles and works it with soft hands towards mid-wicket to pick up a single. He is looking really confident out there. Good signs for England! |
| 22.3 : M Starc to Cook, Pounds it on a back of a length outside off, Alastair lifts his bat to make an easy leave. |
| 22.4 : M Starc to Cook, Short of a length delivery, not troubling the batsman as Cook stays back to push it towards mid on. |
| 22.5 : M Starc to Cook, Sprays it down the leg side, AC tries helping it on its way but fails to get any wood on it. |
| 22.6 : M Starc to Cook, Shortish delivery outside off, Cook is happy to leave it alone. |
| 23.1 : N Lyon to Vince, Floated delivery around off, Vince comes forward a bit to defend but gets an inside edge as the ball rolls towards short leg. |
| 23.2 : N Lyon to Vince, Takes a stride forward to this flighted delivery and stonewalls it. |
| 23.3 : N Lyon to J Vince, Gives it a bit more flight, Vince comes a touch forward to smother this away on the off side. |
| 23.4 : N Lyon to Vince, Flatter delivery around middle and off, the batsman is quick to go back and keep it out. |
| 23.5 : N Lyon to Vince, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 23.6 : N Lyon to Vince, Quicker one around off, defended by sitting back deep in the crease. Back-to-back maidens for Lyon. |
| Pat Cummins is back into the attack. Two men out for the hook shot and three men in the slips... |
| 24.1 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Cummins comes from over the wicket and lands it on middle and leg, Cook flicks it through mid-wicket and ambles back for a couple. |
| 24.2 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Back of a length delivery on off, Alastair stabs it off the back foot. |
| 24.3 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Slants it away on a fuller length outside off, AC looks to guide it through but gets it off the outer half past Khawaja's right at gully for another brace. |
| 24.4 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Pat Cummins bowls a length ball outside off, AC taps it in front of cover and scampers through for a quick single. |
| 24.5 : Pat Cummins to Vince, Stands back and punches it towards the man at mid on. |
| 24.6 : Pat Cummins to Vince, Fuller in length and swinging back in on middle, Vince looks to clip it away but the inward movement takes the inside edge and rolls behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 25.1 : N Lyon to Vince, Dipping in around off, Vince flicks it with the turn through square leg. Two runs picked up. |
| 25.2 : N Lyon to Vince, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 25.3 : N Lyon to Vince, Slower through the air outside off, blocked into the ground. |
| 25.4 : N Lyon to Vince, Flatter ball on middle and off, Vince camps back to punch it back to Nathan. |
| Good point mentioned by Mark Taylor. He says that the English batsmen are waiting back for the overpitched delivery from Lyon to get going. They need to come out of the crease and crash a couple through the off side to put him out of his rhythm. If they manage to do so, then Australia could be in some sort of pressure... |
| 25.5 : N Lyon to Vince, There you go! Exactly what Mark Taylor wants. Vince sees the flight, skips down the track and bunts it back to Lyon. Needs to do this more. |
| 25.6 : N Lyon to Vince, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 26.1 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Angling away from a length outside, Cook shoulders his arms to let that one through. |
| 26.2 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Shortish in length and outside off, Cook is up on his toes as he pushes it towards backward point. |
| 26.3 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Fuller and a bit too straight, clipped through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 26.4 : Pat Cummins to Vince, FOUR! Nailed it! What a shot to bring up the 50-run stand! England have recovered well after that initial stutter. Cummins bangs in a short ball that lacks venom and Vince doesn't miss out on that. He rocks back in a flash and murders the pull over mid-wicket by getting on top of it to fetch himself a boundary. Superb! |
| 26.5 : Pat Cummins to Vince, Hits the deck hard and this one kicks off the deck, James Vince is quick to sit under it. |
| 26.6 : Pat Cummins to Vince, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 27.1 : N Lyon to Cook, Short and outside off, Cook cuts hard but Warner at backward point does well to make a good stop. |
| 27.2 : N Lyon to Cook, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 27.3 : N Lyon to Cook, Floated ball outside off, driven straight towards mid off. |
| 27.4 : N Lyon to Cook, Cook comes down the track and nearly yorks himself, Cook jams it out towards short cover. |
| 27.5 : N Lyon to A Cook, FOUR! Cracked it! Lyon drops it short and serves it outside off, Cook is tempted to go after it. He missed out on the first ball of this over but not this one. Cuts it square of the wicket on the off side and away she whistles to the fence. |
| 27.6 : N Lyon to Cook, FOUR! And again! Back-to-back boundaries and Cook is looking really solid now! Lyon once again is guilty on dropping it short, Alastair takes on the bait. He camps back deep inside the crease and slaps it through backward point for another boundary. |
| Drinks break! England have done a good job after the wicket of Stoneman. Cook and Vince have gotten their eye in and have already stitched a 50-plus stand. There is nothing much on the wicket and all they have to do is play sensible cricket. It may flatten out even more as the game progresses. Australia, on the other hand, need wickets. They desperately would look to break this stand before the tea break. Who will be the one to provide it? We shall see... |
| 28.1 : Pat Cummins to Vince, Cummins tries to angle it in but it's a tad too straight. James Vince shuffles and clips it towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 28.2 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Back of a length outside off, Cook defends it towards the off side. |
| 28.3 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Beaten! Short and slanting away outside off, Cook looks to cut but there is a bit of extra bounce which gets the better of Alastair. |
| 28.4 : Pat Cummins to Cook, Short ball down the leg side, Cook looks to pull but is a bit late to react. Mistimes it down to fine leg for a single. |
| 28.5 : Pat Cummins to Vince, OUT! Edged and Vince throws it away! A wicket right after the drinks break and it's that man again, Pat Cummins! It isn't a wicket-taking delivery by any means more of batsman being lazy. It's a length ball outside off, Vince sans any movement goes chasing after it but there is the extra bounce which comes into the picture. It takes a thick edge and flies into the mitts of Paine who accepts a regulation. Just like Stoneman, Vince fails to kick on. Australia are deligh |
| Joe Root walks in next. He is yet to score a big one in the series. Will we see it here? |
| 28.6 : Pat Cummins to Root, Back of a length delivery on middle, defended back safely by Joe. A successful over from Pat. |
| 29.1 : N Lyon to Cook, Flatter one around off, Cook plants it front foot across to make a leave. |
| 29.2 : N Lyon to Cook, Pushes it through covers for an easy single. |
| 29.3 : N Lyon to Root, Quicker and flatter through the air, Root hangs back in defense. |
| 29.4 : N Lyon to Root, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 29.5 : N Lyon to Root, Turning in from a length, Root looks to flick but gets an inside edge towards short leg. |
| 29.6 : N Lyon to Root, Floated delivery outside off, Root drives it nicely but there is a half stop at cover which allows him to get off the mark. |
| 30.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Fuller in length and angling in, Root comes forward to deal with it. |
| 30.2 : Pat Cummins to Joe Root, FOUR! Superbly done! Something Vince should have! Cummins bowls it on a similar length which he bowled to Vince, it's a touch short this time. What does Root do? He gets on top of it and moves across to hit it square of the wicket on the off side for a boundary. Vince opted to stay inside the crease and that brought his downfall. |
| 30.3 : Pat Cummins to Root, Outside off, on a length, Joe is happy to should his arms. |
| 30.4 : Pat Cummins to Root, Back of a length delivery on middle, defended from within the crease. |
| 30.5 : Pat Cummins to Root, A well-directed bouncer on middle, Root is quick to take evasive action as he ducks under it. |
| 30.6 : Pat Cummins to Root, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 31.1 : N Lyon to Cook, Flighted delivery on off, pushed off the back foot towards cover. |
| 31.2 : N Lyon to Cook, Takes a good stride forward does Cook and pushes it into the off side. |
| 31.3 : N Lyon to Cook, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 31.4 : N Lyon to Cook, Floated delivery outside off, Cook makes room and drives it through extra cover for a single. |
| 31.5 : N Lyon to Root, Drags his length back, Root stays back to keep it out. |
| 31.6 : N Lyon to Root, Goes around the wicket and darts it around middle and leg, worked towards short fine leg. |
| Josh Hazlewood is brought into the attack. Two slips and a gully in place. |
| 32.1 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Back of a length delivery to start this spell, from over the wicket. Cook hops a bit and tucks it towards square leg. |
| 32.2 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Good length delivery on middle, defended off the back foot. |
| Cook misses one and is struck on the pads. The Aussies feel that they have got their man and Steven Smith after a word with his mates take the DRS. Where is it pitching is the question. If it's in line, I reckon it's curtains for Alastair. Ball Tracking coming up, wait on... |
| 32.3 : J Hazlewood to Cook, OUT! Three Reds shows the Ball Tracker and Alastair Cook has to make a long way back to the pavilion. Excellent use of the review from Australia and they are absolutely pumped up. Josh Hazlewood strikes immediately after he is brought into the attack. He steams in from over the wicket and keeps it nice and full on the stumps. Cook looks to work it away on the leg side but misses and nearly falls over while doing so. The ball hits him on the pads and the loud appeal fo |
| Dawid Malan is the next to walk in. Two men out there for the hook shot and a bat pad in place for the new man... |
| 32.4 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Short ball, but it's down the leg side, Malan is happy to sway away from the line. |
| 32.5 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Bouncer! The batsman ducks under the bouncer at the last moment. |
| 32.6 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Good length delivery, coming back in a bit, Malan gets it off the inner half through mid-wicket and is off the mark straightaway. What an over from Halzewood! |
| 33.1 : N Lyon to Malan, Flighted delivery outside off, Malan stands tall and cuts it square of the wicket on the off side for a comfortable couple. |
| 33.2 : N Lyon to Malan, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 33.3 : N Lyon to Malan, Beaten! Floats it up outside off, Malan lunges forward to defend but the ball turns away ad beats the outside edge but just a bit. |
| 33.4 : N Lyon to Malan, Flighted ball around off, Dawid Malan comes down the track to defend it. |
| 33.5 : N Lyon to Malan, Flatter and shorter outside off, cut away past Warner at backward point for a brace. |
| 33.6 : N Lyon to Malan, On middle and off, bunted back to the bowler. |
| 34.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Back of a length, wider outside off, shouldered arms to. |
| 34.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Shortish and outside off, Root stays back in defense. |
| 34.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, Good length delivery in the probing zone, dealt comfortably by Root. |
| 34.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, Now brings one back into Root who hops and tucks it towards square leg. Good bowling Halzewood. He is setting up Root here. |
| 34.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Pitches it up on middle, Joe mistimes his drive towards mid off. |
| 34.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, Back of a length delivery outside off, Joe Root rides the bounce as he pushes it with an angled bat towards backward point. Another lovely over from Joshy! |
| 35.1 : N Lyon to Malan, Around middle and leg, flicked towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 35.2 : N Lyon to Root, Turning in from a length around off, JR goes back and defends. |
| 35.3 : N Lyon to Joe Root, Comes down the track and pushes it towards deep mid on for a single. |
| 35.4 : N Lyon to Malan, Quicker and flatter one outside off, Malan takes his front foot across and makes a leave. |
| 35.5 : N Lyon to Malan, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. |
| 35.6 : N Lyon to Malan, Lyon sees Malan stepping out of the crease so he smartly drags his length back. The southpaw does well to adjust and keep it out. |
| 36.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Fuller and just outside off, Root comes forward but mistimes his drive towards short cover. |
| 36.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Angling in from a length outside off, Root blocks it out by staying right behind the line. |
| 36.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, Pitches it right up there, Root bunts it back to Hazlewood. |
| 36.4 : Hazlewood to Joe Root, FOUR! Top edgeeee but safe! Fortunately for Root he gets it finer otherwise there was a man patrolling the fine leg region. Hazlewood drops it short and gets the extra zip off the surface which surprises the English skipper. Joe swivels to pull but gets a top edge instead. He gets it away from the man in the deep and picks up a boundary. |
| 36.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Stays rooted inside the crease and blocks it out gently. |
| 36.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, Bouncer! The batsman ducks in time to let that one go over him. |
| 37.1 : N Lyon to Malan, Pushes it quicker through the air, at 91.8 kph, Malan stays back to defend it down. |
| 37.2 : N Lyon to Malan, Flatter through the air, around off, Malan goes back to block but gets an outside edge which rolls towards point. |
| 37.3 : N Lyon to Malan, Pushes it quicker through the air around middle, blocked. |
| Nathan Lyon seems to have some plan for Malan. He is pushing it quicker through the air but then all of a sudden he is slowing it down and serving it wider outside off, wanting the southpaw to reach out and go for a drive. He is getting the odd ball to turn which can bring him success... |
| 37.4 : N Lyon to Malan, What was that? Lyon is getting the better of Malan! He tosses it up outside off, Dawid leans forward and across to play the paddle sweep but misses as the ball snakes under his bat to go towards the keeper. Paine removes the bails but the southpaw was in. |
| 37.5 : N Lyon to Malan, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 37.6 : N Lyon to D Malan, Floats it up wider outside off, Malan leans forward and drives it through extra cover to add a couple to his tally. |
| 38.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Nicely driven. Hazlewood bowls this on a length outside off, Root strides forward nicely and drives it through covers. Gets three runs for the same. |
| 38.2 : J Hazlewood to Malan, This is on a length outside off, left alone. |
| 38.3 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Played to mid-wicket region by Malan. The batsmen have picked up a couple of runs. |
| 38.4 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Bouncer on the stumps, Malan ducks. |
| 38.5 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Harmless ball outside off, left alone. |
| 38.6 : J Hazlewood to Malan, On the pads, flicked away through square leg to retain strike. |
| 39.1 : N Lyon to Malan, Floated on off, Malan gets ahead and blocks. |
| 39.2 : N Lyon to Malan, Malan sees the flight on this one, charges down the track and bunts it. |
| 39.3 : N Lyon to Malan, This ball is turned towards mid-wicket from the crease. |
| 39.4 : N Lyon to Malan, This is floated full outside off, driven through covers for one. |
| 39.5 : N Lyon to Root, Root goes back and taps it towards backward point for one. |
| 39.6 : N Lyon to Malan, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 40.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Fuller and angling in from around off, Root keeps his head down and blocks it solidly off the front foot. |
| 40.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, It's on a back of a length this time in that probing zone, Root pushes it with an angled bat towards gully. |
| 40.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, Doesn't get it right! Hazlewood bowls a bumper to take the English skipper aback but it's down the leg side. Joe rolls his wrists over the pull shot to get it towards Starc at fine leg for a single. |
| 40.4 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 40.5 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Sprays it wider outside off, Malan has got nothing to do with that one. |
| 40.6 : J Hazlewood to Malan, That was really close. Hazlewood changes the angle and goes from around the wicket. He lands it short, just outside off and it comes back in appreciably. Malan covers his sticks to make a leave. It went over the stumps and Josh shares a smile with the southpaw. |
| About 2 mins to go and probably this should be the final over before tea... |
| 41.1 : N Lyon to Root, Drifting in on middle and leg, clipped through backward square leg for a single. |
| 41.2 : N Lyon to Malan, Flatter delivery around off, blocked into the ground. |
| 41.3 : N Lyon to Malan, Tosses it wider outside off, Dawid comes down the track and drives it towards short cover. |
| 41.4 : N Lyon to D Malan, FOUR! Lovely shot! Sees the flight and Malan decides to cash in on it. Leans forward and drills it off the meat through extra cover for a boundary. |
| 41.5 : N Lyon to Malan, Around middle and off, DW walks out of the crease and pushes it back to Lyon who collects it with his left hand and throws it back to the keeper. |
| 41.6 : N Lyon to Malan, Slower through the air around off, Malan lunges forward and blocks it down safely. TEA ON DAY 1! |
| An extended session belongs to Australia. After rain washed out the entire first session, Joe Root won another toss and decided to bat. Stoneman was quick to get a start but threw it away. Vince and Cook then steadied the ship by stitching a 50-plus stand but again we saw the former doing what the other opener did. Cook at the start looked a bit nervy and did well to see off the initial phase but he too got dismissed, (thanks to an excellent use of the review from the hosts) putting his side in |
| Joe Root and Dawid Malan have battled it out till the break and slowly another partnership has started to build. The skipper will be itching to get a big one under his belt and this would be an ideal situation to do so. Australia, well, they have bowled superbly. On a track that had nothing much on it, they have come up with something extraordinary to reap the dividends. Cummins got the first two while it was Hazlewood who removed the big fish. Lyon is getting the odd ball to turn on the very fi |
| Another long session is coming up, folks. Will the current pair of Root and Malan bat well to keep the hosts at bay or will Australia continue to chip away at the wickets? Join us back in a short while to see what's going to happen next... |
| ... Day 1, Session 3 ... |
| We are back for the third session. It's bright and sunny at the moment which will make the batting all the more easy. Joe Root and Dawid Malan are set to resume. Australia to begin with Pat Cummins first up. Two slips for him. Let's play... |
| 42.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length ball outside off to start off, Root covers his stumps and just lets it be. |
| 42.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Almost gone! Cummins serves it full on the stumps, Root looks to drive it on the up. Ends up almost spooning a return catch. Pat gets low to his right but the ball lands agonisingly short of him. |
| 42.3 : Pat Cummins to Root, Fuller outside off, driven towards mid off. |
| 42.4 : Pat Cummins to Root, Root gets to the other end by guiding it through the point region. |
| 42.5 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Length ball, defended from the crease. |
| 42.6 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Pat comes round the wicket for the final ball of the over and bowls it full outside off. Malan just lets it be. |
| Mitchell Starc to bowl from the other end. He has been the least impressive of the bowlers so far. But in this beautiful sport, wickets often changes the picture. Can Starc pocket a few here? |
| 43.1 : M Starc to Root, Full ball on middle and leg, clipped towards mid-wicket. |
| 43.2 : M Starc to Root, Doesn't look like Starc has completely recovered from his bruised heel. A 125 kph against his name on the speed-gun isn't a normal thing. This is a length ball outside off, Root doesn't bother playing that. |
| 43.3 : M Starc to Root, Length ball, Root works it towards square leg. |
| 43.4 : M Starc to Root, Landed in line of the middle stump and slanting away. Root stands tall and blocks. |
| 43.5 : M Starc to Root, A touch fuller than the previous one, Joe pats it towards the fielder at point. |
| 43.6 : M Starc to Root, A maiden to end the over, not a testing one by any means. Fuller on the pads, hit straight to Marsh at square leg. |
| 44.1 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Fuller ball from around the wicket, Malan is happy to leave it alone. |
| 44.2 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Cummins attacks the stumps, Malan prods forward to defend it with a straight bat but gets it off the inside edge towards square leg. |
| 44.3 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Pitches it up outside off, the southpaw gets across and flicks it straight to Mitchell Marsh at square leg. |
| 44.4 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Good effort delivery from Pat! He bangs in a short ball, directing in towards Malan is is happy to sit under it. Paine does exceedingly well to collect it with a stretch to his right. |
| 44.5 : Pat Cummins to Malan, In the channel outside off, Malan shoulders his arms to it. |
| 44.6 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Another short ball but it's angling down leg, easily ducked under. |
| 45.1 : M Starc to Root, Starc is a bit wayward here. He strangles one down the leg side, Root moves inside the line to leave it alone. |
| 45.2 : M Starc to Root, Leading edgeee! Fuller and tailing back in a touch, Root moves across a way too much and then tries to clip it away. Ends up getting a leading edge which rolls safely towards the off side. |
| 45.3 : M Starc to Root, Slants it on a length outside off, Root leans forward and defends it down safely. |
| 45.4 : M Starc to Root, Root stands tall and taps this length delivery in front of point. Isn't keen on taking the single. |
| 45.5 : M Starc to Root, Angling away on a fuller length outside off, Joe presses forward and pushes it towards point. |
| 45.6 : M Starc to Root, Third maiden in a row! Shortish delivery outside off, Root defends it comfortably off the back foot. |
| 46.1 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Angling in from a good length area, Dewaid keeps his bat and pad close to keep it out. |
| 46.2 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Angling in on the pads, the southpaw hops and tucks it towards square leg. |
| 46.3 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Back of a length delivery outside off, defended with a straight bat. |
| 46.4 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Tad short and angling in on middle, Malan stands tall to defend it besides the pitch. |
| 46.5 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Coming back in from a shorter length outside off, Dawid has it covered and as a result he makes an easy leave. |
| 46.6 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Drops it on a length outside off, it's too wide to have a go at it. Left alone. Fourth maiden in a row! |
| 47.1 : M Starc to Root, Fuller in length and angling away, Root opens the bat face to push it towards point. |
| 47.2 : M Starc to Root, FOUR! Glorious from Root and that will release some pressure! After 25 dot balls in a row, England score! Starc slants it full and a bit wide outside off, Root leans nicely into it and drives it elegantly through extra cover to find the fence. |
| 47.3 : M Starc to Root, Shortish delivery on middle and leg, pulled down to fine leg for a single. |
| 47.4 : M Starc to Malan, Curling back in a shade, Malan goes at it with hard hands. Ekes out an inside edge which rolls towards the mid-wicket region. |
| 47.5 : M Starc to Malan, Fuller and moving away outside off, Dawid Malan is happy to shoulder his arms. Absolutely no need to go for those. |
| 47.6 : M Starc to Malan, Starc keeps it really full on the stumps, Malan is early into the straight drive and ends up mistiming it back to Mitchell. |
| 48.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Back of a length delivery, angling in from outside off, Root offers some solid defense. |
| 48.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Short of a length ball outside off, Joe rides the bounce to hit it towards point. |
| 48.3 : Pat Cummins to Root, Cummins with a great bumper at 142.6 kph, Joe Root ain't taking on it. Ducks under it. |
| 48.4 : Pat Cummins to Root, Fuller in length and angling in on middle and leg, clipped through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 48.5 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Another bumper from Cummins, Dawid Malan winds up for the pull shot but fails to get one going. |
| 48.6 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Length ball, angling away a touch, Malan prods forward and off the outer half of the bat he pokes it towards point. |
| 49.1 : M Starc to Root, Starc sprays it down the leg side, Root helps it on its way down to fine leg for a single. |
| 49.2 : M Starc to Malan, Pitches it up outside off, Malan looks to drive it but gets it off the inner half back to the bowler. |
| 49.3 : M Starc to Malan, Hangs back to this short ball outside off and pushes it with an angled bat towards point. Malan is still not off the mark after the tea break. He is happy to take his time. |
| 49.4 : M Starc to Malan, Fullish ball outside off, Malan drives it nicely but it goes on the bounce towards the point fielder. |
| 49.5 : M Starc to Malan, Good length around middle and leg, the left-hander punches it towards the man at mid on. |
| 49.6 : M Starc to Malan, Delivers it in the corridor of uncertainty, DW is happy to leave that one alone. |
| Josh Hazlewood is brought back into the attack. |
| 50.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Starts off from over the wicket and pitches it right up there, Root eases it down the ground through mid on for a couple of runs. |
| 50.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, FOUR! Nicely done! Short and outside off, Root stands tall and hits it through backward point for a boundary. |
| 50.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, Angling in on the stumps, blocked into the ground. |
| 50.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, Angling in from a good length outside off, Root looks to drive but gets an inside edge on the pads. |
| 50.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Back of a length delivery on the hips, tucked towards fine leg for a brace. |
| 50.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, Played to the point region by the batsman. |
| 51.1 : M Starc to Malan, Pitches it up outside off, Malan drives it on the up towards mid off. |
| 51.2 : M Starc to Malan, Length delivery wide outside off, Dawid Malan is shoulders his arms to leave it alone. |
| 51.3 : M Starc to Malan, Dawid Malan scores his first run after the tea break. It has taken him 27 balls to do so. Starc sprays it on the pads, clipped fine down the leg side for one. |
| 51.4 : M Starc to Root, What was that? Starc bowls a slower one around off, Root looks to pull it first but then at the last moment he dabs it away. Luckily, it went wide of Lyon at backward point. They run three. |
| 51.5 : M Starc to Malan, On a length and outside off, Malan gets squared up a bit as he defends this one towards the off side. |
| 51.6 : M Starc to Malan, This time he opens the face of the bat and pushes it with an angled bat towards point. |
| 52.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, FOUR! Superbly done! Just using the pace of Hazlewood! It's short and it's outside off, Root gets on top of the bounce to steer it through backward point. Finds the gap and brings up the 50-run stand as well. |
| 52.2 : J Hazlewood to Joe Root, Fuller on off, driven straight to short cover. |
| 52.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, On the pads, helped down to square leg for a single. |
| 52.4 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 52.5 : J Hazlewood to D Malan, Pitches it up outside off, Malan drives it off the middle but finds Lyon at short cover. |
| 52.6 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Back of a length delivery on middle, Dawid hops back and defends it down. |
| Nathan Lyon is back into the attack. A slip, leg slip and a short leg in place... |
| 53.1 : N Lyon to Root, Starts off from round the wicket and drifts one into Root who presses forward and blocks it out. |
| 53.2 : N Lyon to Root, Flighted delivery, dipping in, Root whips it wide of mid on for a single. |
| 53.3 : N Lyon to Malan, Around middle and leg, worked straight towards mid on. |
| 53.4 : N Lyon to Malan, Slower through the air, outside off, Malan looks to defend it off the front foot but gets it off the outer half towards gully. |
| 53.5 : Lyon to Malan, A loud shout for an LBW! Was it bat first or pad? Dawid Malan dances down the track to this flighted ball and looks to defend it with his bat and pad close together. It seemed like it has hit his pad first but the impact was well outside the line. |
| 53.6 : N Lyon to Malan, Makes use of the feet and drives it wide of the man at cover to keep strike. |
| 54.1 : J Hazlewood to D Malan, FOUR! Easily done! Hazlewood bowls a short ball on middle and leg, it comes up at a good height too. Malan swivels inside the crease and then pulls it along the ground through backward square leg to find a boundary. |
| 54.2 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Another short ball on the leg stump, Dawid helps it with a pull down to deep backward square leg for another brace. |
| 54.3 : J Hazlewood to Malan, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 54.4 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Good length delivery on off, pushed off the front foot towards mid off. |
| 54.5 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Back of a length delivery, sprayed a touch wider outside off. DW is happy to make a leave. |
| 54.6 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Short of a length delivery outside off, Malan hops to steer it down to third man but finds gully. |
| 55.1 : N Lyon to Root, Flighted delivery, dipping in on middle, Root whips it towards mid-wicket. |
| 55.2 : N Lyon to Root, Works it with the turn through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 55.3 : N Lyon to Malan, Darted around middle and leg, worked towards the man at square leg. |
| 55.4 : N Lyon to Malan, Drifting in on middle and off, blocked into the ground gently. |
| 55.5 : N Lyon to Malan, FOUR! Good shot! But wait, what happened to Khawaja there? Tossed up delivery outside off, Dawid Malan makes room and drives it through covers. Usman gives it a chase and just when he tries to pull the back, his left knee gets stuck in the turf and the ball rolls away further towards the boundary rope. |
| Usman Khawaja is limping off the field. Seems like Khawaja has done something to his left knee while attempting to stop the previous ball. Looks to be in some pain as he walks off the field. This could prove to be a nasty blow. Meanwhile, Drinks have been called... |
| 55.6 : N Lyon to Malan, Drifting in from around off, Malan presses forward to block it down watchfully. |
| 56.1 : J Hazlewood to Joe Root, Hazlewood lands it short around off, Root stays back and pulls it all along the ground towards deep mid-wicket for one. |
| 56.2 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Josh comes round the wicket and lands it on a back of a length. Malan stands tall and pulls it towards square leg. |
| 56.3 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Outside off, Malan leaves it alone. |
| 56.4 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Full ball outside off, Dawid covers his stumps and lets it be. |
| Mitchell Marsh is seen warming up... |
| 56.5 : J Hazlewood to Malan, On a length outside off, Malan goes back to defend it. Tries to do so with soft hands but the ball rolls towards gully off the edge. |
| 56.6 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Aiming at the off stump, this is landed on a length. DM blocks it watchfully. |
| 57.1 : N Lyon to Root, Lyon darts it from round the wicket, Root goes back and doesn't offer his bat. The ball goes off his thigh into the keeper's gloves. |
| 57.2 : N Lyon to Root, Flatter and quicker one, padded away by Root. |
| 57.3 : N Lyon to Root, Lyon fires this one at 90.4 kph, Root works it round the corner for nothing. |
| 57.4 : N Lyon to Root, Joe does well this time as he works it through mid-wicket for one. |
| 57.5 : N Lyon to Malan, Malan gets down the track and bunts this down solidly. |
| 57.6 : N Lyon to Malan, Floated outside off, driven to the man at covers. |
| Mitchell Marsh comes into the attack now. He has been wicketless in the series so far but has also seen Cook's catch go down in the previous game off his bowling. What does he have in store today? |
| 58.1 : M Marsh to Root, Marsh begins with a delivery slanting in to the batsman. Root looks to defend but the ball moves in a touch and he gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 58.2 : M Marsh to Joe Root, Outside off, driven to the man at covers. |
| 58.3 : M Marsh to Joe Root, Full and outside off, hit straight to the man stationed at covers. |
| 58.4 : M Marsh to Root, Well wide outside off, left alone by Joe. |
| 58.5 : M Marsh to Root, Angling into the pads on a fuller length, Root clips it through mid-wicket for a brace. He moves to 46 even as the stand swells to 69. |
| 58.6 : M Marsh to Joe Root, FOUR! Consecutive fifties for skipper Joe Root, his 36th in Tests. He has looked very comfortable at the crease so far and for once, he would love to put all that talks of conversion rates to rest. This is full outside off, Root leans into it and drives it crisply through covers. The ball trickles away to the ropes. |
| 59.1 : N Lyon to Malan, Flatter on the stumps, kept out from the crease. |
| 59.2 : Lyon to D Malan, What's happening there? Are the two English batters speaking different languages? A horrible mix-up, thankfully not fatal. Lyon bowls it on a shorter length outside off, Malan goes back and plays the cut. Root wants a run and immediately hares to the other end even as Mitchell Marsh at backward point dives to his left to stop it and hurls a throw to the keeper. Seeing the effort, Malan decides to not take the run and is stranded in the middle even as his skipper crosses hi |
| 59.3 : N Lyon to Root, Root gets down and sweeps it through backward square leg for one. |
| 59.4 : N Lyon to Malan, Floated on off, Malan comes down and blocks it. |
| 59.5 : N Lyon to Malan, The batsman plays the Square-Cut. |
| 59.6 : N Lyon to D Malan, This one is eased through covers for one. |
| Usman Khawaja is back on the field. |
| 60.1 : M Marsh to Malan, Length ball outside off, placed to the man at point. |
| 60.2 : M Marsh to Malan, Fuller outside off, driven nicely through covers. The fielder there does well to dive and prevent a run. |
| 60.3 : M Marsh to Malan, Good judgement. Length delivery in the channel of uncertainty, Malan covers his stumps, shoulders arms. |
| 60.4 : M Marsh to Malan, The sucker ball. Marsh throws it wide and full, Dawid resists the temptation to go after that and just lets it be. |
| 60.5 : M Marsh to Malan, On a length in line of the stumps, Malan presents a straight bat face in blocking that. |
| 60.6 : M Marsh to Malan, FOUR! Marsh doesn't get away this time. He bowls it full and outside off, Malan gets his stride out and drives it through the gap between gully and backward point for a boundary. Spoils what could have been a decent over. |
| 61.1 : N Lyon to Root, Root turns it towards mid-wicket from the crease. |
| 61.2 : N Lyon to Root, Served just outside off, Root taps it through backward point for one. |
| 61.3 : N Lyon to D Malan, A CHANCE, DEFINITELY! Lyon tosses this one up nicely just around off, Malan looks to come down the track and play it but ends up getting a thick outside edge. The ball passes very close to the keeper's left leg and goes past Smith, beating him low to his right. He got just some hand to that but fails to hold on to that. What's more, it results in a couple. Malan gets another life now, to add to the run out scare that he had earlier. Smith had not taken a similar catch th |
| 61.4 : N Lyon to Malan, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 61.5 : N Lyon to Malan, Malan lunges forward to this one and blocks. |
| 61.6 : N Lyon to Malan, Dawid comes down the track and bunts it. |
| 62.1 : M Marsh to Root, Length ball on the stumps, blocked from the crease. |
| 62.2 : M Marsh to Root, Root steers this one past backward point for a single. |
| Two gullies in place. |
| 62.3 : M Marsh to Malan, Well outside off, left alone. |
| 62.4 : M Marsh to Malan, Another delivery outside off, left alone by Malan. |
| 62.5 : M Marsh to Malan, Hurled outside off, Malan covers his sticks and lets that go. |
| 62.6 : M Marsh to Malan, Four dots in a row to end the over. This is again bowled outside off, left alone by DM. |
| 63.1 : N Lyon to Root, Tossed up outside off, driven through covers for a couple. |
| 63.2 : N Lyon to Root, This is bowled around off, Root goes back and works it through mid-wicket for one. |
| 63.3 : N Lyon to Malan, Floated on off, defended off the front foot with a straight bat. |
| 63.4 : N Lyon to Malan, Some more air given on this one, Malan drives it towards covers. |
| 63.5 : N Lyon to Malan, Dropped on the stumps, Malan lunges forward and dead-bats it. |
| 63.6 : N Lyon to Malan, This ball is pushed defensively towards covers. |
| 64.1 : M Marsh to Root, Landed in line of the stumps, pushed towards mid on from the crease. |
| 64.2 : M Marsh to Root, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 64.3 : M Marsh to Root, Short ball angling down leg, Root goes for the pull but misses. Needs to be careful here, as he could have easily feathered it to the keeper on another day. |
| 64.4 : M Marsh to Root, On a length angling in, Root taps it towards backward square leg off the inner half. Malan rushed down from the other end for a quick run and Joe responds. |
| 64.5 : M Marsh to Malan, Straight ball angling across the southpaw, Malan covers the sticks and lets it pass. |
| 64.6 : M Marsh to Malan, Bowled in line of the stumps, Malan keeps it out from the crease. |
| 65.1 : N Lyon to Root, Floated full on off, worked away to deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 65.2 : N Lyon to Malan, Tossed up on off, Malan slinks down the track and pushes it back. |
| 65.3 : N Lyon to Malan, Flatter on the pads, Dawid defends it towards short leg. |
| 65.4 : N Lyon to Malan, Malan taps it towards point and sets off for a run. Khawaja is a touch deeper there and that enables them to complete a run easily. |
| 65.5 : N Lyon to Root, Root negotiates this one with a straight bat face. |
| 65.6 : N Lyon to Root, This is floated full outside off, Joe drives it through the cover region and helps himself to a couple. |
| 66.1 : M Marsh to D Malan, A touch shorter on the stumps, Malan pulls it to deep square leg for one. |
| 66.2 : M Marsh to Root, This is full outside off, Root gets half-forward and lets it pass through unharmed. |
| 66.3 : M Marsh to Root, Fuller in length, angling in, Root works it towards mid-wicket. |
| 66.4 : M Marsh to Root, On a length just outside off, Root stays back and works it past backward point for a brace. |
| 66.5 : M Marsh to Root, Now runs on the other side of the wicket. Marsh delivers this on a length on the pads, Joe works it through backward square leg for a brace. The stand is worth 97 now. |
| 66.6 : M Marsh to Root, Length ball outside off, left alone. |
| 67.1 : N Lyon to Malan, Tossed up ball around off, Malan comes down the track and drives it towards covers. |
| 67.2 : N Lyon to Malan, Beaten! Lyon fires this outside off, at 97 kph, Malan goes for the cut but misses. It was the arm ball. Lyon is mixing it up nicely. |
| 67.3 : N Lyon to Malan, Around off, defended off the front foot. |
| 67.4 : N Lyon to Malan, On a flatter trajectory outside off, Malan slaps it straight to Khawaja at cover-point. |
| 67.5 : N Lyon to Malan, Similar delivery, this time Dawid hits it away from Khawaja for one. |
| 67.6 : N Lyon to Root, Root works it through mid-wicket and retains strike with that. |
| Pat Cummins, the pick of the bowlers so far, is back for another burst. Can he break this stand that is worth 99 runs so far? |
| 68.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Fuller around off, defended off the front foot. |
| 0.0 : Fair point. Joe Root has been guilty in the series of not maintaining the balance of his body. He has been out LBW a couple of times and that is when he looks to play across and falls over. But today has been different. He has maintained his posture well when playing the cut shot off the back foot and has been equally adept at defending and driving the ball off the front foot. This augurs well for him and the side as a whole as he looks to make this score a big one. |
| 68.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length ball outside off, defended towards point. |
| 68.3 : Pat Cummins to Root, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 68.4 : Pat Cummins to Root, Fuller on the stumps, driven back towards the bowler. |
| 68.5 : Pat Cummins to Root, Full outside off, Root's bottom hand comes off as he looks to drive it towards mid off. |
| 68.6 : Pat Cummins to Root, Very full on off, Root drives it back to Pat. |
| Drinks are on the field. |
| 69.1 : N Lyon to Malan, Floated on off, defended off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 69.2 : N Lyon to Malan, Malan comes down to this one and defends. |
| 69.3 : N Lyon to Malan, Flicks this one off the pads, goes on the bounce to short leg. |
| 69.4 : N Lyon to Malan, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 69.5 : N Lyon to Malan, Floated around off and middle, Malan stonewalls it with a straight bat. |
| 69.6 : N Lyon to Malan, Another delivery on the stumps, negotiated with a forward defense. The stand stays on 99 as this one is a maiden over. |
| 70.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Full on off, defended off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 70.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Bouncer just outside off, Root sways away from the line and just lets it be. |
| 70.3 : Pat Cummins to Root, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| Sometimes they say gut feelings and instincts just make things happen. It is all England at the moment and that too for quite some time. It does not look at all that they will lose a wicket tonight, especially given the chances missed by Australia. But Michael Clarke on air feels that Oz can get wickets 4 and 5 tonight. Just a gut feeling of his. Himself and Shane Warne have a lot of these gut feelings. Just need someone to have a gut feeling that Root and Malan will go undefeated into the dress |
| 70.4 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length delivery outside off, poked off the back foot towards point. |
| 70.5 : Pat Cummins to Joe Root, The batsman plays the pull-shot. One run added to the total. |
| 70.6 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Flatter one on the stumps, blocked out well. |
| 71.1 : N Lyon to Root, Another chance? Very tough one for the fielder this. Root flicks this one from the crease and the ball strikes Bancroft at short leg on the full. Yes, a catch but these aren't one that you can take actually. The fielder didn't get a hand onto that at all. |
| 71.2 : N Lyon to Root, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 71.3 : N Lyon to Root, Root comes down the block and blocks that. |
| 71.4 : N Lyon to Root, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 71.5 : N Lyon to Root, Root drives it through covers for one. |
| 71.6 : N Lyon to Malan, The batsman has driven it straight down the ground. |
| 72.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length ball on off, defended from the crease. |
| 72.2 : Pat Cummins to Joe Root, Fuller outside off, driven towards mid off. |
| 72.3 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length ball outside off, Root steers it towards backward point. |
| 72.4 : Pat Cummins to Root, Short ball on the stumps, Root ducks under that. |
| 72.5 : Pat Cummins to Root, Root almost departs there! Cummins bangs this short, Root goes back and pulls it. Ends up getting a top edge and the ball flies towards backward square leg. The fielder from square leg ran to his right while fine leg came running to his left. None could get to the ball as it landed in between them. Fine leg does the mopping up and a couple results. Root needs to be careful with the pull shot as he seldom lets go of such deliveries. |
| 72.6 : Pat Cummins to Root, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 73.1 : N Lyon to Malan, Malan stays back to this one and defends it. |
| 73.2 : N Lyon to Malan, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 73.3 : N Lyon to Malan, Flatter and straighter delivery outside off, Malan just shoulders arms. |
| 73.4 : N Lyon to Malan, Floated full on off, driven back. |
| 73.5 : N Lyon to Malan, What's that? Lyon lands it around off and middle, Malan looks to come down and flick it away. Bancroft at short leg does extremely well there. He quickly gets to his right, stops the ball cleanly and throws it at the striker's end. Malan's momentum forward made it difficult for him to turn and get back in time, even though he dived. Had that ball hit the stumps, it could have been one of the best dismissals of the series. Ian Healy exclaims that Bancroft is doing the bad j |
| 73.6 : N Lyon to Malan, This time, Malan works it past short leg for one. |
| 74.1 : Pat Cummins to Malan, 200 up for England. Back of a length delivery going down leg, Malan tucks it through backward square leg for one. The partnership now moves to 105. |
| 74.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Good running now. Root taps this one in front of cover-point and sets across and completes a single. |
| 74.3 : Pat Cummins to Malan, This ball is bowled on a shorter length, Dawid pulls it confidently to the man at deep square leg for one. |
| 74.4 : Pat Cummins to Root, Fuller on off, driven back straight to Pat. The bowler collects it and hurls a wild throw back. |
| 74.5 : Pat Cummins to Root, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. One run added to the total. |
| 74.6 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Hurled down the leg side, Malan just lets it be. |
| 75.1 : N Lyon to Root, Served around off, Root goes back and flicks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 75.2 : N Lyon to Root, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 75.3 : N Lyon to Root, Root works it round the corner and gets to the other end. |
| 75.4 : N Lyon to Malan, Malan prods forward to this one and blocks it. |
| 75.5 : N Lyon to Malan, Flatter on the pads, flicked through mid-wicket for one. |
| 75.6 : N Lyon to Root, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| Mitchell Starc back into the attack now. If there even a semblance of reverse swing available, Starc can be menacing. |
| 76.1 : M Starc to D Malan, FOUR! Straightaway we know what Starc is aiming for. He runs in and bowls it full outside off. A hint of reverse seen as the ball comes in a touch. Nothing doing for Malan though, who gets his stride out and drives it nicely through covers for a boundary. |
| 76.2 : M Starc to Malan, Malan works this through mid-wicket for a brace to move to 49. |
| 76.3 : M Starc to Malan, 5th Test fifty for Dawid Malan. This no. 5 has got a start yet again and it's time for him to play a daddy innings. Starc bowls this on a length on the pads, the ball moves in a touch. Malan clips it away through backward square leg for a brace. Starc is seen struggling here. He is seen stretching out there. Wonder why he should have been playing this game, especially the series in the hosts' bag already. |
| 76.4 : M Starc to Malan, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 76.5 : M Starc to Malan, This ball is flicked away off the pads. Starc is not at all looking good here. He is walking gingerly after bowling this one. One would hope he's okay. Also, he's seen something towards the dressing room there, perhaps a painkiller or something. |
| 76.6 : M Starc to Malan, This ball is flicked away through square leg for a brace. 10 runs off this over. |
| Talk about reverse swing and here comes Josh Hazlewood into the attack. Earlier this morning, he struck with Cook's wicket as soon as was brought onto bowl. Encore? A couple of slips in place. |
| 77.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Angling into Root, he flicks it away through square leg for a single. |
| 77.2 : J Hazlewood to Malan, The batsman has driven it straight down the ground. |
| 77.3 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Fuller outside off, driven towards covers. |
| 77.4 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Malan hangs back and blocks it from the crease. |
| It's not heel perhaps. If I'm even half good at lip-reading, he was seen telling that 'My calf is gone'. The good part of this is he's still on the field and not out of it. Shane Warne on air wonders whether Starc has done his calf some damage in a bid to protect that bruised heel of his. Between the overs, he was seen taking some tablets from the Jackson Bird, the sub. |
| 77.5 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Outside off, left alone. |
| 77.6 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Length ball on the stumps, defended from the crease. |
| Starc will continue. Warne reckons that it definitely not a torn calf as that would have meant that he wouldn't have been able to bowl. But all the on-air commentators are unanimous in thinking that the speedster playing this game hasn't been a wise call. |
| 78.1 : M Starc to Root, Sprays this full outside off, Root drives it through the cover region and picks up a couple. |
| 78.2 : M Starc to Root, This is full around off, driven towards covers. |
| 78.3 : M Starc to Joe Root, Very full outside off, Root gets down and drives it straight to cover-point. |
| 78.4 : M Starc to Root, Root defends this one from the crease. |
| 78.5 : M Starc to Root, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| If a wicket falls should a nightwatchman come in next? That was the talk on air when the camera panned to the England dressing room. It caught Mason Crane, who quickly went into a hiding. Not me, skipper! That's what he might be saying. |
| 78.6 : M Starc to Root, Full outside off, driven to the man at covers. |
| Mitchell Starc is seen walking out of the park now. |
| 79.1 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Josh continues round the wicket and lands it on a length around off, Malan stands tall and keeps it out. |
| 79.2 : J Hazlewood to Malan, This ball is punched off the back foot towards cover-point. |
| 79.3 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Full around off, defended off the front foot. |
| 79.4 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Ouch! Earlier Khawaja and now Bancroft. This delivery is shot on the stumps, Malan pulls it through square leg. Bancroft gives it a chase and puts in the slide. As he does so, his back knee gets stuck on the ground and he ends up fumbling a touch. No extra run, just a couple. |
| 79.5 : J Hazlewood to Malan, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 79.6 : J Hazlewood to D Malan, Malan drives it towards covers, where Marsh does well to prevent runs. |
| 80 overs have been bowled. The new ball is due and TAKEN IMMEDIATELY. About 10 minutes left for the close of play and in search of some magic, Australia have opted for the second new cherry straightaway. Mitchell Starc to make use of it first up. |
| 80.1 : M Starc to Root, FOUR! The new ball appears and disappears! Starc hurls it full on off and middle, Root drives it back down the ground. Such is the timing that the ball speeds away to the fence. |
| 80.2 : M Starc to Joe Root, FOUR! Is he gone? No! This is bowled full around off, in fact very full. Root just about manages to bring his bat down on time. The ball takes the inside edge and goes very close past the leg stump and races to the fine leg fence. The fielder there couldn't do much and a boundary results. |
| 80.3 : M Starc to Root, OUT! Mitchell Starc erupts, Australia erupt, the Sydney Cricket Ground erupts but Joe Root is down on his haunches! Oh dear, dear! What has the English skipper done yet again? Starc runs in and delivers it full at 140 kph. Talk about injured heels and calfs. All that can be done another time. Root thinks it to be yet another delivery which he'll flick and collect runs. Plays the shot but finds Mitchell Marsh at square leg. He dives to his right and pouches that to spark o |
| Jonny Bairstow walks in next. It's his 50th Test match and what a time to come to bat. England have not opted for a nightwatchman and have sent their wicket-keeper batter out there. |
| 80.4 : M Starc to Bairstow, Full delivery slanting across Bairstow, he just lets it go. |
| 80.5 : M Starc to Bairstow, Another delivery outside off, left alone. |
| Is Bairstow gone? Starc thinks so, Smith thinks so but the umpire doesn't. Smith desperately asks is players before signaling a 'T' for the DRS. Sliding down leg it seems to the naked eye... |
| 80.6 : Starc to J Bairstow, NOT OUT! Bairstow survives! Talk about Starc though. He set Jonny nicely up. Bowled a couple of deliveries slanting across the batter and hurled this full and swinging in. Bairstow looks to flick it but it seems to have hit him low on the pads. The players appeal but the umpire stays unmoved. Smith is eagerly asking for support from his mates for DRS and gets the nod. Goes upstairs. The Hot Spot and the Snicko both show the presence of an edge there and that's that. Th |
| 81.1 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, FOUR! Beautifuly stroke. Hazlewood overpitches this outside off, Bairstow strides forward and drives it through covers for a boundary. Nice looking shot that. |
| 81.2 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 81.3 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Jonny shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 81.4 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, OUT! Another one departs! Where was this Aussie side that we know? Or even other way, perhaps this is the England side that we have grown familiar with in this series. Often one brings two and here is the second. Josh runs in from over the wicket and delivers it on a length just outside off. These are the areas which you never want to get as a batter any time, let alone in the closing stages of the day's play. Bairstow looks to drive this one but the ball straighte |
| Hush! What drama in the last 10 minutes of play! Till the 80th over, Smith seemed to have run out of ideas. His problems seemed to have complicated with Starc not being 100 percent fit. But just like a lion is turned on by the smell of fresh meat, the Australians pumped back to life with the second new cherry. Starc started clocking over 140kph, getting the vital scalp of Root who missed out on yet another Test ton. Starc's new ball partner Hazlewood imitated him with Bairstow's wicket to tilt t |
| What shall we say about England? Another batting collapse looms, doesn't it? They have lost 13/2 in the last 10 balls. Before that, Root and Malan had looked good in their 133-run stand. The latter is still unbeaten on 55, which has been a stoic knock from him, facing 160 balls in the process. Imagine being in his shoes now and thinking about all that has transpired at the end. He could be anything ranging from perplexed to frustrated. Hope he doesn't let any of that affect his game tomorrow. Re |
| Earlier in the day, rain washed away an entire session, making play extend by over an hour at the end. 2018 has been a wet start for the sport with the first New Zealand-Windies T20I rained away earlier this week. Two extended sessions meant that about 82 overs could be completed today. The home side bowlers were disciplined and never let the tourists get away with the game. Stoneman was fluent at the start but didn't stay for too long. Cook endured a tough phase but departed soon after, while V |
| The game is well poised now. It may be slightly in favour of the hosts but it is not easy to write the visitors off either. They still have batting to come and also have a set Malan at the other end. How will the second day pan out? The weather looks to be good for the morrow and we should get in all the overs then. However, we have an early start on Day 2. So do join us at 1000 local time (1100 GMT). Till then take care, adios! |
| ... Day 2, Session 1 ... |
| Hello everyone and welcome to the second day's play of the final Ashes Test. After looking flat for the entire last session yesterday, Australia came roaring back in the final few minutes to remove Root and Bairstow and made sure that they ended the day on a good note. A lot of eyebrows were raised when the wicketkeeper batsman walked in just before the close of play which has now put England firmly on the back foot. Yes, Dawid Malan, the most consistent batsman for the visitors on this tour is |
| The pitch has good amount of turn and bounce and if you dig in there, runs will start to flow. Moeen Ali who has had a dreadful Ashes so far would be looking to make amends this time around. The hosts on the other hand will have their tails up and with the cherry being very new, they would be looking to come out and make further inroads. Will we see England clawing their way back or will it be Australia all over them? Remember, we have an early start today to cover up for the time and overs lost |
| It's time to get rolling. The umpires and players have made their way out to the middle. Dawid Malan is joined by the out-of-form, Moeen Ali in the middle. A lot of eyes will be on the latter today. Will he be amongst runs? Remains to be seen. Josh Hazlewood will finish his pending over. Here we go... |
| 81.5 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Ali is away straightaway! Hazlewood from over the wicket hurls it full on the pads, Moeen clips it a bit uppishly through mid-wicket to open his account. |
| 81.6 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Strangles one down the leg side, Malan moves inside the line to work it away but fails to get any wood on it. Paine collects it by moving to his right. |
| Mitchell Starc to continue from the other end. He wasn't at his usual best yesterday but he found a way by picking up the wicket of the English skipper. What can he do today? |
| 82.1 : M Starc to Ali, Starts off from over the wicket, fires it full but down the leg side, Ali fails to flick it away. |
| 82.2 : M Starc to Ali, Off the middle but straight to the man! Touch fuller and outside off, moving away a bit, Ali nicely leans into it to drive but it goes straight to the man at short cover. |
| 82.3 : M Starc to Ali, A full toss on middle and off, Ali stays calm and pushes it back down the track towards the bowler. |
| 82.4 : M Starc to Ali, Keeps it fuller around off, Moeen presses forward to defend but gets an inside edge as the ball rolls towards square leg. |
| Michael Clarke who was himself aggressive by nature has got something to say. He says he loved the intent shown by Moeen Ali at the MCG but unfortunately got dismissed on a half tracker by Lyon. Today he wants him to take on Starc and Hazlewood it's nothing wrong but at the same time, he wants Ali to get use to the conditions, see off the initial 10-15 minutes and then go bang bang... |
| 82.5 : M Starc to Ali, Slips one down the leg side, Moeen Ali moves inside the line to let it be. |
| 82.6 : M Starc to Ali, Good length delivery, angling in, Ali tries to clip it away but misses to wear it on the pads. A maiden to start off with for Starc. |
| 83.1 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Nice line! Angling away, in that channel outside off, Malan resists before shouldering his arms. |
| 83.2 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Hazlewood with a short ball on middle, Dawid tries to get on top of the bounce but realizes that he won't be able to. So he smartly hangs back and makes sure he half pulls it towards mid-wicket. |
| 83.3 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Lovely delivery! Fuller and curling back in on off, Malan tries to jam it out towards the off side but is done in by the pace on the ball as the ball goes quickly to Paine behind. |
| 83.4 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Slants it away in the probing zone, Dawid has no qualms in leaving it alone. |
| 83.5 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Good length delivery, hitting the deck and swirling back in from outside off, Malan defends it down solidly. |
| 83.6 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Goes around the wicket for the last ball of the over and pitches it up outside off, easy leave for Dawid. |
| 84.1 : M Starc to Ali, A bit short and angling down leg, Ali tries tucking it away but then at the last moment he moves inside the line to make a leave. |
| 0.0 : Short cover comes in... |
| 84.2 : M Starc to Ali, Back of a length delivery outside off, Moeen Ali makes an assured leave. |
| 84.3 : M Starc to Ali, Good length delivery with a tinge of away swing, Ali with a straight bat pushes it towards cover. |
| 84.4 : M Starc to Ali, Bangs in a short one on middle and leg, Ali reacts late but does well to half duck under it. |
| 84.5 : M Starc to Ali, Pitches it up outside off, Ali leans forward to drive but gets it off the toe end back to Starc. |
| 84.6 : M Starc to Ali, Back of a length, swinging away appreciably, shouldered arms to by Ali. Three maidens in a row for Australia. |
| 85.1 : J Hazlewood to Malan, First run of the day for Malan! Good length ball, just outside off, Dawid taps it with soft hands towards mid off and scurries through to the other end. |
| 85.2 : J Hazlewood to Ali, In the channel outside off, slanting away from Ali who makes a watchful leave. |
| 85.3 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Hits the deck hard, it's on middle and off, Ali drops his gloves to let it be. |
| 85.4 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Gets right behind the line and stabs it on the off side. |
| 85.5 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Good length ball on the pads, clipped towards deep backward square leg for a single. |
| 85.6 : J Hazlewood to Malan, Goes around the wicket, Josh hurls it ahead of a length outside off, Malan ain't going after it. |
| 86.1 : M Starc to Ali, Angles it in on a back of a length but the line is a bit straight which allows Ali to tuck it towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 86.2 : M Starc to Malan, Fuller and fired down the leg side, at 142.2 kph, Malan looks to help it on its way but isn't able to get away with the clip. |
| 86.3 : M Starc to Malan, Excellent dive from Khawaja! Saved a sure shot boundary! Well done, Usman! Starc bowls it short and serves a bit of width as well. Malan decides to cash in on it. He stands tall and cuts it hard, it was traveling really fast but Khawaja at gully dives quickly to his right to make a one-handed stop. |
| 86.4 : M Starc to Malan, Now goes full, it's really full, Malan meets it with a straight blade down the ground. Warner from mid off hunts it down to keep them down to two. |
| 86.5 : M Starc to Malan, Fuller in length and on the stumps, Malan stays leg side of the ball and ends up mistiming it towards cover. |
| 86.6 : M Starc to Malan, Stays back and defends this length delivery gently. |
| Nathan Lyon comes into the attack. A slip and a short leg in place. Good move from Smith as there are two southpaws out there. The new cherry is hard and Lyon can extract that extra bounce. |
| 87.1 : N Lyon to M Ali, Lyon from around the wicket, loops it up outside off, Ali comes forward to push it away with an open bat face but gets it off the outer edge past Smith at first slip for a single. |
| 87.2 : N Lyon to Malan, Tossed up around middle, pushed towards mid off off the front foot. |
| 87.3 : N Lyon to Malan, Lands it outside off, turning away, left alone by Malan. |
| 87.4 : N Lyon to Malan, FOUR! Booming drive! Lyon gives a lot of flight and serves it outside off, Malan reaches out to that one and drills it through extra cover to find the fence. |
| 87.5 : N Lyon to Malan, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 87.6 : N Lyon to Malan, Was there a nick? Lyon pushes it quicker through the air, at 95.6 kph, outside off, it's skids a bit and beats the back foot defense of Malan and settles into the keeper's gloves. They appeal for a caught behind but nothing from the umpire. |
| 88.1 : M Starc to Ali, Back of a length delivery outside off, Ali stands tall and punches it through extra cover for a couple. |
| 88.2 : M Starc to Ali, FOUR! Edgyyyy and it's through! Fuller in length and shaping away after pitching, Ali reaches out to that one and gets it off the edge past Khawaja at gully. Lyon from backward point gives it a chase but the ball still wins the race. |
| 88.3 : M Starc to Ali, The batsman has nudged the ball fine down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| 88.4 : M Starc to D Malan, OUT! What a stunning catch! Steven Smith, that's a screamer! He dropped one yesterday which looked relatively easy but boy, what about this? Given the standards that he has created for himself, we expect him to take everything, don't we? Anyway, Starc gets his second and the dangerous Malan walks back. Mitchell drops it on a short of a length and it moves away just a bit to square Dawid up. The batsman pokes at it away from the body and gets an outside edge which flies |
| Tom Curran is the new man in. |
| 88.5 : M Starc to Curran, FOUR! Uppishhhh! Fuller and sprayed wider outside off, Curran crouches low and squeezes it uppishly past backward point to pikc up a boundary. |
| 88.6 : M Starc to Curran, Very full at 142.4 kph, Curran is late to bring his bat down and as a result he gets beaten. A successful over from Starc comes to an end. |
| 89.1 : N Lyon to Ali, Drops it short outside off, punched through cover for a single. |
| 89.2 : N Lyon to Curran, Goes back and works it with the turn towards FSL. |
| 89.3 : N Lyon to Curran, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 89.4 : N Lyon to Curran, Shortish and turning in with bounce, Curran goes back to defend but misses to wear it on the body. |
| 89.5 : N Lyon to Curran, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 89.6 : N Lyon to Curran, Shimmies down the track and pushes it back to Lyon. |
| 90.1 : M Starc to Ali, Short ball down the leg side, Ali moves inside the line and helps it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 90.2 : M Starc to Curran, Coming back in from around middle and leg, Curran looks to flick it away but misses as the ball brushes the pads and rolls towards fine leg. They take a leg bye. |
| 90.3 : M Starc to Ali, Back of a length delivery outside off, Ali looks to punch it away on the off side but the ball jags away late to beat him all ends up. |
| 90.4 : M Starc to Ali, The batsman works it down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| 90.5 : M Starc to Curran, Bangs in a short one on middle and off, Tom ducks to evade it. |
| 90.6 : M Starc to Tom Curran, Fuller on off, driven past cover for a single. |
| 91.1 : N Lyon to Tom Curran, Tossed up on off, Curran comes down the track and drives it towards long off for a single. |
| 91.2 : N Lyon to Ali, Leans forward and blocks it into the ground. |
| 91.3 : N Lyon to Ali, Ali uses his feet and eases it down to long off for a single. |
| 91.4 : N Lyon to Curran, Tosses it up outside off, it turns in, Curran takes a stride forward to defend but the ball doesn't turn and he gets beaten. |
| 91.5 : N Lyon to Curran, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 91.6 : N Lyon to Curran, Lovely bowling Gary! He gives it a lot of revs and lands it outside off, asking Curran to drive it through the line. The batsman obliges and comes forward to do just that. The ball spins back in, takes the inside edge, hits the front pad, lobs up in the air but then dies down on the pitch. |
| Josh Hazlewood is back into the attack. |
| 92.1 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Starts the new spell with a bumper, but it's on middle and leg, Ali is happy t sit under it. |
| 92.2 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Fuller in length and slanting away outside off, blocked solidly. |
| 92.3 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Stays behind the line and answers it with a straight blade. |
| 92.4 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Shortish delivery from Josh. Ali hops back to tuck it away but misses to wear it on the body. |
| 92.5 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Bangs in a short one outside off, Moeen drops his wrists and leaves it alone. |
| 92.6 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Keeps it fuller outside off, driven towards Warner at mid off. |
| 93.1 : N Lyon to Curran, Floats it up outside off, it turns back in, Curran comes forward to defend but gets an inside edge towards short leg. |
| 93.2 : N Lyon to Curran, Tosses it wider outside off, Tom plays the drive but does so a bit squarer and as a result he finds point. |
| 93.3 : N Lyon to Curran, Quicker through the air, outside off, spinning back in, Tom punches it towards cover to rotate strike. |
| 93.4 : N Lyon to Ali, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 93.5 : N Lyon to Ali, Beaten! Drifting in from around off, Moeen Ali lunges forward to defend but the ball turns away to beat the outside edge. Good stuff from Lyon. |
| 93.6 : N Lyon to Ali, Shimmies down the track and almost yorks himself does Ali. Jams it out back to the offie. |
| 94.1 : J Hazlewood to Curran, Fuller in length and outside off, Curran drives it hard but finds the man at cover. |
| 94.2 : J Hazlewood to Curran, FOUR! In the air... wide of Jackson Bird at cover! Hazlewood hurls it fuller outside off, Curran is quick to go for a booming drive. He does so uppishly and Bird at cover dives with his left hand outstretched but the ball is too far from his reach. A boundary results. |
| 94.3 : J Hazlewood to Curran, Angles it in from on middle and off, Curran defends it down. |
| 94.4 : J Hazlewood to Curran, Short delivery but it's down leg, easy leave for Tom. |
| 94.5 : J Hazlewood to Curran, Good shot. This is more controlled from Curran! Length ball on off, Tom punches it on the up through extra cover to add two more to his tally. |
| 94.6 : J Hazlewood to Curran, Fullish ball on middle and leg, wristed wide of Starc at mid on for just a single. |
| 95.1 : N Lyon to Curran, FOUR! Good use of the feet! Lyon tosses it wider outside off, Curran knows that there is no one on the off side so he decides to make the most of it. He comes dancing down the track and drives it through the cover region to find the fence. |
| 95.2 : N Lyon to Curran, Once again comes down the track but this time he gets an inside edge towards mid on. |
| 95.3 : N Lyon to Curran, Flatter and shorter outside off, cut behind point as Hazlewood hunts it down to keep them down to two. |
| 95.4 : N Lyon to Curran, The batsman gets to the pitch of the ball and connects. |
| 95.5 : N Lyon to Curran, Around off, turning back in, Curran goes back to clip but misses to get hit on the pads. |
| What happened there? After playing out the last ball, Tom Curran plonked his bat and was set to leave the crease thinking it to be over. Paine collected the ball and just when Curran lifted his bat to move, he takes the bails off and appeals. Umpire Wilson shakes his head. A few players were not sure as to why didn't the umpire pay heed to the appeal. Smith even asks Wilson that did he call it an over? The latter responds Yes and that is it... |
| 95.6 : N Lyon to Curran, Stands back and blocks it out gently. |
| 96.1 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Shortish delivery on middle and leg, Ali helps it with a pull down to fine leg for a single. |
| 96.2 : J Hazlewood to Tom Curran, Good ball! Hazlewood bangs in a short one on middle and leg, Tom Curran is put in a bit of a tangle. He takes his eyes off the ball as initially he tries to leave it alone but then pulls it awkwardly towards backward square leg. The ball lobs uppishly but lands safely. it with a pull shot down to fine leg for a single. That is called as 'Involuntary pull' says the Ian Chappell on air. |
| 96.3 : J Hazlewood to M Ali, Good length outside off, driven uppishly down the ground for a brace. |
| 96.4 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Short delivery on middle and leg, Ali ducks to evade it. |
| 96.5 : J Hazlewood to M Ali, FOUR. |
| 96.6 : J Hazlewood to M Ali, Fuller outside off, driven towards mid off. |
| 97.1 : N Lyon to Curran, No run. |
| 97.2 : N Lyon to Curran, Around middle and leg, flicked towards the leg side. |
| 97.3 : N Lyon to Curran, In the air... dropped! Pat Cummins spills an easy chance! Tossed up delivery outside off, Curran dances down the track and looks to go over mid on but isn't quite to the pitch of the ball. Ends up mistiming it towards mid on where Cummins drops a sitter. Should have taken that. |
| 97.4 : N Lyon to Curran, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. |
| 97.5 : N Lyon to Curran, Curran pushes it towards cover. |
| 97.6 : N Lyon to Curran, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| Pat Cummins comes into the attack after dropping the catch in the previous over. |
| 98.1 : Cummins to M Ali, Dose of his own medicine? Cummins dropped one in the previous over and now a catch goes down off his bowling. He bowls it on a back of a length around off, Ali goes for the hook. All he manages is a top edge and the ball goes in the air towards mid-wicket. Hazlewood seems to have his eyes on the ball as he runs there from mid on. Strangely though, he fluffs the simplest of skiers that has come his way. No reason for that catch to go down. A run results. Ali gets a life an |
| 98.2 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Bowls a bumper down leg, Curran ignores. |
| 98.3 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Sprays down the leg side, Curran leaves it alone. |
| 98.4 : Pat Cummins to Curran, On the pads, chipped uppishly through square leg for a single. |
| 98.5 : Pat Cummins to Ali, Short and wide outside off, Ali sways away from the line. |
| 98.6 : Pat Cummins to Ali, Short of a length delivery outside off, Ali is surprised by the extra bounce as he dabs it square of the wicket on the off side for a single. |
| 99.1 : N Lyon to Ali, On middle and off, Ali blocks it down into the ground. |
| 99.2 : N Lyon to Ali, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 99.3 : N Lyon to Curran, Flatter ball on the stumps, blocked off the back foot. |
| 99.4 : N Lyon to Curran, Goes back inside the crease and offers a straight bat. |
| 99.5 : N Lyon to Curran, Loopy delivery outside off, Curran leans forward and defends. |
| 99.6 : N Lyon to Curran, Floated ball outside off, Curran takes a stride forward and defends it down. |
| Drinks are on the field. |
| 100.1 : Pat Cummins to Ali, Pat continues and steams in from round the wicket. Lands it on a back of a length outside off, Ali sways away from the line and just lets it be. |
| 0.0 : Michael Clarke talks about the Hazlewood drop. He fails to understand the reason behind that drop given that it is a clear blue sky above and no clouds are present. |
| 100.2 : Pat Cummins to Ali, Short in length again, Ali plays a controlled pull shot in front of square for a couple. |
| Second slip out. Shaun Marsh is stationed at square leg now. |
| 100.3 : Pat Cummins to Ali, No need, Mo! Sees another delivery on a shorter length, he arches back to ramp it over the keeper but just misses the ball. There is no need for him to try something atrocious at this stage. |
| 100.4 : Pat Cummins to Ali, This is sprayed down the leg side, left alone by Moeen. |
| 100.5 : Pat Cummins to Ali, Nicely stroked. Ali drives this on the up through covers. Gets a brace before Warner hares after that and fields it. |
| 100.6 : Pat Cummins to Ali, Bouncer! The batsman ducks under the bouncer at the last moment. |
| 101.1 : N Lyon to Curran, No run. |
| 101.2 : N Lyon to Curran, Curran punches this one off the back foot. |
| 101.3 : N Lyon to Curran, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 101.4 : N Lyon to Curran, Curran goes back to this one and slaps it through covers for one. |
| Clarke adds more to the nightwatchman debate. He says that instead of Bairstow, if a nightwatchman would have come in last evening, the new ball could have been seen off by him, provided he had managed to survive that phase. It would have mentally disintegrated the hosts too. Perhaps easier to think in hindsight. |
| 101.5 : N Lyon to Ali, Ali eases this one to long off for a single. |
| 101.6 : N Lyon to Curran, Tom gets behind it and negotiates with a defensive shot. |
| 102.1 : Pat Cummins to Ali, Banged short, Ali ducks. |
| 102.2 : Pat Cummins to Ali, Bouncer! The batsman ducks in time to let that one go over him. |
| 102.3 : Pat Cummins to Ali, A touch fuller on the stumps, turned towards mid-wicket. |
| Coming to the Bairstow dismissal, the credit should go to Hazlewood. He pulled the length of that wicket-taking ball just a bit back than the delivery which had gone for a boundary earlier in the over. This lured Jonny who ended up pushing at it away from the body. Seemed as if the adrenaline was pumping inside him and that made him go for the shot than take the safer option of defending. |
| 102.4 : Pat Cummins to Ali, OUT! That's it for Ali in this innings. He is yet to shrug that run-drought off and may have to find another occasion to do so as this one ends. Credit to Cummins though. He has been involved in a dropped catch, seen a catch go down off his bowling and to come back with the same energy to pick one up speaks volumes about this guy. He continues bowling from round the wicket and bends his back to bang this a touch short. Ali goes back to defend but ends up fending it. T |
| Stuart Broad walks in next. Expect him to be confident after having a half century under his belt in the previous outing that he had. |
| 102.5 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Almost a goner! Cummins bowls it on a back of a length on the stumps, Broad shuffles across to flick it away. Does so straight towards short leg. Bancroft does well to quickly get down and ends up getting his finger tips to that but isn't able to catch that. |
| 102.6 : Pat Cummins to Broad, The short ball tactic against Broad is no surprise these days. Gets another one, he keeps it out on the bounce to short leg. End of a good over from Cummins, a wicket-maiden. |
| Mitchell Marsh is brought into the attack for the first time today. |
| 103.1 : M Marsh to Curran, FOUR! Streaky runs but England won't complain. Marsh delivers it on a length outside off, Curran backs away and flashes at it. Would have gone to a third slip if he would have been there. His absence results in a boundary. |
| 103.2 : M Marsh to Curran, The ball is too wide on the off side for the batsman to make any contact. |
| 103.3 : M Marsh to Tom Curran, Short ball on off, pulled away through square leg for one. |
| The crowd boos Broad! Marsh was almost about to deliver that and Broad withdraws from the crease. Something went in his eyes perhaps, as he immediately sought to get it sorted. The crowd is having nothing of that though. |
| 103.4 : M Marsh to Broad, The batsman fails to put bat on ball. |
| 103.5 : M Marsh to Broad, 300 up for England, with a pull of Stuart Broad's blade. The ball rolls through mid-wicket and a run is added to the tally. |
| 103.6 : M Marsh to Curran, Outside off, left alone. |
| 104.1 : Cummins to S Broad, Broad is living dangerously already. Sees a short ball on offer and goes for the pull by backing away. Ends up skying that one but the ball lands in the no man's land at backward square leg. One run added to the English total. |
| 104.2 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Wow! Cummins angles this in to Curran, who backs away and wafts it through mid-wicket for one. |
| 104.3 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Length ball outside off, Broad guides this past gully and gets a couple. |
| 104.4 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Another delivery banged short, Broad backs away and tries to pull but misses. |
| 104.5 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Wide down the leg side, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 104.6 : Pat Cummins to Broad, SIX! 'You fight fire with fire,' screams Michael Slater on air seeing this shot from Broad. Cummins bowls it short from round the wicket, Stuart uses all his might and plays the pull shot. Makes nice contact on that to get the ball sailing over the deep square leg fence. There were two men in the deep but they just could do nothing but watch the ball sail. |
| 105.1 : M Marsh to Curran, FOUR! Curran's intents are as clear as a crystal. He is throwing his bat at every possible opportunity and so far it's coming off. Sees width on offer on this length delivery outside off, he makes room and just cuts it past backward point for a boundary. The score moves to 314 and his personal tally goes up to 33. |
| 105.2 : M Marsh to Curran, Ouch, that must have hurt. He doesn't really reveal much through his actions, Tom Curran, but it really must be stinging. This is a ball on a length, not short enough for playing the pull shot. Yet he attempts to play that shot but misses and gets hit on the right thigh. |
| 105.3 : M Marsh to Curran, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 105.4 : M Marsh to Curran, Now Curran gets to the other end by playing this through mid-wicket. |
| 105.5 : M Marsh to Broad, Short ball, pulled away to deep square leg for a boundary. |
| 105.6 : M Marsh to Curran, FOUR! Another one in the over, Curran having some fun. Marsh bowls it on a length, Curran pulls it in front of square on the leg side. Such is the timing and power on that that he gets a boundary. Tom is nearing his maiden fifty in Tests as he moves to 38 now. 10 runs off this over. |
| 106.1 : Pat Cummins to Broad, FOUR! Now this is getting too predictable from Australia. They continue persisting with the short-ball stuff against Broad and he continues to make merry. Cummins delivers this one and Broad, waiting in anticipation, just thwacks it through mid-wicket for another boundary. The partnership between him and Curran is already 30 and it has taken just 21 balls so far. |
| 106.2 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Pat bowls it on a back of a length again, Stuart misses the tuck and the ball goes off his arms towards the slip cordon. |
| 106.3 : Pat Cummins to Broad, SIX! Short, runs, repeat! This has been the sequence of action for sometime now. Cummins again bangs it short, Broad goes for the full-blooded pull. The ball flies over the long leg fence for half a dozen. |
| 106.4 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Wide down the leg side, No trouble at all for the batsman. |
| Perfect. As if this was some rocket-science which the Aussies aren't understanding, Ian Chappell states the point. He says that they are over doing the short-ball tactic and are paying the price for that. They'd rather try to bowl full having a cover in place, he opines. |
| 106.5 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Broad mistimes his pull towards deep square leg for one. |
| 106.6 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Curran tries to pull that one but failed to connect it. |
| Nathan Lyon comes back for a bowl. Will he be able to slow the scoring by picking up a wicket here? |
| 107.1 : N Lyon to Broad, Floated on off, Broad gets forward and taps it towards covers for one. |
| 107.2 : N Lyon to Curran, Flatter on off, Tom goes back to keep it out. |
| 107.3 : N Lyon to Curran, Oooooh, that is hit with some power. Floated around off, Curran gets to the pitch of the ball and thumps it right back. The ball hits the king of the jungle on the left shin. The ball rolls towards mid on post that but no run results. Lyon is limping there, surely hurt. |
| 107.4 : N Lyon to Curran, 100 runs in the session for England. They have batted positively this morning and the result is here to see. Curran works this off his pads and gets to the other end. |
| 107.5 : N Lyon to Broad, Broad finds the short fine leg fielder with the sweep. |
| 107.6 : N Lyon to Broad, Stuart has played it to the point region. One run added to the total. |
| 108.1 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Another short ball, another pull. This time the ball goes off the top edge on the bounce to fine leg for one. |
| 108.2 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Bumper on the stumps, Curran ducks under that. |
| 108.3 : Pat Cummins to Curran, The batsman failed to make contact and was hit low on the pads. |
| 108.4 : Pat Cummins to Tom Curran, OUT! The breezy 41-run stand comes to an end now. Cummins perseverence with the short ball finally helps him get the breakthrough. He serves this in line of the stumps on a back of a length. It is angled in to the batsman. Curran goes back to defend but the ball hits him high on the blade and lobs straight into the waiting hands of Bancroft at short leg. The 36-ball stand ends and would be interesting to see how long England go from here. |
| Debutant Mason Crane walks out to bat. |
| 108.5 : Pat Cummins to Crane, Crane gets off the mark off his first ball in Tests. Flicks it towards mid on and gets to the other end. |
| 108.6 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Short ball on body, Broad top edges the pull towards fine leg for a single. |
| 109.1 : N Lyon to Broad, Flatter one outside off, Broad plants his front foot across and makes a leave. |
| 109.2 : N Lyon to Broad, Gets down and across to sweep it towards Mitchell Marsh at short fine leg. |
| 109.3 : N Lyon to Broad, Comes forward and smothers it into the ground. |
| 109.4 : N Lyon to Broad, Flighted delivery outside off, Broad prods forward in defense. |
| 109.5 : N Lyon to Broad, In the air... safe! Tossed up outside off, Broad gets down to sweep again but gets a top edge. The man at short fine leg goes after it but even the dive from him isn't enough to catch the ball. They take two more. |
| 109.6 : N Lyon to Broad, Tosses it up on off, Stuart leans forward to defend but the ball turns away to beat the outside edge. |
| 110.1 : Pat Cummins to Crane, Crane flicks this one off his pads. |
| 110.2 : Pat Cummins to Crane, Just past the short leg fielder. Cummins continues from round the wicket and bowls it on a back of a length on the body. Crane fends it past Bancroft and gets to the other end. Michael Vaughan on air reckons that the debutant wouldn't have faced such stuff in the English county. |
| 110.3 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Cummins bowls it on a back of a length in line of the stumps. Broad looks to pull it initially but then aborts the shot. |
| 110.4 : Pat Cummins to Broad, The batsman picked that bouncer early and let it through to the keeper. |
| Pat Cummins to Broad, Banged short again, pulled away to deep square leg for one. |
| 110.5 : Pat Cummins to Crane, WIDE! This is too wide to make Crane play. The umpire has to stretch his arms there. |
| 110.6 : Pat Cummins to Crane, Crane tucks it away off his pads and gets a couple for that. |
| 111.1 : N Lyon to Broad, Tossed up outside off, pushed towards covers. |
| 111.2 : N Lyon to Broad, Broad gets down on a knee and slog sweeps it through mid-wicket. Gets two runs as a result. |
| 111.3 : N Lyon to Broad, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 111.4 : N Lyon to S Broad, OUT! You live by the sword and die by it. Broad here is guilty of playing one shot too many. Lyon floats it just outside off from round the wicket, enticing the big stroke from Stuart. He gets down to play the slog sweep and that's his undoing. Ends up getting a top edge and the ball flies towards short third man. Smith, standing at first slip, backtracks and takes it easily. The end is nigh now. Lyon gets one in his wickets column. A good little cameo from Stuart Broa |
| James Anderson is the last man walking in for England. |
| 111.5 : N Lyon to Crane, Floated around off, blocked off the front foot. |
| 111.6 : N Lyon to Crane, Another flighted ball just outside off, Crane slinks down and hits it to mid on. |
| 112.1 : Pat Cummins to Anderson, Length ball outside off, Anderson has a feel for that but misses. |
| 112.2 : Pat Cummins to Anderson, This ball is in line off the stumps, blocked from the crease by Anderson. |
| Third umpire is referred to for a run out appeal against Crane. It is a late call from Dharmasena to go upstairs as he raised the finger on the first instance. That should be it... |
| 112.3 : Pat Cummins to Crane, OUT! That's it for England. When two lower order batters are out in the middle, a run out cannot be far off as they often end up speaking different languages, figuratively. Anderson tucks this length ball straight to short fine leg and sets off for a run. Marsh there fields the ball and returns it to Bancroft who whips off the bails at the striker's end and appeals. Crane appears to be short of the crease and the umpire Kumar Dharmasena raises the dreaded finger righ |
| With that, Lunch has been taken. The last 10 overs have seen 52 runs scored for the loss of four wickets. These aren't that relative when it comes to this format but shows how England's approach this morning has been. They began cautiously with Malan and Ali painstakingly stringing a slow low stand worth 18 runs. Neither of them seem to have any intent to score and then to top it off, Malan was sent back to the pavilion, to crush any little hope the tourists would have had of putting up a decent |
| Not many would have been faulted for thinking that the end was nigh for England then, who were 251/6 at that stage. However, Tom Curran had come out with some different plan. He stroked his way to a happy-go-lucky 39, in the end being unlucky to miss out on his maiden Test fifty. He strung together two 40-plus stands - one with Ali and the second, the catalytic 41-run partnership with Stuart Broad - that took the visitors to where they find themselves now. Broad too, threw his bat around, pullin |
| How did Australia fare, though? They blew hot and cold. They started off the day keeping the touring batters quiet, before the ploy to persist with short balls came into the picture. That resulted in runs to the opposition but in the end that's what helped them break the stand between Broad and Curran. You don't often say this with respect to the Aussies but their fielding left a lot to be desired, especially their catching. Smith, Cummins and Hazlewood were all guilty of offering a reprieve to |
| Pat Cummins was the star with the ball for the hosts, picking up four wickets. Who knows, if not for the run out at the end, he could have had a chance of a fifer. He ran in nicely and bent his back to extract any little thing that the surface offered. He was supported well by Hazlewood who added two to his name. Although Mitchell Starc too, had a couple to his name, he wasn't as menacing as the cricketing world knows him to be. Nathan Lyon, as usual, was probing throughout his marathon spell of |
| So, do England have enough on the board? They'd love to believe in the affirmative. Michael Vaughan, in a tweet earlier this morning, had mentioned that anything over 325 could be a competitive total. Australia would believe they have the batting to overhaul the mountain of runs in front of them. They have a machinesque-human in the form of Steven Smith, which the visitors have to overcome. Can the visitors restrict the home side batsmen? The track isn't a placid one. Should be a good battle. Se |
| 0.1 : J Anderson to Bancroft, Anderson steams in from over the wicket and lands it on a length outside off. Bancroft covers the stumps and lets that go. |
| 0.2 : J Anderson to Bancroft, Angling in to the batter, Bancroft keeps it out towards mid-wicket. |
| 0.3 : J Anderson to Bancroft, Bowled on a length outside off, left alone by Cameron. |
| 0.4 : J Anderson to Bancroft, Fuller in line of the stumps, flicked to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 0.5 : J Anderson to Bancroft, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 0.6 : J Anderson to Bancroft, Maiden over to begin for Anderson. He lands it on the stumps, Bancroft blocks it nicely. |
| Stuart Broad to share the new ball from the other end. |
| 1.1 : S Broad to Warner, Broad runs in from round the wicket and lands it on a length on off. Warner pats it in front of covers and gets to the other end to open his account. |
| The on-air commentators analyse Warner's run taking method. They opine that as the southpaw has this knack of hitting the cricket ball powerfully, the fielders in a single-saving position often tend to stand a touch deeper. This helps Warner exploit that to tap and run, which he did even today. |
| 1.2 : S Broad to Bancroft, OUT! Broad strikes straightaway and gets his 399th Test wicket in style. He runs in from over the wicket to Bancroft and hurls it on a fuller length around off. The opener looks to drive this down the ground but gets beaten on the inside due to the nip back on that. The ball goes through the gate and disturbs the pink-coloured wood work behind. He has to walk back for a duck and England are up and running. On further looks, Bancroft's bat seems to come down in the dire |
| Usman Khawaja is the next man in. It would be safe to assume that he is battling to save his place in the side as he hasn't got the scores expected from him. |
| 1.3 : S Broad to Khawaja, Fuller on off, defended back towards the bowler. |
| 1.4 : S Broad to Khawaja, Khawaja gets going with a flick through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 1.5 : S Broad to Warner, No run. |
| 1.6 : S Broad to Warner, 2 runs. |
| 2.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, No run. |
| 2.2 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 2.3 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Length ball outside off, guided towards gully. |
| 2.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 2.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, On the pads, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| 2.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 3.1 : S Broad to Warner, Broad bowls it outside off from round the wicket, David lets it alone. |
| 3.2 : S Broad to D Warner, Driven through mid on by the batsman. |
| 3.3 : S Broad to Warner, Warner has played it towards mid-wicket. One run added to the total. |
| 3.4 : S Broad to U Khawaja, Fuller in length, driven through covers to rotate strike. |
| It is seen that England seem to be learning from their mistakes. They have been bowling on the shorter side in the series generally. But in this innings so far, Anderson and Broad have been bowling on the good length and fuller length areas and have made the batsmen play. Ian Healy thinks it to be a better tactic as that increases the chances of a wicket, like it did with Bancroft's dismissal. |
| 3.5 : S Broad to Warner, Outside off, left alone. |
| 3.6 : S Broad to Warner, Warner drives this one towards mid off. |
| 4.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Nicely played. Anderson serves this a touch fuller than a good length, Khawaja punches it down the ground past mid off. Gets two for the shot. |
| 4.2 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 4.3 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Much better from Jimmy. Just shortens his length a touch and angles it across Khawaja. The southpaw has a poke at that only for the ball to whiz past the outer edge through to the keeper. |
| 4.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Full and outside off, Khawaja just lets it be. |
| 4.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Full pitched ball on off, pushed down the ground, to be intercepted by the man at mid off. |
| 4.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Length ball in line of the stumps, Khawaja gets it off the inner half towards mid-wicket for nothing. |
| 5.1 : S Broad to Warner, Broad comes from over the wicket and hurls it on a length in line of the stumps. Warner stands tall and blocks that. |
| 5.2 : S Broad to D Warner, Full on off, driven towards mid off. |
| 5.3 : S Broad to Warner, FOUR! Not a bad ball but still put away. Broad lands it on a length in line of the leg stump, Warner hops a touch and plays the flick. The ball takes the inner edge and goes off the thigh pads towards the fine leg fence. It has enough legs on it to roll away to the fence, in spite of Bairstow chasing it down. |
| 5.4 : S Broad to Warner, Similar delivery, Warner looks to tuck it away but gets an inside edge onto his pads. The ball rolls towards backward square leg as David takes off for a single. Bairstow rushes there and fires a wild throw at the bowler's end but Warner is well in anyway. |
| Jonny Bairstow is wearing a black arm band. The reason for that is that it is the 20th death anniversary of his father, who committed suicide. |
| 5.5 : S Broad to Khawaja, Hurled outside off, left alone. |
| 5.6 : S Broad to Khawaja, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 6.1 : J Anderson to Warner, Landed in line of the off stumps, Warner goes back and offers a straight bat face in defense. |
| 6.2 : J Anderson to Warner, Length ball on the stumps, defended from the crease. |
| 6.3 : J Anderson to Warner, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 6.4 : J Anderson to Warner, Another delivery on a length on off, defended towards mid off. |
| 6.5 : J Anderson to Warner, Fuller in length, pushed towards covers. |
| 6.6 : J Anderson to Warner, Warner drives this one through the cover region and picks up a couple. |
| 7.1 : S Broad to Khawaja, Full in length around off and middle, defended right back towards the bowler. |
| 7.2 : S Broad to Khawaja, Hip high length ball on the pads tucked away through backward square leg for one. |
| 7.3 : S Broad to Warner, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Interesting point. Both the sides have been having similar problems with their top order. For the hosts, Bancroft and Khawaja haven't really fired in the series, just like England's top order. But Australia haven't really been two or three down for nothing. They have somehow managed to hold fort and let the runs mount. |
| 7.4 : S Broad to Warner, Bowled in line of the off stump, Warner gets behind that in defense. |
| 7.5 : S Broad to Warner, Length ball outside off, Warner covers his stumps and lets it be. |
| 7.6 : S Broad to Warner, Broad straightens his line and bowls it on middle and leg. Warner clips it through square leg. Warner wanted two immediately and Khawaja responded well. |
| Surprise change! Moeen Ali is the first change bowler for England. Root's decision to go to his out-of-form off spinner might have something to do with the presence of two left-handers at the crease. |
| 8.1 : M Ali to Khawaja, Flatter outside off, cut towards point. |
| 8.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, Floated around off, defended off the front foot. |
| 8.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, Ahh! Khawaja perhaps makes his intentions to come down the track clear. Ali fires this just outside off. Usman had to adjust to get forward and block. |
| 8.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 8.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, Loopy ball around off, forward defense on display. |
| 8.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, Khawaja comes down the track and dead-bats this one. |
| Double change. Tom Curran to have a bowl now. Often we have seen in the sport that performance with one aspect rubs off on the player who ends up doing well in another aspect as well. Curran had a good outing with the bat today and should carry his confidence to his performance with the ball. |
| 9.1 : Tom Curran to D Warner, A touch short on the body, pulled away through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 9.2 : Tom Curran to Warner, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 9.3 : Tom Curran to Warner, Hurled outside off, Warner leaves it unharmed. |
| Michael Clarke was considered to be a good player of spin and he makes this valid point on air. We saw Khawaja use his feet to come down the track twice in the previous over. On the first instance, he went away from the line of the ball before having to adjust to get close to the ball. In the second time though, he came down in a straight line and defended the ball right under his eye line. Clarke feels that the second instance is the right way to do it as the ball is covered well by the batter. |
| 9.4 : Tom Curran to Warner, Warner gets ahead in defense to this delivery. |
| 9.5 : Tom Curran to Warner, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 9.6 : Tom Curran to D Warner, Fuller on off, driven towards wide mid off, where Broad does well with a tumble. A run results though. |
| 10.1 : M Ali to D Warner, Floated full outside off, driven towards covers. |
| 10.2 : M Ali to Warner, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 10.3 : M Ali to Warner, Warner goes back to this one and punches it towards covers. 'Nice bowling, Mo,' shouts Jonny from behind. |
| 10.4 : M Ali to Warner, Flatter on off, slapped towards cover-point for nothing. |
| 10.5 : M Ali to Warner, This flighted ball is driven back to where he came from. |
| 10.6 : M Ali to Warner, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. Back-to-back maidens for Ali. |
| 11.1 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Overpitched outside off, Khawaja mistimes the cover drive. He manages to get it in the gap and gets a couple for that. Clarke, on air, observes that his head position isn't the best there as it is seen falling over. Quickly goes on to add that it would get better with time in the middle. |
| 11.2 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Full outside off, left alone by UK. |
| 11.3 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 11.4 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Well done, Stoneman! Curran strays on the pads but gets away. He bowls it full on the pads, Khawaja clips it away. Stoneman at mid-wicket dives to his right and manages to save 3 runs for his side. |
| 11.5 : Tom Curran to Warner, Outside off, driven through the cover region for one. |
| 11.6 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, On the pads, turned through square leg for a single. |
| 12.1 : M Ali to U Khawaja, First run off Ali's bowling. He tosses it up on a fuller length around off, eased down to long off for one. |
| 12.2 : M Ali to D Warner, Warner pats this one towards mid off and gets to the other end. |
| 12.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, FOUR! Well played. The key to play against spin is to make good use of the feet and that is exactly what Khawaja has done here. He sees the tossed up ball on offer and gets down the track. Blasts it past Ali. The mid off fielder is pretty wide and has no chance of preventing the boundary. |
| 12.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, You hit me for a boundary, I get back at you with a ripper, says Moeen Ali with this jaffa. He gets this one to pitch around off and just spin past the bat that is poken by Khawaja as he attempts to block this one. |
| 12.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, Khawaja goes back and slaps it but straight to the cover fielder. |
| 12.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, Served in line of the stumps, defended with a straight bat. |
| 13.1 : Tom Curran to Warner, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 13.2 : Tom Curran to D Warner, Fuller around off, driven towards mid off. |
| 13.3 : Tom Curran to D Warner, FOUR! Curran isn't being disciplined with his stuff so far. Overpitches this outside off, Warner leans ahead and drives it through covers for a boundary. Wonderful balance maintained by him there. |
| 13.4 : Tom Curran to Warner, FOUR! Now this is overcorrection. On the previous ball, he had given enough width to the batsman, now he straightens his line a bit too much. All Warner has to do is get some bat on that, which he does with a flick. There is no protection in the deep on the leg side and the ball goes away to the fence. |
| 13.5 : Tom Curran to Warner, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. |
| 13.6 : Tom Curran to Warner, FOUR! Three boundaries in four balls to end the over. Warner is on the charge and the young Curran bears the brunt of that. This is bowled on a length around off, Warner punches it through mid off. The fielder there puts in the dive but fails to get any hand to that. 12 runs off this over, Warner moves to 30. |
| Mason Crane is brought into the attack. He is making his debut and would like to make the right noises first up. |
| 14.1 : M Crane to Khawaja, Crane begins with a half-tracker in line of the stumps, Khawaya goes back and pulls it to deep mid-wicket for one. |
| 14.2 : M Crane to Warner, Flatter down the leg side, left alone. |
| 14.3 : M Crane to Warner, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 14.4 : M Crane to Warner, Floated on the stumps, Warner presents a straight bat in forward defense. |
| 14.5 : M Crane to Warner, Flatter on the stumps, Warner goes back and defends it towards point. |
| 14.6 : M Crane to Warner, A short ball to end the over, punched through wide mid off for a brace. 3 runs of Crane's first over in Test cricket, not a bad one. |
| Change of ends for Moeen Ali. Meanwhile, Anderson was seen talking to Crane after the end of the previous over. Gives him a high five after the small talk. |
| 15.1 : M Ali to Khawaja, Floated on a fuller length on off and middle, Khawaja lunges forward in defense. |
| 15.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, This is on the pads, worked away to fine leg for one. |
| 15.3 : M Ali to Warner, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 15.4 : M Ali to Warner, Served in line of the stumps, turned towards square leg. |
| 15.5 : M Ali to Warner, Warner stays in the crease and blocks it solidly. |
| 15.6 : M Ali to Warner, This one is knocked through covers for a single. |
| 16.1 : M Crane to Warner, Floated outside off, stabbed through covers for one. |
| 16.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, 50-run partnership between Warner and Khawaja is up. They have steadied the ship yet again after an early fall of a wicket. Crane bowls this down the leg side, Usman just lets it be. Bairstow fails to collect it cleanly and a bye results. |
| 16.3 : M Crane to Warner, Tossed up on off, driven towards covers. |
| 16.4 : M Crane to Warner, Short and wide outside off, cut away through point for a couple. |
| 16.5 : M Crane to Warner, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 16.6 : M Crane to Warner, This is landed around off, pushed back towards the bowler. |
| Time for drinks. England believed that they could make further inroads when they had Bancroft early. The ensuing period saw some disciplined efforts with the ball from Broad and Anderson. However, Khawaja and Warner have managed to keep them at bay and now are starting to get a move one. Can England manage to break this stand and make further inroads? |
| 17.1 : M Ali to Khawaja, Fuller in length and angling in around middle and leg, Khawaja leans across and clips it past short leg for a single. |
| 17.2 : M Ali to Warner, Floats it up on the stumps, Warner defends it comfortably off the front foot. |
| 17.3 : M Ali to Warner, Flatter one on off, Warner cuts it off the back foot but finds the man at cover-point. |
| 17.4 : M Ali to Warner, This time David gets it past the man at cover-point for a single. |
| 17.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, Pushes it quicker through the air around off, Usman stands back in defense. |
| 17.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, Floated delivery outside off, Khawaja presses forward to keep it out. |
| 18.1 : M Crane to Warner, Slower leg break outside off, turning in a bit, Warner stands back to stab it away. |
| 18.2 : M Crane to Warner, Around middle, turning in, Warner covers the sticks to defend it down. |
| 18.3 : M Crane to Warner, Quicker one one leg, spinning further down leg, Warner clips it off the inner half past short leg for a single. |
| 18.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, Khawaja goes deep in the crease and tucks it past short leg for a single. |
| 18.5 : M Crane to Warner, Pitches it fuller, provides some loop, Warner whips it wide of Broad at mid on for a single. |
| 18.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, An appeal for an LBW! England think of the review but decide not to. Flighted ball around middle and leg, Usman comes forward and with his bat and pad close together. The ball hits the pads but not sure if it hit first. They appeal but nothing from the umpire. Maybe, Khawaja got an inside edge there. |
| 19.1 : M Ali to Warner, Close! Quicker one on off, Warner makes room and cuts it from off stump towards point. |
| 19.2 : M Ali to Warner, Loopy delivery outside off, blocked off the front foot. |
| 19.3 : M Ali to Warner, The batsman has pushed it to the cover region. |
| 19.4 : M Ali to Warner, Makes a bit of room and eases it through cover for a single. |
| Good point from Shane Warne. An off spinner is likely to pick wickets when he gets the ball to drift. And for that you need to give revs on the ball. Something, Ali is failing to do in this series. During the English summer he was successful as he was seen doing the same. Whatever maybe the reason, you need to give it a nice loop to trouble the batsmen... |
| 19.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, This time Khawaja drives one through the cover region to get off strike. |
| 19.6 : M Ali to Warner, Warner comes down the track and hits it back down the ground. Ali gets a bit of hand to it as he parries it towards mid off. The duo take the single. |
| 20.1 : M Crane to Warner, Nice loop on this occasion. Warner is up for the task, he makes room and places it wide of the man at cover for a couple. |
| 20.2 : M Crane to Warner, Leans forward and blocks it out watchfully. |
| 20.3 : M Crane to Warner, On middle and leg, flicked through mid-wicket for one. |
| 20.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, Khawaja skips down the track and nudges it with the spin through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 20.5 : M Crane to Warner, Keeps it fuller on the stumps, defended into the ground by David. |
| 20.6 : M Crane to Warner, Bowls the googly on middle but the length is short which allows Warner to go back and counter it. |
| Change in bowling. Stuart Broad is back into the attack. Bowled just 4 overs in his opening spell and got a wicket of Bancroft. Can he provide another breakthrough? |
| 21.1 : S Broad to Khawaja, Broad comes from around the wicket and strays on the pads, Khawaja walks across and clips it towards deep backward square leg for a brace. |
| 21.2 : S Broad to Khawaja, Back of a length delivery on middle, turned towards mid-wicket off the back foot. |
| 21.3 : S Broad to Khawaja, Another one strangled on the pads, easily clipped towards fine leg for a single. |
| 21.4 : S Broad to Warner, Shortish and angling away a touch from over the wicket, David hangs back to defend it down. |
| 21.5 : S Broad to Warner, Hits the length, it's served outside off, tapped off the back foot. |
| 21.6 : S Broad to Warner, Another one on the same length, blocked safely off the back foot towards cover. |
| 22.1 : M Crane to Khawaja, Loops it up around middle, Khawaja comes down the track and bunts it back to Crane who picks it up and mimes a throw back at the striker's end. |
| 22.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, More flight from Mason, pushed into the off side. |
| 22.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, Turning back in on middle and leg, Khawaja comes forward to defend but gets an inside edge on the pads but the ball dies down safely. |
| 22.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 22.5 : M Crane to Khawaja, Seeing the flight, Khawaja steps out of the crease, takes it on the full and drives it hard only to find the man at cover. Anderson dives to his right to make a good stop. |
| 22.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, Very full outside off, UK crouches a bit and squeezes it out past Cook at first slip for a single to keep strike. |
| 23.1 : S Broad to Khawaja, Good length ball on the pads, tucked away through square leg for a single. |
| 23.2 : S Broad to Warner, Offers a bit of width and it's on the shorter length. Warner cracks one through the line but the packed off side field means that it goes straight to point. |
| 23.3 : S Broad to Warner, Length delivery, close to the off stump line, blocked out. |
| 23.4 : S Broad to Warner, Edged just short of Root at second slip! Good bowling from Broad! He steams in and angles it away on a length just outside off. The line is such that Warner had to play at it and the ball jags away a bit to take the edge. Luckily for him the ball dips in front of Root at second slip before the English skipper takes it. He then gets up and throws the ball in disgust towards mid off. Similar delivery to which Malan got out in the morning. |
| 23.5 : S Broad to Warner, Leans forward and defends it right under his eye line. |
| 23.6 : S Broad to Warner, Good length ball on middle and off, Warner covers the line and defends it. |
| Moeen Ali is back on. |
| 24.1 : M Ali to Khawaja, That stayed really, really low! Quicker through the air, fired outside off, Khawaja goes back to defend but the ball doesn't rise at all. Beats the edge too and Bairstow behind the stumps isn't able to collect it cleanly. |
| 24.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, Drops it short and outside off, Khawaja chops it behind point. It beats the man there and the batsmen start to sprint. In fact it's Warner who is really quick and calls for the third. They take three in the end. |
| 24.3 : M Ali to D Warner, Fuller outside off, driven towards mid off. |
| 24.4 : M Ali to Warner, Flatter delivery outside off, Warner punches it towards point. |
| 24.5 : M Ali to D Warner, Spinning away from a length outside off, slapped towards the point fielder. |
| 24.6 : M Ali to Warner, Gets forward and defends it off the inner half towards square leg. |
| 25.1 : S Broad to Khawaja, Fuller and around off, Khawaja closes the face of the bat and works it towards the man at mid-wicket. |
| 25.2 : S Broad to Khawaja, Good length delivery on off, answered with a straight bat. |
| 25.3 : S Broad to Khawaja, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 25.4 : S Broad to Khawaja, Angling across Khawaja who has it covered before making a leave. |
| 25.5 : S Broad to Khawaja, Broad goes fuller, it's on off, Usman presses forward to push it towards mid off. |
| 25.6 : S Broad to Khawaja, Good length ball, in the probing channel outside off, UK is happy to block those. |
| 26.1 : M Ali to D Warner, FOUR! Beautifully done! Amazingly timed as well! Ali tosses it up outside off, Warner makes room and drills it exquisitely to beat the dive of the man at extra cover. Away she races for a boundary and Warner moves to 48. |
| 26.2 : M Ali to Warner, After bowling full on the previous ball, Moeen bowls it short outside off to which Warner rocks back and punches it towards cover-point for a single. On 49 now. |
| 26.3 : Ali to Khawaja, A huge shout for an LBW, not given! Loopy ball outside off, Khawaja gets across to play the paddle sweep but seems to have missed it and gets hit on the pads. They keep appealing but umpire turns it down. Root is interested in review it but doesn't get the desired support. Replays show there was a thin feather which would have saved Khawaja and also the impact would have been umpire's call. |
| 26.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 26.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, Out of nowhere! Moeen Ali floats it up around off, Khawaja comes charging down the track but isn't completely to the pitch of the ball. Drags it off the inner half towards mid-wicket. |
| 26.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| James Anderson is back into the attack. |
| 27.1 : J Anderson to Warner, Fuller in length and outside off, Warner eases the drive towards mid off. |
| 27.2 : J Anderson to Warner, Fifty for David Warner, his 27th in Tests! He continues to impress at his home ground. Gets a length delivery and tucks it through square leg for a single. Gets a warm applause from the crowd and he shows the bat to the dressing room. Another big one on the cards? |
| 27.3 : J Anderson to Khawaja, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 27.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Back of a length delivery on middle, defended from within the crease. |
| Root is standing a few steps ahead from where he was originally standing waiting for the edge to come. Ian Healy on air reckons, the edge that didn't carry a while ago would have carried had Root positioned himself here at that time... |
| 27.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Length ball, closer to the off stump line, dealt off the back foot by Usman. |
| 27.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Shortish on middle, punched back to Anderson. A maiden on return for Anderson. |
| There is some issue with the ball. It's not going through the 8-shaped gauge and the umpires are getting it changed... |
| 28.1 : M Ali to Warner, Tossed up outside off, defended into the ground. |
| 28.2 : M Ali to D Warner, FOUR! Warner has flayed this one! Ali drops it short and it's wider outside off. David doesn't miss out on this as he rocks back in a jiffy and cracks it square of the wicket on the off side for a boundary. |
| 28.3 : M Ali to Warner, Makes some room and pushes it towards the cover region. |
| 28.4 : M Ali to Warner, Drifting in on middle and leg, Warner gets an inside edge on the pads. |
| 28.5 : M Ali to Warner, Darted on middle and leg, wristed towards mid-wicket. |
| 28.6 : M Ali to Warner, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 29.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Length delivery, curling back in a bit, Khawaja works it off the inner half through backward square leg for a single. |
| 29.2 : J Anderson to Warner, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Mark Taylor on air makes a fair point. He agrees that Australia have got a good start after an early stutter but feels Khawaja should start to score freely now. The more he hangs back, the higher is the possibility of him getting out. The Englishmen were guilty of doing just that. Warner on the other end is keeping the scorecard ticking and Usman Khawaja should think on the same lines... |
| 29.3 : J Anderson to Warner, Fuller and slated away outside off, defended off the front foot. |
| 29.4 : J Anderson to Warner, Ohhhhhh! That was close! Anderson angles it away on a length outside off, gets it to seam away with some bounce. Warner tries to hit on the up but is beaten all ends up. David smiles and appreciates it as well. |
| 29.5 : J Anderson to Warner, Hangs back and shows a straight blade. |
| 29.6 : J Anderson to Warner, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 30.1 : M Ali to Khawaja, In the air... just wide of Cook at silly mid off. |
| 30.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, Around middle and leg, worked towards mid-wicket. |
| 30.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, Slower through the air outside off, Khawaja comes forward to defend but the ball turns away to beat the outside edge. |
| 30.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 30.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, Loopy ball outside off, defended into the ground. |
| 30.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, Floated delivery outside off, Khawaja prods forward in defense. A good over from Ali. |
| 31.1 : J Anderson to Warner, Good length delivery on middle and off, Warner is happy to sit back and defend. |
| 31.2 : J Anderson to D Warner, Fullish on off, pushed towards mid off. |
| 31.3 : J Anderson to Warner, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. They manage to come back for the second. |
| 31.4 : J Anderson to Warner, OUT! Got him... Yes gone! No hundred for David Warner, shouts an excited Mark Taylor on air. What a classical delivery from Anderson to break this stubborn stand. He has his one hand up as he races towards the slip cordon. He smartly tires an off cuter, pitches on middle and off and dangling away with a slight turn. Warner is not fully forward nor backward and in the end has a tame poke at it. Gets a feather and it travels to Bairstow behind who accepts the catch. A s |
| Steven Smith strides out to bat next. Huge cheers from the crowd as the Aussie run-machine walks out. The home town boy is at it again. What will we see from him today? |
| 31.5 : J Anderson to Smith, Fuller in length and just outside off, dealt off the front foot by Smith. |
| 31.6 : J Anderson to Smith, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 32.1 : M Ali to Khawaja, Floated delivery outside off, Khawaja prods forward to block it out. |
| 32.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, Flatter through the air, UK hangs back in defense. |
| 32.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, Gets down and across to paddle scoop it towards fine leg for a couple of runs. |
| 32.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, FOUR! There to be hit! Ali throws it short, it's wider outside off, enough room for Khawaja to pounce on it. He jumps back and slaps it a bit squarer on the off side to pick up a boundary. The commentator on air jokes saying that this is the tough time for any batsman in this Ashes as most of them have departed in the mid 30s. |
| 32.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 32.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, Fuller on off, Khawaja mistimes his drive towards cover. |
| 33.1 : J Anderson to Smith, Fuller in length and outside off, Smith presses forward to defend but gets an inside edge as the ball rolls towards mid on. |
| 33.2 : J Anderson to Smith, Driven towards mid off for nothing. |
| 33.3 : J Anderson to S Smith, Nice way to open the account! Fuller ball, a half volley from Jimmy. Smith leans across and caresses it through extra cover. Gets three for doing so. |
| 33.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 33.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Length ball on middle, turned toward mid-wicket. |
| 33.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Shortish on leg, helped with a pull to deep backward square leg for a single. TEA ON DAY 2! |
| Had it not been for the wicket of David Warner, this would have been Australia's session all the way. But the honours are shared for now. After getting bundled out in the first session, England got a perfect start through Broad who removed Bancroft for a duck. However, the pair of Warner and Khawaja weathered the storm with the former looking really solid. The opener scored a gritty fifty but just before the break, Anderson outfoxed him with a lovely off cutter to make sure the southpaw doesn't |
| Right then! Steven Smith is at it again. Khawaja is unbeaten on 36 and needs to carry on. England would very well know that if they manage to remove that man who has just arrived, they can surely gain the upper hand in this Test. Their bowling has been relatively flat with only Anderson and Broad finding their rhythm. Ali has been good today but at the same time has offered freebies to nullify his effort. Debutant Crane didn't impress much but it would be interesting to see how he fares further. |
| ... Day 2, Session 3 ... |
| We are back for the final session. Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja will resume the battle. Australia trail by 250 runs and we have around 30 overs remaining in the day. Moeen Ali will kick off the proceedings. Let's roll... |
| 34.1 : M Ali to Khawaja, Flatter ball on the stumps, Khawaja goes back and keeps it out towards mid-wicket. |
| 34.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, This is bowled in line of the stumps, Usman goes back and defends it with a straight bat. |
| 34.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 34.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, Bit more air given on this one, Khawaja lunges forward in defense. But he gets an inside edge towards square leg for one. |
| 34.5 : M Ali to Smith, Floated outside off, turned to the man at mid on. |
| 34.6 : M Ali to Smith, Short in length, pulled to the man at square leg for nothing. |
| James Anderson will continue. |
| 35.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Lands it on a length around off and middle, Usman punches it back. |
| 35.2 : J Anderson to Khawaja, FOUR! Look at the Hot Spot to see where Khawaja got it on the bat. Absolutely middled that one. Anderson lands it on a length around middle, Khawaja pulls it with some authority through square leg for a boundary. |
| 35.3 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Anderson pitches this further than the previous one, Khawaja covers his stumps and lets it go. |
| 35.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| Mindset. It matters a lot in sport. Ian Healy jokes saying whether England would be wondering Smith's due for a failure and bowl accordingly. To this Clarke replies saying if they think on those lines, they'll be in trouble. Cannot take anything for granted in sport. |
| 35.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Usman blocks it off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 35.6 : J Anderson to U Khawaja, Full on off, driven to mid off. |
| 36.1 : M Ali to Smith, Floated in line of the stumps, blocked from the crease. |
| 36.2 : M Ali to Smith, This one is turned through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 36.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 36.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, FOUR! Brilliant use of the feet here. Khawaja has walked out from the break with a positive mindset. He charges down to this one and whips it past mid on for a boundary. |
| 36.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, Flatter on the stumps, defended from the crease. |
| 36.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, This delivery is cut away towards point. |
| 37.1 : J Anderson to Smith, Anderson continues from over the wicket and hurls it outside off, Smith defends it off the back foot. |
| 37.2 : J Anderson to Smith, Pitches it further up outside off, blocked solidly again. |
| 37.3 : J Anderson to Smith, On middle and leg, worked through backward square leg for a single. |
| Michael Clarke on air analyzes Smith's scoring chart. It shows that about 166 and 136 runs Smith has scored through cover and mid-wicket respectively in this series. It's only through mid off where the Aussie skipper has the least no. of runs which reads just 16. He wants Root to take that man out from mid off and place him either at catching cover or mid-wicket to block Smith from scoring runs through his favorite region... |
| 37.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 37.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Attacking the stumps does Anderson, Khawaja gets across and defends. |
| 37.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Opens the bat face and defends it towards point. |
| 38.1 : M Ali to Smith, Tossed up outside off, Smith comes down the track to flick but is early into the shot. Gets a leading edge towards cover. |
| 38.2 : M Ali to Smith, That's off the meat! Smith gets down to sweep but it hits the pad of Stoneman at short leg and deflects further towards square leg. A single taken. |
| 38.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, Takes a stride forward and pushes it towards cover. |
| 38.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, SIX! Down the track and banggggg! That's some shot to bring up your fifty! Khawaja will be itching to get a big one now. This is his third fifty in the series,, 11th overall. Ali bowls a flighted ball around middle, Usman wears his dancing shoes, gets to the pitch of the ball and smacks it straight down the ground for a biggie. Superb! |
| 38.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 38.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, Short outside off, cut towards the man at point. |
| Tom Curran is back! |
| 39.1 : Tom Curran to Smith, Shortish on middle and off, pushed towards Anderson at silly mid on. |
| 39.2 : Tom Curran to Smith, Another short one outside off, Smith taps it towards the off side. |
| 39.3 : Tom Curran to Smith, Back of a length outside off, a bit of extra bounce but Smith adjusts to keep it out. |
| 39.4 : Tom Curran to S Smith, Length delivery, nipping away a shade, Smith tries to defend but this one stays a tad low too. Takes an outside edge which evades the man at gully and they come back for a couple. |
| 39.5 : Tom Curran to Smith, Seam up delivery on the stumps, driven straight to Anderson at silly mid on. |
| 39.6 : Tom Curran to S Smith, Smith once again drives it in the same region. Shows patience of not going after it. |
| Double change as debutant Mason Crane is brought back to roll his arm over. |
| 40.1 : Crane to Khawaja, A cry for an LBW! Crane starts off with a leg spinner, pitching on middle and leg and turning further down. Usman comes forward to defend but misses and gets hit on the pads. They appeal but umpire shakes his head. Bairstow and Root come down to the pitch to have a word with the bowler. But they don't take the review. Replays show the impact is outside leg. |
| 40.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, Around middle and leg, worked towards the leg side. |
| 40.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, No ball! Tossed up on off, driven back to the bowler. Crane oversteps and will have to reload it. |
| M Crane to Khawaja, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. |
| 40.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, A bit short on middle, tucked towards the leg side. |
| 40.5 : M Crane to Khawaja, Stays back and pushes it towards point. |
| 40.6 : M Crane to U Khawaja, FOUR! That has to be a boundary! Good effort from Curran though! Fuller delivery outside off, Khawaja leans forward and drives it through square of the wicket on the off side. Tom in the deep runs across to his right, puts in a dive but makes contact with the rope when he had the ball in the hand. Replays confirm the same. Usman moves to 55. |
| 41.1 : Tom Curran to Smith, Gets across, it's full on middle and leg, Smith flicks it through mid-wicket for a double. |
| 41.2 : Tom Curran to Smith, Once again flicks it from middle stump and sends it towards backward square leg this time. A single taken. |
| 41.3 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 41.4 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Good length ball on off, defended with soft hands as the ball rolls towards mid off. |
| 41.5 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Fuller and angling away, staying a bit low too. Khawaja has it covered as he makes a leave. |
| 41.6 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, A confident stride forward to this full ball from Khawaja as he blocks it back down the track. |
| 42.1 : M Crane to Smith, Around middle and leg, Smith pushes it towards cover. Comes halfway down the track in search of a single but Khawaja sends him back. |
| 42.2 : M Crane to Smith, A bit too full on the stumps, blocked down gently. |
| 42.3 : M Crane to Smith, Tossed up leg break outside off, turning further away, Smith is happy to leave it alone. |
| 42.4 : M Crane to Smith, That's the thing with the leggies. They will sure shot bowl one short. Here it is, Smith goes back and crunches it to deep point for a single. |
| 42.5 : M Crane to Khawaja, Pitching on leg, turning down, Khawaja leans forward to flick but misses. |
| 42.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, Comes down the track does Khawaja and nearly yorks himself. Still manages to dig it out towards the cover region which allows him to keep strike. |
| 43.1 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Edgyyyy! Curran bowls it fuller and wider outside off, Khawaja goes fishing after it. Gets a thick edge which flies on the bounce to the left of the gully fielder. The man there gets a bit of hand to it which slows it down. A single collected. |
| 43.2 : Tom Curran to Smith, Tad short and outside off, Smith walks across and defends it down solidly. |
| 43.3 : Tom Curran to Smith, Gets right behind the line and shows a straight bat. |
| 43.4 : Tom Curran to Smith, Back of a length ball outside off, punched nicely off the back foot towards the cover fielder. |
| 43.5 : Tom Curran to S Smith, Very full outside off, almost a yorker, Smith digs it out towards cover. |
| 43.6 : Tom Curran to Smith, A tidy over from Curran! Drags his length back, Smith defends it off the back foot and calls for a new pair of gloves immediately. |
| 44.1 : M Crane to Khawaja, Floats it up on the stumps, Khawaja blocks it out from the crease. |
| 44.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, Comes down the track and jams it back to the bowler who collects. They feel it's caught and bowled but it's a bump ball. |
| 44.3 : M Crane to U Khawaja, Makes room and drives it through covers for a single. |
| 44.4 : M Crane to Smith, Around middle and leg, flicked towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 44.5 : M Crane to U Khawaja, Short and outside off, Khawaja goes back and cuts it to deep backward point for a couple. |
| 44.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, Just short of the man at short leg! Around middle, turning back in, Khawaja goes back and tucks it. The man at short leg crouches low and tires to take it but the ball still falls short of him. |
| 45.1 : Tom Curran to Smith, Fuller in length and outside off, driven nicely only to find the man at cover. |
| 45.2 : Tom Curran to Smith, Fuller again and angling in, Smith drives it back down the track as Curran stops it in his followthrough. |
| 45.3 : Tom Curran to S Smith, Driven straight to the fielder at cover. |
| 45.4 : Tom Curran to Smith, Outside off, it's a loopy full toss, another drive and finds the man at cover. Smith knows he has missed out on that one. |
| 45.5 : Tom Curran to Smith, Good length delivery outside off, defended off the back foot comfortably. |
| 45.6 : Tom Curran to Smith, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 46.1 : M Crane to Khawaja, Around middle and leg, Khawaja comes down the track to flick but misses as the ball goes off the pads and falls short of Stoneman at short leg. |
| 46.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, FOUR! Thumped! Khawaja makes good use of the feet to this flighted ball and goes bang down the ground for a boundary. |
| 46.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, Leans across to flick it with the turn towards mid-wicket. |
| 46.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, Comes down the track and pushes it towards cover for a quick single. Brings up the 50-run stand as well. |
| 46.5 : M Crane to Smith, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 46.6 : M Crane to S Smith, Leg break, pitching on middle, turning away, Smith leans forward and drives it towards cover. |
| 47.1 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Curran comes from around the wicket and hurls it on off, Khawaja prods forward in defense. |
| 47.2 : Tom Curran to U Khawaja, On a length and in the channel on off, Usman looks to defend but gets an edge which falls well short of Root at second slip who stops it with his left palm. |
| 47.3 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Wider outside off, Usman shoulders his arms. |
| 47.4 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 47.5 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, In the probing zone outside off, Usman lifts his bat to let it be. |
| 47.6 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Fuller in length and in the corridor outside off, Usman Khawaja ignores. |
| 48.1 : M Crane to Smith, Tossed up delivery outside off, Smith presses forward to kill it into the ground. |
| 48.2 : M Crane to Smith, Loopy full toss, dipping in, Smith whips it away to deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 48.3 : M Crane to U Khawaja, Almost takes the wicket! Crane goes around the wicket, pitches it on the rough outside off, Khawaja plants his front foot across and half-heartedly goes after it. He is late to take his bat out and the edge is found. It goes wide of Root at first slip. In fact right between Bairstow and the English skipper. Two taken. |
| 48.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, Full toss outside off, UK nails the sweep through mid-wicket for one. |
| What's wrong Crane? Twice he misses his run up. Looks that he is not finding his rhythm... |
| 48.5 : M Crane to Smith, FOUR! That's a gift wrapped with red ribbon on it! A juicy full toss on middle, Smith murders the pull through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 48.6 : M Crane to Smith, Played to the point region by the batsman. They pick up a single. |
| Stuart Broad is back into the attack. |
| 49.1 : S Broad to Smith, Back of a length delivery to begin with, Smith defends it off the back foot. |
| 49.2 : S Broad to Smith, Fuller in length and outside off, driven towards the man at cover. |
| 49.3 : S Broad to Smith, Bangs in a short ball on middle and off, Smith ducks under it. |
| 49.4 : S Broad to Smith, Fires it wider outside off, Smith shoulders his arms. |
| 49.5 : S Broad to Smith, Bouncer! The batsman ducks in time to let that one go over him. |
| 49.6 : S Broad to Smith, In the channel outside off, pretty harmless, Steven lifts his bat to make an assured leave. |
| 50.1 : M Crane to Khawaja, Outside off, turning in, Khawaja gets into the position early and nails the reverse sweep to deep point for a single. |
| 50.2 : M Crane to S Smith, Did that carry? Nope! Floats it up around middle and off, Smith comes down the track to defend but the ball spins away, takes the outside edge and it falls just short of Root at first slip. |
| 50.3 : M Crane to S Smith, Gets forward and eases it through covers for a single. |
| 50.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, The batsman has been struck on the pads as he looked to play that off the front foot. |
| 50.5 : M Crane to Khawaja, Quicker one outside off, Khawaja pads it away. Root at first slip fluffs but they can't run as Khawaja didn't offer any shot. |
| 50.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, Turning a touch, stabbed off the back foot towards point. |
| Drinks are on the field! Australia have done well to not lose a wicket after tea. Smith and Khawaja both have settled with the latter registering his fifty. England are looking really flat. Who will produce that spark to bring them back into the game? |
| 51.1 : S Broad to S Smith, FOUR! More agony for England! Here is another edge from the willow of an Australian that doesn't go to the hands of an English fielder. Broad bowls it full outside off, Smith goes for the full-blooded cover drive. Gets a thick outside edge past the second slip fielder for a boundary. Smith stands on 24 runs, 5998 Test runs to his credit. |
| 51.2 : S Broad to Smith, On a length on off, defended towards cover-point. |
| 51.3 : S Broad to Smith, Short on the stumps, pulled away to fine leg for one. |
| A leg gully, mid-wicket and mid on in place apart from a deep backward square leg. |
| 51.4 : S Broad to Khawaja, Broad comes in from round the wicket and bowls it full outside off. Left alone by UK. |
| 51.5 : S Broad to Khawaja, Length ball outside off, punched towards covers. |
| Reverse swing? Broad is seen running with the ball covered. |
| 51.6 : S Broad to Khawaja, This one is defended towards point. |
| 52.1 : M Crane to Smith, There it is! 6000 Test runs for Steven Smith and he is the second quickest to the mark behind Sir Don Bradman. He has got there in 111 Test innings, equalling Gary Sobers' mark. How does he get there? By pulling a short delivery offered by Crane to deep backward square leg for a single. Just a small raise of the bat to acknowledge the feat. |
| 52.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, On the pads, flicked round the corner from the crease. |
| 52.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 52.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, Floated outside off, Khawaja gets down and reverse sweeps it through point and gets to the other end. |
| 52.5 : M Crane to Smith, Tossed up outside off, Smith allows it to turn and lets it go. |
| 52.6 : M Crane to Smith, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 53.1 : S Broad to Khawaja, Angling in to Usman from round the wicket, he taps it towards mid-wicket and gets across to the other end. |
| 53.2 : S Broad to S Smith, FOUR! Another edge, another boundary, more agony! Broad runs in and delivers a leg cutter around off, the ball straightens after pitching, Smith offers a dead bat in defense but the movement on the occasion means that the outside edge is taken. It flies down low towards first slip but doesn't carry to Cook there. Bairstow realises this early and puts in the dive but it is far for him as well. The ball races away to the fence behind after going in between the two of the |
| 53.3 : S Broad to Smith, On a length on off, defended from the crease. |
| 53.4 : S Broad to Smith, Smith gets forward and blocks it with a straight bat. |
| 53.5 : S Broad to Smith, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 53.6 : S Broad to Smith, Another dot ball to end the over. It is a touch fuller, Smith blocks. |
| 54.1 : M Crane to Khawaja, Floated outside off from round the wicket, Khawaja comes down the track and takes it on the full. Hits it straight to mid on. |
| 54.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, Slight mix up. Khawaja gets down and places this one towards mid on. Takes start as if to take a run but then decides against it. Smith had responded initially but then he had to run around the bowler to make his ground. All safe in the end as the throw is at the keeper's end. |
| 54.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| 54.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, Khawaja looks to go over the top but gets it off the inner half towards deep square leg for one. |
| Another false start... |
| 54.5 : M Crane to Smith, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 54.6 : M Crane to Smith, Smith hits this one with the turn to the man at covers. |
| James Anderson is back on. |
| 55.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Comes round the wicket and bowls it full outside off, Usman points his bat skywards to let that go. |
| 55.2 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Full ball aiming at the off stump, Khawaja presents a straight bat in defense. |
| 55.3 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Angling in, UK plays it towards mid-wicket. |
| 55.4 : J Anderson to U Khawaja, Excellent running between the wicket. Whether he is running for his runs or for others', Smith does his best to steal an extra one. This is bowled a touch fuller outside off, Khawaja guides it past gully with soft hands. Gets three runs as a result of good running. |
| 55.5 : J Anderson to Smith, Fuller on off, defended from the crease. |
| 55.6 : J Anderson to Smith, Similar delivery and sequence of action like the previous ball. |
| 56.1 : M Crane to Khawaja, Big turn. Crane pitches this well outside off but the ball spins in big. Khawaja looks to defend but it goes off the pad towards square leg for nothing. |
| 56.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, Floated outside off, Usman gets down to sweep but wears it on the front pad. No appeal made as the impact is well outside off. |
| 56.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| 56.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, Khawaja works it off his pads towards mid-wicket. |
| 56.5 : M Crane to Khawaja, Khawaja defends with his bat in front of his pads. |
| 56.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, Floated on off, clipped through square leg for one. Crane is yet to bowl a maiden in this innings. Here again he concedes a run off the last ball of the over. Needs to exert more control on the proceedings. |
| Root is seen wearing helmet as he is standing ahead at second slip. |
| 57.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Outside off, left alone. |
| 57.2 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Another ball outside off, Usman lets it go unharmed. |
| 57.3 : J Anderson to Khawaja, On a length on off, Khawaja goes back to block. |
| 57.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 57.5 : J Anderson to U Khawaja, Full outside off, driven to cover. |
| 57.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 58.1 : M Crane to Smith, Tossed up outside off, driven through covers to get to the other end. |
| 58.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, Floated outside off, Khawaja gets down to sweep. Does so but it strikes Stoneman at short leg. The ball deflects to mid on. |
| 58.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 58.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, Served outside off, reverse swept to deep point. Curran does well to save a run for his side. |
| Another false start... Crane really needs to sort his issues out. Not good this for a spinner. |
| 58.5 : M Crane to Smith, This is the wrong one, worked away with the spin through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 58.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, Khawaja drives this through covers to register his highest Test score at the SCG. |
| 59.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Full outside off, Khawaja fails to beat the man at covers with the drive. |
| 59.2 : J Anderson to Khawaja, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 59.3 : J Anderson to Khawaja, This is outside off on a fuller length, Khawaja presents a straight bat in defending that towards covers. |
| 59.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Anderson changes his angle and comes over the wicket. Bowls it on a length in line of the stumps. Khawaja defends showing the full face of the bat. |
| 59.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, On a length around middle and off, Usman looks to punch it but gets it off the inner half towards mid-wicket. |
| 59.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Full on off, stonewalled off the front foot. |
| Moeen Ali to roll his arm over. |
| 60.1 : M Ali to Smith, Floated outside off, eased through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 60.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, Ali has beaten Khawaja's bat numerous times and does so yet again. Tosses it just outside off, draws Usman's defensive bat and spins the other way to go into the keeper's gloves. |
| 60.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, Served outside off, pushed towards point. |
| 60.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, Tossed up around off and middle, Khawaja comes down the track and bunts it down. |
| 60.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 60.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, This is angled in, tucked to square leg for one. |
| 61.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Jimmy steams in and lands it on a length angling across Uzzie. He just lets it be. |
| 61.2 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Length ball on middle and leg, clipped towards mid-wicket where Stoneman puts in the dive and stops. |
| 61.3 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Length ball outside off, punched off the back foot through covers. Wait, was the initial call from Khawaja but he had done well to get it through the gap. It races down the hill there and a treble results. |
| 61.4 : J Anderson to Smith, Full and outside off, Smith leaves it alone. |
| 61.5 : J Anderson to Smith, On a length well outside off, Steven watches it go and thud into the keeper's gloves. |
| 61.6 : J Anderson to Smith, Short of length and well wide of off, Smith gets his right leg across and punches it on the up through covers. Beats the man there who attempts to stop it with a dive. A couple added to Smith's tally who moves to 35. |
| 62.1 : M Ali to Khawaja, Flat and outside off, Usman punches it towards covers. |
| 62.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, Well done, Joe! Another edge played with soft hands that doesn't carry. Root at first slip, had to dive to his right to stop that. Saves a certain couple. |
| 62.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, Eased through covers to get to the other end. |
| 62.4 : M Ali to Smith, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 62.5 : M Ali to Smith, Bowled on a flatter trajectory, spinning down leg. Smith fails to flick it even as Bairstow misses collecting that. The ball rolls towards third man and seeing this the Aussie skipper wants a run but Khawaja doesn't respond. Mark Taylor says that he has probably dozed off. |
| 62.6 : M Ali to Smith, One can't help but envy seeing the time that Smith seems to have to play his shots. This is just a touch shorter outside off, Smith goes back and cuts it through point and gets three runs for the effort. |
| Mason Crane is brought back for another spell. |
| 63.1 : M Crane to Smith, Flatter outside off, slapped through covers for one. |
| 63.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, Floated in line of the stumps, Khawaja presents a straight bat face in blocking that. |
| 63.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, Khawaja gets down the track and dead-bats it. |
| 63.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, Wow! Khawaja with a quick single? Yep, you read it right. He pats it towards mid off and scurries to the other end. There is a missed throw at the bowler's end but he seemed to be safe. |
| 63.5 : M Crane to Smith, Shorter outside off, carved through covers for one. |
| 63.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 64.1 : M Ali to Smith, Loopy ball outside off at 85 kph, Smith turns it to mid-wicket. |
| 64.2 : M Ali to Smith, Quicker on the stumps, blocked towards short leg. |
| 64.3 : M Ali to Smith, This one is wristed to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 64.4 : M Ali to Smith, Straight outside off, Smith doesn't put bat to that. |
| 64.5 : M Ali to Smith, This is bowled around middle and leg, SS gets down and sweeps it through backward square leg for one. Moves to 41, trail comes down to 161. |
| 64.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, Floated outside off, eased towards covers. |
| 65.1 : M Crane to Smith, Flatter ball in line of the stumps, punched back to mid on. |
| 65.2 : M Crane to Smith, Served on the pads, clipped away fine on the leg side for a brace. That brings up the 100-run stand between these two. |
| 65.3 : M Crane to Smith, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 65.4 : M Crane to Smith, Smith flicks this off the pads and gets to the other end. |
| 65.5 : M Crane to Khawaja, Floated around off, Khawaja looks to defend. But the ball goes off the outside edge past slip for a single. |
| 65.6 : M Crane to Smith, This is a yorker, Smith digs it out back towards the bowler. |
| 'Rooooooooooot' goes the crowd as it sees Joe Root come into the attack. This is the final over of the day. Is he the man with the golden arm? Remember, he picked a set Warner up in the previous game off his second ball. |
| 66.1 : Joe Root to Khawaja, FOUR! Almost seems like the moment Cook notched up his hundred at the MCG. It was the last over of the day then, Smith came and offered him freebies to help him. Here Root comes in and bowls it short around off. Khawaja goes back and pulls it through mid-wicket for a boundary. Moves to 91 now. A century tonight? |
| 66.2 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Khawaja seems to want it today. Goes back and cuts this one fiercely but fails to beat point. |
| 66.3 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Now he has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 66.4 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Flatter on the pads, kept out from the crease. |
| 66.5 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Floated outside off, driven nicely straight to the man stationed at covers. |
| 66.6 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Flatter on the stumps, Khawaja goes back and safely sees the day off. That's STUMPS! Australia TRAIL by 153 runs! |
| Australia's session, no doubt, and they even take the day's honors. They are just 153 runs behind England's score and one can assume that England would already be feeling low about the situation that they are in right now. Warner and Khawaja set about with the task after they lost Bancroft pretty early. The former departed soon after his fifty, something he might be ruing after seeing the latter go about with his task. Khawaja is just 9 short of his ton and has an in-form Smith, who has just pas |
| The Australian opener says that Khawaja's temperament was fantastic and he seemed to be in full flow. Adds further that he has a fantastic hand-eye coordination, wonderful timing and he models himself on Lara. Lauds him for playing well against Ali. Khawaja was irritated about not converting the starts but has rectified that with this knock, he reveals. Admits to being shocked at England not sending in the nightwatchman last night. Adds that their bowlers reaped rewards for their toil on the fie |
| One wonders what wrong did England do. Their bowlers weren't as awry as the figures suggest. They were successful in inducing numerous edges but those failed to carry to the fielders. Crane was a disappointment on a surface that aided spin. He was losing his run up continuously and needs to get that sorted before he can settle into a nice rhythm. Anderson and Broad bowled their hearts out but have only one wicket to show. This is after their lower order did well to post a score that seemed decen |
| An involving day's play ends. Day 3 is often reckoned as the moving day in a Test and we would love to see what happens tomorrow. It promises to be a day full of thrilling action and we would love to have your company then. There is a tweet from Cricket Australia that confirms play will start tomorrow at 1030 local time (1130 GMT). Do join us then. Meanwhile, you can switch over and catch another exciting Test that we have on the cards where India take on South Africa in the series opener in Cap |
| ... Day 3, Session 1 ... |
| How do we get past the enigma called Steven Smith, this might be the thought in the English camp as we enter the third day of this final Ashes Test. Australia find themselves at a comfortable position, thanks to fifties from David Warner and Usman Khawaja. The latter is well on course to get a triple figure score in this format after a gap of over a year and 8 Tests while the Aussie skipper is just 6 short of raking up another 50-plus score. |
| Today is Day 3, the Pink day at the SCG. Everything would be rosy-colored to commemorate the Jane McGrath day. This is in honor of former pacer Glenn McGrath's wife, who had succumbed to breast cancer. England, so far, have lacked inspiration and would need to lift themselves up quickly. The hosts are behind by 153 runs and thus, the visitors still have plenty in their bank to play with. Will Joe Root's men manage to turn it around today? Or will Smith's and Australia's juggernaut roll on? We'll |
| A huge pink cloth, having the photo of Jane McCgrath, is held up on the ground. It is due to her that the McGrath foundation has come up to support the cause of breast cancer. The former pacer himself is very actively involved in promoting this noble cause. The response that they receive for the same is massive. Everything right from the players' caps to the caps that the security forces are wearing are pink in color. Now the Aussies walk out, shake hands with Glenn McGrath and hand over their s |
| All the off-cricket action is done now. Time for the sport to take centre stage now. The unbeaten pair of Khawaja and Smith walks out to the middle. It will be James Anderson to begin the day first up. 13 overs to go before the second new ball is available. A slip and a short cover stand in position for Smith, who will face the first delivery. Here we go... |
| 67.1 : J Anderson to Smith, Strange start. Anderson runs in from round the wicket and bowls it full outside off. Smith covers the stumps and lets it go. |
| 67.2 : J Anderson to Smith, On a length angling away from the off stump, Smith gets across and clips it wristily through square leg for a brace. First runs for the day already. Hard to keep this guy quiet, isn't it? |
| 67.3 : J Anderson to Smith, Full and well outside off, Steven gets behind that and pushes it towards covers. |
| 67.4 : J Anderson to Smith, This ball is similar to the second delivery, turned through mid-wicket for one. |
| 67.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Jimmy comes over the wicket to Khawaja and bowls it full around off. The batter just pushes it back defensively. |
| 67.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, This is full outside off, left alone by Usman. Tidy start for both sides. |
| Surprising move this. Moeen Ali to begin the day from the other end. Perhaps more purchase is expected to be extracted from the surface and hence this move. |
| 68.1 : M Ali to Smith, Ali begins with a floated delivery on off, turned to mid-wicket. |
| 68.2 : M Ali to Smith, A milestone early in the day. No prizes for guessing who, Steven Smith. He just flicks this off his pads and picks up three as the ball rolls towards fine leg to bring up his 23rd HALF CENTURY IN TESTS. He has largely been untroubled yet again and continues to be England's nemesis on the tour. |
| 68.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, Nicely played. Khawaja picks up his first run of the day by getting down the track and placing this through covers. |
| 68.4 : M Ali to Smith, FOUR! Nicely struck. Ali tosses this wide outside off, Smith reaches out to this and whips it through covers. Yes, he whips it - one of his typical wristy shots through covers. The fielder from covers chases it down, slides and seems to have done well. The umpire goes upstairs just to be sure and finds that the player was in contact with the ball and the ropes at the same time and this it is a boundary, the first one of the day. |
| 68.5 : M Ali to Smith, SS defends it from within the crease. |
| 68.6 : M Ali to S Smith, This ball is played towards mid on. |
| A silly mid off in place. |
| 69.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Fuller on middle and leg, worked away through square leg for one. Uzzie moves to 93. |
| 69.2 : J Anderson to Smith, This is full outside off from round the wicket, Smith just lets it be. |
| 69.3 : J Anderson to Smith, The ball is way outside the off stump, easy leave for the batsman. |
| 69.4 : J Anderson to Smith, Full outside off, Smith exposes his stumps, gets across and blocks it with a straight bat. Never plays according to the books, does this guy. Yet he scores runs and that's what matters. |
| 69.5 : J Anderson to Smith, Well outside off, left alone. |
| 69.6 : J Anderson to Smith, This length ball is worked through backward square leg for a brace. Smith moves to 56 and the stand to 121. |
| 70.1 : M Ali to Khawaja, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 70.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, What's that? A chance? Don't think so. Khawaja gets down to this tossed up ball and looks to go inside out. Ends up getting an inside edge onto his pads and it lobs towards silly mid off. Perhaps it just bumped before lobbing off the pads. |
| 70.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, Khawaja lunges forward and blocks this one. |
| 70.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, Floated full outside off, driven towards covers. |
| 70.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 70.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, Another forward defense to end the over. A maiden for Mo. |
| 71.1 : J Anderson to S Smith, Full outside off, driven towards mid off. |
| 71.2 : J Anderson to Smith, For once, we can say this - Smith is foxed by Anderson. He stands in a wide-stanced position anticipating another full and wide delivery. What does he get? A spearing yorker at 138 kph. Thankfully for Smith, it is not in line of the stumps and before he could adjust and get some bat to that, it makes contact with the front pad that is outside the line of the leg stick. The ball rolls to the slip cordon then. Well bowled, Jimmy. |
| 71.3 : J Anderson to Smith, Outside off, left alone. |
| 71.4 : J Anderson to Smith, This ball is driven towards mid off for one. This is Smith's 2000th run against England in Tests. |
| 71.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Full outside off, driven towards mid off. |
| 71.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Tucked away through square leg for a single that takes him to 94. |
| 72.1 : M Ali to Khawaja, Flat outside off, left alone. |
| 72.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, FOUR! Not the best of balls this. Ali serves this short and wide outside off, Khawaja stays back and cuts it powerfully in front of square. The ball speeds away to the fence to take UK to 98. |
| 72.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, Outside off, left alone. |
| 72.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 72.5 : M Ali to U Khawaja, Khawaja moves on 99 by guiding this to the right of point. |
| 72.6 : M Ali to Smith, Bowled on the pads, worked to fine leg for one. |
| Stuart Broad into the attack now, replacing Anderson. After Bancroft's wicket early yesterday, he has failed to add another to his kitty. |
| 73.1 : S Broad to Smith, FOUR! Textbook, sit back and enjoy, says Bill Lawry on this one. Hardly do we see back foot drives being played in this modern era and here is Smith with the same. Gets a delivery that is relatively full outside off, he gets his back leg across and drives it through covers. Result, a boundary. |
| 73.2 : S Broad to Smith, Full on off, defended off the front foot. |
| 73.3 : S Broad to Smith, Hurled outside off, left alone. |
| 73.4 : S Broad to Smith, Another one outside off, Smith just lets it be. |
| 73.5 : S Broad to Smith, This is fuller outside off, but not good enough to make Smith play. |
| 73.6 : S Broad to Smith, Broad makes Smith play this one with a full one on off. Steven blocks. |
| Khawaja on 99 now. He'll face Ali now. Easier bowler? Maybe. |
| 74.1 : M Ali to U Khawaja, There it is! Usman Khawaja gets to his 6th Test hundred and he's pumped up. Why won't he be! This is his first Ashes hundred and with this he also ends a period where he has got starts but failed to convert it big. How does he get there? Gets a shortish ball outside off, Khawaja goes back and cuts it through point for a couple. Raises his bat in acknowledgement, unmindful of the fact that his skipper is seen lauding the effort and running towards him for a hug. |
| 74.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, The batsman gets an inside edge and the ball hits him on the pads. |
| 74.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, Khawaja prods forward and defends this. |
| 74.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, UK has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 74.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, Another delivery in line of the stumps, blocked. |
| 74.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, Floated on off, defended with a straight bat. |
| 75.1 : S Broad to Smith, On the pads, flicked away towards square leg. |
| 75.2 : S Broad to Smith, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 75.3 : S Broad to Smith, Smith gets behind that and blocks it. |
| 75.4 : S Broad to Smith, Full outside off, eased through covers for one. |
| Shane Warne was surprised this morning. He says that the early tactics from Anderson to bowl wide outside off from round the wicket seemed like backyard cricket for him. He admits to not have seen anything like that in the sport till that moment. |
| 75.5 : S Broad to Khawaja, Outside off, left alone. |
| 75.6 : S Broad to Khawaja, Gets a soft outside edge towards gully as he looks to defend this. |
| The second new ball is 4 overs away. Meanwhile, Mason Crane comes in for a bowl. He lacked control towards the end of yesterday and one hopes, along with Warne, that he gets better. |
| 76.1 : M Crane to Smith, A touch short on the pads, whipped away through square leg for a single. |
| 76.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, Crane continues over the wicket to the southpaw and tosses it outside off. Khawaja presents a straight bat face in defends. |
| 76.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, Sees this tossed up ball outside off, Khawaja comes down only to bunt it. |
| 76.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, Served around off, Usman hangs in his crease and defends with a lunge forward. |
| 76.5 : M Crane to Khawaja, Nicely flighted, Khawaja gets to the pitch of the ball and works it past mid-wicket for one. |
| 76.6 : M Crane to Smith, Short and spinning away outside off, Smith goes back and punches it through covers to retain strike. |
| Tom Curran to bowl now. He replaces Broad, who bowled just the one over. Shows England will opt for the second new cherry as soon as it will be available. |
| 77.1 : Tom Curran to Smith, WIDE! Curran begins with a bumper that goes way over the batter's head. Smith ducks. Wide given. |
| Tom Curran to Smith, Length ball in line of the stumps, defended towards mid on. |
| 77.2 : Tom Curran to Smith, Angled in on the pads, worked through backward square leg for one. Smith moves up to 66, the trail gets down to 119. |
| 77.3 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Curran comes round the wicket and bowls a length ball around off. Khawaja stands tall and defends. |
| 77.4 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Full outside off, left alone. |
| 77.5 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, This is bowled aiming at the stumps, Uzzie defends it towards covers. |
| Good point. Cameron Bancroft hasn't had a great run so far in this series and Khawaja, too, didn't have one till this one. Shane Warne on air opines that the youngster should be persisted with even after this series just to ensure that he gets the confidence and gets back among the runs. One can't always expect immediate results and patience is the key. |
| 77.6 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, This ball is pushed to the man at covers. Not a bad start for the young Tom. |
| 78.1 : M Crane to Smith, Mason strays on the pad again, Smith clips him away for a single. |
| 78.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, Khawaja dances down to this one and blocks it. |
| 78.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 78.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, Played with the spin through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 78.5 : M Crane to Khawaja, A bit short outside off, cut away through point for one. |
| 78.6 : M Crane to Smith, Steven rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. |
| 79.1 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Khawaja works it down the leg side. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 0.0 : Good observation. The on-air commentators observe that England were in a similar position in the first innings. They were 228/3 before the second new ball was taken, from where things went downhill for them. |
| 79.2 : Tom Curran to Smith, Punched off the back foot towards covers. |
| 79.3 : Tom Curran to Smith, Another ball outside off, punched towards covers. |
| 79.4 : Tom Curran to Smith, This is whipped away through square leg for one. |
| Wondered why Smith is so good with these on side flicks? Mark Taylor makes a nice observation. Smith's bat is held at an angle pointing towards mid on when he gets ready to face the ball. He just losens the grip and flicks the ball to the leg side when the ball appears. The initial angle of the bat helps him play that shot easily. |
| 79.5 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Yorker around off, digged out by Khawaja. |
| 79.6 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Full outside off, left alone. |
| The second new ball is available and TAKEN STRAIGHTAWAY. James Anderson to have a go with it first up. Two slips in place. This is where things changed for England in their first essay. |
| 80.1 : J Anderson to Smith, Anderson begins with a delivery on a length outside off. Smith covers his stumps and leaves it alone. Hint of movement there as the ball moves away nicely. |
| 80.2 : J Anderson to Smith, Length ball on off, punched off the back foot towards mid off. |
| 80.3 : J Anderson to Smith, This delivery is flicked towards mid-wicket. |
| 80.4 : J Anderson to Smith, Smith blocks by getting nicely behind this one. |
| 80.5 : J Anderson to Smith, Length ball outside off, Smith just lets it be. |
| Anderson has been around the good and short lengths so far in this over. Not ideal with the new ball, considering the speed with which he bowls. |
| 80.6 : J Anderson to Smith, Smith plays it off the back foot towards square leg. A non-eventful over with this second new cherry, a maiden nevertheless. |
| As expected, Stuart Broad will run in with this new cherry from the other end. |
| 81.1 : S Broad to Khawaja, Steams in from round the wicket and bowls it full outside off. Khawaja drives this nicely to covers. |
| 81.2 : S Broad to U Khawaja, This time the drive is played to mid off, but doesn't beat the man there. |
| 81.3 : S Broad to Khawaja, FOUR! Poor line that. Broad strays on the pads with this length ball, easy pickings for Khawaja. He just tickles it away and the ball goes to the fine leg fence in a trice. Nice way to bring up the 150-run stand with his skipper. Also, he aggregates 2000 Test runs. |
| 81.4 : S Broad to Khawaja, This is full outside off, left alone. |
| 81.5 : S Broad to Khawaja, Similar delivery, action replay. |
| 81.6 : S Broad to Khawaja, Full on the stumps, hit towards mid-wicket. |
| Drinks are on the field now. Nothing to write home about as far as England are concerned. Both the batters are making merry, notching up their respective milestones. Khawaja got to his 6th Test ton, while his skipper romped over to another half century. Their stand is worth 151 runs, the deficit coming down to 9 runs over 100. Where does the respite for England come from now? This divine drinks interval? |
| 82.1 : J Anderson to Smith, Anderson bowls it on a back of a length, Smith gets across and with a high bat he defends it towards mid on. |
| 82.2 : J Anderson to Smith, Fuller and arrowing in on the pads, Steven gets across and flicks it through mid-wicket. Didn't time it well but still will get three runs. |
| 82.3 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Touch fuller and outside off, blocked gently off the front foot. |
| 82.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Behind length and outside off, Usman stands tall to keep it out. |
| 82.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Fuller in length, served on off, defended by prodding ahead. |
| 82.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, On middle and leg, worked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 83.1 : S Broad to Khawaja, Ahead of a length, slanting it away a bit, Khawaja has it covered as he defends it down. |
| 83.2 : S Broad to Khawaja, That surprised him actually! Broad bangs in a short one, a well-directed on from him. Khawaja is taken aback by it. The ball goes off the gloves and pops up towards the off side. Other day, it could have carried to the slip cordon or to the gully fielder. Not this time. |
| 83.3 : S Broad to Khawaja, This time he gets on top of it and pulls it in front of square on the leg side for a single. |
| 83.4 : S Broad to Smith, Good length delivery, wider outside off, Smith leans across before making a leave. |
| 83.5 : S Broad to Smith, On a length and outside off, Steven lifts his bat to make another leave. |
| 83.6 : S Broad to Smith, Broad with another bouncer, angling in towards the body of the batsman. Smith quickly arches back to let it be. |
| 84.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, FOUR! Round the wicket comes Anderson and goes too straight. It's drifting on the pads, Khawaja moves inside the line and clips it fine down the leg side for a boundary. Deft! |
| 84.2 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Keeps it in the channel outside off, the fifth stump line, Usman makes an easy leave. |
| 84.3 : J Anderson to U Khawaja, Played with soft hands! Good length delivery once again hurled outside off, Khawaja prods across and with soft hands tries to dab it away but gets a soft edge which rolls towards the gully fielder. |
| 84.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Back of a length outside off, blocked down. |
| 84.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Good delivery! Comes in from around off, Khawaja looks to defend but then zips away to beat the outside edge by a whisker. |
| 84.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Fuller and angling in, defended down watchfully. |
| 85.1 : S Broad to S Smith, Fuller in length and angling in, Smith leans forward a touch and pushes it straight towards mid off. |
| 85.2 : S Broad to Smith, Short of a length delivery, angling in on middle and leg, Smith gets inside the line and rolls his wrists over the pull and sends it towards backward square leg for a single. |
| 85.3 : S Broad to Khawaja, Tries to ease it down the ground and does so but the mid off fielder is quick to get to his left and make a stop. |
| 85.4 : S Broad to U Khawaja, FOUR! That's as good as anything! Broad overcooks it, serves it just outside off. Khawaja presses forward and caresses it off the meat. Pierces the gap at extra cover and picks up another boundary to his name. |
| 85.5 : S Broad to Khawaja, Marginally fuller, angling across the southpaw, defended down. |
| 85.6 : S Broad to Khawaja, Stuart with a short one but not that threatening. Khawaja gets on top of it as he eases the pull through square leg to keep strike. |
| 86.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Harmless ball in the sixth stump channel, not going after it says Uzzie lad. |
| 86.2 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Gets forward and across and gently defends it towards the off side. |
| 86.3 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Very full outside off, Khawaja nicely pats it towards the cover fielder. |
| 86.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Anderson bowls a cutter outside off, Usman points his bat skywards and makes a leave. |
| 86.5 : J Anderson to U Khawaja, Good stop, Root! Anderson keeps probing in that zone outside off, it comes in first and then shapes away after hitting the deck. Khawaja gets squared up a touch as he tries to poke at it. He does so with soft hands and hence gets an edge which goes on the bounce to slip cordon where Root makes a diving one-handed stop to his left. Saved some runs for his side. |
| 86.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Good length delivery on middle and off, Usman defends with a straight blade. |
| 87.1 : S Broad to Smith, Shortish delivery on middle and off, Smith looks to pull but mistimes it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 87.2 : S Broad to U Khawaja, FOUR! Controlled, along the ground, says Clarke on air! Broad once again bowls it short but without much venom behind it. It comes up at a good height as Khawaja stays rooted inside the crease and with a minimal swivel he pulls it really well to send it across the mid-wicket fence. Gets appreciation from Smith too. |
| 87.3 : S Broad to Khawaja, Clips this length ball on middle and leg through square leg for one. |
| 87.4 : S Broad to Smith, Sprays it a bit wider outside off, left alone without much fuss. |
| 87.5 : S Broad to Smith, Fuller and angling in at the base of the stumps, Steven Smith stays leg side to jam it out towards the left of the bowler. |
| 87.6 : S Broad to Smith, What was that? Too funny I tell you! Broad bangs in a short one, Smith initially tries to duck but then realizes that he is a bit late to take evasive action. So what does he do now? He crouches low and swat-pulls it somehow back to the bowler. |
| 88.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Good length delivery on off, defended back to the bowler. |
| 88.2 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Outside off, Khawaja ignores. |
| 88.3 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Fuller in length and angling in from outside off, Usman stays rock solid in defense. |
| 88.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Back of a length and rising a bit off the deck, Khawaja hangs back to defend but gets it off the splice. The ball dies down safely in the cover region. |
| 88.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Stays back and keeps it out. Anderson is bowling tidy lines but without any success. |
| 88.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Tom Curran is back on. |
| 89.1 : T Curran to Smith, Starts off from over the wicket and lands it in the corridor of uncertainty, Smith yawns at it. |
| 89.2 : Tom Curran to Smith, Fuller and angling in on off, Smith brings his bat down at the angle but gets it off the outer towards cover. |
| 89.3 : Tom Curran to Smith, Back of a length delivery outside off, Smith could have punched it through the line but he knows there is a big gap at mid-wicket and hence whips it off the inner half wide of Broad at mid on and takes three. |
| 89.4 : Tom Curran to U Khawaja, Fuller on the stumps, driven towards mid on. |
| 89.5 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Gets forward and pats it nicely towards the cover region. |
| 89.6 : Tom Curran to U Khawaja, Fullish outside off, Khawaja eases it through mid off. Broad gives it a chase to keep them down to two. |
| Mason Crane to roll his arm over. |
| 90.1 : M Crane to Smith, Tossed up delivery on middle and off, blocked off the front foot. |
| 90.2 : M Crane to Smith, Loops it around off, defended down into the ground. |
| 90.3 : M Crane to Smith, Another feat for Steven Peter Smith! He now becomes the captain with second most runs (682) in an Ashes series, only behind Sir Don Bradman! Incredible stuff. Flighted ball, landed outside off, eased through cover for a couple. |
| 90.4 : M Crane to Smith, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 90.5 : M Crane to Smith, Lovely shot! Crane gives it nice flight again, it's full outside off, Smith makes room and drives it through extra cover. Malan gives it a chase and slides to save a run. |
| 90.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, Works it with the spin past short leg for nothing. |
| 91.1 : Tom Curran to S Smith, Pounds in a short ball on middle, pulled with ease through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 91.2 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, FOUR! Finesse! Curran comes from around the wicket and angles it in on the pads, Khawaja comes across a touch and flicks it neatly through mid-wicket. Made amazing connection as the ball races away to the fence. |
| 91.3 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Short of a length delivery, kicking a bit off the deck, Khawaja takes his bottom hand off to keep it out. |
| 91.4 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 91.5 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Good length delivery outside off, pushed towards the cover region. |
| 91.6 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, On middle and leg, nudged towards the leg side. |
| 92.1 : M Crane to Smith, Leg spinner around middle, turning towards off, Smith hangs back to punch it back to Mason. |
| 92.2 : M Crane to Smith, Floats it up around middle and leg, Smith leans forward in defense. |
| 92.3 : M Crane to Smith, On a flatter trajectory, Steven has got nothing to do with that one. |
| 92.4 : M Crane to Smith, Almost a replica of the previous ball. |
| 92.5 : M Crane to Smith, Loopy ball outside off, SS presses forward to drive it through cover for a single. |
| 92.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, That stayed a bit low! Loopy delivery, pitched on the rough outside off. Khawaja gets down to sweep but the ball spins back in, stays low and sneaks under his bat and then goes into the keeper's gloves. |
| Moeen Ali is brought back into the attack. |
| 93.1 : Ali to Smith, OUT! Caught and bowled! Ladies and Gentlemen, England have got rid of Steven Smith! He misses out on a ton at his home ground and is fuming with himself as he walks back. Boy, Moeen Ali is amongst wickets! Stop the press! Ali from around the wicket bowls a loopy delivery on middle and leg, Smith comes down the track to drive it against the spin but ends up getting it off the inner half back to the bowler. Ali crouches really low to pluck it just inches above the ground. He ta |
| 0.0 : Shaun Marsh is the new man in. A bat pad and slip for him. |
| 93.2 : M Ali to Marsh, Very full on middle and off, jammed out towards mid off. |
| 93.3 : M Ali to Marsh, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 93.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Beaten! Ali lands it around middle, Marsh comes forward to defend but the ball turns away and beats the outside edge of Marsh's bat. |
| 93.5 : M Ali to Marsh, Gets nicely forward and blocks it into the ground. |
| 93.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Comes down the track and whips it through mid-wicket does Marsh to get off the mark. Excellent over from Moeen Ali. He strikes immediately. |
| 94.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Spins back in, Marsh works it off the inner half through square leg for a single. |
| 94.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, In the air... just short of Crane! He floats it up outside off, Usman Khawaja comes down the track to defend but the ball spins back in, hits the pad first and then the bat. The ball lobs back towards the bowler as Crane comes sprinting in to his right and dives in an attempt to take it with his right hand but the ball lands just short. |
| 94.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| It's all happening out there. Mason Crane convinces his skipper to take the DRS against Khawaja. Have England got another? |
| 94.4 : Crane to Khawaja, Crane has OVERSTEPPED! Mason, what have you done, son? A spinner doing this is a sin! England can't believe it and understandably so. It's pitched outside off, turning back in, Khawaja leans across and doesn't offer any stroke. In fact, he was hiding his bat behind his front leg. The ball hits the front pad and lobs to short leg. They all appeal but the umpire shakes his head. Root, Bairstow and Crane come together and the English skipper takes the review. It's seen that |
| M Crane to Khawaja, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 94.5 : M Crane to Khawaja, Leans forward and buries it into the ground. |
| 94.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, That must have stung! Short ball outside off, Khawaja rocks back and pulls it with the spin. It hits Stomeman at short leg who is down in pain. Nothing serious though and that's LUNCH ON DAY 3! |
| Drama towards the end has just spiced the session up! Phew! Crane would be cursing himself as he could have got rid of another set batsman, Usman Khawaja, in the last over before lunch had he not overstepped. The session began with the overnight batsmen making merry on the flattened-out wicket and thereby keeping the scoreboard moving. Both Khawaja and Smith registered their personal milestones and it seemed like these two will dominate the proceedings but Moeen Ali had other ideas. He was broug |
| Right then! The spinners have come to the party. They have got enough purchase off the deck and it would be interesting to see how the Aussie batsmen respond. Shaun Marsh has just arrived. He is known to be a good player of spin and has a set Khawaja for company. The deficit is down to 69. Can England turn things around or will the hosts prevail again? Don't go anywhere, we'll be back in a short while. |
| ... Day 3, Session 2 ... |
| Welcome back for the second session. England will have their tails up for sure. Can the spinners weaves their magic? Remains to be seen. Moeen Ali to bowl. Shaun Marsh to face. Let's play... |
| 95.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Starts off with a loosener! Short and spinning away outside off, Marsh camps back and cuts it behind point to collect a couple. |
| 95.2 : M Ali to Marsh, Skips down the track to a flighted ball and eases the drive to short cover. |
| 95.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Floated ball around middle and off, blocked off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 95.4 : M Ali to Marsh, A bit flatter and served on off, Shaun stonewalls it. |
| 95.5 : M Ali to Marsh, FOUR! Whips it away! Ali tosses it up on the stumps, Marsh comes dancing down the track, takes it on the full and whips it cleanly through the gap at mid-wicket for a boundary. Good positive intent from Shaun Marsh. |
| 95.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Around off, turning away a touch, SM comes half forward and defends it down. |
| Mason Crane to continue from the other end. |
| 96.1 : M Crane to Khawaja, Outside off, turning in, Khawaja sweeps it straight short leg. |
| 96.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, Pitches it on the rough, Khawaja misses the sweep as the ball stays low. |
| 96.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, Dances down the track to push it back to the bowler. |
| The commentators on air discuss about Khawaja's wicket. Ian Chappell says will the on-field umpire confer with the TV umpire that the batsman has offered a shot or not? If you see, Khawaja came forward at first but then kept his bat behind the pad. One cannot be sure that he offered no shot at first. Interesting... |
| 96.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, The batsman offers no stroke and gets hit on the pad. |
| 96.5 : M Crane to Khawaja, Flighted delivery outside off, swept towards the square leg fielder. |
| 96.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 97.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Shimmies down the track and bunts it back. |
| 97.2 : M Ali to Marsh, On middle and off, blocked gently. |
| 97.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Short and outside off, chopped towards the cover fielder. |
| 97.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Floats it up around off, Marsh comes forward to defend but the ball turns away to beat the batsman all ends up. |
| 97.5 : M Ali to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 97.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Flighted delivery outside off, defended into the ground. |
| 98.1 : M Crane to Khawaja, Loopy ball outside off, driven towards the cover fielder. |
| 98.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, FOUR! Nailed it! Crane tosses it up generously, Khawaja gets down on one knee and slog sweeps it off the sweep spot. Goes on the bounce to the deep mid-wicket fence. |
| 98.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 98.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, Pushes it quicker through the air outside off, punched off the back foot towards point. |
| 98.5 : M Crane to Khawaja, Outside off, UK prods forward in defense. |
| 98.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, Goes back and with an open bat face dabs it towards the off side. |
| 99.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Tossed up delivery outside off, Marsh comes down the track to bunt it back. |
| 99.2 : Ali to Marsh, An appeal for LBW! Moeen Ali bails out immediately. Lands it outside off, Marsh plonks his front foot across to pad it away. They appeal but nothing much from the umpire. |
| 99.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Marsh uses his feet to works it towards the man at mid-wicket. |
| 99.4 : M Ali to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 99.5 : M Ali to Marsh, On middle and leg, whipped straight to the man at short mid-wicket. |
| 99.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Darted on middle, driven towards the man at mid on. A maiden for the offie. |
| 100.1 : M Crane to Khawaja, Short and outside off, Khawaja goes back to cut but misses it. |
| 100.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, A long hop from leggie, Usman pulls it to deep square leg for a single. |
| 100.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Fuller on the stumps, Marsh stays leg side and pushes it back. |
| 100.4 : M Crane to Marsh, Pitches it around middle, turning down leg, Shaun misses his attempted sweep shot. Bairstow is quick to go to his right and collect it. |
| 100.5 : M Crane to Marsh, The batsman has driven it through mid-on. |
| 100.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Flighted delivery outside off, blocked into the ground watchfully. |
| 101.1 : M Ali to Khawaja, Loopy delivery outside off, defended by coming forward. |
| 101.2 : M Ali to U Khawaja, Makes a bit of room and drives it along the ground towards cover. |
| 101.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, Turning away from a length outside off, defended off the back foot. |
| Silly mid off in place... |
| 101.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, Gets nicely forward and blocks it into the ground. |
| 101.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, Very full on the stumps, jammed out towards Ali. |
| 101.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, Flighted delivery, dipping in, Usman looks to defend it off the front foot but the ball bobbles towards the vacant short leg region. |
| 102.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Spins back in from outside off, Marsh goes back and tucks it on the bounce to FSL. |
| 102.2 : M Crane to Marsh, A bit fuller outside off, worked towards the man at short leg. |
| 102.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Landed outside off, Shaun uses the feet to milk it down to long on for a single. |
| 102.4 : M Crane to U Khawaja, A rank long hop from Mason, Khawaja pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| Marsh stops Crane. The leggie comes up and was about to deliver but something went in the eyes of Shaun Marsh which is why he gets disturbed and pulls out... |
| 102.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Stays leg side and pushes it towards mid off. |
| 102.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Short and outside off, tapped towards cover for a single. |
| 103.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Drifting in on middle and leg, Marsh clips it by coming down the track. |
| 103.2 : M Ali to Marsh, The batsman dances down the track and does well to block the ball. |
| 103.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Pitches it on middle, turns away, Marsh blocks it out. |
| 103.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Floated ball outside off, a forward push towards the cover fielder. |
| 103.5 : M Ali to Marsh, Shortish and outside off, Marsh goes back and cuts it hard but finds the man at point. |
| 103.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Drifting in on middle and off, SM prods forward in defense. Another tight over from Mo. |
| It's not the first time that we have seen Crane losing the run up. Warne backs him up saying that, it's good he doesn't bowl. Usually, others just tend to bowl it out as they feel lazy to go back to the mark. In doing so they bowls a bad ball and get punished... |
| 104.1 : M Crane to Khawaja, Shortish and around off, punched off the back foot towards point. |
| 104.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, Gets down and sweeps it straight to the man at short fine leg. |
| 104.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, Half tracker on off, pulled to deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 104.4 : M Crane to Marsh, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 104.5 : M Crane to Khawaja, Stays leg side and hits it through cover for a single. |
| Once a leggie always a leggie. Shane Warne continues to back Mason Crane. There was another false start before the fourth ball by him. He says that it could be a tactic as to see whether the batsman is going for a pull, coming down the track. In short just to read what the batsman is trying to do... |
| 104.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Marsh dances down the track and drives it back down the ground. Crane sticks his left hand out to parry it towards mid on. |
| 105.1 : M Ali to Khawaja, Full outside off, blocked right in front of silly point. |
| 105.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, On middle and off, bunted back to Moeen. |
| 105.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 105.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, Short and outside off, Khawaja goes back and cuts it really late. In fact it's off the edge but wide of Root at first slip. The ball rolls towards third man as the pair take a couple. |
| 105.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, Fuller and darted on off, blocked into the ground. |
| 105.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, Tosses it up outside off, Khawaja presses forward and smothers it away. |
| Okay then, Joe Root decides to try himself out. He bowled the last over before stumps yesterday. |
| 106.1 : Joe Root to Marsh, Starts off from around the wicket with a flatter ball, Marsh keeps it out towards the leg side. |
| 106.2 : Joe Root to Marsh, Gives it a bit of air outside off, Marsh lunges forward to defend it. |
| 106.3 : Joe Root to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 106.4 : Joe Root to Marsh, Bowls this with an round-arm action, fires it on middle, it skids a touch as Marsh tucks it off the back foot through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 106.5 : Joe Root to Marsh, Tossed up outside off, a bit of turn away, driven past cover for one. |
| 106.6 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Slider on middle and leg, defended from within the crease. |
| 107.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Lands it full around off, blocked into the ground. |
| 107.2 : M Ali to Marsh, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 107.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Good running! Marsh sees the flight and decides to come down the track. He works it towards mid on and scurries through to the other end. 300 comes up for Australia, they trail by another 46. |
| 107.4 : M Ali to Khawaja, Fired around the pads, flicked towards square leg. |
| 107.5 : M Ali to Khawaja, Khawaja comes forward and with his bat and pad together, he keeps it out. |
| 107.6 : M Ali to Khawaja, A bit of loop on this occasion, Usman easily defends it down with a forward push. |
| 108.1 : Joe Root to Marsh, Flatter outside off, Shaun Marsh stays back and with an angled bat pushes it towards the off side. |
| 108.2 : Joe Root to Marsh, Marsh is half forward as he pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 108.3 : Joe Root to Marsh, Width on offer, cut hard by Marsh but cannot pierce the gap. |
| 108.4 : Joe Root to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 108.5 : Joe Root to Marsh, SM has driven it straight down the ground. |
| Shane Warne feels Malan should be given a chance to bowl. Since the spinners are getting some purchase, he opines Dawid bowled well at the MCG and could be a good option as he is a tidy bowler. |
| 108.6 : Joe Root to S Marsh, Shaun drives it hard but finds the man at short cover. |
| 109.1 : M Ali to U Khawaja, FOUR! Edgyyy! Ali bowls it flatter outside off, it's not that short but Khawaja feels the other way. He looks to cut but gets an outside edge past slip. Anderson at backward point fails to stop that one. |
| 109.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, FOUR! 150 up for Usman Khawaja! Ali floats it up on middle and off, Usman Khawaja dances down the track and flicks it uppishly over mid-wicket. He is to the pitch of the ball which is why he got time to free his arms. Gets a huge cheer from the crowd. March on, Uzzie. Make a double ton is what his side would be hoping for. |
| 109.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, Flattish on off, tapped towards cover for one. |
| 109.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Skips down the track and works it towards the left of Ali. |
| 109.5 : M Ali to Marsh, FOUR! No one there! Ali bowls it on leg stump, Marsh sinks low and sweeps it with disdain towards fine leg for a boundary. Third one of the over. |
| 109.6 : M Ali to Marsh, The batsman has pushed it to the cover region. |
| 110.1 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Slider around middle, kept out towards the off side. |
| 110.2 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 110.3 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Hangs back and defends it down with a straight bat. |
| 110.4 : Joe Root to Khawaja, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 110.5 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Beaten! There is the extra bounce! Root pushes it quicker through the air, at 90.9 kph, Khawaja winds up for the cut shot but there is extra bounce and also some turn which gets the better of Usman. The ball beats the inside edge and settles into Jonny's gloves. |
| 110.6 : Joe Root to Khawaja, That stays really low! Fuller and fired outside off, at 91.3 kph, Khawaja looks to poke at it but it stays low and skids off the deck. Goes through the legs of the keeper behind and they take three byes. Oh wait, the umpire signals it as runs. Maybe, he must have got some bat there. |
| Phew! Some respite for my fingers. Tom Curran is brought into the attack. |
| 111.1 : Tom Curran to Khawaja, Curran comes from around the wicket and angles in a short ball on middle, Khawaja pulls it in front of square on the on side for one. |
| 111.2 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Goes chasing after a tempting delivery in the sixth stump line and gets beaten. |
| 111.3 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Better! Resists this time and makes a good leave through to the keeper. |
| 111.4 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Fuller in length and outside off, Shaun Marsh points his bat skywards to make another leave. |
| 111.5 : Tom Curran to Marsh, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. Third consecutive leave. |
| 111.6 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Angling in on middle and leg, Marsh looks to clip but gets it off the inner half behind square on the leg side for a couple. |
| 112.1 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Root gets away with that! Bowls a loopy full toss outside off, Khawaja reaches out and smashes it hard only to find the man at short cover. |
| 112.2 : Joe Root to Khawaja, On a flatter trajectory, kept out off the back foot. |
| 112.3 : Joe Root to Khawaja, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 112.4 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Leans forward and across and kills it into the turf. |
| Nathan Lyon will be waiting in the wings. On seeing Root and Ali getting the extra bounce, Clarke reckons that the Aussie offie will be licking his lips. He has a nice high-arm action and gives a lot of revs which can prove to be deadly on this kind of a wicket. England, beware... |
| 112.5 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Loopy delivery outside off, Usman prods forward to bury it down. |
| 112.6 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Stays back and pokes it towards the cover fielder. Another tidy over from Joe. |
| Drinks called! 18 overs in an hour, what about the overrate! Woaah! Crane and Moeen bowled in tandem after the lunch break but the pair of Marsh and Khawaja dealt them well. They used their feet to good effect and one good thing is that they made sure the runs keep coming. We saw Root chipping in with a few overs but none of the bowlers have troubled the batsmen. Will these two continue to dig in? Or will England break this stand? |
| 113.1 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Comes round the wicket and hurls it on a length outside off. Marsh watches it sail to the keeper. |
| 113.2 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Punched off the back foot towards covers. |
| 113.3 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Fuller this time, hit to the same fielder. |
| Tom Curran has been a bit short than Michael Clarke would have liked. His pitch map was flashed on the screen and many deliveries were bowled on good length and short of that, it showed. |
| 113.4 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 113.5 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Beaten! Length ball outside off, Marsh looks to cut but misses. The ball passes from under the bat. Failed to pick that length up early. |
| 113.6 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Not this time. Bowled on a similar length, slapped towards covers for one. |
| 114.1 : Joe Root to S Marsh, Floated outside off, driven towards covers. |
| 114.2 : Joe Root to Marsh, Flatter on off, Marsh lunges forward defense. |
| Shaun Marsh is a goner! He's been ruled out caught behind but he feels otherwise. Challenges the decision. |
| 114.3 : Joe Root to Marsh, Did you know why the DRS is into effect? Precisely for this, as Marsh makes good use to receive the decision in his favour, NOT OUT! Root and England's ecstacy is short lived. He tosses this one nicely outside off, Shaun Marsh prods forward in defense. The ball spins away ever so slightly to land in the keeper's gloves. There was a sound as the ball passed the willow, which made England put in a celebratory appeal. Kumar Dharmasena was convinced and he raised the dreade |
| 114.4 : Joe Root to Marsh, Gets forward to this one and blocks it. |
| 114.5 : Joe Root to Marsh, Floated outside off, driven towards mid on. |
| 114.6 : Joe Root to Marsh, Marsh gets down to sweep this full toss but the ball goes off his pads towards short fine leg. A leg bye it is. |
| 115.1 : Tom Curran to Marsh, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 115.2 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Length ball on off, blocked from the crease. |
| 115.3 : Tom Curran to Marsh, This one is defended towards point. |
| 115.4 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Full outside off, driven towards covers. |
| 115.5 : Tom Curran to Marsh, FOUR! Curran misdirects this one and pays the price. Angles it on a length on the pads, Marsh just works it away off the pads. The ball races away through the backward square leg region. The fielder in the deep gets to his left, puts in the slide but takes the ball with him to the ropes. Also, the Khawaja-Marsh stand crosses 50. |
| 115.6 : Tom Curran to Marsh, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 116.1 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Tossed up on off, whipped away nicely through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 116.2 : Joe Root to Marsh, This ball is blocked by showing a full face of the bat. |
| 116.3 : Joe Root to Marsh, Floated on middle, Marsh gets down and plays it back. |
| 116.4 : Joe Root to Marsh, Slinks down yet again to this one and eases it to long on for a single. The deficit gets down a run below 20. |
| 116.5 : Joe Root to Khawaja, On a flatter trajectory, turned towards mid-wicket. |
| 116.6 : Joe Root to Khawaja, Usman gets nicely forward to this one and dead-bats it. |
| 117.1 : Tom Curran to Marsh, On a length outside off, pushed towards point. |
| 117.2 : Tom Curran to Marsh, This ball is kept out towards the bowler from the crease. |
| 117.3 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Two batters not known to be the best of runners between the wickets, pick up a brace here. Well run. Marsh just tucks this length delivery through backward square leg and hares across the turf. |
| 117.4 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Shaun presents a straight bat in defending this length ball from the crease. |
| 117.5 : Tom Curran to S Marsh, Fuller in length, driven down the ground. Mid on cuts that off. |
| This is a revelation. Ian Healy reveals that they used to call Glenn McGrath as 'Miller' before he became famous as the 'Pigeon'. |
| 117.6 : Tom Curran to S Marsh, This one is patted towards mid on and Shaun scurries across to the other end to retain strike. |
| Moeen Ali is back on. He's the lone wicket-taker of the day so far and who was his scalp? The never-tired-of-scoring-runs Steve Smith! |
| 118.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Looped up around off, Shaun uses his feet to get to the pitch of the ball and drives it down to long off for one. |
| 118.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, UK has punched the ball off the back foot. They pick up a single. |
| Ali was more relieved than anything else after picking up the wicket of Steven Smith. Nice to see that as there isn't a dearth of over-the-top celebrations in world cricket, irrespective of the situation of the side. |
| 118.3 : M Ali to Marsh, This ball is flicked away off the pads. |
| 118.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Flat and short outside off, cut away to point. |
| 118.5 : M Ali to Marsh, Marsh gets forward in defense but does so off the inner half of the bat. |
| 118.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Marsh fails to sweep this away. But the ball deflects off the keeper's pads. A bye taken that takes the score to triple nelson - 333/3! |
| Stuart Broad to bowl now. Silly mid off and silly mid on in place. |
| 119.1 : Broad to Marsh, An appeal made, withdrawn immediately! Broad runs in from over the wicket and hurls it on a length in line of the stumps. Marsh offers no stroke and is hit high on the back thigh. Malcolm Turnbull, the Australian Prime Minister is on air and Healy asks him what he reckons. Height, responds the PM. Spot on! |
| 119.2 : S Broad to Marsh, Length ball on the pads, flicked away through square leg for a brace. |
| 119.3 : S Broad to Marsh, Full on middle and leg, driven down the ground past silly mid on. Gets a couple before it is chased down. |
| 119.4 : S Broad to Marsh, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 119.5 : S Broad to Marsh, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 119.6 : S Broad to Marsh, This ball is driven towards mid on. |
| 120.1 : M Ali to Khawaja, Served on a length outside off, Khawaja gets squared up in his defense and gets it off the outer half towards point. |
| 120.2 : M Ali to Khawaja, Now he uses his feet to get to the ball only to stonewall it. |
| 120.3 : M Ali to Khawaja, Shorter outside off, cut away square on the off side for one. |
| 120.4 : M Ali to Marsh, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 120.5 : M Ali to Marsh, Some more air on this one, driven back to where it came from. |
| 120.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Shaun slinks down and pats it towards mid on and hurries to the other end. |
| 121.1 : S Broad to Marsh, Marsh plays this full ball towards mid-wicket. |
| 121.2 : S Broad to Marsh, Marsh keeps this one out towards covers. |
| 121.3 : S Broad to Marsh, Pleading doesn't get you LBW dismissals, Broady! Delivers it on a fuller length, Marsh gets an inside edge onto his pads and the ball rolls to the leg side. Stuart pleads in his appeal but doesn't get the nod. A run taken. |
| 121.4 : S Broad to U Khawaja, Driven towards mid on off the inner half. |
| 121.5 : S Broad to Khawaja, FOUR! Know how much margin for error is available here? Not much! Broad was bowling it tight all through out but gives some width on this occasion. What else does Khawaja require? He just works it past backward point and collects a boundary. Australia are just two runs behind England's first inning total now. |
| 121.6 : S Broad to Khawaja, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 122.1 : M Ali to Marsh, FOUR! Taking a lead over the opposition signifies the authority that one side has over the other. Marsh takes his side ahead with a stroke full of authority here. Ali flights this up generously outside off, Shaun slinks down quickly and goes inside out through covers. A boundary results and the HOSTS ARE AHEAD by a couple of runs now. |
| 122.2 : M Ali to Marsh, This is hurled outside off, left alone. |
| 122.3 : M Ali to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 122.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Very full in line of the stumps, blocked. |
| 122.5 : M Ali to Marsh, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 122.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Floated on the stumps, defended with a straight bat. |
| James Anderson to have a burst now. |
| 123.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Jimmy comes round the wicket and bowls it well outside off. Khawaja watches the ball sail into the keeper's gloves. |
| 123.2 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 123.3 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Usman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 123.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Outside off, left alone. |
| 123.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Khawaja has shut his shop probably. Lets another full ball outside off go unharmed. |
| 123.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Similar length but a bit closer to the off pole. Khawaja lets it come on before dead-batting it. |
| Mason Crane to have another spell now. |
| 124.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Floated on the stumps, whipped towards mid-wicket. |
| 124.2 : M Crane to Marsh, SM has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Mindset, it matters. Ian Chappell reckons that England need to make something happen rather than waiting for something to happen. He says that Root certainly is running short of ideas, pointing to the perplexed nature of the skipper by stating that he doesn't even know where to stand at first slip. |
| 124.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Marsh nudges this through mid-wicket to get to the other end. |
| 124.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, 350 up for the Aussies! Khawaja drives it nicely through covers for one. The lead goes up to 4. |
| 124.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Flat on the pads, worked off the pads through backward square leg. Gets three runs as a result. |
| 124.6 : M Crane to Khawaja, A touch short, Marsh goes back and pulls it through square leg for a brace. Stoneman was in the firing line and he ducked in at the right time. |
| 125.1 : J Anderson to Marsh, Driven through the covers by the batsman. |
| 125.2 : J Anderson to Marsh, Length ball outside off, defended towards point. |
| 125.3 : J Anderson to Marsh, FOUR! Gets to 49 now, does Shaun Marsh! Anderson gives some width on this length delivery, Marsh just guides it through the vacant gully region for a boundary. |
| 125.4 : J Anderson to S Marsh, FOUR! Now Shaun Marsh joins the half century bandwagon! Only Cameron Bancroft has missed making merry in the fair. Gets an overpitched delivery outside off, Shaun strides forward and square drives this for a boundary. He began slow but has settled in nicely. For the record, this is his 10th fifty in Test cricket. |
| 125.5 : J Anderson to Marsh, Outside off, left alone. |
| 125.6 : J Anderson to Marsh, SM shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| Should be the last over before Tea. |
| 126.1 : M Crane to Khawaja, Outside off, Khawaja fails to cut it away. |
| 126.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, Usman pulls this shortish delivery through mid-wicket for one. |
| 126.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Played to mid-wicket region by the batsman. |
| 126.4 : M Crane to Marsh, Served in line of the stumps, turned away round the corner. |
| Leg gully in place. Anderson gets there with a couple of balls to go before the interval. |
| 126.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Turned away towards square leg from the crease. |
| 126.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Doesn't matter even if it's the last ball, Marsh uses his feet to come down and flicks it in front of square on the leg side for a single that takes him to 54 and the hosts' lead to 19. TEA, DAY 3! |
| Australia on top. Period. Often we've seen on this tour that England have failed to hold on to the momentum that they have. When that's the case, the talk of seizing it from the opposition stays in the hinterland. Australia have made merry while they could and have had a wicketless session here. Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja have had a wonderful outing in the middle amidst their stand that is worth 91 now. |
| It has been chanceless batting alright. But none of the English bowlers seemed like picking a wicket. In helpful conditions, their spinners have been a let down. The only excitement in the session for them came when Marsh was ruled out caught behind. But even that joy was short lived for them as the DRS aided the batter in that case. Hard to be in the tourists' dressing room at the moment. Join us back for the final session of play, where we will turn up with a hope that an interesting turn of e |
| ... Day 3, Final Session ... |
| We are back one last time today. Exactly 30 overs left in the day's play and this shows England have been extremely good with the overrate. The only positive for them. Only time will tell how long they will have to be out in the middle with both Khawaja and Marsh looking largely fluent. James Anderson will set things rolling and the latter will face the first delivery. A lone slip stands. |
| 127.1 : J Anderson to Marsh, Full ball outside off from round the wicket, Marsh just lets it be. |
| 127.2 : J Anderson to Marsh, Makes him play this time. Marsh blocks it towards covers. |
| 127.3 : J Anderson to Marsh, Full length ball outside off, Marsh exhibits a front foot defense towards covers. |
| 127.4 : J Anderson to Marsh, Nicely bowled. Angles this in from round the wicket, it nips back in after landing. Marsh gets it off the inner half towards mid-wicket. |
| 127.5 : J Anderson to Marsh, Full ball on off, defended with a straight bat. |
| 127.6 : J Anderson to Marsh, Shaun defends this ball towards point. A maiden to begin. |
| Mason Crane to continue his spell. A leg slip and a slip in place. |
| And for the umpteenth time, Crane withdraws from his run up. The only other bowler who used to do this was Stuart MacGill, says Michael Clarke on air. Incidentally, he is the mentor of Crane. |
| 128.1 : M Crane to Khawaja, Landed in line of the stumps, blocked. |
| 128.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, FOUR! Khawaja is growing in confidence against the spinners with more time in the middle. Sees some air on this one, slinks down the track and takes it on the full. Trashes it past mid off who was wider and earns a boundary. Moves to 170, four shy of his Test best. |
| 128.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, UK gets to the pitch of the ball and defends it. |
| 128.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, Knocked through covers for one. |
| 128.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Marsh gets down and defends this one. |
| 128.6 : M Crane to Marsh, FOUR! A couple of hundreds on this delivery! Crane floats it outside off, Shaun gets down the track and cracks it through covers for a boundary. The 100-run stand between the duo is up and also a 100 is up against Mason's name on the scorecard. The lead goes up to 28 now. |
| 129.1 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Fuller on off, defended from the crease. |
| 129.2 : J Anderson to Khawaja, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 129.3 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Delivered in line of the off stump, blocked from the crease. |
| 129.4 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Full on off, driven to mid off. |
| 129.5 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 129.6 : J Anderson to Khawaja, Another ball outside off, driven nicely to the cover region. Consecutive maidens for the seamer. |
| 130.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Tossed up outside off, Marsh allows it to turn before patting it towards covers and takes a single. |
| 130.2 : M Crane to Khawaja, Ahh! These little risks of coming down the track to a ball that turns. Sees this ball tossed up, Khawaja comes down to go over the top. The spin on that means that he gets it off the inner half towards mid on. |
| 130.3 : M Crane to Khawaja, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| 130.4 : M Crane to Khawaja, OUT! Finally, finally a spinner beats Khawaja's bat after he comes down the track and the marathon knock ends at last. Khawaja, as he has done on most occasions, premeditates and charges down the track against the spinner. Seeing this, Crane hurls it flatter, wider and quicker. Usman had to adjust by getting quickly to the right but the ball spins in and he gets beaten on the inside. He was long way down the track and that gave Bairstow ample time to collect it and whi |
| Mitchell Marsh walks in next. Party time for him? |
| 130.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Look what a wicket does to the bowler's confidence. Tosses this up nicely outside off, Mitch Marsh looks to drive but misses. |
| 130.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Lovely bit of spin bowling from the fresh wicket-taker. Dangles Marsh with the flight just outside off, who lunges forward to defend but just gets beaten. Almost a caught behind there. |
| 131.1 : J Anderson to Marsh, Outside off, left alone. |
| 131.2 : J Anderson to Marsh, On a length on off, defended from the crease. |
| 131.3 : J Anderson to Marsh, Another one outside off, Marsh just lets it be. |
| 131.4 : J Anderson to Marsh, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 131.5 : J Anderson to Marsh, Shaun gets to the other end by guiding it through point. |
| 131.6 : J Anderson to Marsh, Mitchell blocks this off the front foot. |
| 132.1 : M Crane to Marsh, FOUR! Nice, very nice. Khawaja came down the track and lost his wicket. Shaun Marsh shows how it is done. Sees the flight and charges down in the direction of the ball and drives it down the ground. Well timed and a boundary results. |
| 132.2 : M Crane to Marsh, Played with the turn through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 132.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Crane is trying to entice Marsh here. Knows that this guy loves to be aggressive and wants him to take the aerial route. Tosses this up outside off, Marsh looks to drive but fails in the attempt. |
| 132.4 : M Crane to Marsh, This goes straight on outside off, Marsh eases it towards covers. |
| Things happening for Crane and England! There is an appeal for a catch against Mitchell Marsh by Root at first slip but the on-field umpire denies it. Root confers with his players and opts to go upstairs. |
| 132.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Not Out! Excellent bit of umpiring this, we don't often say this. Kumar Dharmasena the umpire in focus. Crane dangles it up nicely just outside off, Mitchell Marsh looks to drive. The ball spins and seems to go off something straight into the waiting hands of Root at slip. England begin celebrating before the umpire's denial quietens them. After some discussion with his teammates, Root signals the 'T'. Replays roll in. It shows that the ball spins away sharply after pitc |
| 132.6 : M Crane to Marsh, This is knocked towards mid on. |
| 133.1 : J Anderson to Marsh, No run. |
| 133.2 : J Anderson to Marsh, Shaun keeps it out off the back foot. |
| 133.3 : J Anderson to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 133.4 : J Anderson to Marsh, On the pads, turned towards square leg. |
| 133.5 : J Anderson to Marsh, Length ball around off, defended towards point. |
| 133.6 : J Anderson to Marsh, This is full in line of the stumps, defended off the front foot. Anderson has bowled another maiden here, third in his four overs after Tea so far. |
| 134.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Tossed up around off, blocked with a prod forward. |
| 134.2 : M Crane to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 134.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Punched off the back foot by Mitch. |
| 134.4 : M Crane to Marsh, MM lunges forward and defends it with a straight bat. |
| Another false start... |
| 134.5 : M Crane to M Marsh, Marsh gets an inside edge and the ball hits him on the pads. |
| 134.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Dream ball! Pitches on leg, spins past the outside edge of Marsh's bat and past the off pole. Hard on Crane that it isn't anything more than a mere dot. A maiden for the debutant. |
| Stuart Broad is brought back to bowl now. Anderson was looking in good rhythm and this comes as a surprise to me. |
| 135.1 : S Broad to Marsh, Full outside off, Marsh square drives it. The fielder at backward point dives to prevent a run. |
| 135.2 : S Broad to Marsh, Length ball down the leg side, Marsh misses the flick. It goes to the keeper and Broad puts in an appeal, to no avail. |
| 135.3 : S Broad to Marsh, Shaun hits it towards point and gets to the other end. |
| 135.4 : S Broad to Marsh, 14th dot ball in a row from Mitchell Marsh who is yet to get going in this innings. |
| 135.5 : S Broad to Marsh, Length delivery on off, defended from the crease. |
| 135.6 : S Broad to Marsh, This is a touch fuller outside off, MM drives it to the off side and thinks about the run but no, won't get it. Stays on a 16-ball duck. |
| 136.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Floated in line of the stumps, Marsh gets down and works it towards mid-wicket. |
| 136.2 : M Crane to Marsh, Shaun pushes it towards covers and opts to get to the other end. |
| False start again.... Twice in a row! The second of that would have been a no ball, if he'd have delivered that. Perhaps he realised that he had lost his run up and hence aborted it. |
| 136.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Tossed up outside off, pushed straight to the man at covers. 17th dot for him. |
| 136.4 : M Crane to Marsh, Let the counter tick. No. 18. A forward defense to this delivery in line of the stumps. |
| 136.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Finally Mitchell Marsh gets off the mark off the 19th delivery that he faces. Lunges forward in defense and gets a thick outside edge that comfortably beats slip. Gets two against his name in this partnership that has just entered double figures. |
| 136.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Bowled on the stumps, defended with a lunge. |
| 137.1 : S Broad to Marsh, Fuller on the pads, Shaun misses the flick and the ball goes off his pads towards mid-wicket. A leg bye stolen while Broad is busy appealing for LBW. |
| 137.2 : S Broad to Marsh, Full on off, defended with a straight bat. |
| 137.3 : S Broad to M Marsh, Ohh! That stayed low as well as came back in. Marsh hopped and was almost beaten till the inside edge saved him. The ball rolled to fine leg and ends up in a run. |
| 137.4 : S Broad to Marsh, Aww, such a wonderful looking shot for nothing! Fuller around off, Marsh gets his front foot forward and drives it to mid off. |
| 137.5 : S Broad to Marsh, Stuart changes angles, comes round the wicket and bowls it on off. Shaun blocks. |
| 137.6 : S Broad to Marsh, Angling in from around the stumps, knocked to mid on. |
| 138.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Floated on off, defended towards covers. |
| 138.2 : M Crane to Marsh, A bit more air on this one, Marsh drives it off the outer half to covers. |
| We should have a counter here. Just to count the number of times Crane has jogged to the crease but failed to release it. Add one more to it. |
| 138.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Again Marsh finds the cover fielder with the drive. |
| 138.4 : M Crane to Marsh, This one is turned towards mid-wicket. |
| 138.5 : M Crane to Marsh, MM has played it towards mid-wicket. |
| 138.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Another forward defense to a delivery in front of the stumps. Adds another maiden to Mason Crane's tally. |
| 139.1 : S Broad to Marsh, Rushes in from round the wicket and lands it on a length just outside off. Marsh gets behind that and defends. |
| 139.2 : S Broad to Marsh, A bit fuller outside off, Marsh doesn't bother playing that. |
| 139.3 : S Broad to Marsh, Angling in on off and middle, knocked towards mid-wicket to rotate strike. The stands climbs up to 13 from 53 balls. |
| 139.4 : S Broad to Marsh, Length ball at 129.6 kph, pushed towards mid-wicket. |
| 139.5 : S Broad to Marsh, Banged short around off, MM has nothing to do with that. |
| 139.6 : S Broad to Marsh, Toe end! Safe. Back of a length ball outside off, Mitchell tries to pull it. Is a wee bit too early into it and ends up toe-edging it towards gully. The fielder fails to make a clean stop there and a run results. |
| Time for some refreshments! In this period of play, Crane looked the menacing bowler. He picked the lone wicket to fall in the day and threatened to send Mitchell Marsh back. But that wasn't to be. Both the Marsh brothers have held fort now - 14 runs off 56 balls so far. Can the tourists spark a collapse here? Sounds cliched but we can always hope. |
| 140.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Floats it up around middle and leg, worked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 140.2 : M Crane to Marsh, Around middle, turning back in, Marsh goes back to work but gets it off the pads to short leg. |
| 140.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Flighted ball on middle and leg, clipped through the leg side for a single. |
| 140.4 : M Crane to Marsh, Ripper! Draws Mitchell forward and then gets it to turn away to nearly kiss the off pole. So, so close was that. |
| 140.5 : M Crane to Marsh, FOUR! Drilled it! Crane gives too much flight and seeing this Marsh's eyes light up. He takes a stride forward and bashes it through cover to find a boundary at last. |
| 140.6 : M Crane to Marsh, FOUR! And again! That's the way to go Mitchell! Crane drops it short on middle and off, Marsh camps back and murders the pull through mid-wicket to find back-to-back boundaries. No stopping that. |
| 141.1 : S Broad to S Marsh, Fuller and angling in, clipped towards the man at mid on. |
| 141.2 : S Broad to S Marsh, Short on the body, pulled to deep square leg for a single to rack up 400 on the board for Australia. |
| 141.3 : S Broad to Marsh, FOUR! Three in three for young Marsh! Broad strays it on the pads, Mitchell moves inside the line and gets enough on it send it down to the fine leg fence for a boundary. He's getting a move on now. |
| 141.4 : S Broad to Marsh, Broad with another short one, Marsh gets hurried by it but still opts to pull. Somehow gets it through backward square leg for a single. |
| 141.5 : S Broad to Marsh, Fuller in length and on the pads, worked towards the fielder at mid on. |
| 141.6 : S Broad to Marsh, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 142.1 : Crane to Marsh, A loud call for an LBW! Dharmasena ain't keen! Where is it pitching is the question! Floats it up around leg, turning in and hitting Mitchell on the front pad who is late to bring his bat down in time. They appeal but the umpire shakes his head. England decide to review but good that they din't as it was pitching outside leg. |
| 142.2 : M Crane to M Marsh, Too much flight, landed outside off, creamed through extra cover to get three. |
| 142.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Bowls a googly which turns the other way. Shaun goes back and then reaches out to go after that one. Gets it off the toe-end towards point for a single. |
| 142.4 : M Crane to Marsh, Turning back in with bounce, tucked off the back foot past short leg for another single. |
| 142.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Leading edge... no harm done! But what was Broad doing at mid on? Didn't even charge in. Crane from around the wicket, lands it outside off, it turns in. Marsh goes back to work it away but it early to close the bat face. Gets a leading edge as the ball skies up in the air and then falls safely near mid on. Wonder why Broad didn't go after it. |
| 142.6 : M Crane to S Marsh, Comes down the track and gets it off the inner half past short leg as the man at from square leg mops it up. |
| 143.1 : S Broad to Marsh, Shortish delivery on middle and leg, pulled to deep square leg for a single. |
| 143.2 : S Broad to Marsh, Comes from around the wicket and strangles it down the leg side. Nothing doing says Shaun. |
| 143.3 : S Broad to Marsh, Another one down the leg side, Shaun Marsh misses the clip as the ball brushes the pads and rolls towards fine leg. A leg bye collected. |
| 143.4 : S Broad to Marsh, A bumper to follow, the batsman quickly ducks under it. |
| 143.5 : S Broad to Marsh, Arrows in a fuller delivery, angling in from outside off, MM gets his bat down at the angle to jam it out back towards Broad. |
| 143.6 : S Broad to Marsh, Good length delivery on off, defended by getting right behind the line. |
| 144.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Tossed up delivery, spinning massively down leg, Marsh misses his clip. |
| 144.2 : M Crane to Marsh, Takes it on the full by coming down the track and wrists it towards deepish mid on for an easy single. |
| 144.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Loopy delivery on middle and leg, Marsh makes room and then lunges forward to defend. |
| 144.4 : M Crane to Marsh, Flighted ball around middle, patted towards mid off for one. |
| 144.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Flatter leg spinner, spinning in from outside off, punched off the back foot through wide mid off for two. |
| 144.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Outside off, Shaun presses forward to kill it before the ball could do anything. |
| Moeen Ali is brought into the attack. |
| 145.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Moeen from over the wicket, drops it a bit short outside off, punched off the back foot towards cover. |
| 145.2 : M Ali to Marsh, SIX! That's gone all the way! Ali tosses it up outside off, Marsh comes dancing down the track and belts it with sheer power over long off for a maximum all the way. If Marsh gets going, he can hurt you. |
| 145.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Turning in from around off, stays a bit low but Marsh does well to block it out. |
| 145.4 : M Ali to Marsh, SIX! A flat biggie! How on earth do they manage to hit those? Have tried a lot to do this in gully cricket but never got enough. Massive power Mitchell boy! Another tosses up ball, Mitchell skips down the track, gets to the pitch of the ball and goes bang over mid off. That's gone all the way again. Bring up the 50-run stand as well between the two brothers. |
| 145.5 : M Ali to Marsh, FOUR! Changes the angle but Marsh still finds a boundary! Ali goes around the wicket and fires it full outside off, Marsh makes room of his own to crash it through the covers this time. Runs coming thick and fast! |
| 145.6 : M Ali to Marsh, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. 16 off Ali's over on return! |
| 146.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Worked through the leg side for a single. |
| 146.2 : M Crane to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 146.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Takes a stride forward and pushes it towards point. |
| 146.4 : M Crane to Marsh, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| Another false start. Not the first time we are seeing this from Crane. He had his front foot over the line in his landing but realizes it which is why stops and goes back to his marking area. The crowd boooosss. |
| 146.5 : M Crane to Marsh, FOUR! Drilled it! Mitchell Marsh is in the zone! Crane flights it outside off, Marsh leans forward a touch and powers it through cover. There was a man there who I think got a hand to it but the ball still goes to the fence. |
| 146.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Sits back and punches this short ball towards extra cover. |
| 147.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Flatter and quicker on off, Marsh goes back to cut but the length wasn't an ideal one. He somehow chops it towards backward point. |
| 147.2 : M Ali to Marsh, Floats it up outside off, blocked into the ground. |
| 147.3 : M Ali to S Marsh, The batsman has driven it through mid-on. They pick up a single. |
| 147.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Flatter one around middle and off, defended off the back foot. |
| 147.5 : M Ali to Marsh, FOUR! Another boundary! Tossed up ball on the stumps, Marsh comes down the track and tonks it down the ground for a boundary. |
| 147.6 : M Ali to Marsh, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| Joe Root is back on! |
| 148.1 : Joe Root to S Marsh, FOUR! Easy for Shaun! Root serves a loopy full toss outside off, Marsh takes a stride forward and drills it through extra cover for a boundary. The lead touches 100 for the hosts. |
| 148.2 : Joe Root to Marsh, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 148.3 : Joe Root to Marsh, Round-arm action, skidding a bit, flicked off the pads towards backward square leg for a couple. |
| 148.4 : Joe Root to Marsh, MM has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 148.5 : Joe Root to Marsh, Around middle and leg, clipped towards fine leg for three more. |
| 148.6 : Joe Root to Marsh, Goes back and clips it towards the leg side. |
| Tom Curran is back into the attack. |
| 149.1 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Slants it away on a length outside off, pushed with an angled bat past cover-point for a single. |
| 149.2 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Stays behind the line and stabs it away. |
| 149.3 : Tom Curran to M Marsh, That nearly took Dharmasena! Short ball on middle, Marsh pulls it hard and the umpire at square leg had to take evasive action. Good reflexes shown by the Sri Lankan there. They run one. |
| 149.4 : Tom Curran to Marsh, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 149.5 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Fuller in length and outside off, blocked. |
| There comes the aggressive point from Clarke. While the other commentator was busy thinking if Marsh brother can get to their milestones, Clarke says he doesn't want that. He says this is the best time for them to keep hitting and swell the lead. Hand it over to England tomorrow morning and try to win this Test match on day 4 itself... |
| 149.6 : Tom Curran to Marsh, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. One run added to the total. |
| Moeen Ali returns. |
| 150.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Darted on middle and leg, jammed out towards mid on. |
| 150.2 : M Ali to Marsh, Shimmies down a bit and pushes it to mid off. |
| 150.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 150.4 : M Ali to S Marsh, Tossed up ball outside off, driven straight to the cover fielder. |
| 150.5 : M Ali to Marsh, Tossed up ball around middle and off, defended down gently. |
| 150.6 : M Ali to S Marsh, Shaun Marsh comes down the track to go after this but is done in the flight. Gets it off the edge as the ball rolls safely towards backward point. A maiden after going for 16 in his previous over. |
| 151.1 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Fifty up for Mitchell Marsh! Good knock from him. Took 19 balls to get off the mark and now scores a half ton in 64 balls. Shortish on middle, pulled in front of square on the leg side for a single. |
| 151.2 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Back of a length ball outside off, Shaun looks to force it through the line but gets it off the inner half through square leg for a single. |
| 151.3 : Tom Curran to M Marsh, FOUR! Nicely done! Short of a length delivery, close to the off stump line. Marsh arches back a touch and cuts it squarer on the off side. a boundary results. |
| 151.4 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Fuller and angling in, defended into the ground. |
| 151.5 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 151.6 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Good length delivery, staying low, Mitchell does well to defend this one down. |
| 152.1 : M Ali to Marsh, FOUR! Into the 90s goes the elder one! Ali drops it short and outside off, Shaun Marsh goes deep in the crease and slaps it through point to find the fence. |
| 152.2 : M Ali to S Marsh, Gets to the pitch of the ball and eases it down to long on for a single. |
| 152.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Flattish ball down leg, Marsh misses out on his whip and wears it on the pads. |
| 152.4 : M Ali to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 152.5 : M Ali to Marsh, Shortish ball on middle, tapped past short leg for a single. |
| 152.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Floated ball around off, defended off the front foot. |
| The finger has gone up. Mitchell Marsh is adjudged LBW by Joel Wilson and he takes the DRS straightaway. Looks like it's sliding down leg. Let's wait for the Ball Tracker... |
| 153.1 : Tom Curran to Marsh, NOT OUT! Inside edge! The on-field decision has to be overturned! But that was something different to see. I will explain you. Curran comes from over the wicket and hurls it on middle and off. It nips back in and pings Marsh on the pads. Seemed like it's going down leg but umpire Wilson raises his finger to the appeal. Mitchell Marsh, however, takes the DRS. Hot Spot shows nothing but Snicko spots a little spike. The TV umpire feels there is an inside edge and asks Wi |
| 153.2 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Back of a length delivery outside off, patted towards point. |
| 153.3 : Tom Curran to Marsh, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 153.4 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Fuller in length and angling in, blocked solidly. |
| 153.5 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Fuller in length and angling in, driven straight back to the bowler. |
| 153.6 : Tom Curran to M Marsh, FOUR! Crunched! Fuller in length and outside off, Mitchell Marsh bashes it along the carpet through covers to end the over with a boundary. |
| James Anderson is back into the attack. Nathan Lyon is seen padded up in the dressing room. Looking at this, Clarke says, he doesn't want a nightwatchman to come out next. He wants Tim Paine to walk in and have a crack if a wicket falls... |
| 154.1 : J Anderson to Marsh, Good length outside off, pushed towards point. |
| 154.2 : J Anderson to Marsh, Stays behind the line and keeps it out. |
| 154.3 : J Anderson to Marsh, Fuller in length and wider outside off, driven hard but finds the man at cover-point who is placed a bit deep. |
| 154.4 : J Anderson to Marsh, Back of a length delivery outside off, Shaun Marsh taps it in front of point and calls through for a single. |
| 154.5 : J Anderson to Marsh, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. |
| 154.6 : J Anderson to Marsh, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 155.1 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Fuller in length and on middle and leg, flicked through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 155.2 : Tom Curran to S Marsh, It's been driven superbly through the covers. |
| 155.3 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Marsh pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 155.4 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Back of a length delivery outside off, Marsh looks to punch but mistimes it towards cover. |
| 155.5 : Tom Curran to Marsh, FOUR! Flayed! 100-run stand comes up! What a way, what a hit! Shortish and outside off, Mitchell Marsh cuts it powerfully through point for a boundary. |
| 155.6 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Hangs back and blocks it out to give Shaun a chance to score a ton today. |
| Last over of the day coming up. Shaun Marsh is on 97. He has a chance to get to his ton today. Can he? Here comes Anderson... |
| 156.1 : J Anderson to Marsh, Angling in from around the wicket, Shaun Marsh pushes it down to long on for a single. |
| 156.2 : J Anderson to Marsh, Stays back and dabs it towards the point fielder. |
| 156.3 : J Anderson to Marsh, In the channel outside off, Marsh shoulders his arms. |
| 156.4 : J Anderson to Marsh, Shortish and outside off, Marsh chops it towards backward point. |
| 156.5 : J Anderson to Marsh, Shaun Marsh won't get a ton now! Back of a length ball outside off, Marsh covers the line to keep it out. |
| 156.6 : J Anderson to Marsh, And that's the end to the day! On a length and in the channel outside off, Mitchell Marsh shoulders his arms. STUMPS ON DAY 3! |
| Marsh brothers walk back to the dressing room amidst a huge round of applause from the SCG crowd. Mitchell Marsh took the attack to the opposition, this was after facing 18 dot balls in a row. He slammed a quickfire 50 in 64 balls and gave perfect company to his elder brother as the duo amassed an unbeaten 104-run stand to stretch the lead to 133 runs. Mind you, they aren't done yet. Both of them have enough time to reach the three-figure mark tomorrow. |
| Earlier in the day, the overnight pair of Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja frustrated the visitors before the skipper got out on 83. In walked Shaun Marsh and he along with Khawaja, saw off the second session without losing a wicket. The no. 3 was looking set to get a double ton but it was cut short by Mason Crane who gave him a life earlier by overstepping and then finally got him through a stumping. And then in the final session, it was all about Marshs. They completely destroyed the tired bodie |
| Well, England will be down and out for sure. The fact that they could only pick up two wickets in the entire day should tell you how hard they were made to toil. Mason Crane bowled a marathon spell and finally opened his account in Test cricket. James Anderson was tidy but not threatening. Moeen Ali picked up the big wicket of Smith but lacked consistency. Overall, their bowling lacked venom which made Root to try himself out and that didn't work either. |
| Okay then! With 2 full days to go, a result is certain and only one team is likely to win from here. Given the way the pitch is behaving, it wouldn't be wrong to say Nathan Lyon will have a ball. How much does Smith think is enough? Do England still have it in them to fight back? Join us tomorrow at 1030 Local (1130 GMT) to catch all the action from day 4. We are done but you can catch some more Test cricket from the ongoing South Africa vs India, 1st Test where the hosts are in a commanding pos |
| ... Day 4, Session 1 ... |
| Hello and a warm welcome for the fourth day of the final Ashes Test. We saw each and every Australian batsmen (except Bancroft) making merry on a surface which is still good to bat on. They kept on piling the agony on the tourists which saw them getting into a lead that currently reads 133 runs. The Marsh brothers' counter-attack in the later half of the third day has seen them putting their side in a formidable position. Shaun is just two short of his ton while Mitchell, too, has an opportunity |
| One would feel that they would look to bat for another session to score quick runs and bat England out of the game. Not only are they favorites to win from this position but also have a great shot at winning by an innings and take the series 4-0. Will England show grit and determination to salvage a draw? Or is the writing already on the wall for them? Stay with us as the action is about to begin... |
| It's time to get things rolling. The sun is shinning in all its glory and the conditions are really hot out there. The players and umpires walk out in the middle along with the overnight pair of Shaun (who is on 98 and will be on strike) and Mitchell Marsh. It will be Moeen Ali to kickoff the proceedings. Here we go... |
| 157.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Straight to point! Ali bowls it fraction short and outside off, Shaun camps back and slaps it hard but can't beat the man at point. |
| 157.2 : M Ali to Marsh, Floats it up outside off, SM with a stride forward defends it down. |
| 157.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Loopy delivery outside off, another front foot defense from Shaun Marsh as the ball rolls back to the offie. |
| 157.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Flighted delivery around off, blocked into the ground. |
| 157.5 : M Ali to S Marsh, FOUR! There it is! A century for Shaun Marsh! He takes the helmet off and lets out a huge roar! Gets a hug from his skipper, looks upwards and then sinks in all the applause on offer from the packed SCG crowd! Ali tosses it outside off, Shaun uses his feet, gets to the pitch of the ball and eases the drive through cover. Away she races for a boundary. Second Ashes ton for the elder Marsh brother, his 6th overall in Tests. Well played! |
| 157.6 : M Ali to Marsh, FOUR! That had to be put away! Ali bowls it short and serves it outside off, too much time for Shaun to jump back and slap it in front of point for back-to-back boundaries. You'll see more from him as he has reached the milestone now. |
| Mason Crane to bowl from the other end. |
| 158.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Flighted delivery outside off, defended gently back to Crane. |
| 158.2 : M Crane to Marsh, FOUR! Full toss and dispatched! Crane serves a loopy full toss outside off, Mitchell stays leg side and drills it through extra cover to find the fence. Third boundary of the day already. Intentions pretty clear from the Aussies. |
| 158.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Quicker and flatter through the air, defended off the back foot. |
| 158.4 : M Crane to Marsh, Floated ball, landed full on off, defended down. |
| 158.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Makes a bit of room and pats it towards cover. |
| 158.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Mitchell Marsh takes a stride forward to this tossed up ball and eases the drive towards the point fielder. |
| 159.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Gives it a bit of flight, it's full around off, SM prods forward in defense. |
| 159.2 : M Ali to Marsh, Tossed up wider outside off, gets it to turn away a touch. Shaun comes down the track to drive but gets it off the outer portion of the bat through the right of the backward point fielder for a double. |
| 159.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 159.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Drifting away from around off, Shaun pokes at it but gets it off the edge past first slip for a single. |
| 159.5 : M Ali to Marsh, Quicker one on middle, Marsh digs it out back to Moeen. |
| 159.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Darted on the pads, jammed towards the vacant short leg region. |
| The third new ball is available now. Seems like Root isn't taking it right now. Yes, it's inside the pocket of the umpire. Crane to continue with the old one. |
| 160.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Good fielding! Tossed up delivery, dipping in, Shaun Marsh comes down the track, takes it on the full and clips it on the bounce to short leg. Stoneman there doesn't collect it cleanly and throws it back at the striker's end. No damage done as Shaun manages to get back in. |
| 160.2 : M Crane to Marsh, Skips down the track and works it wide of mid on for a single. |
| 160.3 : M Crane to Marsh, LEAD TOUCHES 150 NOW! Tossed up delivery outside off, driven towards deep mid off by Mitchell for a single. |
| 160.4 : M Crane to Marsh, The batsman works it down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| 160.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Drifting in on middle and leg, Mitchell Marsh looks to work it away on the leg side but gets it off the edge past first slip for a single towards third man. |
| 160.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Goes around the wicket, drops it short and outside off, slapped square of the wicket on the off side for a single. |
| The third new ball has been taken and James Anderson who has been pretty tidy, will be the one to have a crack with it first. |
| 161.1 : J Anderson to Marsh, Starts off with a short of a length delivery on middle, tucked towards short mid-wicket. |
| 161.2 : J Anderson to Marsh, Slants it away on a length outside off, Shaun is happy to make a leave. |
| 161.3 : J Anderson to Marsh, Back of a length delivery on middle and off, SM stays behind the line to stab it away. |
| 161.4 : J Anderson to Marsh, Length delivery, angling away, pushed with a stride forward towards cover. |
| 161.5 : J Anderson to Marsh, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 161.6 : J Anderson to Marsh, On a back of a length, in the fourth stump line, easily dealt with a firm back foot defense. 12th maiden for Anderson. |
| Mason Crane is trusted and is asked to continue with the new cherry. Can he get the extra bounce? |
| 162.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Flighted delivery around middle and off, pushed straight back towards the bowler. |
| 162.2 : M Crane to Marsh, Beaten! Gives it plenty of fight and bowls it wide outside off, Marsh leans forward to drive but the ball spins away with some bounce to beat the outside edge. Bairstow fails to collect it cleanly. Encouraging signs for the leggie. |
| 162.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Lands it full outside off, pushed into the off side. |
| 162.4 : M Crane to M Marsh, Flatter delivery, skidding a bit off the surface, Marsh prods forward to defend as he looks to play for the turn. There isn't any and hence gets an inside edge through backward square leg for a couple. Claps all around the ground as Australia's total reaches 500. |
| 162.5 : M Crane to Marsh, On middle and off, blocked into the ground. |
| 162.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Quicker one on middle, on a shorter length, turned through square leg for a single to keep strike. |
| 163.1 : J Anderson to Marsh, Hits the back of a length mark, Mitchell stands tall and punches it nicely of the back foot. |
| 163.2 : J Anderson to Marsh, Angles it in from outside off, MM stays back in defense. |
| 163.3 : J Anderson to Marsh, Once again bowls it on a back of a length outside off, Marsh goes back and with a high bat, defends it off the back foot towards cover. |
| 163.4 : J Anderson to Marsh, Much better from Jimmy! Fuller ball, angling in on off, defended by prodding forward. |
| 163.5 : J Anderson to Marsh, Back of a length delivery outside off, another back foot defense on offer from the young Marsh. |
| 163.6 : J Anderson to Marsh, Shortish delivery outside off, Mitchell Marsh rocks back and taps it back to Jimmy. Yet another maiden for James Anderson, his 13th in the innings. |
| 164.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Loopy delivery from around the wicket, Shaun Marsh dances down the track and wrists it beautifully past the non-striker. Broad from mid on puts in a dive to his right to keep them down to one. |
| 164.2 : M Crane to Marsh, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. They pick up a single. |
| Shane Warne isn't impressed with this tactic of Root to give Crane the new ball immediately. He opines in Australia it's tough for a leg spinner to bowl with the hard cherry. Instead he could have waited for around 8-10 overs and then should have brought him into the attack. He further adds the leggie is already into his 43rd over and there are high chances he serves freebies. My word, just when Warne says this, Crane bowls a juicy full toss... |
| 164.3 : M Crane to Marsh, FOUR! Nicely done! Shaun Marsh sees the flight and decides to use his feet. He takes it on the full and flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. The stand is worth 133 and the lead is 162. |
| 164.4 : M Crane to Marsh, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 164.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Tossed up ball outside off, this time he drives it against the turn through cover for a single. |
| 164.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Quicker one on the stumps, defended from within the crease. |
| 165.1 : J Anderson to Marsh, Short of a length delivery on middle and off, Shaun defends it back to the bowler. |
| 165.2 : J Anderson to S Marsh, FOUR! Edged and through! Cook should have gone for it but maybe he wasn't ready. Anderson angles it away on a length outside off, gets it to shape away further. Marsh hangs his bat out and the ball takes the edge. It flies towards the slip cordon and goes right between Cook (wide first slip) and Root (second slip) there. The latter dives full length to his right to take it but it was far from his reach. A boundary results! |
| 165.3 : J Anderson to Marsh, Beaten! Good ball from Jimmy! A bit short and slants it away in that zone outside off, Marsh tries to fiddle with it and gets beaten. |
| 165.4 : J Anderson to Marsh, Another play and a miss! Zipping away from a length outside off, Shaun Marsh plays inside the line this time. The ball beats the edge again. |
| 165.5 : J Anderson to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 165.6 : J Anderson to Marsh, Sprays it wider outside off, shouldered arms to. |
| Moeen Ali is back into the attack. A slip, leg slip and bat-pad in place. |
| 166.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Dances down the track to defend this but the ball turns him to hit him on the pads. |
| 166.2 : M Ali to Marsh, FOUR! That's rubbish, reckons Ian Healy on air. Ali bowls it short and down the leg side and it's begging to be hit. Mitchell Marsh goes back and makes the most of it. Pulls it hard and it just evades Cook at leg slip before racing away to the fine leg fence for a boundary. |
| 166.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Comes down the track and defends it down watchfully this time. |
| 166.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Quicker one on middle and leg, nudged towards short fine leg for a single. |
| 166.5 : M Ali to Marsh, Loopy delivery outside off, Marsh leans forward in defense. |
| 166.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Leans forward and across to pat it towards short cover. |
| 167.1 : J Anderson to Marsh, Bangs in a short one, gets a bit of extra bounce. Mitchell at first decides to go after it with a pull shot but then realizes he can't. Hence bails out to let it sail over him to the keeper. |
| 167.2 : Anderson to Marsh, A cry for an LBW! Nothing from the umpire! Seems like it is going down leg! Anderson brings one back into the right-hander, Marsh tries to play across the line but misses to get hit on the pads. Anderson literally pleads to Joel Wilson but the umpire shakes his head. England think about the review but then decide against it. Hawk Eye shows it's pitched in line and would have clipped the leg stump. Umpire's call! |
| 167.3 : J Anderson to Marsh, And again! Where is this one going? Anderson continues to appeal but to n avail. Fuller in length and nipping back in at 139 kph. Marsh once again fails to clip it across and gets pinged on the pads. England once again decide not to review. This time Hawk Eye shows that it would have missed the stumps. |
| 167.4 : J Anderson to Marsh, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 167.5 : J Anderson to Marsh, Good length delivery, angling in, blocked back to Jimmy. |
| 167.6 : J Anderson to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. Another good over but the best you can say about it is that it's a maiden. |
| 168.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Dances down the track and wrists it towards mid on. |
| 168.2 : M Ali to Marsh, A quick single! Drifting in on middle and leg, Shaun works it with soft hands towards the leg side and calls through for a single. Bairstow quickly removes his one glove, picks it up and fires a throw at the bowler's end but misses his shy. Dear me, replays show had that hit, Shaun would have been gone. |
| 168.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Spinning down leg, MM misses the flick. It's well kept by Jonny. |
| 168.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 168.5 : M Ali to Marsh, Flighted delivery, dipping in, defended down safely. |
| 168.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Gets to the pitch of the ball and kills it on the turf. |
| Stuart Broad is brought into the attack for the first time today. He has only bowled 20 overs and should be relatively fresh. Remember, he is one short of picking 400 Test wickets. |
| 169.1 : S Broad to Marsh, Broad begins from over the wicket but the line is on the leg stump. Easily flicked away through square leg for a single. |
| 169.2 : S Broad to Marsh, FOUR! Frees his arms does Mitchell Marsh! It's short and with width on offer. Mitchell Marsh stands tall and cracks one through point. Doesn't even bother running after that one. |
| 169.3 : S Broad to M Marsh, FOUR! Good effort in the deep but still the end result is a boundary! Broad pulls his length back on middle, Marsh swivels inside the crease and pulls it along the ground through backward square leg. Moeen Ali at deep square leg puts in a dive to his right but the ball brushes his fingers and still goes to the fence. The stand is worth 153 now and the lead is 182! |
| 169.4 : S Broad to M Marsh, Pitches it up on middle and off, MM looks to drill this one through the off side but gets an inside edge towards short mid-wicket. |
| 169.5 : S Broad to Marsh, Back of a length ball on middle, defended off the back foot. |
| 169.6 : S Broad to Marsh, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| Australia continue to score freely. They have already scored 49 runs this morning and Mitchell Marsh is getting closer to Test ton... |
| 170.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Tossed up ball outside off, turning further away, left alone. |
| 170.2 : M Ali to Marsh, Goes back to this short ball and cuts it to deep point for a single. |
| 170.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Good effort from Bairstow! Short and outside off, Marsh stays deep in the crease and cuts it past first slip. Bairstow gives it a chase and does well to keep them down to two. |
| 170.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Takes a little stride forward to defend it down. |
| 170.5 : M Ali to Marsh, Darted on the pads, worked away towards square leg for a single. |
| 170.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Floats it up around middle and off, Marsh stonewalls it. |
| 171.1 : S Broad to Marsh, Ahead of a length on middle, turned towards short mid-wicket off the back foot. |
| 171.2 : S Broad to Marsh, That was mighty close! This one zips off the surface, the line is pretty close to the off stump. Mitch Marsh hangs his bat out to have a feel at it and is lucky to not nick one behind. |
| 171.3 : S Broad to Marsh, Fuller in length and outside off, Mitchell Marsh looks to drive it through the off side but gets it off the inner half past his brother at the other end. Root from mid on hares after it to keep them down to two. Into the 90s goes Marsh. |
| 171.4 : S Broad to Marsh, The batsman has pushed it to the cover region. |
| 171.5 : S Broad to Marsh, FOUR! Picked the length early there! Short delivery on middle, Marsh stays back footed, rides the bounce and pulls it well in front of square on the leg side. Made sweet connection as the ball races away to the mid-wicket fence for a boundary. |
| 171.6 : S Broad to M Marsh, FOUR! Up and over! Mitchell Marsh is on 99 now! Gets a fuller ball outside off, stays rooted inside the crease and then the gymnasium takes over. Hits it powerfully over mid off to pick up another boundary. |
| Drinks called! Australia continue to churn runs. The lead is just 4 short of 200 but the focus is now on the younger brother who is on 99. Once he gets there, will we see a declaration from them? |
| 172.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Floated nicely outside off, it draws Marsh forward in defense before spinning past the edge of the blade. |
| 172.2 : M Ali to Marsh, Fuller on off, driven back towards the bowler. |
| 172.3 : M Ali to Marsh, Short and wide, cut away for nothing. |
| 172.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Shaun stabs this one towards covers. |
| 172.5 : M Ali to Marsh, Tossed up outside off, Marsh offers his front pad to that one. But the ball spins away and goes into the keeper's gloves. |
| 172.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. |
| Mitchell Marsh... this could be his over. He's on strike and stands there on 99. Meanwhile, Tom Curran is brought in for a bowl. |
| 173.1 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Yells in joy, does Mitchell Marsh as soon as he punches this through covers. Some brotherly love at the SCG as Shaun runs in to hug his brother even before they complete the first run. Mitchell evades him and completes a couple before going on with his celebration. This is his second ton in Tests and both have come in this Ashes. As one has a glance at his score right now - 101 from 140 balls - one can't help but think about his slow start and be in awe with the way h |
| 173.2 : Tom Curran to M Marsh, OUT! An anticlimax! Celebrations the previous ball and disappointment in the next. Curran delivers it on a length outside off, it jags back in viciously after pitching. Marsh was on the back foot for the punch on the initial angle of the ball. But he was undone by the inward movement and the low bounce. It goes on to peg back the stumps and end Mitchell's stay at the crease. The 169-run stand between the Marsh brothers gets broken, Australia are two short of a 200- |
| Tim Paine makes his way out to the middle now. He has a wonderful platform set to begin his innings. |
| 173.3 : Tom Curran to Paine, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 173.4 : Tom Curran to Paine, Paine hangs back in the crease and blocks this one. |
| 173.5 : Tom Curran to Paine, Paine gets going with a nudge towards fine leg. |
| 173.6 : Tom Curran to Marsh, This is outside off, left alone. |
| Excellent reactions! While the entire Australian dressing room stood up in applause for Mitchell Marsh's hundred, this one bloke differed. Steven Peter Devereux Smith. He had is hands up on his head, watching in disbelief. That was for the fact that Shaun had attempted to hug his brother much before the first of the two runs was completed. The skipper then joined in the applause after the ton was eventually completed. |
| Mason Crane back on. Mid off, cover, short cover, backward point - this strange off side field set. |
| 174.1 : M Crane to Paine, Floated around leg, Tim defends off the front foot. |
| 174.2 : M Crane to Paine, FOUR! Paine gets into the groove now. Sees this flighted ball outside off and drives this through covers. The ball goes all the way to the fence. |
| 174.3 : M Crane to Paine, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. |
| 174.4 : M Crane to Paine, This one is turned away to the on side for one. |
| 174.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Some more air on this one, Marsh gets down and flicks it through mid-wicket for a couple. This is best score in this series now. |
| 174.6 : M Crane to Marsh, Finds the square leg fielder with this flick. |
| 175.1 : Tom Curran to Paine, Nicely played. Fuller and angling in to Paine, he offers a straight bat to defend it back towards the bowler. |
| 175.2 : Tom Curran to Paine, Length around off, Tim blocks it back towards Tom. |
| 175.3 : Tom Curran to Paine, Fuller this time, TP strides forward in defense. |
| 175.4 : Tom Curran to Paine, Full and angling in on the pads, Paine misses the clip and gets it towards square leg. |
| 175.5 : Tom Curran to Paine, Jeez! How close was that to the off stick! The pitch certainly is starting to assist the bowlers a bit more. This ball is similar to the one that got Marsh. Comes in a touch after pitching and beats Paine on the inside edge. |
| 175.6 : Tom Curran to Paine, Defended towards covers from the crease. |
| 176.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Crane comes round the wicket and floats it full around off. Marsh flicks it through backward square leg for one. |
| 0.0 : Crane is back at aborting his run up. Some things in life can never change, exclaims my colleague Ricky! |
| 176.2 : M Crane to Paine, Driven towards the mid off region. |
| 176.3 : M Crane to Paine, Worked away round the corner for a single. |
| 176.4 : M Crane to Marsh, What am I doing here even at this stage of the game - this is what Stoneman would be thinking reckons Mark Nicholas on air. Crane bowls a long hop, Marsh goes back and pulls it. Not for runs though. Straight into Stoneman's groin at short leg. Painful, very painful after looking at how his side is poised. |
| 176.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Floated outside off, driven nicely through covers for one short of a boundary. |
| 176.6 : M Crane to Paine, Paine knocks it through mid off for one. |
| 177.1 : Tom Curran to Paine, Curran runs in and bowls it at 103.7 kph. Paine lets it come on and dead-bats it. |
| 177.2 : Tom Curran to Paine, This delivery is flicked away through mid-wicket for one. |
| 177.3 : Tom Curran to Marsh, On a length just outside off, Shaun dabs it towards backward point. |
| We are starting to see puffs of dust from the track now. Alarming signs for the tourists? |
| 177.4 : Tom Curran to Marsh, SM shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 177.5 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Look at this one stay low! On a length down the leg side, Marsh fails in his clip just because the ball didn't climb up. Goes on the bounce to the keeper. |
| 177.6 : Tom Curran to Marsh, A loopy full toss at 104.8 kph, turned away through square leg for one. |
| Root is seen having some discussion with Crane. Wonder what different does a captain have to say after being on the field for 178 overs, that he couldn't/didn't say earlier... |
| 178.1 : M Crane to Marsh, Marsh shapes to cut this one but adjusts his shot to play it towards mid on. |
| 178.2 : M Crane to Marsh, This ball is flicked to the man at square leg. |
| 178.3 : M Crane to Marsh, Floated full around off and middle, clipped through mid-wicket for one. |
| 178.4 : M Crane to Tim Paine, Driven through covers for one. |
| 178.5 : M Crane to Marsh, Seems to be the wrong 'un. Marsh lunges forward and blocks. |
| 178.6 : M Crane to Marsh, FOUR! Nicely driven. Marsh slinks down the track to this one and caresses it through covers for a boundary. The fielder gives a valiant chase to this one but comes second best. |
| 179.1 : Tom Curran to Paine, Almost played on! Length ball just around off, Paine looks to slap it away but gets an inside edge and hits the back of the front leg. |
| 179.2 : Tom Curran to Paine, Length on off, blocked from the crease. |
| 179.3 : Tom Curran to Paine, Paine has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 179.4 : Tom Curran to Paine, Outside off, left alone. |
| 179.5 : Tom Curran to Paine, Short ball, pulled away to fine leg for one. |
| 179.6 : Tom Curran to S Marsh, FOUR! When Bill Lawry cries 'Awww, fine shot,' you have to admit that it is a quality shot. Overpitched outside off, driven nicely through the point region for a boundary. Looked nice to watch. |
| Moeen Ali is back to roll his arm over. Meanwhile, we can spot some of the Australians in whites in their dressing room... |
| 180.1 : M Ali to Paine, Looped up around middle and leg, turned away to mid-wicket. |
| 180.2 : M Ali to Paine, Flatter and quicker, Paine misses the flick and gets rapped on the pads. Missing leg clearly. |
| 180.3 : M Ali to Paine, Tossed up delivery, driven down to long on for one. |
| Dawid Malan hasn't looked bad when he has bowled in this series. Hard to understand the logic behind him not bowling even after England have been on the field for over 180 overs. Surely he is good for at least one over. At least one! |
| 180.4 : M Ali to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 180.5 : M Ali to Marsh, FOUR! Moeen Ali has alternate days of goodness and adversity, it seems. Yesterday he looked better with the ball but today he has dished a lot of short ones. Shaun Marsh goes back and slaps it through covers for yet another boundary. In the race to 150, Moeen Ali beats Shaun Marsh! |
| 180.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Marsh keeps this out with a forward defense. |
| 181.1 : Tom Curran to Paine, Fuller in line of the stumps, blocked back towards the bowler. |
| 181.2 : Tom Curran to Paine, Angling in on a length, pushed towards mid on. |
| 181.3 : Tom Curran to Paine, Length ball slanting in, tapped in front of square on the leg side for one more. The hosts ahead by 231 runs. |
| 181.4 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Bowled around off, straight-batted defense. |
| 181.5 : Tom Curran to Marsh, Fuller on off, driven to mid off. |
| 181.6 : Tom Curran to Marsh, This ball is driven towards covers. |
| Warne says that Test cricket is the ultimate, even though admits to the limited overs game to be some fun. According to him, this format tests you to the core and generally the side that has been at its best over the duration of the game wins. Adds that it tests you physically as well as mentally. |
| 182.1 : M Ali to Paine, Flatter on the pads, turned through backward square leg. One run added, taking the partnership tally to 34 and the lead to 232. |
| 182.2 : M Ali to Marsh, Nicely tossed up well outside off, left unharmed by Shaun. |
| 182.3 : M Ali to Marsh, This one is kept out towards point off the outer half. |
| 182.4 : M Ali to Marsh, Nice Mo, says Bairstow from behind the stumps. Pushed towards covers. Wonder how do keepers get the motivation to cheer their sides after squatting on the field for 182 overs. |
| 182.5 : M Ali to Marsh, Marsh lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| Last ball before Lunch. |
| 182.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Negotiates the final ball by blocking it off the front foot. LUNCH, DAY 4! |
| To say that 11 tired bodies and 2 satisfied bodies, apart from a couple of unaffected souls walk out, would be a great understatement. Wonder where further motivation to hang on would be derived from, after toiling in 41 degrees heat and yet being largely fruitless. It certainly shows in the way things have progressed. England bowled 15 overs in the first hour but only 11 in the last. They seemed like mere mortals who were running in and just rolling their arms over. Lacked the killer instinct e |
| One short of a 100 runs were scored in this session. The Marsh brothers enjoyed their way to their milestones and inflicted further misery on the visitors. They helped the lead swell to 232 runs, with the elder Marsh brother and Tim Paine being out there with an association of 34 runs. We could see the hosts declaring anytime now, presumably after the southpaw gets his 150. The tactic of giving the England openers less time to run in and change their gears seems to be very much the thinking. We' |
| ... Day 4, Session 2 ... |
| We are glad to have you back with us. Mark Nicholas informs us that the groundsmen checked the temperature in the middle during the break and it showed 50 degrees. The heat on England is on from all corners. A reprieve seems a long way away. The play resumes now with Tim Paine ready to face Stuart Broad... |
| 183.1 : S Broad to Paine, Straightaway collects a single by tapping this to the cover region. |
| 183.2 : S Broad to Marsh, Angling in from round the stumps, Shaun misses the clip and wears it high on the pads. |
| 183.3 : S Broad to Marsh, Nicely driven. Full ball on off, pushed down the ground past the non-striker. Ali chases it from mid on and fires a throw at the bowler's end. It hits the stumps there, as Anderson fails to collect that. Only a couple there. |
| Witty! Seeing James Anderson fix the mic near the stumps at the bowler's end, Ian Chappell reckons that he looks good for the job of a technician, post his playing days. |
| 183.4 : S Broad to Marsh, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 183.5 : S Broad to Marsh, Almost chopped on. Marsh gets an inside edge that goes just past the stumps to the keeper as he looks to force it through the off side. |
| 183.6 : S Broad to Marsh, Length ball on the pads, turned through mid-wicket. Marsh does well with the running this time as he takes three that takes him to 150. Scores big this man, when he is in. |
| Moeen Ali to bowl from the other end. |
| 184.1 : M Ali to Marsh, Eased towards mid off. |
| 184.2 : M Ali to S Marsh, Slight confusion there. Marsh cuts it towards point and sets off for a run. He is sent back late by his partner, who also had come down in search of a run. The throw is fired to the keeper, who hurls it away to the bowler. Both Marsh and Paine get back in safely and immediately the former is seen putting his hand up in apology. |
| 184.3 : M Ali to Marsh, FOUR! Use of the feet against a spinner for the umpteenth time in this innings. Marsh does so to get down the track and lofts it over mid off for a boundary. |
| 184.4 : M Ali to S Marsh, A run easily taken by playing it through covers. |
| 184.5 : M Ali to Paine, Flatter on the pads, worked away through the mid-wicket region for one. |
| 184.6 : M Ali to Marsh, Where's the ball? This is dropped on a shorter length outside off, Marsh goes back for the cut. But the ball fails to rise almost rolls along the ground to the keeper. Bairstow had both his feet together and, without realising, he stops the ball well. Turns around to see where the ball has gone but it has gone nowhere. |
| 185.1 : S Broad to Paine, FOUR! Well stroked. This is on a length that is a bit fuller and outside off. Paine leans into it and drives it through the cover region. The point fielder gets to his right and dives yet fails to get a hand onto it. The ball rolls away to the fence. 50-run partnership between Marsh and Paine up. |
| 185.2 : S Broad to Tim Paine, This one is eased towards mid on for a single. Also, a triple figure that a cricketer wouldn't like - 100 for a bowler - Stuart Broad here. |
| 185.3 : S Broad to Marsh, Fuller outside off, driven towards covers. |
| 185.4 : S Broad to Marsh, Length ball outside off, Marsh chops it towards the keeper. |
| 185.5 : S Broad to Marsh, Played to the point region by Shaun. The batsmen have run through for a single. Australia lead by 250 now. |
| Shaun Marsh should be a goner! Direct hits, they do this to you. Kumar Dharmasena doesn't take a chance and refers it upstairs. |
| 185.6 : S Broad to Marsh, OUT! What an end to a knock that was largely without a blemish! This is on a fuller length around off, Paine taps it towards covers and calls Marsh for a single. There was a slight hesitation from the latter but he went on with it. Stoneman gets ahead from the region and nails the stumps down at the striker's end. The batter seems to be short of the crease there but the umpire takes it upstairs. The replay shows that he is not even in the frame and that's it. No real ce |
| The next batter in for the Aussies is Mitchell Starc. Expect some wielding of the willow. |
| 186.1 : M Ali to Paine, Loopy ball, driven right back. |
| 186.2 : M Ali to Paine, Turned through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 186.3 : M Ali to M Starc, Starc has driven it through mid-off. They pick up a single. He gets off the mark. |
| 186.4 : M Ali to Paine, Punched through covers for a run. |
| 186.5 : M Ali to M Starc, Driven towards the mid off region. |
| 186.6 : M Ali to Starc, Turned through square leg for a couple. |
| 187.1 : S Broad to Paine, This ball is guided towards backward point. |
| 187.2 : S Broad to Paine, Fuller ball, driven down through mid off. Before the mopping up is done, three runs are taken. |
| 187.3 : S Broad to Starc, Fuller and going down leg, Starc fails with the flick. Wears it low on the pads and only Broad puts in an appeal. |
| 187.4 : S Broad to Starc, Played to the point region by Starc. They manage to come back for the second. |
| Mark Taylor catches up with Bec Marsh, wife of Shaun Marsh. She states that it has been an unbelievable day and lauds the position that the home side is in. Says that there was a text message from Geoff Marsh earlier in the day and that made her emotional. Agrees that the celebration for the Mitchell Marsh century was indeed funny. Mentions that Shaun Marsh is superstitious about not wearing sun-screen while walking out to bat and hence his arms had become red after batting in the heat. |
| 187.5 : S Broad to Starc, Howzzat? We didn't hear anything nor did the umpire but Bairstow and Root certainly did. Broad bowls it just outside off, Starc goes for the drive but seems to have missed the ball. The players behind the stumps put in a stifled appeal to no avail. Nothing on Snicko, nothing from the umpire, play carries on. |
| 187.6 : S Broad to Starc, MS has played it towards mid-wicket. |
| 188.1 : M Ali to Paine, Paine works it down the leg side for a single. |
| 188.2 : M Ali to Starc, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 188.3 : M Ali to Starc, SIX! Always on the cards, wasn't this? We have seen Starc do this even to Ashwin when he had been to India and does so to Ali this time. Gets down to this tossed up ball and belts it for a 102-metre long biggie over deep mid-wicket. Meaty stroke that. |
| 188.4 : M Ali to Starc, OUT! Gone next ball! A shot too many? Starc aims to clear the fence yet again and fails in the attampt. Ali is brave enough to toss this one yet again. Mitchell gets down and looks to go big. Ends up slicing it high up in the air towards mid off. Vince there settles under it nicely and pouches that safely. The southpaw knew he hadn't made good contact and hangs his head down as he crosses to the other end while the catch was being taken. Are Australia on course to get bow |
| Out walks Pat Cummins with the bat to replace Starc. |
| 188.5 : M Ali to Paine, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 188.6 : M Ali to Paine, Flatter outside off, played towards point. |
| 189.1 : S Broad to Cummins, Outside off, driven towards covers. |
| 189.2 : S Broad to Cummins, Cummins gets going with a flick off his pads. |
| 189.3 : S Broad to Paine, Landed around off, defended from the crease. |
| 189.4 : S Broad to Paine, Fuller outside off, Paine just slices it past backward point. The fielder there dives and manages to slow the ball down. One run less than a boundary result. |
| 189.5 : S Broad to Cummins, This delivery is hit straight to the man at mid off. |
| In spite of this soaring heat, the players turning up and playing all the five games have proved their fitness, reckon the on-air commentators. |
| 189.6 : S Broad to Cummins, Pat retains strike by flicking this ball off the pads. |
| Time for the first of the two drinks break in this session. The extreme hot conditions in Sydney have made them schedule two drinks break in this session. Perhaps this will delay the declaration from Australia. |
| Mason Crane back on. |
| 190.1 : M Crane to Cummins, Floated on middle, defended off the front foot. |
| 190.2 : M Crane to Cummins, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 190.3 : M Crane to Cummins, FOUR! Half-tracker on middle, Cummins goes back and pulls it through mid-wicket. The crowd signals four and so does the umpire, says Ian Healy on air. |
| 190.4 : M Crane to Cummins, FOUR! And another one! Cummins lofts this one over mid on and this one almost goes the distance. Lands just in front of the ropes and trickles away. |
| 190.5 : M Crane to Pat Cummins, Cummins places this towards mid on and gets to the other end. |
| This wicket might be bit better to bowl on that England have made it look, reckons Ian Healy on air. I couldn't agree more. |
| 190.6 : M Crane to Paine, Paine works this away through square leg and comes back for the second run. |
| 191.1 : S Broad to Cummins, Full length ball around off, tapped towards covers. Pat rushes to the other end. Talk about all the heat around, still the batters are happy to run between the wickets than look for big shots. |
| 191.2 : S Broad to Tim Paine, Tim does the same now. Taps it towards mid off and rushes to the other end. |
| 191.3 : S Broad to Cummins, Cummins pulls this through mid-wicket and picks up a couple. Moves to 14 off just 11. |
| 191.4 : S Broad to Pat Cummins, Length ball outside off, Cummins moves away and slaps it over point for one. Wanted a second but then decided against it. Needs to have a soft corner for Paine as he needs to keep wickets later on. |
| 191.5 : S Broad to Paine, This short ball is pulled away in front of square on the leg side for one. |
| 191.6 : S Broad to Cummins, FOUR! He looks to hit this straight down the ground but does so to the opposite end, says Ian Healy to this one. You can call is a straight drive to fine leg. Full ball around middle and leg, Cummins gets it off the inner edge towards fine leg for a boundary. |
| Know how hot it's out there at Sydney? The spectators are seen spraying cool water on their faces. Imagine the conditions of the players. |
| 192.1 : M Crane to Paine, Looped up down the leg side, Paine gets down and gets some bat on that as he looks to sweep. Doesn't make great connection and gets a couple. |
| 192.2 : M Crane to Paine, Paine has flicked the ball off his pads. One run added to the total. |
| 192.3 : M Crane to Cummins, Cummins misses the sweep and the ball goes off his pads behind the keeper. A leg bye taken. |
| Confusing signs. Smith is seen in his whites in the dressing room and alongside him, Nathan Lyon is seen seated with his pads on. Declaration or further batting? |
| 192.4 : M Crane to Paine, Low full toss, swept away for one. |
| 192.5 : M Crane to Cummins, FOUR! Another juicy full toss on offer, Cummins gets down to sweep and does so aerially. The fielder in the deep, Stoneman probably, gets ahead but fails to cover the line of the ball. It lands just in front of him and goes over the fence. The lead now leapfrogs 300. |
| Clear signs now! Lyon was asked to remove his pads and was seen doing so. The end is near now. |
| 192.6 : M Crane to Cummins, Played to the point region by the batsman. They pick up a single. |
| Australia have declared! Yes, Steven Smith has had enough and has called his boys back. They have a mammoth margin of 303 runs in their bag, which I reckon should suffice them for this game. Bat and bat big, say the pundits and that's precisely what Australia have done. |
| This innings actually doesn't have many significant talking points, none so for England. Their bowlers just ran in and landed the ball on the track but failed to derive significant advantage after that. Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh stroked their way happily to their respective tons. You don't often say this these days, but yes, for the human that Steven Smith is ultimately, he missed out scoring one. |
| This sums up the tourists miseries - Mason Crane has the worst figures by a debutant in the Ashes. As many as three of their bowlers conceded over a century of runs, two of them being over 150. As cliched as it seems, James Anderson has been their most economical bowler. Wonder what the mindset of their batsmen might be. If they can take the game to the last day, they'd have done well, I believe. Stay with us as the next innings will get underway soon. |
| 0.1 : M Starc to Cook, Beaten straightaway! Trust Australia to take full advantage of the opposition's low time. Starc runs in from over the wicket and spears a 142.7 kph delivery on a length outside off. Cook gets squared up a touch as he pokes his bat at that. Thankfully for him, the edge was left alone by the new cherry. |
| 0.2 : M Starc to Cook, Cook is underway. He just turns it towards mid-wicket and gets to the other end to open his and his side's account. |
| 0.3 : M Starc to Stoneman, Nicely bowled outside off, left alone. |
| 0.4 : M Starc to Stoneman, Another ball outside off, Stoneman just lets it be. |
| 0.5 : M Starc to Stoneman, Very full outside off, Stoneman looks to dig it out but fails. |
| 0.6 : M Starc to Stoneman, Blocks this one from the crease to end the first over safely. Decent start for both sides. |
| Josh Hazlewood will run in from the other end with the new ball. |
| 1.1 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Josh runs in from round the wicket and bowls it on a length outside off. Cook covers the sticks and lets it go. |
| Surprise for Ian Healy already! The move from Hazlewood to start from round the wicket does that to him. He reckons that when Josh comes over the wicket, he gets it to move in after angling it away. But it becomes slightly easier when the angle is from round the stumps. The first innings dismissal of Cook was from over the wicket by Hazlewood. All these points defy the bowler's logic. |
| 1.2 : J Hazlewood to Cook, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 1.3 : J Hazlewood to A Cook, Length ball outside off, pushed through covers for a brace. |
| 1.4 : J Hazlewood to Cook, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 1.5 : J Hazlewood to A Cook, Cook drives this through covers for a single. |
| 1.6 : J Hazlewood to Stoneman, The batsman has played it to the point region. |
| 2.1 : M Starc to Cook, Full outside off, left alone. |
| 2.2 : M Starc to A Cook, 12000 Test runs for Alastair Cook! Starc angles it in on a length, Cook hops a touch and looks to flick. Ends up getting an inside edge onto his pads as the ball rolls towards square leg. He picks up a run and raises his bat after his partner tells him about the landmark. |
| 2.3 : M Starc to Stoneman, Is it a bird or an airplane? No it's Tim Paine! Starc sprays this down leg, Mark looks to flick but misses. Paine leaps full stretch to his right and takes it cleanly. |
| 2.4 : M Starc to M Stoneman, That ball has taken the inside edge onto the pads. |
| 2.5 : M Starc to Stoneman, This is outside off, Mark lets it go. |
| The SCG roars as Stoneman is ruled out LBW on-field! The batter has a chat with his partner and opts for the DRS. |
| 2.6 : M Starc to Stoneman, OUT! England lose Stoneman and a review as well! Starc bowls it on a length in line of the stumps, Stoneman hops and looks to clip it away but fails to do so. Gets struck on the front pad and that is enough for Starc and the Australians to yell in appeal. They get the umpire's nod. Mark talks to his partner and takes it upstairs but the Hawk Eye upholds the original decision. This is how difficult life can get. Stoneman was under the lid at short leg the whole day yest |
| James Vince walks in next with Australia breathing fire. |
| 3.1 : J Hazlewood to A Cook, DROPPED! Yes, you read that right. Australia's horrid time with the catching continues. Who's the guy to have got the reprieve? Alastair Cook! Warne reckons this would have been game, set, match had this been taken. |
| 3.2 : J Hazlewood to Vince, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 3.3 : J Hazlewood to Vince, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 3.4 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Outside off, left alone. |
| 3.5 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Vince doesn't bother putting bat to this ball outside off. |
| 3.6 : J Hazlewood to Vince, FOUR! Bad line, punished. Hazlewood strays on the pads and pays the price. Vince just helps it away and the ball goes to the fine leg fence quickly. Gets off the mark with that. |
| 4.1 : M Starc to Cook, Length ball on off, defended from the crease. |
| 4.2 : M Starc to Cook, AC has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 4.3 : M Starc to Cook, Alastair clips it down to fine leg and gets to the other end. |
| 4.4 : M Starc to Vince, Starc runs in from round the wicket and bowls it on the pads. Vince takes a leg bye as he misses the flick. |
| 4.5 : M Starc to Cook, Nicely punched through mid off on the up for a couple. |
| 4.6 : M Starc to Cook, AC shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the backfoot. They pick up a single. |
| Yes, here he is! The king of the jungle. Nathan Lyon gets an opportunity to bowl. We could see the track spitting some dust when England were bowling and that could help this guy now. |
| 5.1 : N Lyon to Cook, Ripper first up! Lyon floats it around off, Cook comes forward to defend but the ball spins away past the outer edge of the bat. A puff of dust seen on that occasion as well. |
| 5.2 : N Lyon to Cook, Cook hangs back and defends this one. |
| 5.3 : N Lyon to Cook, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 5.4 : N Lyon to Cook, Blocked watchfully from the crease. |
| 5.5 : Lyon to Cook, OUT! Gone! Big wicket for the tweaker, considering the aura of the batsman. Lyon strikes in his first over. Lyon darts this one at 96 kph around middle and off. Cook goes back to negotiate this one but is beaten by the away turn as well. That spells his doom as the ball makes contact with the off stump behind. The staid look on Cook's face couldn't be more evident. He knows how important it was for him to be out there. To be fair to him, the crumbling track made it spin a tou |
| Joe Root walks in next with his team in trouble early. Every delivery bowled by the Aussies seems like a goblet of fire now. |
| 5.6 : N Lyon to Root, Root gets off the mark with a flick through mid-wicket. |
| 6.1 : M Starc to Root, Starc continues round the wicket to the right-hander and bowls it full. Joe drives it towards mid on. |
| 6.2 : M Starc to Root, Strays on the pads on this one, Root nudges it through backward square leg for a couple. |
| 6.3 : M Starc to Root, A yorker jammed out well by Root. |
| 6.4 : M Starc to Root, Again on the pads, clipped to fine leg for a couple. |
| 6.5 : M Starc to Root, The batsman has punched the ball off the back foot. |
| 6.6 : M Starc to Root, This one is blocked from the crease. |
| Nice point by Shane Warne. He observes that Lyon set Cook up nicely there. First he invited him forward with a loopy ball that spun and beat him. Then he slid in an arm delivery. Again he pulled his length back. Seeing that there is turn available and the new ball can skid one, he slipped in the delivery that got him at a length that was a bit short which also spun. As clever as a spinner can get. |
| 7.1 : N Lyon to Vince, Floated on the stumps, blocked off the front foot. |
| 7.2 : N Lyon to Vince, Vince gets down the track and bunts it. |
| 7.3 : N Lyon to Vince, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 7.4 : N Lyon to Vince, Lyon comes over the wicket now, Vince turns this to mid-wicket with the spin. |
| 7.5 : N Lyon to Vince, Vince goes back to this one and keeps it out. |
| 7.6 : N Lyon to Vince, Vince negotiates the last one safely with a defense. Another maiden for Lyon. |
| Josh Hazlewood gets a change of end. |
| 8.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, On off, defended with a straight bat from Root. |
| 8.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Length ball on the pads, Root clips it through square leg. Lyon gets to his left and does the mopping up job, saves a run for his side. |
| 8.3 : J Hazlewood to Vince, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 8.4 : J Hazlewood to Vince, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 8.5 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Length ball on the stumps, James keeps it out from the back foot. |
| 8.6 : J Hazlewood to Vince, A touch fuller on off, Vince gets ahead and defends. |
| 9.1 : N Lyon to Root, Tossed up on leg, knocked towards mid-wicket. |
| 9.2 : N Lyon to Root, Root gets nicely forward to this one and presents a straight defensive bat. |
| 9.3 : N Lyon to Root, Floated in line of the stumps, wristed to mid on. |
| 9.4 : N Lyon to Root, This is around off, Joe plays this one towards point. |
| 9.5 : N Lyon to Root, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 9.6 : N Lyon to Root, Flatter on the stumps, blocked from the crease. |
| 10.1 : J Hazlewood to Vince, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 10.2 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Is he a goner? No! Hazlewood delivers it on a length that is a bit short. Vince sways back to let it go but doesn't drag his body away. The ball goes off his shoulder and Paine dives in front of slip to take that. Painful for Vince? Maybe. |
| 10.3 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Vince taps it towards covers and gets to the other end. |
| 10.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, Length ball outside off, defended towards point. |
| 10.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Nice off drive for nothing as it finds the man at mid off. |
| 10.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, This is full outside off, Root lets it go unharmed. |
| 11.1 : N Lyon to Vince, Floated outside off, James takes a run by playing it through the point region. |
| 11.2 : N Lyon to Root, Tossed up on off, defended solidly. |
| Luring tactics. Australia have left the cover region open, telling the English captain, 'Go on, drive it against the spin.' All wicket-taking tactics these. |
| 11.3 : N Lyon to Root, Darted on the stumps, Joe lines behind it and keeps it out. |
| 11.4 : N Lyon to Root, Another one around off, Root goes back and blocks. |
| 11.5 : N Lyon to Root, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 11.6 : N Lyon to Root, Root negotiates the final ball of the session that is full in length by going back and bunting it towards short leg. That's TEA, DAY 4! |
| If you had any doubts till the previous break as to who was bossing the game, this period would have put those to ease. The name of the side starts and ends with an A! Their bowlers were right on the mark from the word go and the result is there for all to see. Mark Stoneman? Gone. Alastair Cook? Let off but then sent off! The hosts aren't someone who'd give the opposition an inch. But with that dropped catch, they did. Fortunately for them, it didn't prove costly as Nathan Lyon got down with hi |
| It isn't easy to spend long time on the field and then come back and be on the money with the bat straightaway. To be honest, a staunch resistance wasn't something expected from the tourists, too, with the way the tour has panned out for them. The conditions aren't the easiest ones either. With the temperature being on the north side of 40s, it could get to both the sides. But the continuous fall of wickets is just the ice that would cool the Aussies. James Vince, Joe Root, Dawid Malan and Jonny |
| ... Penultimate Day, Final Session ... |
| Here we are. Among the things that we can measure, 40 overs are left. It would require unmeasurable amounts of patience, grit and stamina to come out unscathed on the other side of it. James Vince will face Josh Hazlewood to set things going. Joe Root stands at the other end. |
| 12.1 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Full delivery to start off, pushed down past mid off for a couple. |
| 12.2 : J Hazlewood to Vince, This is full around off, defended off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 12.3 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Variable pace on the track? Josh bowls this at 135.3kph but down the leg side. Vince just lets it be. It goes on the bounce to the keeper. |
| 12.4 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Vince keeps this one out with a back foot defense. |
| 12.5 : J Hazlewood to J Vince, Angles in from outside off, Vince gets an inside edge onto his pads on the defense. |
| 12.6 : J Hazlewood to Vince, A bit fuller than the previous one, James looks to turn it to the on side but gets it off the outer edge back towards the bowler. |
| Nathan Lyon will continue with his spell. |
| 13.1 : N Lyon to Root, Good line. He bowls it in line of the off stump, Root covers the stumps and blocks it from the crease. |
| 13.2 : N Lyon to Root, Streaky! Root goes back to play this one towards the point but gets the inner edge towards slip on the bounce. Perhaps it turned more than Joe expected it to. |
| 13.3 : N Lyon to Root, Root strides forward and defends it off the inner half towards short leg. |
| 13.4 : N Lyon to Root, Nicely played. Root goes back and just punches this through cover-point for a couple. |
| 13.5 : N Lyon to Root, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| 13.6 : N Lyon to Root, Outside off, played towards point. |
| 14.1 : J Hazlewood to Vince, Hurled in line of the stumps, defended with a straight bat back to the bowler. Josh isn't happy with something as he looks a bit disappointed. Not sure what. |
| 14.2 : J Hazlewood to J Vince, Vince plays one of the most elegant cover drives in the game. He does so this time but gets a triple as the ball didn't have legs to go all the way. |
| 14.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, JR defends it from within the crease. |
| 14.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, Hurled fuller outside off, Joe covers the stumps and points his bat skywards as he lets that go. |
| 14.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Banged short on the stumps, ducked under by Joe. |
| 14.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, Root defends this one from the crease. |
| 15.1 : N Lyon to Vince, Floated up on off, worked away through mid-wicket to rotate strike. |
| 15.2 : N Lyon to Root, Root defends this one off the front foot. |
| 15.3 : N Lyon to Joe Root, Almost! Floated outside off, Root gets forward in defense. The ball doesn't spin much and takes the outside edge and goes on the bounce to the right of Smith. He dives and gets a hand to that but a run results. On first look, it seemed that a catch had gone down. |
| 15.4 : N Lyon to Vince, Vince eases this one to the cover region for a single. |
| 15.5 : N Lyon to Root, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 15.6 : N Lyon to Root, Another forward defense to this ball on the stumps. |
| Pat Cummins into the attack now. He picked up a 4-fer in the first essay and would be raring to have a go yet again. |
| 16.1 : Pat Cummins to Vince, Runs in from over the wicket and angles it into Vince. He clips it to fine leg for one. |
| 16.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Gets on top of the bounce and pushes it back towards the bowler. |
| 16.3 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length ball on the hips nudged away through square leg for one. |
| 16.4 : Pat Cummins to Vince, This ball is flicked through square leg to rotate strike. |
| 16.5 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length ball outside off, tapped towards covers. Root wanted a run initially but decided against it eventually. |
| 16.6 : Pat Cummins to Root, Around off, defended from the crease. |
| 17.1 : N Lyon to Vince, Floated outside off at 89.1 kph, James slides down the track and gets an inside edge onto the thigh. |
| 17.2 : N Lyon to Vince, This time stays back and defends it with a straight bat. |
| 17.3 : N Lyon to Vince, What was that? Vince gets down the track and defends it in an awkward manner towards covers. Semblance of MS Dhoni in that defense there. |
| 17.4 : N Lyon to Vince, Outside off and spinning him, blocked with a straight bat. |
| 17.5 : N Lyon to Vince, Flatter and spinning in, Vince pads it away. The ball goes off his pads towards fine leg. No run taken as no stroke was offered there. Lyon asks a quiet question to the umpire who stays unmoved. |
| 17.6 : N Lyon to Vince, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 18.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length ball on off, defended towards covers. |
| 18.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length ball slanting on the pads, nudged down to fine leg for one. |
| 18.3 : Pat Cummins to Vince, Slower ball on a length at 121.9 kph. Vince lets it come on and dead-bats it. Seems as if Cummins left leg stuck in the ground in one of the steps. |
| 18.4 : Pat Cummins to Vince, Jaffa! Not Australia but my colleague here jumps up in appeal. This is bowled on a length outside off, Vince hangs his bat out that but just misses out on getting out caught behind. That climbed up a bit as it was delivered with a cross seam. |
| 18.5 : Pat Cummins to Vince, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 18.6 : Pat Cummins to Vince, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 19.1 : N Lyon to Root, Edged but safe. Lyon serves it just outside off, the ball spins in greatly. Root looks to present a straight defensive bat but gets it off the inner edge through the gap between FSL and leg gully. |
| 19.2 : N Lyon to Root, Root presents a forward defense to this delivery. |
| 19.3 : N Lyon to Root, Root drives it through covers for one. The fielder there did well to stop it with a dive. |
| Another one gone? Vince is given out caught behind but he seeks to review it immediately. |
| 19.4 : N Lyon to Vince, The dim sounds at the SCG says that the final decision is NOT OUT! Lyon floats it up nicely outside off, Vince looks to drive it through covers. Seems to have nicked it to the keeper as the Aussies go up in jubilation. You wouldn't be faulted for thinking it to be gone looking at the confidence of the hosts. Wilson agrees with them. Vince was as sure as he has ever been and uses the DRS that eventually comes to his aid. The Snicko shows a spike after the ball passes the ba |
| 19.5 : N Lyon to Vince, James gets forward confidently in defense. |
| 19.6 : N Lyon to Vince, A run taken by playing this to the point region. |
| 20.1 : Pat Cummins to Vince, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 20.2 : Pat Cummins to J Vince, Another edge, runs again. Length ball around off, Vince gets squared up in defense. Gets it off the outer edge on the bounce past Smith for a couple. |
| 20.3 : Pat Cummins to Vince, Banged in line of the stumps, JV ducks. |
| 20.4 : Pat Cummins to Vince, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 20.5 : Pat Cummins to Vince, Length ball around off, James lets it come on to him before dead-batting that. |
| 20.6 : Pat Cummins to J Vince, OUT! Edged, almost fluffed but eventually taken! Cummins runs in and launches this on a length at 141.2 kph just outside off. James Vince has always been troubled in this series in that channel of apprehension. Looks to punch that with hard hands and that's that. The ball flies off the outside edge and goes straight to Smith at widish slip. He takes it on the second attempt and then makes an expression of a kid caught copying in an examination. End of Vince's tour |
| Dawid Malan walks to the middle now. He is coming on the back of a half century. |
| 21.1 : N Lyon to Root, No run. |
| 21.2 : N Lyon to Root, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 21.3 : N Lyon to Root, Root picks up a run by cutting it towards point. |
| 21.4 : N Lyon to Malan, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 21.5 : N Lyon to Malan, Lovely ball. Draws Malan forward and then beats him with just a tiny amount of turn on that. |
| 21.6 : N Lyon to Malan, Gets behind this one and blocks. |
| 22.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length ball, defended from the crease. |
| 22.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Fuller ball on off, blocked off the front foot. |
| 22.3 : Pat Cummins to Root, In the firing line! Cummins bangs this short at 144.8 kph. Root is hurried into ducking under it and manages to do so. |
| 22.4 : Pat Cummins to Root, On the pads, clipped to mid-wicket. |
| 22.5 : Pat Cummins to Root, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 22.6 : Pat Cummins to Root, Another bouncer to end the over, Joe evades this one with a duck. |
| 23.1 : N Lyon to Malan, Floated around off, Dawid gets off the mark with a clip through mid-wicket. |
| 23.2 : N Lyon to Root, Root blocks this one from the crease. |
| 23.3 : N Lyon to Root, Nathan comes round the wicket and delivers it in line of the stumps. Root turns it towards mid-wicket. |
| 23.4 : N Lyon to Root, Joe gets back and punches it through covers for one. |
| Crowd around the batsman. A slip and a gully apart from bat-pad and short cover stand in attention. |
| 23.5 : N Lyon to Malan, Flatter outside off, he slaps it towards cover-point. |
| 23.6 : N Lyon to Malan, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 24.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Another play and a miss. Cummins hurls it with a cross seam outside off on a length, Root fishes out at it but just misses. |
| 24.2 : Pat Cummins to Joe Root, One of the better shots off Root's blade so far. Length ball outside off, Root strides forward and drives it through covers for three. |
| 24.3 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Appeal, turned down. Cummins runs in from round the wicket and hurls it on a length angling in. Malan hops and fails in his attempt to flick. Gets rapped high on the front pad. Pat shouts in appeal but doesn't get the umpire's nod. Height definitely the factor, as confirmed by the Ball Tracker. Everything on this looked similar to Stoneman's dismissal. Only the bowling hand differed apart from the height. |
| 24.4 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Played to the point region by the batsman. |
| 24.5 : Pat Cummins to Malan, Length ball around off, blocked from the crease. |
| 24.6 : Pat Cummins to Malan, This is well outside off, no need for Malan to play those. |
| Drinks time! Probing bowling by the Aussies. Shows in the snail's pace that England are crawling at the moment. Good thing for them is that the skipper is still in the middle along with Malan who has been in good touch of late. Their task isn't any easier with Lyon going on in full flow apart from the firing pace bowlers. |
| 25.1 : N Lyon to Root, Tossed up outside off, driven straight to covers. |
| 25.2 : N Lyon to Root, On a flatter trajectory, turning back in from outside off, Root goes back and clips on the bounce to short leg. |
| 25.3 : N Lyon to Root, This stays a touch low! Goes back again does Root and works it past short leg. |
| 25.4 : N Lyon to Root, Allows the ball to turn back in and then crouches low to meet it with a straight bat. |
| 25.5 : N Lyon to Root, Gets forward and nudges it through mid-wicket to bring the half century up for England. |
| 25.6 : N Lyon to Malan, From around the wicket, Lyon lands it full around off, Malan comes nicely forward and defends it under his nose. |
| Mitchell Starc is back into the attack, replacing Cummins. |
| 26.1 : M Starc to Root, Comes from over the wicket and keeps it full outside off, Root leans forward and digs it out towards cover. Starc immediately turns back and has a look near the landing zone. |
| 26.2 : M Starc to Root, Angles it in from outside off, it's on a back of a length. Root sticks deep in the crease to keep it out with an angled blade towards point. |
| 26.3 : M Starc to Root, Ahead of a length and arrowing it in, a bit of bounce off the deck but Root watches it till the last minute and defends it down. |
| 26.4 : M Starc to Root, Fuller and attacking the stumps, Joe walks across and clips it towards mid-wicket. |
| 26.5 : M Starc to Root, Bangs in a short one on middle and off, Root winds up for a pull but gets a bottom edge and then gets hits on the right arm as the ball further rolls towards the slip cordon. Ian Healy says, it's good to see that the English skipper is looking to score and not getting bogged. |
| 26.6 : M Starc to Root, Eases this full ball down towards mid off. Starc gets a hand to it in his followthrough. |
| 27.1 : N Lyon to Malan, Drifting in on the pads, easy for James to work it past short leg for a single. |
| 27.2 : N Lyon to Root, Outside off, turning in a touch, Root counters it with a stride forward. |
| 27.3 : N Lyon to Root, Flatter one on middle and off, dealt off the back foot. |
| Nathan Lyon has picked up 16 wickets in this series of the southpaws. They show his heat map in which it's seen that most of the deliveries that he pitches is around the off stump so he forces the batsman to play at everything that he throws. Very rare has he slid one down the leg side. Tidy stuff, Gary! |
| 27.4 : N Lyon to Root, Tosses it wider outside off, Root drives it against the turn through cover for a brace. |
| 27.5 : N Lyon to Root, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. They manage to come back for the second. |
| 27.6 : N Lyon to Root, Loopy delivery outside off and again Root eases the drive through covers. This time he picks up three. |
| 28.1 : M Starc to Root, Fuller but a bit too straight, Root gets inside the line and flicks it through square leg for a single. |
| 28.2 : M Starc to Malan, On a length and outside off, Malan plays inside the line to make a leave. |
| 28.3 : M Starc to Malan, On a length and angling in on middle and leg, wristed through the gap at mid-wicket for an easy single. |
| Pat Cummins is lauded for his efforts. He has picked up 20 wickets in the series and more often he has relied on the raw pace. Has bent his back and always has troubled the batsmen. What will amaze you will be thee fact that, he was in some serious discomfort at the MCG Test but still came out and delivered for his skipper. Shows his mental strength and hunger to perform... |
| 28.4 : M Starc to Root, Back of a length on the stumps, defended from within the crease. |
| 28.5 : M Starc to Root, On middle and leg, worked towards the leg side. |
| 28.6 : M Starc to Root, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 29.1 : N Lyon to D Malan, Turning away outside off, slapped towards the fielder at point. |
| 29.2 : N Lyon to Malan, Quicker one on middle and leg, worked away through mid-wicket for a brace. |
| 29.3 : N Lyon to Malan, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 29.4 : N Lyon to Malan, Aaahhhh. Almost! Lures Malan forward, drifts in at a quicker pace and then fizzes past the outside edge to the keeper. Hands on head for Nathan. |
| 29.5 : N Lyon to Malan, Pushes it quicker through the air outside off, Malan makes a watchful leave. |
| 29.6 : N Lyon to Malan, Loops it up outside off, blocked off the front foot comfortably. |
| 30.1 : M Starc to Root, Hits it around the back of a length mark, Root arches back and punches it towards point. |
| 30.2 : M Starc to Root, Keeps it full at 124.7 kph, Root leans forward and drives it towards short cover. |
| 30.3 : M Starc to Root, Strangles one down the leg side, Root moves inside the line to let it be. A good take from Paine behind. |
| 30.4 : M Starc to Root, Fuller in length and angling down leg, Root leans across and flicks it along the ground towards the square leg fielder. Remember, he got out in a similar fashion in the first innings. Only difference was he played that uppishly. |
| 30.5 : M Starc to Root, Shortens his length and angles it in from outside off, Root with an angled bat pushes it to point. |
| 30.6 : M Starc to Root, Lovely shot! Arches back to this short ball and places it square of the wicket on the off side and picks up three running runs. |
| There is some issue with the ball. It doesn't pass through the 8-shaped loop and the umpires are changing it... |
| 31.1 : N Lyon to Root, Drifting in on middle and leg, Root nudges it wide of the man at short mid-wicket for a couple of runs. |
| 31.2 : N Lyon to Root, From around the wicket, pitches it on middle, turning in, since it's on the shorter side, Root has time to go back and tuck it away. |
| 31.3 : N Lyon to Root, Hops back and tucks it past the man at short leg for one. |
| 31.4 : N Lyon to Malan, Pitches it outside off, turns miles away. Malan watches it till the last moment before making a leave. |
| 31.5 : N Lyon to Malan, Slows it through the air, lands it full outside off. Dawid with a stride forward pushes it towards point. |
| 31.6 : N Lyon to Malan, Quicker one on middle and off, defended by getting behind the line. |
| 32.1 : M Starc to Root, Good length delivery on the stumps, JR stays deep in the crease to tap it back to Mitchell Starc. |
| 32.2 : M Starc to Root, Sprays a wide yorker, Joe crouches low and digs it out towards point. |
| 32.3 : M Starc to Root, Shortish delivery on middle, Root goes to pull but gets it off the gloves to square leg and rings his right hand straightaway. |
| Root seems to be in agony. He coped a blow on his right index finger and the physio is out to have a look. He is seen having a tablet and tries to shake hand with the physio but he's not too comfortable at all. Gets a bit of taping on his fingers. A bit of a delay and in the meanwhile, the players enjoy some refreshments. Good news for England, Joe Root is fine to continue. Brave lad! |
| 32.4 : M Starc to Root, And as expected, Starc bangs in a short one on middle and leg. Root is quick to duck and then shares a smile. |
| 32.5 : M Starc to Root, Slants it on the fifth stump line, Joe shoulders his arms to leave it alone. |
| 32.6 : M Starc to Root, A cry for an LBW! Where is it pitching? Too high? Well, Starc feels it's the latter. Let's wait for the Hawk Eye. Oh dear, hate this when something like this happens on the last ball of the over and immediately an ad is shown next. Ball - Starc bowls it on a length, at 141.8 kph, Root is beaten for pace at once and wears it on the pads. Mitchell turns back to appeal but the umpire shakes his head. Smith asks about the review but Starc suggests height. And right so, Hawk Ey |
| 33.1 : N Lyon to Malan, Tossed up delivery outside off, Malan prods forward in defense. |
| 33.2 : N Lyon to D Malan, Floated ball outside off, pushed towards mid off. |
| 33.3 : N Lyon to Malan, Loopy ball, turning further away, Dawid makes a leave. |
| LBW shout and after a long thought Joel Wilson gives it out. Is it pad first? Dawid Malan's reaction suggests so. Let's wait and find out... |
| 33.4 : N Lyon to Malan, OUT! Clipping the wickets, umpire's call! Dawid Malan has to walk back. Big thing for Australia, all of their bowlers, Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and now Nathan Lyon has picked up 20 wickets in the series. Big, big feat this! After bowling a few bowls outside off, Lyon slides one in at 93 kph. Malan goes back and is done in by the pace. Misses and seems to have hit the pad first. Australians appeal and umpire after taking his time, raises the dreaded finger. Malan walks tow |
| Jonny Bairstow is the new man in. |
| 33.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 33.6 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Flatter one outside off, pushed towards point off the back foot. |
| 34.1 : M Starc to Root, Strays a bit on the pads, clipped down to fine leg for a single. |
| 34.2 : M Starc to Bairstow, Fuller and on the stumps, Bairstow brings his bat down in time to work it away. |
| 34.3 : M Starc to Bairstow, Angles it away on a length outside off, pushed towards point off the back foot. |
| 34.4 : M Starc to Bairstow, Fuller and angling in, driven towards the cover fielder. |
| 34.5 : M Starc to Bairstow, Angling away on a fuller length outside off, Jonny chases after it as he pushes it towards cover. |
| 34.6 : M Starc to Bairstow, JB is away! Good length delivery on the pads, clipped through square leg for a single. |
| 35.1 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Floats it up around middle, Bairstow leans forward in defense. |
| 35.2 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Comes down the track and bunts it back to Lyon. |
| 35.3 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Goes back and turns it past the short leg fielder for a couple. |
| 35.4 : N Lyon to Bairstow, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| 35.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Chance of a run out! Bairstow drives it uppishly and then keeps running. The man from mid off gets to the ball and throws it at the striker's end but Root makes it in. |
| 35.6 : N Lyon to Root, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot for a single. |
| Josh Hazlewood is back into the attack. |
| 36.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, 1 run. |
| 36.2 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Stands back and cuts it towards point for nothing. |
| 36.3 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, FOUR! Edgyyy! Fuller in length and outside off, Bairstow looks to drive but gets it off the outer half past the man who is placed squarer at gully for a boundary. |
| 36.4 : J Hazlewood to J Bairstow, Shortish on off, cut again towards point. |
| 36.5 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 36.6 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Outside off, JB leaves it alone. |
| 37.1 : N Lyon to Root, Outside off, Root reaches out to that one and dabs it wide of Smith at first slip for one. |
| 37.2 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Flighted ball on middle and off, defended off the front foot. |
| 37.3 : N Lyon to Bairstow, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 37.4 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Bairstow leans ahead and kills it. |
| 37.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Spinning down leg, Jonny lets it be. |
| 37.6 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Wide down the leg side, No trouble at all for the batsman. |
| 38.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Shortish delivery, angling in on middle and leg, Root moves inside the line and leaves it for the keeper. |
| 38.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Another bumper, this time it's well-directed, Root takes evasive action. |
| 38.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, Shortish in length and outside off, cut straight to Lyon at backward point. |
| Steven Smith is warming up. This is because he is looking to give some rest to Lyon who has bowled 17 overs on the trot.. |
| 38.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, Beaten! Hint of reverse there! Hazlewood hits the shiny road around off, it nips back in and stays low a bit. Root is undone by the lack of bounce and gets beaten all ends up. |
| 38.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Angling in on middle, Joe tries to tuck it away but misses and is hit high on the thigh pad. |
| 38.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| Steven Smith is here to bowl now. |
| 39.1 : S Smith to Bairstow, Tossed up delivery around middle and leg, Bairstow looks to go back and tickle it away. Misses. |
| 39.2 : S Smith to Bairstow, Around middle and leg, flicked through the leg side for a single. |
| 39.3 : S Smith to Root, Shorter in length, Root goes back and defends it towards short leg. |
| 39.4 : S Smith to Root, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 39.5 : S Smith to Root, Floated delivery around middle, defended down into the ground. |
| 39.6 : S Smith to Root, Spinning down leg, Root misses his glance and so does the keeper to collect it. They look to steal a by but Bancroft from short leg denies them. |
| 40.1 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Good length delivery on off, defended down. |
| 40.2 : J Hazlewood to J Bairstow, FOUR! Glorious! Fuller in length and outside off, wants Bairstow to go after it. The English keeper obliges and drives it sweetly to find the gap at cover. Third boundary of the English innings. |
| 40.3 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Bouncer! The batsman ducks in time to let that one go over him. |
| 40.4 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Good length delivery, angling in, worked off the inner half towards mid on. |
| 40.5 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Back of a length ball on middle, defended with a straight bat. |
| 40.6 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 41.1 : S Smith to Root, Tossed up on off, driven through cover for a single. |
| 41.2 : S Smith to Bairstow, Flatter one around middle and off, JB hangs back in defense. |
| 41.3 : S Smith to Bairstow, Flighted ball on off, smothered into the ground. |
| 41.4 : S Smith to Bairstow, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 41.5 : S Smith to Bairstow, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. |
| 41.6 : S Smith to Bairstow, FOUR! Half-tracker and it's put away! Bairstow goes back and murders the pull to deep backward square leg to end the over with a boundary. |
| Pat Cummins comes back into the attack. |
| 42.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Back of a length delivery, from over the wicket, Root covers the line and defends. |
| 42.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Tad short on middle and off, punched towards mid off. |
| 42.3 : Pat Cummins to Root, Similar length just like the previous ball, Root punches it nicely through cover and comes back for a brace. |
| 42.4 : Pat Cummins to Root, Bangs in a short one on middle and off, Root lets it sail over him to the keeper. |
| 42.5 : Pat Cummins to Root, In the probing zone outside off, Joe makes an assured leave. |
| 42.6 : Pat Cummins to Root, Stands tall and taps this length ball to point to end the over. |
| Nathan Lyon is called back into the attack. Can he strike again? There is a discussion going on between Lyon, Hazlewood and Starc. Khawaja is waiting for the substitute fielder to get him a helmet. Short leg, silly point and a slip in place... |
| 43.1 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Bowls it wider outside off, Bairstow plants his front foot across to pad it away but fails to do so. |
| 43.2 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Quicker one around off, turning back in from a shorter length, clipped towards short leg on the bounce. |
| 43.3 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Flattish ball on the stumps, Bairstow goes back in defense. |
| 43.4 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Quicker through the air, 92.6 kph, Jonny stays deep in the crease to keep it out. |
| 43.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Sees the line outside off so decides to pad it away. |
| 43.6 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Loopy ball around off, Bairstow lunges forward to defend it into the ground. |
| 44.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Back of a length delivery, closer to off, Root rises on the toes to punch it through the line but gets an inside edge back on the track. |
| 44.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Angling in on middle, Joe tucks it through square leg for a single. |
| 44.3 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Teases him by bowling it in the corridor of uncertainty, Jonny B has got nothing to do with that one. |
| 44.4 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, This one skids off the surface, it's at 141.3 clicks, nothing doing again says Bairstow. |
| 44.5 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Makes him play by attacking the stumps. Jonny wrists this length ball towards square leg. |
| 44.6 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Harmless delivery to end the over. The English keeper ignores as it is well outside the line. |
| Last over of the day coming up... |
| 45.1 : N Lyon to Root, Outside off, spinning in just a touch, Root hangs back to stab it away. |
| 45.2 : N Lyon to Root, Loopy delivery outside off, turns in, Joe with an angled bat dabs it wide of his opposite number at first slip. Doesn't run. |
| 45.3 : N Lyon to Root, Allows the ball to come back in, blocked gently. |
| 45.4 : N Lyon to Root, Flighted delivery around middle and off, Root tucks it towards short leg. |
| 45.5 : N Lyon to Root, Tossed up delivery outside off, asking him to drive against the spin but Root resists and blocks it down watchfully. |
| 45.6 : N Lyon to Root, Flighted delivery outside off, Root leans forward and drives it straight to Khawaja at silly point to end the day. STUMPS, DAY 4! |
| Excellent finish to the day for Australia. Once again they dominated the proceedings and are on the cusp of a huge victory here. The day started with the Marsh brothers continuing from where they left off. Both scored their respective tons and then Tim Paine came in to have some more fun. The hosts swelled the lead to a massive 303 before the verdict came from the dressing room. |
| The Australian bowlers got good amount of rest and were raring to have a go. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were right on the money and in fact, the former removed Mark Stoneman for a duck to further dent the visitors' hopes. Smith didn't waste anytime to bring his ace spinner, Nathan Lyon, into the attack and got the reward instantly as the offie removed Alastair Cook with a peach of a delivery. |
| Joe Root walked in next with huge responsibility on his shoulders. The whole of England would be happy that he is still out there. To be honest, he looked really confident and perhaps is the only wall standing upright. James Vince and Dawid Malan both succumbed but it was Jonny Bairstow who saw off the remainder of the day and made sure there is no further hiccup. Still the job is not even half done. Three full sessions to go and the right way would be to take it over-by-over and drag the game t |
| Steven Smith and his men will walk off with a feeling that they need one more wicket to expose the shaky lower order. The floodgates shall open or maybe not if... if England batsmen decide to dig in out there. So, Australia hold the aces and are likely to go 4-0. They were on the back foot at the MCG but salvaged a draw on the final day. Will England take a leaf out of that? What do we have in store? A meek surrender or a remarkable fight back? Join us tomorrow at 1030 Local (1130 GMT) for the f |
| ... Last Day, First Session ... |
| The Ashes 2017-18. Final Test. Final Day. (Tears rolling down...) The series is already decided. Only the final scoreline remains to be seen. Don't know if this has some different sound to it yet, welcome to the end! Those who dig out numbers for a living, and although it doesn't have a direct bearing on the end result, have come up with this - this is the first time since 1994-95 that all the five games in this iconic series have progressed to the fifth day. Applause for England. |
| Hang on! Hold on all the applause for later. It is bad news for England. JOE ROOT HAS BEEN HOSPITALIZED due to severe dehydration and vomiting. Perhaps yesterday's heat has got to him big time. He braved a hit to his finger and saw the day off but lo! He's consumed by the heat now. This is a big blow for the tourists considering he did well to get this game to this final day. Although an update has just come saying that he is out of the hospital and is making his way to the ground, we aren't sur |
| This is a day about grit, perseverance and glory. While the hosts will come out all guns blazing to make this 4-0, the tourists will give their all to deny it from being the same. Jonny Bairstow has been out there for a while giving company to his skipper, who has stayed at the crease on a boundaryless 42. All the Aussie bowlers were on their marks yesterday. After the soaring temperature that we had on the fourth day, it is imperative for us to believe that the track would have dried up further |
| So, it's time for the action to begin on the field. It is Moeen Ali who walks out to the middle along with Jonny Bairstow. The dehydration bout has rendered the skipper Joe Root unable to start immediately. We'll know in a while as to when he can come out. It'll be Josh Hazlewood who will begin the day with the cherry. A couple of slips in place. |
| 46.1 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Gentle start. Fuller delivery in line of the stumps, Bairstow presents a straight bat face to keep it out. |
| 46.2 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, This is full outside off, Jonny B just lets it be. |
| They just showed Root appearing on the ground. His face was a bit flushed and he had the hospital band on his wrists still. Hope he gets well soon. |
| 46.3 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Another one outside off, Bairstow covers his sticks and lets it pass. |
| 46.4 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 46.5 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Full and moving in appreciably, Jonny does well to play it to mid on. |
| 46.6 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Maiden to begin the day. Bairstow pushes this length ball towards covers for nothing. |
| Nathan Lyon to bowl from the other end. Facing him is Moeen Ali, who has been dismissed 6 times by the spinner in this series. A couple of slips right away. |
| 47.1 : N Lyon to Ali, Beautiful Gary, shouts Paine from behind. This is floated around middle, met with a straight defensive bat face. |
| 47.2 : N Lyon to Ali, This is around off, defended off the front foot. |
| 47.3 : N Lyon to Ali, Fuller and straighter, bunted with a lunge forward. |
| 47.4 : N Lyon to Ali, Lyon has been a touch fuller for anybody's liking so far. Ali is happy to keep it out with a dead-bat. This length won't allow the ball to turn. |
| 47.5 : N Lyon to Ali, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 47.6 : N Lyon to Ali, Quicker around off and middle, Ali gets forward to defend but gets an inside edge onto the front pad. Maiden for Lyon as well. |
| 48.1 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Outside off, left alone. |
| 48.2 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Banged short on the stumps, Jonny ducks to let that pass. |
| 48.3 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, This is angled on around off, defended with a straight bat. |
| 48.4 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Again outside off, easy leave for JB. |
| Slip goes out to a straight mid-wicket. |
| 48.5 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Josh pulls his length back and serves this just outside off. Bairstow punches it towards covers. |
| 48.6 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Fuller on off, defended with a half-stride forward. Third maiden in a row from the hosts. They are really keeping it tight here. |
| Another problem with the Kookaburra in this match. The umpire has it with him for a check. All good to play now. Meanwhile, a man comes under the helmet at short leg to go with the couple of slips. |
| 49.1 : N Lyon to Ali, Beauty! Floated around off, Ali strides forward for a defense but the ball spins past the outside edge. How good it feels to see spin available outside the subcontinent. And that being used as well. |
| 49.2 : N Lyon to Ali, Clever bowling. Darts in an arm ball next up, Ali lunges forward and gets an inside edge to short leg. |
| 49.3 : N Lyon to Ali, First run for the day, first for Ali, one on the board. This one is nudged through square leg for one. |
| 49.4 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Flatter on off, defended off the back foot. |
| 49.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Now JonnyB picks up his first run by turning this through square leg for one. |
| 49.6 : N Lyon to Ali, Another one to end the over and MA turns this through mid-wicket. |
| Short leg in place now. Short stuff in the radar? |
| 50.1 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Banged short from round the wicket, Ali ducks to let it go. |
| 50.2 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Another bouncer, same response from Moeen. |
| Danger zone! That's what Hazlewood treaded on after bowling the previous one due to which Dharmasena told him to get off that area. No warning yet. |
| 50.3 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Ali shoulders arms to let this delivery outside off pass. |
| 50.4 : J Hazlewood to Ali, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 50.5 : J Hazlewood to M Ali, Fuller this time, driven to mid on. |
| 50.6 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Length ball outside off, Ali plays inside the line and lets the keeper do the rest. Josh continues bowling maidens. |
| 51.1 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Floated full on off, driven to mid-wicket. Good thing that he's playing it with the turn. |
| 51.2 : N Lyon to J Bairstow, Fuller on off, driven towards mid off. |
| 51.3 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 51.4 : N Lyon to Bairstow, This is landed just outside off, JB prods forward and buries it. |
| 51.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Goes back to this one to keep it to the leg side. |
| 51.6 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Comes over the wicket for the final delivery and lands it around off, the English keeper defends it to the on side. Lyon is back with another maiden. |
| 52.1 : J Hazlewood to Ali, Length ball on the stumps, Ali taps it towards mid-wicket and rotates strike. |
| 52.2 : J Hazlewood to J Bairstow, FOUR! Nicely timed. This is full outside, Bairstow gets his stride out and drives it beautifully through covers. Lyon gives it a chase from point, slides yet is unable to stop that. Michael Vaughan comments that the batter did well to hold his shape there. |
| 52.3 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Banged short outside off, JB says, nothing doing. |
| 52.4 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Full just outside off, full face of the bat shown in defending that. |
| 52.5 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Length delivery outside off, cut straight to Lyon at point. |
| 52.6 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| Pressure or something else? Before this series Ali had played 120 balls and and scored 84 runs without losing his wicket to Lyon. But in these series alone, he has lost it 6 times to the spinner and has faced 176 balls for his 89 runs. |
| 53.1 : N Lyon to Ali, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 53.2 : N Lyon to Ali, This one is clipped through mid-wicket for a brace. But hello! The throw was at the keeper's end and Ali was in the firing line. He had to duck-dive to evade the ball. Ian Healy quips that Ali is getting bouncers all over the place! |
| 53.3 : N Lyon to Ali, Forward defense exhibited to this one. |
| 53.4 : N Lyon to Ali, Outside off, left alone. |
| 53.5 : N Lyon to Ali, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 53.6 : N Lyon to Ali, Floated on the stumps, kept out with a lunge. |
| Pat Cummins to have a bowl now. |
| 54.1 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Fuller on off, defended off the front foot. |
| 54.2 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Clipped away through square leg for one. |
| 54.3 : Pat Cummins to Ali, Just over the fielder! This is bowled fuller outside off, Ali slices it without any foot movement and hits it aerially towards point. Mitchell Marsh gets to his left from backward point and times his jump to perfection. Yet the ball evades him, just like grapes did in that 'Fox and the grapes' tale. This allows Ali to pick up three there. Moeen was hanging on the back foot expecting a short stuff and hence played it in the air when offered full. |
| 54.4 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| 54.5 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Jonny defends this one from the crease. |
| Don't mind a flat pitch if it offers spin, helps the pacers as well, says Shane Warne on air. He reckons that a track like the one at MCG isn't good for the game but this one is, as there's something for everyone. |
| 54.6 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Jonny flicks it away with a wristy shot. One run added to the total. |
| 55.1 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Floated on off, turned with the spin through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 55.2 : N Lyon to Ali, Ali defends this off the front foot. |
| 55.3 : N Lyon to Ali, MA has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 55.4 : N Lyon to Ali, Moeen gets half-forward and defends it watchfully. |
| 55.5 : N Lyon to Ali, Straighter outside off, left alone. |
| 55.6 : N Lyon to Ali, Ali lets go off another one that is outside the line of the stumps. |
| 56.1 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Length ball on the pads, clipped through square leg for a couple. |
| 56.2 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Banged short on the stumps, ducked under by Jonny. |
| 56.3 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, This is short down the leg side, JonnyB crouches low to let that go. |
| 56.4 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Punched off the back foot towards covers and seeing Warner get to the ball, Jonny shouts NO. |
| 56.5 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 56.6 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Length ball outside off, defended towards the cover region. |
| 57.1 : N Lyon to Ali, Flatter on off, Ali gets an outside edge towards backward point. |
| 57.2 : N Lyon to Ali, Fuller this time, allows Ali to get forward and keep it out. |
| 57.3 : N Lyon to Ali, Turn and beaten. Ali lunges forward to defend but the ball spins away and he gets beaten all ends up. |
| 57.4 : N Lyon to Ali, Served outside off, defended towards covers. |
| 57.5 : N Lyon to Ali, Flat and outside off, Ali lifts his bat to let it go. |
| 57.6 : N Lyon to Ali, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 58.1 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Bumper on the stumps, he ducks. |
| 58.2 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Slower one on a fuller length, Bairstow reads it well and pushes it to mid on. |
| 58.3 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, On a length outside off, punched towards covers. |
| Positive news. Root is seen in his whites and is padded up. Good to bat, perhaps. |
| 58.4 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 58.5 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, This is outside out on a fuller length, Bairstow points his bat skywards to let it go. |
| 58.6 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Full outside off, Jonny times his drive through covers and gets a couple. |
| Absence of wind? A spectator is seen wearing a cap with a fan on it. But the fan is not seen moving. Thus, although the temperature is lower than yesterday, there's no wind blowing. |
| 59.1 : N Lyon to Ali, Tossed up on off, defended off the front foot. |
| 59.2 : N Lyon to Ali, This is served outside off, Ali lets it be. |
| 59.3 : N Lyon to Ali, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 59.4 : N Lyon to Ali, Straighter in line, worked away through mid-wicket for one. |
| 59.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Jonny gets nicely forward to bunt this into the ground. |
| 59.6 : N Lyon to Bairstow, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 60.1 : Pat Cummins to Ali, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 60.2 : Pat Cummins to Ali, Ouch! That will sting. Ali looks to duck under this looking at the length. But the ball doesn't climb as expected and he gets it off his arms towards the right of the keeper. A leg bye taken. |
| 60.3 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Bouncer but down the leg, Jonny lets it be unhindered. |
| 60.4 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Another one, this time in line of the stumps, JB ducks. |
| 60.5 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, This one is tucked down to fine leg for one. |
| 60.6 : Pat Cummins to M Ali, FOUR! First one edged in the day and it results in a boundary. This is on a length just outside off, Ali hangs his bat at that and he gets an edge. The ball lands just short of second slip and goes to the fence for a boundary. |
| 61.1 : N Lyon to Bairstow, This ball is turned through mid-wicket for one. |
| 61.2 : Lyon to Ali, OUT! Nathan Lyon 7, Moeen Ali 0! This one is pushed slower through the air in line of the stumps, Ali lunges forward to defend. He did that expecting the turn but the ball skids on with the arm, with a puff of dust. Hits Ali on the pads right in front of the stumps. A huge cry of success follows which is agreed to by Joel Wilson after a thought. Ali shakes his head as he knows he has been undone by the wily tweaker yet again. Doesn't waste a review even after thinking about it |
| Joe Root comes out to resume his innings. He is on 42 without a boundary yet. Rightly so, he is greeted with a warm applause by the SCG crowd. Observed this many times, the Aussie crowd is one of the sportiest. |
| 61.3 : N Lyon to Root, Around off, defended from the crease. |
| 61.4 : N Lyon to Root, Root goes back and keeps it out to short leg. |
| 61.5 : N Lyon to Root, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 61.6 : N Lyon to Root, This is defended off the front foot onto the ground. A successful over for Lyon. |
| Mitchell Starc into the attack now. |
| 62.1 : M Starc to Bairstow, On the pads, flicked away round the corner for one. |
| 62.2 : M Starc to Root, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 62.3 : M Starc to Root, FOUR! First one for Root in this innings. This is sprayed wide outside off, Joe reaches out to it and gets it off the outer edge through backward point. The ball races away to the fence, although it wasn't far from the fielder there. |
| 62.4 : M Starc to Root, Nicely flicked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 62.5 : M Starc to Bairstow, Length ball on the stumps, defended from the crease. |
| 62.6 : M Starc to Bairstow, Full outside off, left alone. |
| 63.1 : N Lyon to Root, Shortish ball outside off, turning back in, Root goes back and defends. |
| 63.2 : N Lyon to Root, Good shot! Leans forward and across to a tossed up delivery and drives it through covers to come back for a couple. Slater on air says that he is certainly playing more shots today than he did yesterday. Moves to 49! |
| 63.3 : N Lyon to Root, Swept hard! Floats it up outside off, Root gets down and nails the sweep but it hits Bancroft on the right shin at short leg. That must have stung. |
| 63.4 : N Lyon to Root, Beaten! Flatter and quicker through the air outside off, Joe stays deep in the crease to defend but there is a bit of extra bounce which nearly kisses the outside edge of his bat. |
| 63.5 : N Lyon to Root, 37th Test fifty for Joe 'Unwell' Root! The moment he stepped in, it seems like nothing had happened to him overnight. Gets a huge applause from the crowd as he raises the bat. Well played! But now the question is, will we finally see him converting this? Ball - Full on middle and leg, clipped right between short leg and leg slip. The ball goes towards the fine leg fence and by the time the fielder hunts it down they take three. |
| 63.6 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Outside off, pushed quicker through the air, left alone. |
| 64.1 : M Starc to Root, Back of a length delivery outside off, the English skipper hangs back and punches it towards Warner at mid off. |
| 64.2 : M Starc to Root, Fuller in length and just outside off, nicely leans into it and drives it towards cover. |
| 64.3 : M Starc to Root, Shorter in length and zipping off the surface, left alone by Joe. |
| 64.4 : M Starc to Root, Fuller and angling in, worked towards the man at mid on. |
| 64.5 : M Starc to Root, Fuller ball on the stumps, Root gets across and tries to clip this one away. It deflects off Bancroft's right shin at short leg and rolls further away. They think about the run but then decide against it. |
| 64.6 : M Starc to Root, Driven but off the inner half! Slater on air goes, Root has certainly loosened up today! Fullish in length on off, Joe leans to drive but gets it off the inner half back to Starc who mimes a throw at the striker's end. |
| 65.1 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Floated delivery outside off, blocked off the front foot. |
| 0.0 : Good plan from Lyon. The wily spinner spots that Bairstow is standing outside the off stump. So what does Lyon do? He goes wider of the crease from over the wicket and is trying to spin it through the gate... |
| 65.2 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Spinning in from outside off, tucked with the spin past short leg. |
| 65.3 : N Lyon to Bairstow, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| 65.4 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Dances down the track to bunt it back to Lyon. |
| 65.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Eases this loop ball outside off against the turn through cover for one. |
| 65.6 : N Lyon to Root, Howzzzaat? Flatter ball outside off, skidding a touch after pitching. Root tries to cut but the ball sneaks under his bat to the keeper. They appeal but then bail out immediately. |
| 66.1 : M Starc to Bairstow, Fuller and angling in on the stumps, blocked by getting behind the line. |
| 0.0 : Okay then! We get a clarification about the English skipper's health. For all you users out there, Joe Root was down with a gastro bug. So, it has got nothing to do with the scorching heat yesterday, clarifies Mark Nicholas on air. |
| 66.2 : M Starc to Bairstow, Bumper on middle and leg, easily ducked under. |
| 66.3 : M Starc to Bairstow, Strangles one down the leg side, Bairstow misses the clip. |
| 66.4 : M Starc to Bairstow, On the stumps, driven towards back to the bowler. |
| 66.5 : M Starc to Bairstow, Hazlewood hits the stumps from fine leg. Bang on Joshyyy! Bairstow clips one down towards fine leg and gets to the other end. The Aussie pacer scores a direct hit from fine leg at the striker's end but Root was easily in. |
| 66.6 : M Starc to Root, Hits Bancroft again! Fuller in length and angling in, flicked straight to short leg wear Cameron gets hit on the right shin. Joe walks to him and is seen showing some concern towards him. Good to see. |
| 67.1 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Darted on the stumps, nudged towards mid on. |
| 67.2 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Flattish ball on middle, Bairstow hangs back in defense. |
| 67.3 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Clips it with the turn towards short mid-wicket. |
| 67.4 : N Lyon to Bairstow, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 67.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, The ball turns back in slowly from outside off, tucked past short leg and comes back for a double. |
| 67.6 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Goes around the wicket and serves it around middle and off. Jonny comes down the track and nearly yorks himself. Squeezes it out to mid off. |
| 68.1 : M Starc to Root, Starc comes in from over the wicket and hits the deck hard, Root quickly sits under it. |
| 68.2 : M Starc to Root, Short and strangled down leg, Root swivels to pull but misses it completely. The keeper takes it with a move to his left. |
| 68.3 : M Starc to Root, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 68.4 : M Starc to Root, That's hit him flush on the helmet! But no reaction from Bancroft whatsoever! Goodness me! This bloke is seriously made of steel or what? Shortish ball at 124.3 kph, Root picks up the length early and swivels to pull it away. He does so but it hits Cameron at short leg. The ball goes off the helmet onto the left shoulder and then dies down. Root shows concern but the Aussie opener reckons he is completely alright. |
| Cameron Bancroft has asked for a new helmet. The physio is out but the Aussie opener seems to be completely alright. |
| 68.5 : M Starc to Root, Stays behind the line and stabs it out comfortably. |
| 68.6 : M Starc to Root, This one is fired at 140.7 kph, Root is hurried onto this one as he manages to defend it back to the bowler. |
| 69.1 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Turning in from a shorter length outside off, turned towards short leg. |
| 69.2 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Quicker one outside off, defended with bat and pad together. |
| 69.3 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Flatter one but the line is wide outside the off stump line. Bairstow plants his front foot across before making a leave. |
| 69.4 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Goes deep in the crease and tucks it towards mid-wicket for nothing. |
| 69.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Cameron Bancroft at it again. He's a busy man reckons Mark Nicholas on air. Loopy delivery around middle and off, Josh works it with the spin. It hits Bancroft low on the left boot at short leg and doesn't lob. |
| 69.6 : N Lyon to Bairstow, A shout for an LBW! Turning in from a shorter length outside off, Bairstow misses his tuck to wear it high on the thigh pad. Lyon puts in an appeal but the umpire shakes his head. Hawk Eye shows - Impact is well outside the line and also missing the stumps. |
| Josh Hazlewood is back on. |
| 70.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Josh comes in from over the wicket and hides the ball in his left hand. Delivers it full on middle and leg, clipped through square leg for a single. |
| 70.2 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Back of a length delivery on middle and off, defended by getting right behind the line. |
| 70.3 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Drops it a bit short and it's outside off, stabbed off the back foot. |
| 70.4 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Fuller in length and on the stumps, pushed towards the man at silly mid on. |
| 70.5 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Hazlewood is very straight on this occasion. Jonny walks across and flicks it neatly through square leg to collect a couple. |
| 70.6 : J Hazlewood to Bairstow, Bangs in a short one outside off, Jonny B drops his wrists to let it be. |
| 71.1 : N Lyon to Root, Keeps it full around off, Root leans across and works it with the spin off the inner half towards short mid-wicket. |
| 71.2 : N Lyon to Root, Presses forward and defends it towards the silly point fielder. |
| 71.3 : N Lyon to Root, Nudges it through the leg side. Another dot. |
| 71.4 : N Lyon to Root, Goes against the turn does Joe! Flighted delivery outside off, Root takes a big stride forward and drives it through cover. Cummins gives it a chase and slides to pull the ball back in play. Three runs picked up. |
| 71.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, On a flatter trajectory, Bairstow sees the line is outside the off stump and hence, keeps his opposite number busy. |
| 71.6 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Hangs back, allows the ball to turn and tucks it past short leg. |
| 72.1 : J Hazlewood to Joe Root, Some movement in the air! Fuller and curling back in a touch, Root looks to drive but gets it off the inner half back to Josh. |
| 72.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Shortish and outside off, JR arches back to place it towards point. |
| 72.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, Covers the line nicely and answers it with a straight blade. |
| 72.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, Bangs in a short one on middle and off, Joe Root sits under the bumper. |
| 72.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Reverse happening here! Hazlewood targets the stumps, keeps it really full and gets a bit of curl inwards. Root jams it out towards the leg side. Nearly falls over in doing so. |
| 72.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, Good length delivery, this one stays a touch low, Root keeps it out towards the cover fielder. |
| Mitchell Marsh is brought into the attack for the first time in this innings. |
| 73.1 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Steams in from over the wicket, lands it just around off, nips back in appreciably. Bairstow gets his front foot across and makes a leave. It wasn't far from the off pole. |
| 73.2 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Drags his length back, it's outside off, Jonny hangs back and punches it towards cover. |
| 73.3 : M Marsh to J Bairstow, Pitches it up this time, driven off the middle but straight to mid off. |
| 73.4 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Wider outside off, nothing doing says Jonny. |
| The keeper is up to the stumps now. Interesting move... |
| 73.5 : M Marsh to Bairstow, This one literally took off! A real good take from Paine as well! Shorter in length and kicking off the deck, Bairstow initially tries to fiddle with it but then withdraws the bat. |
| 73.6 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Now this one stays low! Nearly got the better of Bairstow! Similar length but instead of rising it stays really low. Jonny manages to get some bat to it. Maiden for Marsh, a good one. |
| 74.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Back of a length delivery outside off, Root stays back in defense. |
| 74.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Marginally ahead of a length, in the corridor outside off, a solid defense on offer from JR. |
| 74.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, Angling in from outside off, clipped by hopping across to the leg side. |
| 74.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, Shortish delivery on middle, Root gets on top of the bounce and pulls it along the ground through mid-wicket for a brace. |
| 74.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Good length delivery outside off, nipping back in just a touch, Root presses forward to defend but gets an inside edge on the pads as the ball rolls towards cover. |
| 74.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, Fuller in length at the base of the stumps, Root brings his bat down at the angle and wrists it towards short mid-wicket. LUNCH ON DAY 5! |
| One box ticked, two more to go for England. It came as a shocker in the morning when Root was hospitalized and it seemed like the task will be all the more easy for the Aussies to wrap things up. But, it wasn't. Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali negotiated the first hour and it was that man again who picked the only wicket to fall. Yes, Lyon dismissed Ali (his bunny) in the series for the 7th time to get the crowd going. |
| Next walked, Joe Root to resume his innings. Mind you, the bout of illness didn't get the better of him. In fact, he looked all the more in the zone. He didn't score a boundary yesterday and scored one on the 6th ball that he faced today - should tell you the man's mindset. He registered yet another fifty and got perfect support from his keeper-batsman, who has consumed 133 balls. Their stand is worth 48 and they are still 159 runs adrift. All that doesn't matter but it's the dodgy resistance th |
| Australia have been good, especially Nathan Lyon who held one end up. Bowled a marathon spell this morning but the surface hasn't worn out as one would have expected it to. Still they are in the driver's seat and all they need is to break this stand. The second new ball is just 5 overs away. Will we get to see the third session? Join us back shortly... |
| ... Last Day, Penultimate Session ... |
| Grit and perseverance had to be on show. England stood gritty while Australia persevered. More of the same? Let's find out as we head to the action. Here's another surprise to greet us. Joe Root has retired due to illness and TOM CURRAN has come out to bat. Bairstow will face the first delivery of this session to be bowled by Pat Cummins. |
| 75.1 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Full ball to start with, in line of the stumps, turned towards mid-wicket. |
| 75.2 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, On a length in line of the stumps, defended from the crease. |
| 75.3 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Similar ball, blocked from the crease. |
| 75.4 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Putting a brave front even after taking a blow. Bairstow looks to evade this short ball angling down leg but is unable to do so. Hits him on the arm and rolls towards the left of the keeper. He holds the pose though, as if nothing had happened. |
| Just a reminder. Curran had a decent time with the bat in the first essay. He scored a strokeful 39 then. |
| 75.5 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, This one is kept out towards mid-wicket. |
| 75.6 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Fuller in length, driven back towards the bowler. Pat your back, Pat, as it is a maiden. |
| Nathan Lyon back on. |
| 76.1 : N Lyon to Curran, Flatter on off and middle, flicked away. |
| 76.2 : N Lyon to Curran, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 76.3 : N Lyon to Curran, Tom prods forward and bunts it down. |
| 76.4 : N Lyon to Curran, Worked away to the on side with the spin. |
| 76.5 : N Lyon to Curran, Another one around off, Curran smothers it. |
| 76.6 : N Lyon to Curran, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 77.1 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Bowled in line of the stumps, kept out from the crease. |
| 77.2 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, On the pads, flicked away towards square leg. |
| 77.3 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Length ball outside off, Jonny gets squared up and defends it towards gully. |
| 77.4 : Cummins to Bairstow, OUT! This is the big one in the context of this scenario. Bairstow could have been THAT thorn in the flesh that would have frustrated the Aussies. How often in the sport have we seen a break get a wicket for a team? Cummins angles this full on the stumps, Bairstow fails to clip it away and gets hit on the front pad. An appeal made and Joel Wilson - as has been his habit recently - thinks over it and then raises the dreaded finger. Jonny talks to his partner about the r |
| Stuart Broad is the next man in. News from the English camp is that Root was exhausted in the Lunch break. |
| 77.5 : Pat Cummins to S Broad, FOUR! Lucky runs! Broad expects a short one and hangs back but gets a full one just around off. Plays at it and gets an outside edge through the slip cordon for a boundary. |
| 77.6 : Pat Cummins to Broad, OUT! Pat Cummins has come out all guns blazing after the break. 7th wicket for him in this game. He runs in and bangs it short on the body of the batter. Broad is caught by surprise as he tries to fend it away. The ball takes the gloves and goes in the air for Paine to catch that. Short stay for him as the hosts are just three wickets away from glory. |
| Mason Crane walks in with the bat now. |
| 78.1 : N Lyon to Curran, Curran stays back to this one and blocks. |
| 78.2 : N Lyon to Curran, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 78.3 : N Lyon to Curran, Tom gets to the pitch of the ball and defends it. |
| 78.4 : N Lyon to Curran, Lunged forward and blocked. |
| 78.5 : N Lyon to Tom Curran, Floated around off, eased towards mid on. |
| 78.6 : N Lyon to Curran, Maiden over this as Curran defends it from the crease. |
| 79.1 : Pat Cummins to Crane, Length ball on the stumps, defended from the crease. |
| 79.2 : Pat Cummins to Crane, Length ball on the pads, tucked away just past leg gully for one. |
| 79.3 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Just in time! This is a bumper on the stumps, Tom just manages to evade it in the nick of time. He could have got hit and the it would have been hard to explain if he would have been pained by the hit or the plight of his side. |
| 79.4 : Pat Cummins to Curran, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| Good point. The on-air commentators laud Australia's field placements. They reckon that hosts are ready with their plans and are just executing it on the field like a click of a mouse. On the contrary, England always seemed unsure of their field settings and the players were just moving about, observes Ian Chappell. |
| 79.5 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Another bouncer, well evaded. |
| 79.6 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Cummins goes round the stumps and bangs this short down the leg side. Left alone. |
| More agony for England? Australia hope to pile up the misery as they opt for the second new ball as soon as it is available. Mitchell Starc to make first use of it. |
| 80.1 : M Starc to Crane, Full on middle and leg, flicked away through fine leg for one. |
| 80.2 : Starc to Curran, Yorker on the stumps, well dug out by Tom. |
| 80.3 : M Starc to Curran, FOUR! Off the mark with an edge. He does so off the 18th ball that he faces. Goes chasing this full ball outside off and gets a thick outside edge through the vacant gully region. Nobody to stop the ball from going all the way. |
| 80.4 : M Starc to Curran, Short ball down the leg side, pulled away towards fine leg for two. |
| Fine leg moves to leg slip. |
| 80.5 : M Starc to Curran, Almost played on. Starc runs in from round the wickets and bowls it full in line of the stumps. Tom looks to drive but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 80.6 : M Starc to Curran, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| DRS time! Crane has been ruled out caught behind but he feels he hasn't edged it. Takes it upstairs. |
| 81.1 : Pat Cummins to Crane, OUT! Waste of a review which means Australia are just moments away from going up 4-0! Cummins bends his back and bangs it short outside off. Crane goes back and looks to fend it but seems to have edged it to the keeper. The umpire agrees and gives him the marching order. Mason opts for the DRS though. A first look at Hot Spot shows that it isn't a great idea as he had gloved it indeed. Wonder how can someone not realise that he has gloved a ball. Cummins gets his fou |
| 0.0 : James Anderson walks in next. Last batter? No Joe Root? That's how things look right now. |
| 81.2 : Pat Cummins to Anderson, Almost a fifer! Back of a length ball outside off, Jimmy has a wild poke at it but misses. |
| 81.3 : Pat Cummins to Anderson, Another one. Shane Warne says that Anderson is trying hard to give Pat a fifer. The latter fishes at a wide one yet again. |
| 81.4 : Pat Cummins to Anderson, Length ball on off is blocked from the crease. |
| Joe Root isn't seen sitting in the balcony and this could be the last pair, opines Michael Clarke on air. |
| 81.5 : Pat Cummins to Anderson, Anderson evades this bouncer by ducking under this. |
| 81.6 : Pat Cummins to Anderson, Another play and a miss. Maiden for Cummins. |
| 82.1 : M Starc to Curran, Short ball angling away, Curran looks to pull but misses. |
| 82.2 : M Starc to Curran, This ball is kept out from the crease. |
| 82.3 : M Starc to Curran, FOUR! The Barmy Army cheers this boundary loudly as positives have been as hard to find as water in a desert. Curran slices this full ball and collects runs as the ball rolls through point. |
| 82.4 : M Starc to Curran, Is that it? No! Fuller in line of the stumps, Curran gets hit on the pads. Big appeal turned down. Pitching outside leg, perhaps. |
| 82.5 : M Starc to Curran, Length ball outside off, defended towards point. |
| 82.6 : M Starc to Curran, The batsman picked that bouncer early and let it through to the keeper. |
| Clarke and Warne are of the opinion that Joe Root would definitely come out to bat, being the captain of the side. But the medical staff and the team management should consider that based on their assessment as it could prove to be dangerous apart from being futile. |
| 83.1 : Pat Cummins to Anderson, Banged short in line of the stumps, the batter ducks. |
| 83.2 : Cummins to Anderson, Spears a yorker aiming at the stumps, Jimmy digs it out. |
| Another update about Root. He's asleep in the dressing room. So that should indicate the end. Get well soon, Joey! |
| 83.3 : Pat Cummins to Anderson, That stayed low! It wasn't in line of the stumps though. Anderson hops up based on the length but the ball goes below his bat. |
| 83.4 : Pat Cummins to Anderson, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 83.5 : Pat Cummins to Anderson, This is outside off, Anderson looks to play at that but decides against that and lets it go. |
| Look what extra pace can do. Looking at the track yesterday, most though Lyon to run through the opposition and end up with a fifer. But Cummins has bent his back well and has been rewarded with wickets - 4 of them so far. |
| 83.6 : Pat Cummins to J Anderson, Fuller around off, dug out towards backward point off the outer edge. Another maiden. |
| 84.1 : M Starc to Curran, Short ball on the stumps, nudged through backward square leg for one. |
| 84.2 : M Starc to Anderson, Short ball around off, Jimmy hops up and keeps it down towards gully. Anderson took his bottom edge off the handle which could have saved him here. |
| 84.3 : M Starc to Anderson, This is blocked from the crease to the off side. |
| 84.4 : M Starc to Anderson, Bouncer angling down leg, Anderson gets out of the line in time. |
| 84.5 : M Starc to Anderson, Full on the pad, Anderson clips it away through mid-wicket for a brace. Gets off the mark after 14 balls, drawing an applause from the crowd. |
| 84.6 : M Starc to Anderson, Well played Jimmy. Hops up and keeps this short ball down towards backward square leg. |
| 85.1 : Pat Cummins to Curran, FOUR! Where did that come from? Full in length and a line just around off. Curran drives it on the up through mid off for a boundary. |
| 0.0 : Sixth over on the trot for Pat. Warne says that Hazlewood was seen warming up about 8 times in the last few minutes. At the same time, with a five-fer in sight, it would be hard to get the ball off Pat's hands. |
| 85.2 : Pat Cummins to Curran, FOUR! Bang! Take that! Short in length, pulled confidently through mid-wicket for another boundary. |
| 85.3 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Bouncer! The batsman ducks in time to let that one go over him. |
| 85.4 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Curran misses the pull shot on this one. |
| 85.5 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Oh my god! That'll ruffle his feathers. Banged short, Tom fails to crouch under that completely and takes it on his left shoulder. That's one for tomorrow, says Clarke on air. Bank on him to sledge the opposition even when he isn't playing. |
| 85.6 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Just away from short leg! Back of a length ball angling in, fended away just past Bancroft for nothing. |
| Happy Birthday Josh Hazlewood! Here's his chance to get his name in the wickets column. |
| 86.1 : J Hazlewood to Anderson, Short outside off, Anderson doesn't poke at that. |
| 86.2 : J Hazlewood to Anderson, Bumper in line of the stumps, evaded. |
| 86.3 : J Hazlewood to Anderson, This length ball is defended with an angled bat towards point. |
| The previous one might have been Cummins' last. Smith is seen having a chat with Lyon. Warne reckons the latter would be requesting his skipp to let Pat bowl another. |
| 86.4 : J Hazlewood to Anderson, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 86.5 : J Hazlewood to Anderson, Josh comes over the wicket and angles it across. Anderson ones again tries his best to nick it but fails. |
| 86.6 : J Hazlewood to Anderson, Short of length, Jimmy hops and keeps it down next to him. Was a bit early into the shot there. |
| Nathan Lyon to bowl. |
| 87.1 : N Lyon to Curran, Curran has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 87.2 : N Lyon to Curran, Another one around off, blocked off the front foot. |
| 87.3 : N Lyon to Curran, FOUR! What a stroke! This is tossed up outside off, Curran charges down, gets to the pitch of the ball and drives it inside out through covers, all along the ground. Gets a boundary that takes him to 23 off 37. |
| 87.4 : N Lyon to Curran, Arm ball outside off, Tom lets it be. |
| 87.5 : N Lyon to Curran, Five Penalty runs! This one goes straight past the outside edge as it stays low. Beats the batter as well as the keeper. Goes on to strike the helmet behind and hence the penalty. |
| 87.6 : N Lyon to Curran, Negotiates this one with a forward defense. |
| Time for some liquid intake! |
| 88.1 : J Hazlewood to Anderson, OUT! Is that it? Yes it is! Length ball angling away from Anderson. As he has been trying all along, looks to fend away from his body. This time the ball doesn't miss the outside edge and goes straight to Paine behind. They appeal and umpire Dharmasena takes his time before ruling it out. Anderson wants to take the review but he is informed that there isn't any in the bank. Birthday gift for Hazlewood who gets his first scalp of the innings. It is confirmed that Ro |
| Clinical performance from the hosts! This is the 8th highest victory in the Ashes, pings my colleague. Nevertheless, even without those figures the performances speak for themselves. Let's hear the players speak on the sidelines first as Mark Nicholas and Michael Slater catch up with some of the Aussies. |
| First is Usman Khawaja. Ashes win feels great he says. Reckons that all the firt three games were in the balance. Feels good that he has contributed in some way in this victory. Lauds his bowlers for their collective efforts. Says that they were consistent and hence the results show. Jokes that having Smith helps as well. |
| Mitchell Marsh is next up. He feels elated to be a part of the victorious side. Reckons that feels crazy to win 4-0 and contribute with a couple of tons. Admits it was a special feeling to be with his brother at the time of their tons. Adds further that he was more emotional for his brother's ton. |
| Nathan Lyon is really delighted with the win. Feels good to do well another Smith's captaincy who has been really good with his tactics, he reckons. Adds it wouldn't have been possible to come out good with the ball without the three quicks (Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins). States is happy to be a part of the best bowling attack. Opines it has been a complete team effort on their part. Credits selectors for believing in each one of them. Ends by saying the best feeling is to get that urn back. Can |
| This has been yet another abject surrender from the tourists. Yes, they were on the ground for a long time but they themselves were the cause for the same. After getting a chance to bat again, they somehow barely managed to bring the game to the last day but it was just about delaying the inevitable. With a sick Joe Root in the dressing room, the task on the final day grew all the more monumental. |
| Picture this. England were 228/3 on the first day before losing the plot and slipping to 251/6. This is just a sample of the entire stock. All along the tour they have been in such dominant positions at various times before letting things drift away from them. A lower order surge helped them post what seemed like a decent score at that point. But the Aussie batters came out like a storm to quell all such thoughts. |
| Every Australian batter apart from Cameron Bancroft made hay while the sun shone to get scores above a fifty. Usman Khawaja and the Marsh brothers went to the extent of notching up their tons. This meant that the hosts ended up having a 303-run lead over the visitors. From then, it was all about when rather than if. The formalities were done completed and here we are on the other side. Time for the presentation now... |
| Player of the Match, PAT CUMMINS, says he can't ask for more. Adds that it is fun to play with the bunch that he has. States that they (the bowlers) always run in and attack and think nothing else. Reckons that every kid dreams of playing in the Ashes and he is happy to realise the same. |
| Since Joe Root, the English skipper is down with illness, vice-captain JAMES ANDERSON has a chat in his absence. Says that Root is fast asleep as he hasn't recovered completely from his gastro bug. Agrees that they have been in the game on many occasions but haven't been able to capitalise on the key moments. Lauds the opposition's bowling attack as well as the batters' efforts to score runs, something that they themselves failed to do. Ends being grateful to the Barmy Army who have supported hi |
| Australian skipper STEVEN SMITH is also the Player of the Series. Huge applause engulfs the SCG and deservingly so. He says everything went to plan. Appreciates the fact that they have managed to pick up 80 wickets in the series. Stresses on the collective efforts of his bowlers as well as his batters. Reckons that although England have had a foot in the door in all the games, his side did extremely well to seize those key moments and prevail. States how good it feels to not have an injury casua |
| That look on his face says it all. Ever tried giving a kid the candy that it always desired? And then had a look at its face? That's how Steven Smith looks as he goes up to collect the trophy. The entire team joins him on the podium and they all rejoice. Post all the posing and the photo shoots, they all take a lap of honour around the SCG. Lovely to see them give it back to the fans who have come out in large numbers in support. Autographs are signed as well. Always good to see success being ce |
| Phew! That brings us to the end of Ashes 2017-18. A bit of mixed feelings. A bit dejected as it has ended yet feeling glad and upbeat for the way it happened. All things have to end, eventually. England will certainly look at this series as many opportunities missed. It is said that opportunity knocks the door twice. It did so more than that for England but they had bolted the door and lost the key. Give an inch to Australia and they grab a mile. The home side did just that and the end results i |
| Hope you had as much fun being with as we did bringing the coverage to you. Thank you for being wonderful readers. That's not the end of these two sides in action, though. Both these sides now clash for the ODI series. The first game of the series is on Sunday, the 14th of January, 2018 at the MCG. Catch us then at 1420 local time (0320 GMT). For some more Test cricket, you can switch to the South Africa-India game, which is in the balance and has good weather forecast for the last couple of day |
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