| 0.0 : We're here! Australia are here. England are here. One more Test match to go in this pulsating series. There's some unfinished business for both sides. The team from Down Under want that elusive Test series win in England. The urn alone won't do, they are getting greedy, they want more. Feed them more. England want their equal bite of the cake. They can't have the urn but they certainly can reduce the Aussie fun. One aim, win and level the series. Who will succeed? Will surely know all the answer |
| Team news - England have kept no secret about their Playing XI. They are under the pump but still appear to be confident. Their squad of 13 remains the same but there are a couple of changes in the eleven. Chris Woakes and Sam Curran come in for underperforming Jason Roy and ineffective (with the ball) Craig Overton. Australia have also announced their XII, bringing in the all-rounder Mitchell Marsh in place of inconsistent Travis Head. We will know their Playing XI at the toss. There are talks |
| TOSS - Tim Paine is lucky at the coin toss and AUSTRALIA WILL BOWL! Two changes for them, Travis Head and Mitchell Starc make way for Mitchell Marsh and Peter Siddle. We have already informed about the English XI earlier. |
| Australian skipper, Tim Paine says there is a bit of thick grass on top and the conditions are also a bit overcast which will help his bowlers. He wants to make early inroads. Adds that it will be nice to finish on time as the weather forecast is promising. Informs about the two changes (Marsh and Siddle in for Head and Starc). Terms Travis Head as unlucky as they have brought in Mitchell Marsh for some extra bowling. On playing Pat Cummins for the fifth Test in a row, Paine replies that he is a |
| England captain, Joe Root smiles and is thankful as he didn't have to make the choice but still he would have wanted to bat anyway. Mentions about the covering of grass on the pitch but feels that it will be dry underneath. Reckons that it will be an important first session. Mentions that they want to finish this series 2-2 and there are still World Test Championship points to play for. Praises the crowd for all their support and informs about the two changes - Sam Curran and Chris Woakes in for |
| Australia (Playing XI) - Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh (IN FOR TRAVIS HEAD), Matthew Wade, Tim Paine(WK/C), Pat Cummins, Peter Siddle (IN FOR MITCHELL STARC), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood. |
| England (Playing XI) - Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Joe Root(C), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow(WK), Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes (IN FOR JASON ROY), Sam Curran (IN FOR CRAIG OVERTON), Jofra Archer, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad. |
| Time to get underway! Rory Burns and Joe Denly are the English openers. It's going to be Pat Cummins to steam in with the new red cherry. Three slips and a gully in place. All in readiness, let's play... |
| 0.1 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Beaten straightaway! Cummins serves it close to off stump on a good length, Burns pushes at it from the crease but the angle of the bowler beats his bat. |
| 0.2 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Better from Burns this time. An identical delivery, on and around off, angling away after pitching, Burns shoulders arms. |
| 0.3 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Poor footwork this time by Burns. Fullish and outside off, shaping away, Burns walks in with an indecisive cover drive and gets beaten comprehensively. |
| 0.4 : Pat Cummins to Burns, A touch short in length on this occasion, around off, Rory is on his toes as he taps it down in front of the gully fielder. |
| 0.5 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Straighter delivery this time, on a good length, Burns brings a straight bat down and pushes it towards wide mid on. |
| 0.6 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Left alone! On a driving length outside off, Burns covers his stumps and lets it be. Maiden to start. |
| Josh Hazlewood to share the new ball from the other end. |
| 1.1 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 1.2 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Nearly a drag on! A length ball landing just outside off and shaping in with some extra bounce, Denly decides to make a leave but it takes his gloves and drops near the stumps. |
| 1.3 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Once again some visible extra bounce. Hazlewood delivers it on middle and leg, Denly is hurried up in defense. It once again hits him on the top of the bat and rolls wide of short leg. England are away with a single. |
| 1.4 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Hurls in a length ball in the zone outside off, Burns covers his stumps and shoulders arms. |
| 1.5 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Shortish and on middle, jumping onto the batsman who tries to defend from the crease. No bat it seems as the ball goes off the thigh pad to the off side. |
| 1.6 : J Hazlewood to Burns, FOUR! This shot will make Burns feel a lot confident about himself. Hazlewood overpitches the last delivery of the over, it's outside off and Burns confidently drives it off his front foot. The ball finds the middle of his bat and races through cover-point for a boundary. |
| 2.1 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Good length delivery in the channel outside off, easy pace from Cummins, quips Bumble on air. A comfortable leave for Denly outside off. |
| 2.2 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Angles in a good length delivery on off, Denly sticks on the back foot and defends it down in front of short leg. |
| 2.3 : Pat Cummins to Denly, What a stop, Mitchell Marsh! Top work in the field, making his presence felt. Fuller in length and outside off, Denly unfurls a cracking drive through the line and Marsh at short extra cover makes a fine diving stop. Prevents a boundary and is all smiles. |
| 2.4 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Outside off, Denly has a watchful leave. |
| 2.5 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Soft hands from Joe! Cummins puts it on a fuller length and just outside off, Denly opens the face of the bat with a loose bottom hand. It finds the outer half of his blade and rolls wide of gully for a couple of runs. |
| 2.6 : Pat Cummins to Denly, A glorious straight drive but a stupendous stop in the followthrough by Cummins. Again a certain boundary is prevented. Too full in length on off, Denly drives it back with the full face of the bat but fails to get it past the bowler. |
| 3.1 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 3.2 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Lands it on a length and just outside off, Burns sticks on the back foot and taps it down safely on the off side. |
| Rory Burns is given out lbw after a bit of a thought by Umpire Marais Erasmus! He takes the DRS immediately. Is it too high? One of our old scorers feel there is some inside edge. Hmm... Nothing on the Ultra Edge. Going over the off stump, shows the Ball Tracker. Burns survives. |
| 3.3 : J Hazlewood to Burns, BURNS SURVIVES! Hazlewood delivers it just ahead of a length around middle and gets it to shape back in a shade. Burns is on the back foot looking to defend but misses and takes a blow on his back leg. The Aussies appeal and umpire Erasmus agrees after giving it a thought. Burns is quick to refer it though. The Ultra Edge detects nothing and then the Ball Tracker finds it to be going over the off stump. Good use of the technology by Burns. |
| 3.4 : J Hazlewood to Burns, On middle and off, defended from the back foot by Rory. |
| 3.5 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Another back foot defense by Burns. Solid. |
| 3.6 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Lets the ball go outside his off stump. End of an eventful over. |
| 4.1 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Shout for a caught behind! Not given. Cummins bowls a big inswinger there, landing around off and nipping back in sharply. Denly tries defending but seems to have missed it. It brushes his back leg and travels straight into the gloves of Paine. The Aussie skipper appeals after collecting and Cummins also joins him. Umpire Dharmasena remains unmoved. Good decision by the Sri Lankan, confirms the replays. |
| 4.2 : Pat Cummins to Denly, FOUR! Good effort by Labuschagne but in vain. Cummins lands it on a length outside off, Denly is late in taking his bat away and it kisses the bottom edge. The ball screams away from gully and Marnus gives the chase. He puts in a dive near the fence and tries to pull it back. The replays though show that his right hand was in contact with the rope while he was doing so as the umpire signals a boundary after talking upstairs. |
| 4.3 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Denly has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 4.4 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Excellent delivery again. Denly has no clue about it. A length ball shaping in from a length outside off, Denly pushes at it tamely but is beaten on the inside edge. |
| 4.5 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Bouncer! The batsman ducks in time to let that one go over him. |
| 4.6 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Full and angling down the leg side, Joe tries flicking but fails to put bat on ball. |
| 5.1 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Good length delivery around off, Burns stays back footed and defends it to the off side. |
| 5.2 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Bouncer served by Josh, Burns swayed away at the last moment. |
| 5.3 : J Hazlewood to R Burns, FOUR! Nicely played. No risk at all in this shot. Fuller length delivery on middle and off, Burns just brings down a straight bat and pushes it gently down the ground for a boundary at long on. |
| 5.4 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Plenty of risk on this shot. It's a length ball on off, Burns has a push at it without much footwork and gets an inside edge past the stumps to fine leg. A single is taken. |
| 5.5 : J Hazlewood to Denly, FOUR! This is the chink in his armour. Every time Denly sees width outside off, his eyes light up. Just can't help himself there. Feels he has to go after those deliveries. Once again attempts for a booming drive through the line but ends up slicing it in the air over backward point for a boundary. |
| 5.6 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. 9 from the over but Hazlewood did create a few chances. |
| 6.1 : Pat Cummins to Burns, In the zone outside off, Burns feels no need to play at it. |
| 6.2 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Beaten! This delivery leaves the batsman with the angle of the bowler. Since it appears to be closer to the off stump, Burns decides to have a play at it this time. But the ball keeps on leaving him and beats the outside edge of his willow. |
| 6.3 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Nice and straight from Cummins there. On middle and off, Burns covers the line and blocks it soundly on the leg side. |
| 6.4 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Deceives the batsman a bit there by bowling a bouncer. Burns is on the move for a shot, picks the length late but then does well to duck in time. |
| 6.5 : Pat Cummins to Burns, The follow up delivery from Cummins is a lovely tempter outside off. On a driving length but Burns is not walking into the trap. Makes a sensible leave. |
| 6.6 : Pat Cummins to Burns, FOUR! Easy pickings! Cummins errs in his line on this occasion. This one is served on the leg stump line and Burns neatly deflects it off his pads to the fine leg fence. |
| Change in bowling after a good start from England. Peter Siddle replaces Josh Hazlewood into the attack. Line and length bowler, top of the off stump with a wobble seam - Watch out for him! Three slips stay along with a gully. |
| 7.1 : P Siddle to Denly, Good length ball on middle, jumping in a bit, Denly is on his back foot in defense. |
| 7.2 : P Siddle to Denly, A leg stump line from Siddle on this occasion, Denly flicks but Wade at backward short leg does well to make a fine stop. Saves a few runs there for his team. |
| 7.3 : P Siddle to Denly, Too wide outside off, an easy leave this time by Denly. |
| 7.4 : P Siddle to Denly, Another delivery in the channel outside off, Denly has nothing to do with it as well. |
| 7.5 : P Siddle to Denly, Siddle keeps his line closer to the off stump by angling in a length ball, Denly defends it back safely. |
| 7.6 : P Siddle to Denly, An embarrassing fall for Mitchell Marsh! Short in length and outside off, Denly goes on his toes and punches it past Marsh at extra cover. The tall all-rounder gives the chase, the ball also slows down a bit, Marsh bends to pick it but then lands on his hips. Gets up quickly though and returns the ball in play. Three added to the total. This is now the highest opening stand in this Ashes for either side. Hmm... tells you how mediocre it has been from both teams! |
| 8.1 : Cummins to Denly, Shout for an lbw! Not given. Back of a length ball around off and shaping back in, Denly tries to defend but misses and is hit on the back leg. They appeal but nothing from the umpire. The replays find no wood. A bit similar to Burns' but no DRS involved. |
| 8.2 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Sliding down the leg side, Denly tries flicking but misses. |
| 8.3 : Pat Cummins to Denly, DROPPED, DROPPED, CAUGHT! OUT! Steven Smith eventually holds on to the catch in the third attempt. England have been dropping him but he doesn't return the favour, quips my fellow commentator. A nothing delivery to be honest. It's all Denly's fault that he goes chasing after a length ball outside off. We have talked earlier also about his inability to restrain himself. Goes for a booming drive away from his body only to get a thick outside edge behind. It travels at a |
| Skipper Joe Root is the number 3 batsman. He bagged a golden ducks in the last innings of the previous Test. Would like to make a statement this time around with the talks surrounding his batting when leading England. |
| 8.4 : Pat Cummins to Root, Defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 8.5 : Pat Cummins to Root, Fullish and on middle, Root leans across and clips it wide of mid on for a run. |
| 8.6 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Cummins switches to 'round the wicket and angles in a length ball on middle, Burns punches it down through mid on for a couple of runs. |
| 9.1 : P Siddle to Root, On a length and outside off, Root looks to defend to the off side but the ball off the inside edge towards point. |
| 9.2 : P Siddle to Root, Good length and around off, Root defends it towards point. |
| 9.3 : P Siddle to Root, FOUR! That should ease some nerves for the English skipper. Siddle bowls on a length but offers width and Root obliges by cutting it over backward point and the ball runs down to the vacant third man region. |
| 9.4 : P Siddle to Root, Beaten! Root is in two minds as he prods forward to this length ball, Luckily for him the ball goes past the outside edge. |
| 9.5 : P Siddle to Root, Root defends this length delivery towards the off side. |
| 9.6 : P Siddle to Root, FOUR! You just can't offer width to this man. Siddle once again makes the mistake of offering the width and Root once again carves him over the backward point region for a boundary. |
| Josh Hazlewood is back on. He earlier had Burns lbw only to be overturned by the usage of the DRS. Michael Holding is doing a bit of dissection about his lengths. The broadcaster shows the pitch map of the fourth over where Josh had got Burns. The West Indian tells that all the balls pitched on the good length mark and were hitting the stumps barring one which was the lbw one. Interesting observation. |
| 10.1 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Bouncer! Hazlewood goes short and Burns his happy to let that past over him. |
| 10.2 : J Hazlewood to Burns, On a length and outside off, Burns looks to drive it through the odd side but fails to lay bat on ball. |
| 10.3 : J Hazlewood to Burns, On a fuller length and outside off, Burns defends it off his back foot toward the off side, |
| 10.4 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Hazlewood overpitches and serves one up on his pads, Burns flicks it through the mid-wicket region and the batsmen cross over for three. |
| 10.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Root defends this length delivery outside off towards covers off his back foot. |
| 10.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, Fuller one on the pads, Root flicks it to mid-wicket and keeps the strike. |
| 11.1 : P Siddle to Root, On an length and outside off, Root looks to run it down to third man but ends up playing it to point. |
| 11.2 : P Siddle to Root, BEATEN! Rare false shot from Root. Width on offer on this length ball, Root looks to cut it but is no where near the line of the delivery. |
| 11.3 : P Siddle to Root, Back of a length on middle, Root stands tall and pulls it to mid-wicket but cannot get under the ball and mistimes it. |
| 11.4 : P Siddle to Root, Length ball outside off, Root drives it through covers off the back foot and the batsmen cross for three. |
| 11.5 : P Siddle to R Burns, FOUR! MISFIELD! Burns looks to run this length delivery down to third man but the man at gully dives but fails to gather the ball and it goes past him towards the third man fence. Marnus gives he chase from the slips but he comes second. |
| 11.6 : P Siddle to R Burns,Burns looks to defend this length ball outside off, but gets a soft leading edge which falls short of the third slip. |
| 12.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Angles in a length ball on off, Root covers the line and pushes it out to extra cover. |
| 12.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Angling in on a fuller length around off, Joe is solidly behind the line in defense. |
| 12.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, Keeps it on and around off, a length ball, Root defends it off his back foot. |
| 12.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, Shortish and on top of off stump, Root is on his toes as he taps it down to gully. |
| 12.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Some movement in the air, fuller and on off, Root brings down a straight bat in defense. |
| 12.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, Nearly goes through! Fullish and on off, moving back in, Root goes hard at it but gets an inside edge onto the pads. It then rolls behind towards the slip cordon. |
| Drinks break. Australia after electing to bowl first have done justice to their decision by getting an early breakthrough. Denly and Burns started on a cautious note but the former could not resist his liking to go for the balls outside off and ends up losing his wicket. Root has been cautious in his short stay and would look to play a big innings. Lets see what turns out after the drinks. Mitchell Marsh for the first time in this series. |
| 13.1 : M Marsh to Burns, Fullish ball outside off to start after the drinks break by Marsh. Burns pushes this towards cover. |
| 13.2 : M Marsh to Burns, Good length ball outside off, Burns leaves this alone. |
| 13.3 : M Marsh to Burns, Another good length ball, this time closer to the off pole. Burns pushes this off the back foot towards mid off. |
| 13.4 : M Marsh to Burns, On the pads of Burns, he flicks it towards square leg and gives the strike to his skipper Joe Root. |
| 13.5 : M Marsh to Root, Good running! Ahead of a good length, Root pushes this towards extra cover with soft hands and takes a quick single. Keeping the visitors on their toes. |
| 13.6 : M Marsh to Burns, Just outside off, Burns pushes this towards cover. |
| 14.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Length ball on the hips of Root, he tucks it towards the leg side. |
| 14.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Good movement for Hazlewood here. He pitches this a bit outside off, it nips back in. Root shoulders arms to it and Paine dives to his left as he catches it with one hand. |
| 14.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, Length ball outside off, Root pushes this towards point. |
| 14.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, Again near the hips of Root, he flicks it towards square leg and takes a couple. |
| 14.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Good length ball on middle and leg, pushed towards mid on. |
| 14.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, Length ball just outside off, Root tries to cut it but it goes off the inside half towards the slip cordon on the bounce. |
| 15.1 : M Marsh to Burns, Down the leg side by Marsh to start off, Burns leaves it alone. |
| 15.2 : M Marsh to Burns, Again on the leg side, Burns tucks it towards mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 15.3 : M Marsh to Root, Good running again! Fullish outside off, Root plays it with soft hands towards cover-point and takes a quick single. |
| 15.4 : M Marsh to Burns, Way too wide outside off, Burns leaves it alone. |
| 15.5 : M Marsh to R Burns, FOUR! Great shot by Burns this. This is full and just around off, Burns gets on the front foot and drives this one through mid on for a boundary. |
| 15.6 : M Marsh to Burns, Just outside off, the ball has taken the inside edge of the bat and thudded into the pads. |
| Pat Cummins is back into the attack. |
| 16.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Outside off, left alone by Root. |
| 16.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length ball just outside off, Root pushes it towards the man at point. |
| 16.3 : Pat Cummins to Root, Another length ball outside off, Root opens the face of his bat and guides it towards third man region for a single. |
| 16.4 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Bouncer by Cummins to Burns, he picks it up in time and ducks under it. |
| 16.5 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Another bouncer, this one is outside off, Burns sways away from it at the very last moment. |
| 16.6 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Length ball wide outside off, Burns pushes this towards the man at point. |
| Peter Siddle is also back into the attack. |
| 17.1 : P Siddle to Joe Root, Fullish and shaping in, Root looks to block it out but gets an inside edge on it and the ball then goes onto to hit the pads. |
| 17.2 : P Siddle to Root, Length ball outside off, Root cuts this one through cover-point. The fielder hares after it and stop it before reaching the fence. The batters take three in the meantime. |
| 17.3 : P Siddle to Burns, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 17.4 : P Siddle to Burns, Good length ball outside off, Burns defends it from within the crease. |
| 17.5 : P Siddle to Burns, Good length ball outside off, Burns pushes this back towards the bowler. |
| 17.6 : P Siddle to Burns, Burns has defended it from within the crease onto the pitch. |
| 18.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Cummins dishes out a length ball, Root does well to block it out. |
| 0.0 : Nathan Lyon is stretching. We might see him bowl sooner rather than later. |
| 18.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Good ball by Cummins, he bowls it on a length and just around off. It nips back in after pitching and cuts Root into half as the ball sneaks between the bat and his body as he looks to defend it. |
| 18.3 : Pat Cummins to Root, Another Jaffa! This one is pitched again on a length but this time it moves away. Root looks to play at it but takes his bat away from the line of the delivery at the last moment. |
| 18.4 : Pat Cummins to Root, Down the leg side to follow up two very good deliveries, root tries to flick but misses. |
| 18.5 : Pat Cummins to Root, Full and wide outside off, Root cuts this one through cover-point. The batters take three. |
| 18.6 : Pat Cummins to Burns, On the pads of Burns, he flicks it towards backward square leg and takes a couple. |
| 19.1 : P Siddle to Root, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 19.2 : P Siddle to Root, On the pads of Root, he tries to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. The ball rolls towards fine leg and the batters take a leg bye. |
| 19.3 : P Siddle to Burns, Another one on the pads, this time Burns tries to block it but misses to get hit on the thigh pad. |
| 19.4 : P Siddle to Burns, Outside off, fullish ball. Burns shuffles acroos and tries to flick it towards mid-wicket. It goes off the inner half of his bat towards square leg, in the gap and the batters take two. |
| 19.5 : P Siddle to Burns, Burns has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 19.6 : P Siddle to Burns, Beaten! Length ball just around off, Burns looks to defend but is beaten. |
| 20.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Jaffa by Cummins! He bowls this on a length and outside off, it moves a shade away and misses the outside edge of Root's bat by a whisker. |
| 0.0 : Good deep observation from Nasser Hussain on Joe Root's technique. He is comparing Root's footwork from the past to the ones in this Ashes. Earlier, his trigger movement of dragging the back foot used to be nice and calm and the front foot used to be on its toe, loading into the shot. But in this series, he is hurriedly going back in his trigger movement and is getting stuck on the back foot as his front foot gets settled before he leans into his shot. So, by the time the ball comes, he is alrea |
| 20.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, DROPPED! What has Siddle done here? This was a dolly and he has put it down! Short ball by Cummins on the off pole line, Root pulls it uppishly towards fine leg. Siddle is stationed there and the ball goes to the right of him. He just had to take a couple of steps to his right, straight into his hands. It carries to him near his chest height but the ball pops out of his hands and onto the ground. The batters take one and the English skipper survives. |
| 20.3 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Bouncer this time on the off pole line, Burns ducks under it. |
| 20.4 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Good length ball just outside off,Burns gets a bottom edge on that one. |
| 20.5 : Pat Cummins to Burns, On the pads of Burs, he flicks it towards fine leg and the batters take three. |
| 20.6 : Pat Cummins to Root, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 21.1 : P Siddle to Burns, On the pads of Burns, he flicks it towards square leg and takes a single. |
| 21.2 : P Siddle to Root, Just outside off, Root guides it straight towards third man. |
| 21.3 : P Siddle to Root, On the pads of Root, he looks to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. It rolls towards fine leg and the batters take a leg bye. |
| 21.4 : P Siddle to Burns, Fullish ball outside off, Burns pushes this towards cover and takes a couple. |
| 21.5 : P Siddle to Burns, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 21.6 : P Siddle to Burns, On the pads of Burns, he tucks it towards the leg side. |
| 22.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Root chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 22.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, DROPPED AGAIN! Lucky day for the English skipper here! Cummins bowls this one on a length and just outside off, getting it to nip away after pitching. Root plays at it after going onto his toes but gets a thick outside edge on it. It goes almost straight towards Warner at first slip but Paine dives to his right and tries to take it with one hand and puts it down. |
| 22.3 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Wide down the leg side, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 22.4 : Pat Cummins to Burns, This time Burns is beaten as he misses the line of the delivery. |
| 22.5 : Pat Cummins to R Burns, FOUR! This is full and wide outside off, Burns leans into the drive and caresses it through the cover region for a boundary. |
| 22.6 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Burns defends the last ball of the over off the back foot. End of an eventful over. |
| Here comes Nathan Lyon with nothing happening for Australia. They did create a couple of chances but only to drop those catches and are in a desperate need of a breakthrough. Can the GOAT strike before Lunch? |
| 23.1 : N Lyon to Root, Spinning down the leg side, on the shorter side, Root moves back to pull but misses. |
| 23.2 : N Lyon to Root, Shortish and outside off, Root waits and then tries to run it down. Cummins moves across to his left from backward point to stop the ball with a slide but misfields. The batsmen collect a couple of runs. |
| 23.3 : N Lyon to Root, Stays back footed to a short ball and punches it towards the on side. |
| 23.4 : N Lyon to Root, Shortish again, outside off, Root moves across to cover the line and plays it down to point. |
| 23.5 : N Lyon to Root, Shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 23.6 : N Lyon to Root, Once again Lyon is on the shorter side with his length and Joe punches it off the back foot to point. |
| 24.1 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Good bouncer by Cummins, on the middle and leg pole line, Burns ducks under it and the ball goes straight to Paine. |
| 24.2 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Burns shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 24.3 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Length ball just outside off, pushed towards mid off by Burns. |
| 24.4 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Another length ball by Cummins, Burns blocks it out. |
| 24.5 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Short of a length ball just outside off, Burns sways away from it. |
| 24.6 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Bouncer on the last ball of the over, Burns ducks under this one. THAT WILL BE LUNCH ON DAY 1! |
| Is Tim Paine already regretting his decision to bowl first on this surface? Two dropped catches, both of Joe Root, is also making Paine's call looking go pear-shaped. At 86/1, England will be happier of the two sides going to Lunch. The day began with Australia opting to bowl in overcast conditions and thick grass cover on the pitch. They were rewarded to some extent with their choice. But since Siddle's introduction into the attack, the runs started to come for the home team. He was also guilty |
| After losing the toss, England would be fairly satisfied with the outcome of this session. Their skipper has once again found himself among the runs but has lived dangerously. Rory Burns has been a great find for the home team in this series as he has consistently stitched partnerships, something the other English batsmen have failed to do, and is once again looking solid. |
| The post Lunch session will be a crucial one for both teams. The Australians would want to make improvement in their fielding and revisit their bowling strategies in order to take some quick wickets. Whereas, the English team would hope that the pair of Burns and Root continue the good work and keep the desperate visitors at bay. Join us in a short while for all the action at 1340 local (1240 GMT). |
| ... DAY 1, SECOND SESSION ... |
| We're back again! The men concerned are on the field. The greenness of the surface seems to have already bluffed the Australians. But this Test match has not gone away from them yet. Still they can make amends by picking wickets in this nice and sunny afternoon session. However, the setting is perfect and the conditions look ripe for batting. Peter Siddle (6-0-26-0) to kick off proceedings. Two slips and a gully in place. |
| 25.1 : P Siddle to Root, Good ball to start the second session by Siddle, attacking the stumps straightaway. Root does well as he blocks it out straight back towards Peter. |
| 25.2 : P Siddle to Root, Close one! Again Siddle goes for the stumps and gets his line right. Root this time looks to push this one down the ground but luckily gets an inside edge on that one. The ball rolls towards fine leg and the batters take two. |
| 25.3 : P Siddle to Root, Length ball around off, Root leaves it alone. |
| 25.4 : P Siddle to Root, Fuller one this time, driven to the man at mid off. |
| 25.5 : P Siddle to Root, Good length ball on off, Root has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 25.6 : P Siddle to Root, DROPPED! ROOT SURVIVES AGAIN! This is a juicy half volley outside off, inducing the drive from Root and he goes for it but he gets a thick outside edge on it. It goes wide to the right of Smith at second slip, he dives, gets two hands on it but he puts it down. The ball goes towards third man as the batters take one. |
| 26.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Length ball on middle and leg, Root looks to defend but is hit on the thigh pad. There is a stifled appeal but the umpire is unmoved. |
| 26.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 26.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, Full ball just outside off, pushed towards the off side. |
| 26.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, Jaffa from Hazlewood! This one is pitched on a good length, around off. It nips away after pitching, Root looks to drive it towards cover but misses it altogether. |
| 26.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Root blocks it out by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 26.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, Fullish on middle and leg, pushed towards mid on. |
| 27.1 : P Siddle to Burns, Outside off, left alone by Burns. |
| 27.2 : P Siddle to R Burns, Outside off to Burns, he tries to block it but it goes off the edge wide of the slip cordon. |
| 27.3 : P Siddle to Burns, Full ball on middle and off, Burns defends it out. |
| 27.4 : P Siddle to Burns, On the hips of Burns, he looks to flick but misses and is hit on the thigh pad. It goes towards fine leg and the batters take two leg byes. |
| 27.5 : P Siddle to Burns, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 27.6 : P Siddle to Burns, Length ball outside off, Burns defends this one off the back foot. |
| 28.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Root gets up on his toes and blocks this one back towards the bowler. |
| 28.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Outside off, left alone by Root. |
| 28.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, Another one wide outside off, left alone by Root. |
| 28.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, Length ball outside off, Root guides this towards point. |
| 28.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, On the pads of Root, he looks to flick it towards the leg side but misses. The ball kisses his pads and rolls towards fine leg. The fielder in the deep is slow to get to the ball and that allows the batters to take two! |
| 28.6 : J Hazlewood to Joe Root, FOUR! 7000 Test runs up for Joe Root! He becomes just the 12th Englishman and 4th fastest to achieve this feat and he will be proud of it! Hazlewood dishes a full one outside off, Root leans into the shot and drives this through the cover region. The ball races to the fence. |
| 29.1 : P Siddle to Burns, Good length ball landing just outside off and nipping back in off the seam. Burns gets forward and across to work it on the leg side but misses and is hit high on the thigh pad. |
| 29.2 : P Siddle to Burns, This one is served on a length outside off, Burns has an easy leave. |
| 29.3 : P Siddle to Burns, Another watchful leave outside the off stump for Burns. |
| 29.4 : P Siddle to Burns, FOUR! Gorgeous extra cover drive to bring England's 100! Burns just leans into the fuller length ball and thumps it through the gap. The widish mid off fielder tries his best to stop it with a full length dive but fails in his effort. Great timing and placement, result is a cracking boundary. It's also a no ball for overstepping. |
| The Questionnaire - 'Did you check the batting average of Joe Root? It has come down from 55 at one stage to around 48 now!' @TQ - Yes sir. You are right. It is JUST 48 now... |
| P Siddle to R Burns, Too full in length on middle, Burns pushes it down to mid on for a run. |
| 29.5 : P Siddle to Root, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 29.6 : P Siddle to Root, A bit short and on middle, Root helps it off his pads but finds square leg. |
| 30.1 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Bouncer on the leg pole line, Burns ducks under it. |
| 30.2 : J Hazlewood to R Burns, Full one just outside off, Burns pushes it towards mid on. |
| 30.3 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Play and a miss! Or is it? Short of a length ball just outside off, Burns initially looks to play at it but then takes his bat away at the last moment. |
| 30.4 : J Hazlewood to Burns, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 30.5 : J Hazlewood to Burns, OUT! CAUGHT! Burns is out of here! Just 3 runs short of his half ton! This is short of a length ball on the off pole line, Burns looks to pull this one but gets a top edge on that one. It loops up in the air and goes towards short mid-wicket where Mitchell Marsh takes an easy catch. Burns is not as lucky as his skipper Root and he has to go back to the dugout. Australia will be relieved as they have finally broken the 76-run stand. The visitors with their tails up no |
| Ben Stokes comes in at number 4, replacing Burns. For once, he comes out to bat with his side in a good position. This is just the second time that he has batted at this spot. The previous occasion was in 2015 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. |
| 30.6 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Length ball outside off, Stokes chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 31.1 : P Siddle to Root, Shout for an lbw! Not entertained. A length ball on middle and leg, angling down, Root tries working it on the leg side but misses. He is hit on the pads, they appeal and Joe comes out of the crease in search of a run. He is sent back by his partner who was more engaged in watching the umpire and his decision. |
| 31.2 : P Siddle to Root, Short in length and outside off, Root reaches out and chops his shot down past the gully fielder for a run. |
| 31.3 : P Siddle to Stokes, Siddle switches to 'round the wicket and serves a back of a length ball outside off. Stokes keeps his bat close to his body as he looks to play inside the line. Gets beaten eventually. |
| 31.4 : P Siddle to Stokes, Better leave this time by Ben. The line from Siddle is quite wide outside off, Stokes has nothing to do with it. |
| 31.5 : P Siddle to Stokes, Edgy! This one straightens a bit after landing around off, Stokes is squared up in defense and edges it behind. It's done with soft hands and hence it doesn't carry to any fielder. |
| 31.6 : P Siddle to Stokes, Interesting. Stokes gives the charge to the bowler. He walks forward and across before nudging a length ball off his pads to fine leg. He opens his account with a single. |
| 32.1 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, On the shorter side by Hazlewood, Stokes gets on the back foot and pulls this towards backward square leg. The fielder in the deep mops it up as the batters take two. |
| 32.2 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Good length ball on middle and off, Stokes looks to block it out but gets an inside edge on it which goes onto hit the pads. |
| 32.3 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Ahead of a good length outside off, Stokes pushes this towards the off side. |
| 32.4 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Just outside off, on a good length, Stokes leaves it alone. |
| 32.5 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Another one outside off, Stokes lets it through to Paine. |
| 32.6 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Outside off, left alone by Stokes again. |
| 33.1 : P Siddle to Root, Fullish on the off pole line, Root pushes this towards mid off. |
| 33.2 : P Siddle to Root, Another full ball, just outside off, Root pushes this one towards the man at point. |
| 33.3 : P Siddle to Root, Good length ball on middle and off, Root blocks it straight towards Siddle. |
| 33.4 : P Siddle to Root, Siddle pushes this full and around off, Root is induced into the drive but gets an inside edge on it. The ball goes past the leg pole and towards fine leg as the batters take one. Root, after getting three lives, should be looking to make the most of it and not throw away his wicket. |
| 33.5 : P Siddle to Stokes, Stokes has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 33.6 : P Siddle to Stokes, Shortish ball on off, Stokes stands tall and pushes this one back towards mid on. |
| 34.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Good length ball outside off, Root pushes this one towards point. |
| 34.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Full and on middle and leg, Root flicks this one towards mid-wicket and takes one. |
| 34.3 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, On the pads of Stokes, he flicks it towards fine leg and takes a couple. Stokes looking solid at the start of his innings. |
| 34.4 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Outside off, left alone by Stokes. |
| 34.5 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Another one outside off, Stokes shoulders arms to it. |
| 34.6 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Short of a length ball on the middle pole line, Stokes stands tall and pushes this one towards extra cover. |
| 35.1 : P Siddle to Root, Good length ball just outside off, Root blocks it out. |
| 35.2 : P Siddle to Root, A loud LBW appeal by the Aussies but turned down by the umpire. This is a good length ball on the off pole line, Root looks to push at it but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The visitors thought that it hit the pad directly and hence appealed. The umpire turns it down and the replays show that he was correct, it had indeed hit the inside edge of Root's bat. The batters take a single in the meantime as the ball rolls towards the leg side. |
| 35.3 : P Siddle to Stokes, Short of a length ball on middle and off, Stokes pulls this one towards square leg and takes a couple. |
| 35.4 : P Siddle to Stokes, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 35.5 : P Siddle to Stokes, Length ball on middle and off, Stokes blocks it out. |
| 35.6 : P Siddle to Stokes, On the pads of Stokes, he works it towards backward square leg and takes a single. |
| Pat Cummins is back on. 10-2-28-1 so far. |
| 36.1 : Pat Cummins to Ben Stokes, FOUR! Fullish ball wide outside off, Stokes looks to drive it through covers with a flat bat but it goes through the mid off region off the toe end of the bat and towards the fence. |
| 36.2 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, FOUR! Another boundary! This time Stokes was in full control as he opens the face of his bat and guides this one wide of the slip cordon towards the third man fence. |
| 36.3 : Pat Cummins to Ben Stokes, Stokes looks to push it towards mid off but gets an edge on it which goes towards cover-point. The fielder from point dives to his left and saves at least a run for his side. The batter takes one. |
| 36.4 : Pat Cummins to Joe Root, Good length ball on middle and off, Root looks to block but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 36.5 : Pat Cummins to Root, Full and on off, Root pushes this towards cover and takes a single. |
| 36.6 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, On the pads of Stokes, he flicks it towards backward square leg and takes one to keep the strike. |
| Mitchell Marsh to bowl again. 2-0-8-0 so far. Tim Paine rotating his bowlers over and over again. It is a hot day, the ball is not moving, the wickets are not coming and if there is a chance of a wicket, then his team is not taking it. |
| 37.1 : M Marsh to Stokes, Landed around off, watchfully defended. |
| 37.2 : M Marsh to Stokes, Hint of inswing there and Stokes lets Root know about the same. Full and around off, coming in, watchfully blocked out. |
| 37.3 : M Marsh to Stokes, Wow. Plenty of inswing on this occasion. Almost got through the gate. Full and around off, Ben looked to defend but the ball went off the inner half of the bat towards mid on. Marsh is smiling. |
| 37.4 : M Marsh to Stokes, Good effort by Marsh but why? Might injure himself. A length ball, around middle, BS walks down the track and punches it down the ground. Marsh dives to his right and parries it towards mid off. |
| 37.5 : M Marsh to Stokes, Walks down the pitch, does Stokes, to counter the swing and pushes it towards mid on. |
| 37.6 : M Marsh to Stokes, Down the leg side, helped with the swing through square leg for a couple. |
| 38.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Down the leg side, Root looks to guide it fine down the leg side with one hand off his bat but misses it. |
| 38.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length ball outside off, Root lets the ball go. |
| 38.3 : Pat Cummins to Root, Outside off, Root plays it towards point. |
| 38.4 : Pat Cummins to Root, Cummins bowls a length ball, Root looks to defend but gets an edge on that one. |
| 38.5 : Pat Cummins to Root, A full ball after a long time by Cummins to Root, he drives it straight towards mid off. |
| 38.6 : Pat Cummins to Root, Another full ball outside off, Root drives at it but it goes off the toe end of the bat towards cover where Wade gives it a chase and mops up. The batters take two in the meantime. DRINKS! |
| DRINKS BREAK. 44 runs in 14 overs since Lunch for the wicket of Rory Burns. Australia have certainly pulled things back but it also seems like there is a long day or a long couple of days in the offing. The ball is just swinging a touch but nothing else is happening. Of course, things might have been different if Root had been caught on 24, or 25, or 30 but I guess, a cat has been set free amongst the kangaroos... |
| 39.1 : M Marsh to Stokes, Full and around off, swinging in, solidly defended towards cover. |
| 39.2 : M Marsh to Stokes, Landed around off, swinging in, Ben looks to defend but the ball goes off the inner half towards square leg. |
| 39.3 : M Marsh to Stokes, A length ball around off, jagging back in, Ben looks to whip this away to the leg side but misses and is hit just around the box. |
| 39.4 : M Marsh to Stokes, Full and around off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 39.5 : M Marsh to Stokes, OUT! Caught! Another wicket out of the blue. A short ball, outside off, Stokes looks to pull but seems like the ball never arrived. Was it a slower one or did Ben play a touch too early? Either ways, a top edge was induced. The ball ballooned in the air and Nathan Lyon took it at point with fingers pointing skywards. He looked a touch nervous after that catch and Labuschagne consoles him. Replays now show that Stokes turned a full 360 degrees after playing that shot. He |
| Jonny Bairstow walks in at number 5, replacing Stokes. |
| 39.6 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Outside off, left alone. Plenty of outswing in that one. |
| 40.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Outside off, fuller in length, driven straight to point. |
| 40.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, Full and outside off, driven down the ground. Well stopped by the fielder. |
| 40.3 : Pat Cummins to Root, Full and outside off, Root walks into the shot and drives it nicely through the covers. Three runs taken. |
| 40.4 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Down the leg side, flicked through mid-wicket for a couple to get off the mark. |
| 40.5 : Pat Cummins to J Bairstow, Full and outside off, driven crisply but straight to short extra cover. |
| 40.6 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Outside off, left alone. |
| 41.1 : M Marsh to Root, Down the leg side, Root looks to flick but misses. |
| 41.2 : M Marsh to Root, Short and outside off, punched to the off side. |
| 41.3 : M Marsh to Root, Full and outside off, swinging away, Root watches it swing past. |
| 41.4 : M Marsh to Root, A short ball, outside off, Joe fends it to the off side. |
| 41.5 : M Marsh to Root, A length ball, on the pads, worked through square leg for a couple. |
| 41.6 : M Marsh to Root, On a length outside off, solidly defended. |
| Peter Siddle returns. Not been his usual self. Given runs away and dropped a catch as well. 12-1-42-0 so far. |
| 42.1 : P Siddle to Bairstow, FOUR! ELEGANT! That has been the case with Siddle and Bairstow welcomes in style. A gentle loosener, overpitching around off, Bairstow drives it straight back to where it came from, through mid on. The original Bairstow would have looked to flick it through mid-wicket. Jonny in the best of form would have hit this straight down the ground. Option B is just what we witnessed. Is a return to form on the cards then? |
| 42.2 : P Siddle to Bairstow, FOUR! Now on another part of the ground! This is not a bad ball but again, not much effort from Siddle. He lands it on a length but just lands it there. Not doing much with it. Bairstow just eases it through the covers for a boundary with a punch. |
| 42.3 : P Siddle to Bairstow, Outside off, left alone. |
| 42.4 : P Siddle to Bairstow, Now this is an effort ball. Full and fast, just outside off, Jonny looked to defend but the ball zipped back off the surface and nearly went through, hitting the pads of YJB. But there was an inside edge involved as well. |
| 42.5 : P Siddle to Bairstow, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 42.6 : P Siddle to Bairstow, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 43.1 : M Marsh to Root, Down the leg side, Root looks to flick but misses. Paine dives to his left and takes it with one glove. |
| 43.2 : M Marsh to Root, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 43.3 : M Marsh to Root, Landed outside off, Root gets on top of the bounce and punches it towards point. A single taken. |
| 43.4 : M Marsh to Bairstow, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 43.5 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Full and outside off, swinging away, driven straight to cover. |
| 43.6 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Outside off, left alone. |
| 44.1 : P Siddle to Root, Down the leg side, this seems like a definite plan now. They are trying to get him caught down the leg side. Root misses his glance. |
| 44.2 : P Siddle to Root, HALF CENTURY FOR ROOT! 4th in this series. He has been given three lives but it is not his problem if Australia want to celebrate Christmas so early. He has absorbed the pressure, taken everything in his stride and is now opening up slowly. Gets there with a late nudge towards fine leg, running hard for the second. To be honest, the danger period begins now for him. He has scores of 57, 71 and 77 this series and if any complaint comes against him, it is his poor conversio |
| 44.3 : P Siddle to Root, Around off, defended solidly from the crease. |
| 44.4 : P Siddle to Root, Landed outside off, let through to his counterpart. |
| 44.5 : P Siddle to Root, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 44.6 : P Siddle to Root, Full and just around off, solidly kept out. |
| 45.1 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Full and outside off, swinging away, driven confidently towards short extra cover. |
| 45.2 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Landed outside off, tempting Jonny to drive but he is not tempted. |
| 45.3 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Full and outside off, more outswing, driven wide of cover but mid off mops it up. |
| 45.4 : M Marsh to Bairstow, A length ball, around middle, JB looks to tuck it to the leg side but misses and is hit on the thigh pad. |
| 45.5 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Landed outside off, let through once again. |
| 45.6 : M Marsh to J Bairstow, FOUR! ELEGANT! He will not let this one go! Overpitched outside off, swinging away, Jonny drives it through the covers and this time he finds the gap. |
| 46.1 : P Siddle to Joe Root, Full and outside off, Root leans and drives it through the covers. |
| 46.2 : P Siddle to Bairstow, Landing outside off, Bairstow looks to flick but is early into the shot and gets a leading edge towards cover. Had to adjust late there. |
| Some issue with the shape of the ball. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena puts it through the 8-shaped gauge but it does not pass through. Meanwhile, Bairstow calls for a change of bat. The ball is not changed though. |
| 46.3 : P Siddle to J Bairstow, Landed outside off, moving away, Jonny looks to defend but the away movement induces an outside edge. |
| 46.4 : P Siddle to Bairstow, Down the leg side, flicked straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 46.5 : P Siddle to Bairstow, One more delivery down the leg side, Jonny looks to flick but misses this time. |
| 46.6 : P Siddle to Bairstow, 4000 TEST RUNS FOR JONNY BAIRSTOW! Full and around middle, worked through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| Spin time! Nathan Lyon gets the ball at last. 1-0-3-0 so far. |
| 47.1 : N Lyon to Root, Down the leg side, helped through fine leg for a single. |
| 47.2 : N Lyon to Bairstow, TWO BYES! Plenty of turn, but way down the leg side. Tim Paine is surprised as well and is not able to stop it, parrying it towards fine leg. Two runs taken. |
| 47.3 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Around middle and off, worked through the leg side for a single. |
| 47.4 : N Lyon to Root, Interesting. A slightly short ball, around middle, Joe gets across and does what? A paddle. Yes, a paddle. When you know it is your day, you can do anything, can't you? This is slightly awkwardly hit through fine leg for a run. |
| 47.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, The batsman works it down the leg side. One run added to the total. |
| 47.6 : N Lyon to Root, Around off, worked through mid-wicket for one. |
| Josh Hazlewood returns. 11-4-29-1 so far. Tim Paine has been shuffling his bowlers across throughout. No one bowler has bowled a long spell yet. |
| 48.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Landed outside off, left alone. |
| 48.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Landed outside off again, Root waits for the ball to come to him and guides it towards gully, who is late to stop it but backward point mops it up. |
| 48.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, Outside off, on a length, Root looks to fish but then decides to bail out. Is late and is beaten. |
| 48.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 48.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Full and around off, solidly defended. |
| 48.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, A short ball, outside off, fended to the off side. |
| Nasser Hussain puts Ricky Ponting on the spot on air. (Well, not literally hanging in air). He observes that Bairstow has been bowled or LBW quite a lot in this series and ponders the reason. Why is he struggling against the moving ball? Now, Ponting comes up with an answer. Punter opines that in one-day cricket, the ball rarely moves, so Bairstow can expose all his stumps and still punch it through the off side. Also, with such a strong batting line-up as England's in white-ball cricket, there |
| 49.1 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 49.2 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Outside off, punched off the back foot for a single. |
| 49.3 : N Lyon to Root, Full and just around off, watchfully blocked out. |
| 49.4 : Lyon to Root, The slider from Lyon, Root plays inside the line and is beaten. |
| 49.5 : N Lyon to Root, Outside off, Joe lunges and pushes it towards cover for a quick single. |
| 49.6 : N Lyon to Bairstow, The slider again from the Goat, his fodder refuses to accept any grass. Lets it pass. |
| Slight change in the field now. Tim Paine putting a man behind square on the leg side in the deep. It is Marnus Labuschagne. Probably Paine is sending a signal to Root that a short ball is coming. He used this tactic well in Manchester. |
| 50.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, A short ball outside off, punched towards point. |
| 50.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Another short ball, again the skipper pushes it towards cover. |
| 50.3 : J Hazlewood to Root, Full and outside off, pushed towards cover. |
| 50.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, Full and just outside off, watchfully kept out. |
| 50.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Around middle, JR taps it in front of him and sets off but Hazlewood quickly gets across and has a kick at the striker's end. Root gets in by that time. |
| 50.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, Outside off, left alone. |
| 51.1 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Full and around middle, Bairstow looks to flick but the ball goes off the inner half of the bat, past Marnus Labuschagne at short leg. |
| 51.2 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Down the leg side, helped through fine leg for a couple. |
| 51.3 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Another one down the leg side, tucked through fine leg for a run. |
| 51.4 : N Lyon to Root, Full and outside off, watchfully blocked out. |
| 51.5 : N Lyon to Root, Down the leg side, Joe looks to flick but misses. Paine collects and appeals but nothing from Erasmus. Lyon asks Smith about the review (yes, Smith and not Paine) but the former skipper shakes his head. Now Paine looks back for a confirmation and the shake of the head continues. Replays show that the ball hit the pad. |
| 51.6 : N Lyon to Root, Full and around off, watchfully defended. TEA ON DAY 1! |
| 86/1 in 25 overs in the first session. 83/2 in 27 overs in this one. Root gave two chances in the first session. One at the start of the afternoon session. All were put down. Nothing much has changed. Nothing much has happened. People were asking why did Paine elect to field in the morning. People are still asking why did he not want to bat first. |
| Either this is the flattest deck of the series or probably the best day to bat on. There is just a slight swing available but it is only for Marsh. Australia have not bowled badly but they have resorted to keeping the lines and lengths tidy rather than attacking the batsmen. The over rate is pretty poor and with 38 overs left in the day, we are expecting play to be extended and yet, not get all the overs bowled. Join us back at 4 pm local (1500 GMT) for the final session. |
| ... DAY 1, THIRD SESSION ... |
| Back for the final session! The players are striding out to the middle. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow to continue building on their 39-run stand. Will Australia continue bowling a spinner and a seamer in tandem? Or will they change plans and go all out attack with their pacers? We are expecting more spin this evening though. Let's find out. Pat Cummins is ready to begin his fourth spell. Two slips in place... |
| 52.1 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, First ball after Tea, it is a length ball on the off pole line, close to the body. Bairstow pushes it back towards Cummins. |
| 52.2 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Another length ball around off, Bairstow gets on his toes and pushes it towards extra cover. |
| 52.3 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Length ball outside off, Bairstow lets it through to Paine. |
| 52.4 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Full and outside off, Cummins trying to induce the drive. Bairstow obliges and drives it powerfully but straight to the fielder at mid off. |
| 52.5 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Short of a length outside off, Bairstow sways away from it. |
| 52.6 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Another one outside off, left alone by Jonny. A maiden to start off the last session of Day 1. |
| So, it's pace from both ends! Mitchell Marsh (7-1-17-1) to bowl now with a couple of slips. He hunted down Ben Stokes in the afternoon session and did so for the third time with Ben. Clearly having Stokes' number. |
| 53.1 : M Marsh to Root, Good length ball on off, Root blocks it out. |
| 53.2 : M Marsh to Root, Way outside off, Root leaves it alone. Paine dives low to his right and parries it towards the slip cordon. |
| 53.3 : M Marsh to Root, Root has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 53.4 : M Marsh to Root, Down the leg side by Marsh, Root leaves it alone. |
| 53.5 : M Marsh to Root, Good length ball just outside off, Root guides it to the man at point. |
| 53.6 : M Marsh to Root, Fuller this time, Root pushes this one towards cover. |
| 54.1 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Good length ball on the off pole line, Bairstow pushes it back towards the bowler. |
| 54.2 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Again just outside off, Bairstow pushes this towards cover-point and sets off for a run. Root denies and Jonny has to rush back in as Wade is closing in on the ball. He grabs it and has a shy at the striker's end but misses. Even if he had hit, Bairstow was well in. Good call by Root. |
| 54.3 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Bouncer this time on the off pole line by Cummins, Bairstow does well to duck under it. |
| 54.4 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Bairstow stands up on his toes and defends this one out. |
| 54.5 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 54.6 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Length ball around off, Bairstow again defends it out. Third maiden in a row and England are yet to score a run after the Tea break. Tight stuff by Australia. |
| 55.1 : M Marsh to Root, Good length on off, Joe Root has played that one onto the off side. |
| 55.2 : M Marsh to Root, Root looks to defend this one onto the off side but it goes off the inside edge and onto the pads. |
| 55.3 : M Marsh to Root, First run in the third session of play and it has come after 20 balls. This is down the leg side, Root looks to flick but misses. It goes straight through to Paine, to his left. He dives to his left and parries it. The batters take a bye as he gathers this one and throws it back towards Marsh. |
| 55.4 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Bairstow chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 55.5 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Another one outside off, left alone by Bairstow. |
| 55.6 : M Marsh to Bairstow, The batsman has punched that ball through the offside. |
| 56.1 : Pat Cummins to Joe Root, OUT! TIMBER! Root is finally gone and it looks like he is almost in disbelief. Another cracker from Cummins and guess who has he got? The opposition skipper again! Cummins gets Root for the third time this series and the 7th overall - most against any batsman! A length ball, around off, Root looks to defend but this one pitches and just holds its line a bit. The ball stays low as well, goes past the outside edge and knocks the off stump back. This is exactly simila |
| 56.2 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Landed outside off, Buttler shoulders arms. The ball comes back in a long way and shades of Old Trafford second innings come to mind. This one though, misses the off stump. |
| 56.3 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, A length ball, wide outside off, left through. |
| 56.4 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Down the leg side, flick shot missed. |
| 56.5 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Full and well outside off, let through. |
| 56.6 : Pat Cummins to Jos Buttler, Close shave! A length ball, outside off, Buttler looks to push this through the off side but gets a thick inside edge past the stumps towards fine leg! A single taken. |
| Is that a wicket? Tim Paine is confident that Buttler has nicked it behind. Umpire Erasmus is equally confident that Buttler has not nicked it. Ultra-confident Paine takes the review but the Ultra Edge does not detect anything. Another review lost by the Aussie captain. |
| 57.1 : Marsh to Buttler, NOT OUT! Marsh bowls this one down the leg side, Buttler looks to flick but fails to do so. Paine gathers the ball and puts in a loud appeal along with his teammates. They think that he has nicked it and thus they go for the referral after umpire Erasmus turns it down. The replays roll in, Ultra Edge comes into play and shows that the ball has missed the bat. It has hit the thigh pad. |
| 57.2 : M Marsh to Buttler, Buttler shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 57.3 : M Marsh to Buttler, FOUR! Superbly driven through the covers and he has a knack of at least playing one cover drive in his innings. This is full and outside off, Buttler leans into the drive and it races to the fence. |
| 57.4 : M Marsh to Buttler, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 57.5 : M Marsh to Buttler, Length ball outside off, again left alone by Buttler. |
| 57.6 : M Marsh to Buttler, Length ball on middle and off, Buttler blocks it out. |
| 58.1 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Jaffa from Cummins! He pitches this on a length, outside off, and gets it to shape away. Bairstow goes for a block but the ball goes past the outside edge. The Aussies put in a stifled appeal but nothing there. Paine juggles it once, twice and then the ball goes towards Warner who finally holds onto it. |
| 58.2 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Full and on off, the batsman has driven it through mid-off. |
| 58.3 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Jonny chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 58.4 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Again Cummins beats the outside edge of Bairstow's bat as he looks to drive this one through the off side. |
| 58.5 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, This time Bairstow tries to defend the length ball but it goes off the toe end towards the slip cordon all along the ground. |
| 58.6 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, On the pads, Bairstow looks to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. |
| 59.1 : M Marsh to Buttler, Buttler chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 59.2 : M Marsh to Buttler, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 59.3 : M Marsh to Buttler, A quick single taken by Buttler as he tucks it towards short leg and sets off for the run. Bairstow responds and he is well in before the fielder could have his shy at the stumps. |
| Reverse swing! But will the decision be reversed? Bairstow has been adjudged LBW. He has a long chat with Buttler and with 3 seconds left on the clock, signals the 'T' for the review. Ball Tracker shows three reds! |
| 59.4 : M Marsh to Bairstow, OUT! LBW! That one is hitting middle and leg and one must say, a very good decision by umpire Marais Erasmus. Marsh bowls a beautiful reverse swinging yorker which hits Bairstow right on the bottom of his pads. Umpire Erasmus doesn't take much time in adjudging him out after the loud appeal from the Aussies. Bairstow is baffled at first but goes for the review with the final two seconds left. The replays roll in, Ultra Edge shows no bat involved. Ball Tracker now come |
| Now, the batting begins for England. Forgotten man, Sam Curran, comes in for his first Ashes impression with the bat. |
| 59.5 : M Marsh to Curran, Fullish ball outside off, Curran pushes it with soft hands towards cover and takes a single. First Ashes runs for him and England will be hoping that there are many more to come. |
| 59.6 : M Marsh to Buttler, Full ball wide outside off, Buttler gets down and opens the face of his bat as he guides it towards third man for a couple. |
| 60.1 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Short of a length ball on middle and off, Cummins initially looks to play at it but then sways away. |
| 60.2 : Pat Cummins to Sam Curran, SIX! That is how you reply to a bumper! Another short ball on the off pole line, this time Curran doesn't sway away from it and hits it with power over fine leg for a maximum. |
| 60.3 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Curran looks to defend but misses to get hit on the thigh pad. |
| 60.4 : Cummins to Curran, NO BALL! Drama in the Ashes will never come to an end! Curran had been adjudged LBW following an appeal by the Aussies. He had started to walk back as he knew it was plumb. Cummins pitched this on middle and got it to shape back in and Curran missed the ball to get hit in front of the stumps. Umpire Dharmasena gives it out LBW but he wants to check for overstepping. |
| Pat Cummins to Curran, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 60.5 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 60.6 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Curran looks to block this one but misses to get hit on the pads. |
| 61.1 : M Marsh to Buttler, Length ball on off, defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 61.2 : M Marsh to Buttler, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 61.3 : M Marsh to Buttler, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 61.4 : M Marsh to Buttler, This time Marsh gets it closer to the wickets and makes Buttler play at it. He misses and is hit on the pads. There is a stifled appeal from the Aussies and the umpire turns it down. It looks to be pitching outside leg and the Australians are not interested in going for the review. |
| 61.5 : M Marsh to Buttler, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 61.6 : M Marsh to Buttler, Full on middle and leg, Buttler pushes this powerfully towards mid on. |
| 62.1 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Bouncer to start off the over again to Sam Curran. He ducks under it. |
| 62.2 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Good length ball around off, Curran pushes this one through mid off and takes three as the fielders mop it up. |
| 62.3 : Pat Cummins to Jos Buttler, Full and on off, Buttler drives it straight to the fielder at mid on. |
| 62.4 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Buttler attempts to put bat on ball on this length ball but is beaten as he plays down the wrong line. |
| 62.5 : Pat Cummins to Jos Buttler, FOUR! Full and outside off, Buttler looks to push this one towards cover but it goes off the outer half through backward point for a boundary. |
| 62.6 : Pat Cummins to Jos Buttler, Full on middle and off, pushed towards the man at mid off. |
| 63.1 : M Marsh to Curran, FOUR! Counter-attack by Curran! This is short and wide outside off, Curran slashes at it and it goes through point for a boundary. Curran is not gonna hang back here. |
| 63.2 : M Marsh to Sam Curran, The ball has taken the inside edge of the bat and goes down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| 63.3 : M Marsh to Buttler, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 63.4 : M Marsh to Buttler, Full and on off, Buttler pushes it towards mid off. |
| 63.5 : M Marsh to Buttler, Works this through square leg for a single. |
| 63.6 : M Marsh to Sam Curran, OUT! Edged and taken. One shot too many by Curran. Does not make much use of the reprieve. He was let off on a no ball when on 7, but he has been dismissed on 15. Full and outside off, Curran throws his bat at that, not looking to move his feet and this time nicks it behind. The ball flies thick and fast to Steven Smith at second slip who takes it near his head. He comes and departs (twice) in the span of 13 balls, does Curran. |
| The batting ceases to stop. Chris Woakes walks in now. Josh Hazlewood into the attack as well. 13-6-29-1 so far. |
| 64.1 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Length ball on middle and off, Buttler defends it from within the crease. |
| 64.2 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Good length ball on middle and off, Buttler pushes this one towards extra cover but straight to the man. |
| 64.3 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Length ball outside off, left alone by Buttler. |
| 64.4 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Good length ball on middle and off, Buttler blocks this one out. |
| 64.5 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Outside off, left alone by Buttler. |
| 64.6 : J Hazlewood to Jos Buttler, FOUR! Power with precision! What a shot by Buttler! This one was full and outside off, Buttler crashes this one towards the cover and it goes to the fence like a trace of bullet. This also brings up the 200 for England. |
| 65.1 : M Marsh to Woakes, On the pads of Woakes, he flicks it towards the man at square leg. |
| 65.2 : M Marsh to Woakes, Full and wide outside off, Woakes drives this one beautifully through the covers. The fielder in the deep mops it up and the batters take two. Woakes is off the mark. |
| 65.3 : M Marsh to Woakes, The ball is way wide on the leg side but the batsman still goes after it. Woakes misses and the ball is collected by Paine. |
| 65.4 : M Marsh to Woakes, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 65.5 : Marsh to Woakes, OUT! LBW! Corker of a yorker by Marsh and Woakes is the one to walk back to the pavilion now. Marsh bowls a reverse swinging yorker on the leg pole line, Woakes looks to dig this one out but misses the ball completely. As soon as it hits the pad, the Australian players appeal and umpire Erasmus raises his finger. Woakes knows he is out plumb and starts walking back. The Ball Tracker confirms it as the ball is hitting the bottom of middle and leg. The change of bringing in |
| Jofra Archer walks in now, at number 9, replacing Woakes. |
| 65.6 : M Marsh to Archer, Archer has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 66.1 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Slapped on the face! Poor technique from Buttler. A short ball, well-directed, Jos is late in picking the length, tries to move away but fails to do so. He takes a blow on his chest and then it deflects onto the grille of the helmet. No harm done to Buttler. |
| 66.2 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Good length delivery in the channel outside off, Buttler allows it through. |
| 66.3 : J Hazlewood to Jos Buttler, Sliced away! Fullish and outside off, Buttler tries playing the cover drive but it takes the outer half and races through point. Lyon moves swiftly across to his left from sweeper cover, dives like a lion and then saves a certain boundary. Two runs added to the total. |
| 66.4 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Misses everything! Short in length and outside off, Buttler tries pulling it across the line but misses. |
| 66.5 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Hazlewood lands this one on a length and outside off, Buttler plays a mistimed drive towards covers. |
| 66.6 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, At 87.4 mph, Josh delivers a full ball on off, angling in, Buttler blocks it back and it rolls past the bowler to mid on. |
| Drinks break. And Jos Buttler appears to be running to answer the nature's call. What a first phase of the last session for Australia! 4 wickets in 15 overs and this match has completely turned in Australia's favour. Who has done the damage? The man who wasn't considered to be eligible to play the first four Tests. Mitchell Marsh. When the ball reverses, he arguably is one of the best, if not the best, exponent of reverse swing bowling. England on the mat at the moment, can they survive the day' |
| 67.1 : M Marsh to Archer, Good length delivery close to off, Archer plays near his body and taps it down to point. |
| 67.2 : M Marsh to Archer, Another length ball, around off, Archer stays back and pushes it with an angled bat to point again. |
| 67.3 : M Marsh to J Archer, Attempted inswinger from Mitch. On a good length outside off, Archer chases and gets a bottom edge onto it. Nearly a drag on there, nearly a fifer... |
| 67.4 : M Marsh to Archer, Sliding down the leg side, Jofra tries to flick but fails to middle his shot. It goes off his pads to square leg. |
| 67.5 : M Marsh to Archer, Jofra misses out there! A full length ball drifting down the leg side, Archer tries his best to flick but misses. |
| 67.6 : M Marsh to Archer, Marsh goes full throttle. Attempts to hurl in an inswinging yorker but it turns out to be a low full toss on off, Archer pushes it in the gap at covers for a single. Buttler not looking to farm strike as of now. |
| 68.1 : J Hazlewood to Archer, FOUR! Archer takes on the challenge and finds the fence. Short delivery, around off, it doesn't get high enough to bother the batsman and Jofra pulls it with authority to the deep mid-wicket fence. |
| 68.2 : J Hazlewood to Archer, With a short mid-wicket in place and the deep square leg fielder standing a few steps ahead, Paine sends the signal for some short pitch bowling. But it turns out to be a double bluff from Josh. He bowls an inswinger on a length outside off, Archer is beaten on the inside edge as he attempts to block from the crease. |
| 68.3 : J Hazlewood to Archer, Good length ball close to off, Archer succeeds this time in blocking from the back foot. |
| 68.4 : J Hazlewood to Archer, A rib tickler on this occasion. Rising around leg, Archer stands tall and taps it down wide of Wade at short leg. |
| 68.5 : J Hazlewood to Archer, FOUR! Gloved away! Hazlewood digs in a short ball down the leg side, Archer gloves his attempted pull shot behind. Paine flies to his left but it's quite wide of him and races away to the fine leg fence. |
| 68.6 : J Hazlewood to Archer, A couple of shorter ones followed by a fullish delivery on off. Archer, himself being bowler, expects this and defends it safely to the off side. |
| Mitchell Marsh gets a break after his outstanding spell post Tea! Peter Siddle replaces him from this end. He has been the weak link of the Australian bowling today. Deep point and deep square leg in place, Australia happy to give a single to Buttler. |
| 69.1 : P Siddle to Buttler, Back of a length ball on off, Buttler remains back and mistimes his punch down to mid on. |
| 69.2 : P Siddle to Buttler, Away swinger from Peter. In the zone outside off, an easy leave for Buttler. |
| 69.3 : P Siddle to Buttler, Closer to the off stump this time. A length ball, angling in, Buttler closes the face of the bat and pushes it softly to mid-wicket. |
| 69.4 : P Siddle to Buttler, Shortish and on off, Buttler punches it to the right of Wade at short cover. He dives and gets fingertips on it. Parries it to the right of mid off and the batsmen take a run. |
| 69.5 : P Siddle to Archer, Good length ball outside off, a hint of reverse swing, Archer calmly covers his stumps and shoulders arms. |
| 69.6 : P Siddle to Archer, Another reverse swinging delivery, nipping in from a length around off, Archer does well to play late and defend it to the leg side. |
| 70.1 : J Hazlewood to Jos Buttler, EDGY FOUR! Slightly short in length and around off, Buttler hangs on the back foot in an attempt to work it across the line but it takes the outer half of his bat and races away from the slip cordon for a boundary. |
| 70.2 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, FOUR! Streaky again! This time it drops in front of first slip. A length ball on off, Buttler tries playing straight but it straightens to gather the outside edge. It falls in front of Warner and speeds past him to the fence. Lucky escapes for Jos! |
| 70.3 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Taps it down with soft hands towards point for a run. |
| 70.4 : J Hazlewood to Archer, OUT! Regulation catch for Tim Paine! Wicket number 8 goes down for England. Hazlewood hurls in a length ball close to off, Archer tries to play the line but the ball straightens a bit to catch the outside edge. Tim Paine makes no mistake and there are no heroics from Archer with the bat. The lower order not stepping up here for England will worry them. Usually, they bail out after the failure of the top batsmen. Can they reach 250 from here? |
| Jack Leach is the new batsman. He is not known for hitting too many runs but he certainly has shown the technique to partner any batsman. Buttler needs support here and who better than Jack to provide it. He's a proven man to do this job as far as this Ashes is concerned. |
| 70.5 : J Hazlewood to Leach, Short and down the leg side, Leach sways away from the line of fire. |
| 70.6 : J Hazlewood to Leach, Good length ball on middle and leg, Leach shuffles across a bit and defends it down to short leg. |
| 71.1 : P Siddle to Buttler, Good length ball on off, Buttler walks forward and blocks it down watchfully. |
| 71.2 : P Siddle to Buttler, Short in length and on off, Buttler drags his pull off the inside half to deep square leg. He takes a single. |
| 71.3 : P Siddle to Leach, Back of a length ball on off, angling in, Leach defends it off his back foot. |
| 71.4 : P Siddle to Leach, Switches to 'round the wicket for Leach. Serves a full length ball outside off and it jags back in sharply. Leach does well to keep it out. |
| 71.5 : P Siddle to Leach, Returns to bowling over the wicket. Delivers a shortish ball on middle and off, Leach inside edges his attempted back foot defense onto the thigh pad. |
| 71.6 : P Siddle to Leach, Drifting down the leg side, Leach clips it behind square leg and returns for the second run. Opens his account on the sixth ball he faced. |
| 72.1 : Hazlewood to Buttler, SIX! Jos Buttler in the Twenty20 avatar! Back of a length delivery outside off, Jos spots the room, hangs on the back foot and towers it over long off for a biggie. |
| 72.2 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, SIX! Boom! Hazlewood is under the pump! He delivers it in the hitting zone of the batsman. Buttler aligns himself and launches it over long on this time. Bye bye ball. This is exhilarating stuff from Jos. The crowd is brought back to life. |
| 72.3 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Misses this time! Buttler tries to be cheeky on this occasion. Attempts for a paddle shot to a length ball outside off. Fails to connect properly and it hits him on the pads. Words and smiles exchanged, so good to watch. The crowd is into it as well. |
| 72.4 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Spears in a very full ball on middle, Buttler tries heaving it over the mid-wicket region probably but it takes the inner half and runs behind square leg for a run. |
| 72.5 : J Hazlewood to Leach, On middle and leg, Leach helps it behind square leg and wants two. But Labuschagne is quick to the ball and they have to be satisfied with a run. |
| 72.6 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Buttler plays a dot. Leach will be on strike. This still counts? This plan? We have seen Leach dealing with the Aussie bowlers with ease over the course of this Test series. On middle and off, a touch short, Buttler punches from the back foot but finds the mid-wicket fielder. 14 from the over, an eventful one for England. |
| Mitchell Marsh is back on! He has a chance to get a 5-fer. Tore threw the England's middle order post Tea. |
| 73.1 : M Marsh to Leach, Very full and around off, Leach tries to dig it out but misses. Marsh is feeling his hamstring. Does some stretching with the help of Pat Cummins before returning to his mark. |
| 0.0 : Oh dear... Marsh is having a lot of trouble. He is clutching both his legs and it seems like he has pulled his hamstring but Sir Ian Botham on air feels that it is just a cramp. Mitchell Starc comes out with some fluids for the kid. And then takes the kid along with him out of the ground. Pat Cummins to finish Marsh's pending over. 19-5-61-2 so far. |
| 73.2 : Pat Cummins to Leach, Beaten again! A good length ball landing on off and angling away from the batsman, Leach plays inside the line and is beaten. |
| 73.3 : Pat Cummins to Leach, Short in length and on middle, Leach is solidly behind the line in defense. He just goes on his toes and calmly blocks it to the off side. |
| 73.4 : Pat Cummins to Leach, Too full in length and around leg, Leach gets across his stumps and flicks it fine down the leg side for one. Had he missed, he would have been a plumb lbw candidate. |
| 73.5 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Short in length and outside off, Buttler swings and misses. |
| 73.6 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Yet another swing and a miss for Buttler. He attempts for a pull shot to a short delivery but misses. Yells in disgust. Again, Leach is on strike for the next over. Can Australia work him over? |
| 74.1 : J Hazlewood to Leach, Slanting away from the batsman outside off, Leach pushes at it and misses. |
| 0.0 : The famous Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger is in attendance. However, it's not England but Australia doing rock n roll! |
| 74.2 : J Hazlewood to Leach, Shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 74.3 : J Hazlewood to Leach, Fuller and on middle, defended back to the bowler. |
| 74.4 : J Hazlewood to Leach, Short around leg, jumping onto the batsman, Leach fends it away over short leg. |
| 74.5 : J Hazlewood to Leach, Again a shortish delivery around leg, Leach works it wide of Wade towards deep square leg. Wants a run but Buttler denies. |
| 74.6 : J Hazlewood to J Leach, Interesting. Declined the single on the last ball and have taken it this time. Full and outside off, a glorious drive from Leach and it's to the right of mid off. The fielder there slides and makes the stop. Seems Buttler thought there were two runs on offer. Miscalculation. |
| 75.1 : Pat Cummins to Leach, Digs in a short ball on leg, Leach ducks away from the firing line. |
| 75.2 : Pat Cummins to Leach, Lands it on a length close to off, Leach defends it off his front foot. |
| 75.3 : Pat Cummins to Leach, Straighter delivery, Leach flicks it past the right side of Wade at short leg and crosses for a run. The mid-wicket fielder does the mop up job. |
| 75.4 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Full and sliding down the leg side, Buttler tries his best to power it over the on side but misses. |
| 75.5 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Fullish and on the pads, it's clipped to deep mid-wicket for a run. Leach cleans his specs and gets ready to face the last ball. Getting his job again. |
| 75.6 : Pat Cummins to Leach, EDGED, FOUR! Cummins runs in from 'round the wicket and delivers a full ball close to off. It straightens a touch after landing and Leach tries to play the line. It takes the outside edge and flies past the right side of the diving gully fielder. A boundary to bring up England's 250! |
| 76.1 : J Hazlewood to Jos Buttler, Short in length and on middle, Buttler swivels and pulls it through square leg. Labuschagne at deep backward square leg is late to pick it up but then does well to stop the ball. The batsmen take two. The sun is staring straight down to Marnus and he has his goggles resting on the back of his cap. Hmm... adding to his style quotient! |
| 0.0 : 'How long will Leach and Buttler last against the new ball?' asks Nasser Hussain on air. '50 and out,' says Sagar, our colleague, as cool as the Ocean. |
| 76.2 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, SIX! This one has gone all the way, to the right of Marnus Labuschagne this time! Another short by Josh to Jos and it has been dispatched via a thunderous pull shot behind square leg. High and handsome it goes into the crowd, bringing out a humongous roar from them. Fifty up for Buttler, his 15th in Tests, first in the Ashes. |
| 76.3 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Spears in a very full ball on middle, Buttler brings his bat down in time to dig it out towards mid on. |
| 76.4 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Slips a full ball down the leg side, Buttler fails to put any bat behind this one. |
| 76.5 : J Hazlewood to Jos Buttler, Short in length and way down the leg side, Buttler chases it in an attempt to pull and gets a bottom edge. It rolls to fine leg and Leach will have one ball to deal in this over. |
| 76.6 : J Hazlewood to Leach, Survives. Leach shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| Time for some leg spin with three more overs to go for the second new ball. Marnus Labuschagne to roll his arm, not Nathan Lyon. |
| 77.1 : M Labuschagne to Buttler, A leg spinner on the shorter side outside off, Buttler mistimes his square cut to point. |
| 77.2 : M Labuschagne to Buttler, FOUR! Good shot, great shot! Sometimes you curse T20 cricket for what it has done to Test cricket but this is the one dimension in batting it has added in the longer version. Flighted full ball on middle, Buttler brings out the reverse sweep and nails it behind point for a boundary. |
| 77.3 : M Labuschagne to Buttler, DROPPED! Very full and on middle, Buttler drills it back to the bowler who sticks his right hand out but fails to hold on. It deflects behind but they decide not to cross. A tough chance and these catches sometimes stick, sometimes don't. |
| 77.4 : M Labuschagne to Buttler, Quicker and on the pads, worked on the leg side through mid-wicket but no run taken. |
| 77.5 : M Labuschagne to Buttler, Shortish and outside off, punched to sweeper cover for one. |
| 77.6 : M Labuschagne to Leach, Too full in length around leg, Leach plays it out past Wade and looks for a run. Not taken. |
| Pat Cummins is brought back into the attack. |
| 78.1 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Serves a length ball in the region outside off, Buttler swings but fails to connect. |
| 78.2 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Good length around off, Jos shuffles across and blocks it well. |
| 78.3 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Straighter line, Buttler works it with soft hands in the gap at mid-wicket, good enough for a couple. |
| 78.4 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Fullish and on leg, Buttler plays a well-timed on drive but declines the run. |
| Mid-wicket is brought inside. Challenge thrown to Buttler to clear the fence there... |
| 78.5 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Fullish and on middle and leg, Buttler flicks but finds Warner at mid-wicket. |
| 78.6 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Fuller in length and on middle, Buttler helps it through the gap at mid-wicket and runs a single. Warner ambles behind the ball, giving the opportunity to Jos to take another run but Buttler ain't doing that, of course. |
| Fit-again, Mitchell Marsh (15.1-4-34-4) is brought back into the attack. |
| 79.1 : M Marsh to Buttler, Short in length and outside off, Buttler pulls it to deep mid-wicket. No run taken. |
| 79.2 : M Marsh to Buttler, On the pads, worked on the leg side, straight to mid-wicket. |
| 79.3 : M Marsh to Buttler, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 79.4 : M Marsh to Buttler, Fullish and going down the leg side, Buttler clips it to deep mid-wicket and decides to give Leach two balls to survive the over. |
| Short leg in place. |
| 79.5 : M Marsh to Leach, Good length ball on middle and off, Leach is on his toes as he blocks it back. |
| 79.6 : M Marsh to Leach, Well bowled and equally well played. An inswinging yorker around off, Leach brings his bat down in time to block it out. |
| The second new ball is available but Paine has not taken it yet. Will he take it tonight? Just 8 overs left. Wait. THE SECOND NEW BALL IS TAKEN. Surprising from Paine. With the old ball reversing, didn't see this coming so soon. Pat Cummins to make the first use of it. 21.5-5-71-2 so far. |
| 80.1 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Back of a length ball on off, Buttler defends it from the back foot to the off side. The hard nut will come onto the bat nicely also. |
| 80.2 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Shot! Full and drifting down the leg side, Buttler picks it up off his pads and flicks it over mid-wicket. There is no fielder in the deep but the ball doesn't have enough legs to cross the fence. Two runs taken. |
| 80.3 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Beaten comprehensively! Cummins pitches it up and outside off, Buttler tries to play an expansive cover drive but is beaten by the away movement. |
| 80.4 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Uppish but safe! Good length ball angling in on middle, it probably sticks on the surface a bit as Buttler is early into his shot. He checks his on drive and it goes wide of mid on. |
| 80.5 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Play and a miss! Back of a length ball on off, shaping in, Buttler clears his front leg for a big heave-ho over the leg side but misses. It travels over the stumps. |
| 80.6 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Beaten again! Fuller and wide outside off, nipping away, Jos tries to play the drive without much footwork and gets beaten. |
| Josh Hazlewood to share the second new cherry from the other end. Just three minutes left on the clock and this should be the last over of the day. Can Josh nip out Jack? |
| 81.1 : J Hazlewood to Leach, Solid! Full in length and outside off, Leach is confidently on the front foot as he defends. |
| 81.2 : J Hazlewood to Leach, Appeal for a catch, not given and Tim Paine returns. Was there any glove? No, is the answer. Short ball on middle, Leach tries to move away from the line of fire but fails to do so cleanly. It balloons behind off something and the gully fielder takes a diving catch. They appeal, nothing from the umpire. Paine consults Wade who was standing at short leg that whether Leach's arm-guard was in contact with the wrist band. That's very hard to tell. Even the replays are inc |
| 81.3 : J Hazlewood to Leach, Bouncer! The batsman does well to evade it. |
| 81.4 : J Hazlewood to Leach, On middle and leg, Leach defends it off his back foot to the leg side. |
| 81.5 : J Hazlewood to Leach, Short in length and around off, Jack defends it off his back foot again. |
| 81.6 : J Hazlewood to Leach, A very harmless delivery to end the day's play. Full and way down the leg side, Leach tries flicking but misses. A good take by the Aussie skipper with a dive. That will be it for the day. STUMPS ON DAY 1! |
| What a cracking day of Test cricket! We fell short by 8 overs to the allotted one but those 82 bowled were nothing short of exhilarating! Once again Jack Leach has shown his mettle with the bat and has partnered Jos Buttler to the full of his ability. This 9th wicket stand is currently worth 45 (off 68 balls) and it has saved England from an embarrassment of being bundled out quickly in the last session. |
| Coming to the day's play and it was a bit of a clumsy one from both sides! Let's start from the start. Tim Paine won the toss and to the surprise of many, he chose to field first. After picking just one wicket and dropping Joe Root twice in the morning session, soon it looked like Paine will be regretting his decision. England batted well in the afternoon session, in spite of losing two wickets, and the pair of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow started to settle down into a good partnership. |
| With Australia not enjoying the best of days, Mitchell Marsh suddenly found some reverse swing going in his spell post Tea. The all-rounder then relentlessly got stuck into a nice rhythm and with his spell of 8-3-17-3, he completely turned the tide in Australia's favour. Going comfortably at 170/3, England slipped to 226/8 and started to stare down the barrel. However, Jos Buttler received good support from Jack Leach and Jos unleashed on the tired Aussie bowlers. His 64 off 84 balls has pushed |
| Despite the 9th wicket partnership frustrating them at the fag end of the day's play, Australia will be relatively pleased with the outcome of Day 1. Toss would have been a bigger debate had they not reduced England to 226/8 but now, the Aussies can call it their day and the decision to bowl first a fair one. At least they can argue. Keep in mind, they gave three lives to Joe Root and things could have been even better had they not committed that sin. Anyway, that brings an end to everything on |
| ... Day 2, Session 1 ... |
| Another 50 odd runs would mean England will feel a lot more comfortable after the kind of collapse they had during the final session of Day 1. They would want Jos Buttler to add as many as he could along with Jack Leach and Stuart Broad. Two quick wickets would mean that Tim Paine would be more than happy on his decision of opting to bowl first after winning the toss. What's in store for us? Welcome to our coverage of Day 2 of the final Ashes Test. |
| The second new ball is just two overs old and Australia would like to utilize the early morning conditions to nip out the remaining wickets as soon as possible. Their aim will be to restrict England under 300. We will have to wait to find out Jos Buttler's approach this morning. He adopted an aggressive one last evening and if he continues to succeed in doing that, we will be in for a cracking first session. Day 2 is considered to be the best day for batting in a Test match and the visitors woul |
| The Australian players are out in the middle. Jos Buttler and Jack Leach follow them as well with the former to take the strike first up. Pat Cummins to start the proceedings for the visitors on Day 2. Here we go... |
| 82.1 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Cummins starts with a fuller ball on middle, Buttler punches it firmly but straight to mid on. |
| 82.2 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Good length ball outside off this time, Buttler lets it go to the keeper. |
| 82.3 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Fuller and on off and middle, blocked towards cover by Buttler. |
| 82.4 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Good length ball outside off, Buttler walks across the off stump to work it down the leg side but gets hit on the pads. He was hit outside the line and hence no appeal. The ball goes towards square leg as they cross for a leg bye. First runs of the day. |
| 82.5 : Pat Cummins to Leach, Fuller ball, pushed towards cover this time by Leach to pinch a single off the first ball he faced. |
| Interesting field setting! Two short legs in place. One is at the backward position standing a few steps behind the other one at the forward position. |
| 82.6 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, FOUR! Crunched through covers. Cummins ends the over with a poor ball outside off on a fuller length. Buttler stands in the crease hammers this one through the covers for first boundary of the day. |
| Mitchell Marsh to bowl from the other end. His figures on Day 1 stood at 16.1-4-35-4 and he will be looking to take his first 5-fer today. |
| 83.1 : M Marsh to Leach, He starts with a fuller length ball outside off, Leach lets it go to the keeper. |
| 83.2 : M Marsh to Leach, Play and a miss. This time Leach goes for the drive to this full ball outside off, but can't get bat on ball. |
| 83.3 : M Marsh to Leach, FOUR! Slammed this time to perfection. Another fuller ball outside off, Leach gets into the position and times this through cover-point to get his first boundary. |
| 83.4 : M Marsh to Leach, Another fuller ball on the fourth stump line, Leach pushes this off the front foot through extra covers to get a couple. Leach wanted another run but is denied by Buttler. |
| 83.5 : M Marsh to Leach, Fuller one on middle, defended solidly by Leach. |
| 83.6 : M Marsh to Leach, Wide outside off this time, Leach is not bothered as he shoulders arms. |
| 84.1 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Full on the pads, Buttler strokes it straight to mid on. |
| 84.2 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Fuller on off this time, Buttler blocks this towards mid on. |
| 84.3 : Pat Cummins to Jos Buttler, Another fuller ball on off, another firm push but straight to the mid on fielder. |
| 84.4 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, FIVE WIDES! Bangs it in short but it is way down the leg side. Paine's diving attempt to his left is in vain too. Buttler had gone across the leg stump to pull but it went further down the leg side and to the fine leg fence. |
| Pat Cummins to Buttler, Fuller ball on middle this time, Buttler uses his wrists and flicks it for a single towards deep mid-wicket. |
| 84.5 : Pat Cummins to Leach, Beaten! Good ball this one. Shortish ball on middle, shapes away from the left-hander. Leach hangs his bat to push but the ball beats the outside edge. |
| 84.6 : Pat Cummins to Leach, Another shortish ball that goes past the outside edge of Leach. This is banged on middle again and shapes away from the bat of Leach. |
| 85.1 : M Marsh to Buttler, Full ball to start from Marsh. This is around off, Buttler pushes this firmly towards mid on. |
| 85.2 : M Marsh to Buttler, Good length ball around off, Buttler works it towards mid on as the ball goes through the diving silly mid on fielder. David Warner is stationed there for these firm aerial punches coming from Buttler. |
| 85.3 : M Marsh to Buttler, Wide outside off, Buttler crunches this through point but for no run. |
| 85.4 : M Marsh to Buttler, On the pads this time on a fullish length, Buttler works it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 85.5 : M Marsh to Leach, Fuller ball around off, Leach gets right behind the line to block. |
| 85.6 : M Marsh to J Leach, EDGY FOUR! Lucky runs these. Good length ball on middle from Marsh. Leach looks to block it but the hint of away movement means the ball takes thick outside edge and flies through gully for a boundary. |
| 86.1 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, OUT! TIMBER! Cummins strikes and Buttler is out of here but not before playing a very handy innings of 70 runs. Buttler wants to heave this over the long on fence to this fuller ball outside off. But the ball takes an inside edge and then onto the pads and then goes to hit the off stump. He has taken England's score closer to 300 runs. End of a valuable 68-run stand too. How many can the new batter Stuart Broad and Jack Leach can add? |
| 86.2 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Shortish ball around middle, Broad stands tall to block. |
| 86.3 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Good length ball outside off, Broad lets it go to the keeper. |
| 86.4 : Pat Cummins to S Broad, Outside edge but falls short of the second slip fielder. Another back of a length ball on middle, Broad plays this with soft hands and hence that didn't carry. |
| 86.5 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Another bumper. Cummins continues to bang it short. Broad does well to sway away. |
| 86.6 : Pat Cummins to Broad, And another bouncer. Broad sways away to see off the over. |
| 87.1 : M Marsh to Leach, OUT! CHOPPED ON! Fifer on return for Mitchell Marsh, his first in Tests. This is a good length ball on middle, Leach looks to block but is a little too slow in getting his bat down. He tries to block it onto the ground but the ball takes the bottom edge and bounces back on the stumps. Marsh bowled well yesterday and the fifer is a testimony of his brilliant effort. A top replacement this one. ENGLAND ALL OUT FOR 294. |
| Beautiful feeling for Mitchell Marsh! He is leading his team off the park, raising his hand to acknowledge the crowd. Magnificent performance from the Perth boy. He wasn't in the reckoning for the first four Tests but has managed to create an immediate impact. England only added 23 runs to their overnight score and will be disappointed that they didn't cross the psychological 300-run mark. |
| Quickly summarizing the first innings. Tim Paine surprised many with his decision to bowl first. His call at the toss started to bother the Aussies after the first two sessions of this Test but then powered by Mitchell Marsh's stupendous reverse swing bowling, Australia made a resounding comeback. Rory Burns and Joe Root (with three lives) were the only notable contributors from the English top order and if it was not for Jos Buttler's superb batting and his handy partnership with Jack Leach, th |
| Right then, yet another test coming up for the Australian batting. David Warner vs Stuart Broad - This battle is about to resume and then everyone will be waiting for Steven Smith to come out with the bat and impress yet again. There will be assistance for the English bowlers early on and it promises to be a riveting contest. Join us on the other side. |
| 0.1 : S Broad to Warner, Broad starts with a good length ball outside off, Warner lets it go to the keeper. He has been Broad's bunny all Ashes. |
| 0.2 : S Broad to Warner, Chases this time! Poor from Warner. He has been in that kind of form that he wants runs. This is a wide delivery outside off, wider than the last ball. Warner decides to go for it but misses. |
| 0.3 : S Broad to Warner, No duck this time! Broad dishes this on a fuller length on middle, Warner pushes this towards cover and takes off for a run. Australia are underway too. David will be a relieved man, he bagged a pair in the last Test. |
| 0.4 : S Broad to Harris, Good length ball around off, Harris blocks it towards point. |
| CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DENLY FAMILY! Michael Atherton (on air) just informs that Joe Denly is off the field, as he became a proud father overnight. There are a few substitutes on the field - Jason Roy and Craig Overton. The commentators were wondering as to why they are on the field and one is for Jack Leach. Why is he in the dressing room? No idea. Then Atherton asks who is the other man out. He is then informed about Joe Denly. What a feeling for the proud papa. Joe is up on his way to the gro |
| 0.5 : S Broad to Harris, Fuller ball on middle this time, Harris pushes this towards mid off. |
| 0.6 : S Broad to Harris, Too wide to make the batter play this time. Harris lets it go the keeper. |
| Jofra Archer it will be to bowl from the other end, sharing the new ball. |
| 1.1 : J Archer to Warner, Archer starts with a good length ball, closer to off stump, Warner taps it towards point. |
| 1.2 : J Archer to D Warner, EDGEY FOUR! Archer goes fullish this time. Warner looks to drive but the ball takes a thick outside edge and it goes to the right of the diving gully fielder and through to the third man fence. First boundary for Warner and Australia. |
| 1.3 : J Archer to Warner, On the pads this time, Warner looks to work it down the leg side but is hit on the pads. |
| 1.4 : J Archer to Warner, Fuller ball this time. Warner strokes it straight to point. |
| Review time! The hosts have reviewed for a caught behind after umpire Erasmus gave Warner not out. There was a noise as the ball went past the bat and maybe that is the reason Root has gone for the review. Ultra Edge comes in very late due to some technical issues and it is... |
| 1.5 : J Archer to Warner, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Warner has to walk back. Oh boy, is he disappointed? Is he angry? The look on his face seems like an obedient student who has just been asked to go home as a punishment from his school principal. Poor bloke. Cannot buy a run. Good length ball wide outside off, Warner is run-hungry as he throws his bat at it again but misses. There is no feet movement at all but a noise is generated as the ball goes past the bat. The slip cordon instantly appeals but t |
| Marnus Labuschagne is the new man in for the visitors. Often he has had to come in very soon to the crease and this time it is no different. |
| 1.6 : J Archer to Labuschagne, On the pads on middle, Marnus looks to work it fine down the leg side but can't get bat on ball. He is hit high on the pads. |
| 2.1 : S Broad to Harris, Harris is off the mark! Fuller ball on the pads, Harris tucks it nicely through mid-wicket to get three. |
| 2.2 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Appeal for LBW but no review from England this time. Gets the ball to come back in with the angle. Marnus looks to work it down the leg side but is hit on the pads. |
| 2.3 : S Broad to Labuschagne, On middle on a fuller ball, Marnus works it down the leg side and wants two straight away. There is an appeal for run out at the striker's end but he is well in. He is off the mark with that. |
| 2.4 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Good length ball outside off, left alone. |
| 2.5 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Misses his line this time as this one goes down the leg side. Marnus wants to pull but misses. Bairstow does well to stop going to his left. |
| 2.6 : S Broad to Labuschagne, FOUR! Gets the pull right this time. Banged short on middle by Broad, Labuschagne swivels and hammers the pull through the mid-wicket fence. Top shot that from Marnus. |
| 3.1 : J Archer to M Harris, Fuller ball, pushed towards mid off. |
| 3.2 : J Archer to Harris, Beaten! Superb ball this time. Good length and closer to the body and shaping away. Harris looks to block but the ball whizzes past the outside edge. |
| 3.3 : J Archer to Harris, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 3.4 : J Archer to Harris, In the channel on a good length. Harris lets it go to the keeper. |
| 3.5 : J Archer to Harris, Fuller ball around off, Harris wants to drive but the ball takes the inner half of the willow and goes back to the bowler. |
| 3.6 : J Archer to Harris, On the pads on a fullish length. Harris looks to work it down the leg side but can't get bat on ball. He takes one on the pads. |
| 4.1 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Length ball wide outside off, Labushagne leaves it alone. |
| 4.2 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Another length ball outside off, Labuschagne lets it through to Bairstow. |
| 4.3 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Outside off, Labuschagne shoulders arms to this one too. |
| 4.4 : S Broad to Labuschagne, In the channel this time, Labuschagne lets it go to the keeper. |
| 4.5 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Fuller one middle and off this time, blocked off the front foot. |
| 4.6 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Good length ball outside off, Marnus is late in taking the bat away as the ball takes the toe end of the bat and goes to the keeper on the bounce. |
| 5.1 : J Archer to Harris, Good length ball angled into the batter, Harris looks to block but is hit on the pads. Too high to make an appeal for the LBW. |
| 5.2 : J Archer to Harris, Outside off this time, left alone. |
| 5.3 : J Archer to M Harris, Good length ball on middle again, this one shapes a hint away. Harris looks to block but the ball takes the outside edge and goes towards the fielder at gully on the bounce. |
| 5.4 : J Archer to M Harris, Slightly fuller this time from Archer. Harris looks to block but another outside edge goes towards Buttler at gully who does well to stop. |
| 5.5 : J Archer to Harris, OUT! Caught! Archer strikes now! Australia in trouble early on as both the openers are back in the hut for them. Two outside edges fell short of the fielder but not the third one. Stokes is superb in holding on to this one, very close to the ground. It is a good length ball closer to the off pole, Harris is squared up as he looks to block but the ball takes outside and flies to Stokes at second slip who takes it very low diving forward. |
| The next man is the maestro of Test batting, the modern day 'Don', Steven Smith. This is the wicket that the hosts would want the most and the crowd are trying their best to unsettle him early on in his innings. |
| 5.6 : J Archer to Smith, Bouncer to welcome Smudge! Smith ducks under it. |
| 6.1 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Outside off, Marnus lets it go to the keeper. |
| 6.2 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Shortish length ball this time, Marnus goes after it but misses. |
| 6.3 : S Broad to Labuschagne, On the pads this time. Marnus works it towards the leg side but Buttler at short leg is too sharp to let this one go through. Gets the ball and has a shy at the stumps but misses. Marnus never went out though. |
| 6.4 : S Broad to Labuschagne, This one if fuller, Labuschagne pushes this towards mid on. |
| 6.5 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Fuller one on off this time, pushed back to Broad. |
| 6.6 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Another fuller ball, Marnus strokes it straight to the mid on fielder. |
| 7.1 : J Archer to Smith, Smith is beaten! Fuller ball around off, Smith goes for the drive but misses. |
| 7.2 : J Archer to Smith, Another fuller ball on middle, Smith pushes this back to the bowler who collects the ball and throws it back to the striker's end. That wasn't needed though as Smith never ventured out of the crease. Probably, Archer is frustrated of seeing Smith out in the middle. |
| 7.3 : J Archer to Smith, Shortens his length this time but it goes down the leg side. Smith lets it go. |
| 7.4 : J Archer to Smith, Fuller around off this time, blocked nicely this time. |
| 7.5 : J Archer to Smith, Good length ball outside off, tapped towards point. |
| 7.6 : J Archer to Smith, Good length ball around off, Smith walks across the off pole and blocks well. |
| Nasser Hussain points out the impact of Ben Stokes on the first wicket! No, he wasn't the bowler. He didn't even take the catch. But...but...but... It was his sharp ears that heard the edge at second slip and it was on his advice Joe Root took the review. The vice captain of the team did a commendable job there. Always alert, Mr. Ben! |
| 8.1 : S Broad to Labuschagne, FOUR! Whipped off the pads from Marnus. Broad dishes a fuller ball on the pads of Labuschagne. He is not going to miss out on that one as he flicks it nicely through mid-wicket to get another boundary. |
| 8.2 : S Broad to Labuschagne, A single to follow the boundary. Fuller one around off this time, Labuschagne pushes it towards point to get off strike. |
| 8.3 : S Broad to Smith, Good length ball around off, Smith blocks it back to the bowler. |
| 8.4 : S Broad to Smith, Another good length ball but this is too wide to make Smith play. |
| 8.5 : S Broad to Smith, Nicely done to get off the mark. Broad is targeting the stumps of Smith here. Smith reads that well and clips this fuller ball towards square leg to get a couple. |
| 8.6 : S Broad to Smith, Good length ball around the fourth stump line, Smith works it through square leg for a run this time to get a single. 8 runs from the over. |
| 9.1 : J Archer to Smith, Fuller ball around off, Smith strokes it back to the bowler. |
| 9.2 : J Archer to S Smith, Fuller ball this time, Smith walks across again to work it down the leg side but is hit on the pads. |
| 9.3 : J Archer to Smith, Bouncer from Archer. Smith ducks under it. |
| 9.4 : J Archer to Smith, Smith is beaten again! Archer bangs one short and makes it shape away from Smith. He looks to crunch a cut but misses. A great battle between the two at the moment. |
| 9.5 : J Archer to Smith, Wide outside off this time, Smith lets it go to the keeper. |
| 9.6 : J Archer to Smith, In the channel outside off this time, Smith leaves it alone. |
| Sam Curran is on now. This is the first time he is bowling in the Ashes and he will be looking to lay down a marker here. |
| 10.1 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Starts with a fuller ball around off, Labuschagne drives it towards point who does well to relay the ball towards the cover fielder on the dive. No runs taken. |
| 10.2 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Good length ball angled into the batter, Labuschagne blocks this towards mid on. |
| 10.3 : Sam Curran to M Labuschagne, FOUR! CREAMED! Curran dishes a fuller ball outside off to Labuschagne. He leans into the drive and creams it through covers. He is looking in good touch here. |
| 10.4 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Fuller ball outside off, Labuschagne goes for the drive but can't connect. Bairstow behind the wicket catches and appeals. Replays show that the sound was because the bat hit the ground and didn't touch the ball. |
| 10.5 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Good length ball outside off, left alone. |
| 10.6 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Another ball outside off, Labuschagne lets it go to the keeper. |
| 11.1 : J Archer to Smith, Good length ball on the pads, worked towards mid-wicket. |
| 0.0 : Oh hello? Nasser Hussain once again getting into the act. He starts by saying that if you think Ben Stokes hears everything, then you're wrong. Points out the fifth ball of the third over. Labuschagne there failed to connect with the pull shot to a ball down the leg side. There was only a muted appeal there by Bairstow and Stokes was just seen clapping. No one picked anything. But the Ultra Edge did. There was a spike. Big miss for England. Marnus is the batsman in form for the Aussies and has h |
| 11.2 : J Archer to Smith, Short ball outside off, Smith goes for the cut but finds the gully fielder on the bounce. |
| 11.3 : J Archer to S Smith, Good shot from Smith. Slightly fuller around off, Smith drives this through covers nicely. The ball doesn't have the legs to reach the fence. Leach from cover hares after the ball and pulls it back in play. Interestingly, Leach, a left-hander throws the ball with his right hand. They take three. |
| 11.4 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Good length around off, blocked off the back foot. |
| 11.5 : J Archer to Labuschagne, In the channel this time, Labuschagne covers his stumps and lets it go to the keeper. |
| 11.6 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Another leave as this is outside off on a good length. |
| 12.1 : Sam Curran to Smith, Fuller ball outside off, Smith does his antics with the bat after leaving the ball. |
| 12.2 : Sam Curran to Smith, Play and a miss! Smith looking slightly fishy here. Another fuller ball shaping away from him. He wants to drive it, not how he has gone about the business entire series. He will be facing a new challenge as the left-handed Sam Curran will give the England bowling attack a different dimension. |
| 12.3 : Sam Curran to Smith, Fuller ball on the pads, worked towards mid-wicket by Smith to get a couple. |
| 12.4 : Sam Curran to Smith, Curran is targeting the stumps as he delivers this fuller ball on middle, Smith does well to block off the front foot. |
| 12.5 : Sam Curran to Smith, FOUR! Excellent shot! Fuller ball outside off, Smith is not going to miss out on this one. He leans into the drive and creams it through cover-point. |
| 12.6 : Sam Curran to Smith, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 13.1 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Good length ball around off, tapped towards mid off by Labuschagne. |
| 13.2 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Good length ball again but too wide to make Labuschagne play. He lets it go to the keeper. |
| 13.3 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Another ball outside off, Marnus makes another leave. |
| 13.4 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Slightly shorter one but again outside off, Labuschagne is not bothered as he shoulders arms. |
| 13.5 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Short one on the body, Labuschagne goes back and blocks. |
| 13.6 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Beaten! Bangs it in short, slightly. Labuschagne looks to block but the ball is angled into him. He looks to work it down the leg side but the ball sneaks through the bat and over the stumps. Lucky not to get an inside edge. Paine does well to pouch that one on his left. |
| 14.1 : Sam Curran to Smith, Fuller ball around off, pushed back to the bowler by Smith. |
| 14.2 : Sam Curran to Smith, Quick single this time. Smith pushes this towards mid off and calls for a run instantly. |
| 14.3 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Down the leg side this time. Labuschagne looks to guide it with a glance but misses. |
| 14.4 : Sam Curran to M Labuschagne, EDGY FOUR! Goes fuller this time and makes Labuschagne go for the drive. He goes for it but the ball takes the outside edge and flies between second slip and third slip and to the third man fence. There is a gap between the two slips and it went through that. Stokes made a diving attempt to his right at second slip but the ball eluded him. |
| 14.5 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, In the channel this time, Labuschagne lets it go the keeper. |
| 14.6 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Fuller ball around off, driven firmly but straight to mid off. |
| Chris Woakes is into the attack now for the hosts. He has replaced Craig Overton in the side. Can he get the worthy wicket of Smith? He has 9 wickets this Ashes and would want to finish the series with a few more under his name. |
| 15.1 : C Woakes to Smith, On the pads of Smith by Woakes, he flicks it towards deep square leg and takes a single. |
| 15.2 : C Woakes to Labuschagne, FOUR! On the pads from Woakes. Marnus lunges forward and flicks this nicely through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 15.3 : C Woakes to Labuschagne, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. |
| 15.4 : C Woakes to Labuschagne, FOUR! Another poor ball on the pads. Labuschagne stays in his crease and glances it towards the fine leg fence for another boundary. Bairstow made a diving attempt to his left but it was too far from his reach. |
| 15.5 : C Woakes to Labuschagne, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 15.6 : C Woakes to Labuschagne, Back of a length ball around middle, blocked off the back foot by Labuschagne. |
| 16.1 : Curran to Smith, Huge appeal but nothing from the umpire. Root is having a word with the bowler and suggesting that this might have been high. Decides against the review. Smith shuffles to work it down the leg side but misses to get hit on the pads. England doesn't review and rightly so as the Ball Tracker rolls in to show that this was going over the off pole. |
| 16.2 : Curran to Smith, And again. Another appeal but nothing from the umpire once more. Smith is not sure which one is coming and which one is going away from him. A clueless Smith is a rarity. This is pitched around off. Smith shuffles across the off pole again but eventually doesn't play at it thinking that it will carry on with the angle of the bowler. But it straightens a bit to hit him flush on the pads. Skipper Root again has a word with the bowler and his mates but decides against the rev |
| 16.3 : Sam Curran to Smith, Bouncer now! Smith sways away from it. |
| 16.4 : Sam Curran to Smith, Wide outside off, left alone. |
| Steven Smith averages 29 against the inswing and 75.5 against the outswing. A stat shared by the on air commentators. Interesting. Aren't there any good inswinging bowlers there to trouble Steven? Sam Curran seems to be getting some at the moment. |
| 16.5 : Sam Curran to Smith, Fuller ball this time, pushed towards mid-wicket. |
| 16.6 : Sam Curran to Smith, And again. Smith shuffles across and wants to leave this one but the ball comes back in just a hint to hit him on the pads again. Testing over this one from Curran to the man in form. |
| 17.1 : C Woakes to Labuschagne, Good length delivery just outside off, Labuschagne blocks this one out. |
| 17.2 : C Woakes to Labuschagne, Touch fuller this time, Labuschagne blocks it towards cover-point. |
| 17.3 : C Woakes to Labuschagne, FOUR! On middle and leg this one by Woakes, Labuschagne shuffles across and flicks this one towards mid-wicket for a boundary. This also bring up 50 runs for Australia. |
| 17.4 : C Woakes to Labuschagne, Marnus shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot back towards the bowler. |
| 17.5 : C Woakes to Labuschagne, Outside off, left alone by Labuschagne. |
| 17.6 : C Woakes to Labuschagne, Good bowling by Woakes. He pitches this one on a length and gets it to straighten. Labuschagne looks to block this one but the ball hits the splice of the bat and goes towards the slip cordon on the bounce. |
| 18.1 : Curran to Smith, Length ball just outside the leg pole line, Smith shuffles and tries to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. There is a stifled appeal by the England players but nothing serious. The ball rolls towards fine leg as the batters take a leg bye. |
| 18.2 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Yorker to Labuschagne by Curran, he digs this one out at the last moment. |
| 18.3 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Outside off, left alone by Labuschagne. |
| 18.4 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, On the pads of Marnus, he flicks it towards square leg and takes a single. |
| 18.5 : Sam Curran to Smith, Length ball outside off, left alone by Smith. |
| 18.6 : Sam Curran to Smith, Down the leg side this one, Smith looks to flick but misses and the ball carries to Bairstow. THAT WILL BE LUNCH ON DAY 2! |
| It's turning out to be the same old script! Australia suffering early blows and then a partnership involving Steven Smith trying to bail them out. Marnus Labuschagne has once again shown his mettle with the bat as he continues to impress everyone with his temperament and skill. There was a moment very early in his innings when he got a spike on his attempted pull shot and was caught behind but there was only a muted appeal from England. An early reprieve and this South Africa-born lad is trying |
| The day started well for the visitors as they completed the formalities and dismissed the two remaining English batters in the first five overs itself. Australia came out to bat with an 'extra positive' intent, with a run-hungry David Warner trying to pounce on every bad delivery. However, he failed in his attempt and fell to Jofra Archer. Harris too soon followed him back to the pavilion and since then, Labuschagne and Smith have tried to weather the storm. The pair has looked largely untrouble |
| ... Day 2, Session 2 ... |
| Welcome back to the coverage of Day 2 of the final Ashes Test. The English players make their way out to the middle and they will be having just one objective on their mind, get Steve Smith out! He follows the English players alongside his partner Marnus Labuschagne and the latter will take strike. Jofra Archer to start the proceedings after Lunch for the hosts. He comes steaming in... |
| 19.1 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Starts by bowling a good length ball just outside the off pole line. Labuschagne knows exactly where his wickets are and shoulders arms to it. |
| 19.2 : J Archer to Labuschagne, FOUR! Beautiful flick by Labuschagne! This one is full and on the off pole line, Marnus shuffles across and flicks this one through mid-wicket for a boundary. Lots of oohs and aahs by the English fielders! First boundary of the session this. |
| 19.3 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Good length ball on middle and off, Labuschagne blocks it out. |
| 19.4 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Outside off, length ball. Left alone by Labuschagne. |
| 19.5 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Good yorker by Archer on the leg pole. Labuschagne is quick to pick it up and flicks it towards fine leg for one. |
| 19.6 : J Archer to Smith, Length ball outside off, left alone by Smith. |
| Stuart Broad to bowl from the other end. His numbers so far, 5-2-18-0. |
| 20.1 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Wide outside off stump, Labuschagne leaves it alone. |
| 20.2 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Another one outside off, Labuschagne shoulders arms to it. |
| 20.3 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Good length ball on middle and off, Labuschagne blocks it back to the bowler. |
| 20.4 : S Broad to M Labuschagne, FOUR! Uppish and over the gully fielder. Labuschagne played this shot a bit like Joe Denly. Full and wide outside off, Labuschagne looks to drive at this one but it goes off the outside edge uppishly towards backward point to the fence. The 50-run stand is up between the solid duo now! |
| 20.5 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Broad pulls the length back on this one, Labuschagne leaves it alone. |
| 20.6 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Fullish on off, pushed towards the man at cover. |
| 21.1 : J Archer to Smith, Bouncer down the leg side, Smith ducks under it. |
| 21.2 : J Archer to Smith, Length ball outside off, left alone by Steven Smith |
| 21.3 : J Archer to Smith, Good length ball on middle and leg, Smith pushes this one towards mid on. |
| 21.4 : J Archer to Smith, On the pads of Smith, he flicks it towards mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 21.5 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Fullish outside off, Labuschagne tries to block it out but it goes off the outside half of his bat towards point. |
| 21.6 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Labuschagne chooses to leave this length ball outside his off pole. |
| 22.1 : S Broad to Smith, FOUR! What a shot by Smith! A treat to the eyes! This is a short of a length ball outside off, Smith gets up on his toes and punches this square through point for a boundary. |
| 22.2 : S Broad to Smith, Fuller this time, Smith punches this towards the man at cover who collects it on the bounce. |
| 22.3 : S Broad to Smith, Another fuller one outside off, Smith again pushes this towards cover. |
| 22.4 : S Broad to Smith, On the pads of Smith, he flicks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 22.5 : S Broad to Smith, Outside off, Steven Smith lets the ball go through to Bairstow. |
| 22.6 : S Broad to Smith, Wide outside off stump, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 23.1 : J Archer to M Labuschagne, Good ball to start off by Archer, he bowls this one on a good length just outside the off pole. It nips back in just a bit and hits the pads of Labuschagne but off the inside edge. The England players did go up for an appeal but soon realised there was an inside edge on it. |
| 23.2 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Bouncer on the leg pole line, Labuschagne looks to duck under it and falls while doing it. He is down on the ground and having a laugh. |
| 23.3 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 23.4 : J Archer to Labuschagne, On the pads of Labuschagne, he flicks it towards mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 23.5 : J Archer to Smith, Another one on the pads, Smith flicks this one towards backward square leg and takes a couple. |
| 23.6 : J Archer to Smith, Full and outside off, Smith pushes this with soft hands towards cover and takes a single to retain strike. |
| Here is the birthday boy, Shane Warne, not taking off on his auspicious day. He is on air and tells something about Archer's bouncers. He reckons that Jofra is very effective due to the way he release his delivery. The leggie points out that his release is very late as he snaps his wrists at the very last moment, making it tough for the batsmen to pick. When the legend speaks, we listen and love it. Lovely insight in the technicalities of bowling. |
| 24.1 : S Broad to Smith, Length ball outside off, Smith makes a comfortable leave. |
| 24.2 : S Broad to Smith, Another one outside off, left alone by Smudge. |
| 24.3 : S Broad to Smith, Broad goes fuller this time, Smith pushes it powerfully towards the man at mid on. |
| 24.4 : S Broad to Smith, Broad gets some inswing on this one. He pitches this one outside off, Smith makes the leave and then realises that it is coming back in. It goes past the stumps but way too close for comfort. |
| 24.5 : S Broad to S Smith, Short and wide, Smith tries to cut it powerfully but fails to do so as he hits it straight to Roy at cover-point. |
| 24.6 : S Broad to S Smith, FOUR! This time Smith does not miss out as he crunches this full delivery wide outside off through the cover region for a boundary. |
| By the way, the new daddy is back on the field. He had gone to visit his new born. Joe Denly is all smiles as he takes his position on the field. |
| 25.1 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Labuschagne shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 25.2 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Good length ball on middle and off, Marnus pushes it back towards Archer. |
| 25.3 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Another one, similar line and length, Labuschagne looks to tuck it towards the leg side but it goes off the outer half of his bat back towards Archer. |
| 25.4 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Outside off, left alone by Marnus. |
| Here comes the cake in the broadcaster's commentary box. David Gower hands it over to Sir Ian Botham who passes it on to the birthday boy, Shane Warne. The leggie tells that he is fifty now and refuses to share his birthday cake. The kid in you never gets old. Have a good one, Warnie! |
| 25.5 : J Archer to Labuschagne, OUCH! That has hit Labuschagne on the back of his elbow and he has straightaway signaled the physio to come out. This one is just behind a good length on the off pole line, there is some extra bounce on this as Labuschagne misses his defense. The ball goes past his bat but hits him on the back of the elbow and he is down on the ground in pain as he signals for the physio towards the dressing room. The good news is that after some long treatment by the physio, he is |
| The physio is out in the middle for Marnus Labuschagne. That looks really nasty. He looks in pain as the physio checks out his forearm. Remember that he joined the team as a concussion substitute for Steven Smith in the 2nd Test at Lord's. No such thing here as he is ready to go now though. |
| 25.6 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Length ball just outside off, Labuschagne pushes this one off the back foot towards extra cover. |
| Chris Woakes into the attack now. He didn't start well as he gave away 12 runs in the first two overs. Can he break this stand? Surprisingly, no Curran yet post Lunch. He troubled both Smith and Labuschagne in the last session. |
| 26.1 : C Woakes to Smith, He starts off with a good length ball on middle and off, Smith blocks it back towards Woakes. |
| 26.2 : C Woakes to Smith, Similar delivery to the previous one, Smith this time pushes it towards mid off. |
| 26.3 : C Woakes to Smith, Down the leg side this time, Smith tries to flick but misses. The ball goes past him and through to Bairstow. |
| 26.4 : C Woakes to Smith, Steven shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 26.5 : C Woakes to Smith, Another one down the leg side, again Smith goes for the flick but misses. Bairstow gathers it comfortably. |
| 26.6 : C Woakes to Smith, Outside off, left alone by Smith. A maiden to start off the new spell for Woakes. |
| 27.1 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Good length ball just outside off, Labuschagne blocks it out. |
| 27.2 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Short of a length on the body of Labuschagne, he plays it with soft hands onto the ground towards the leg side. |
| 27.3 : J Archer to M Labuschagne, EDGED AND FOUR! Archer bowls this one just outside off on a length and gets it to shape away from Labuschagne. He goes for the back foot defense but it goes off the outer half past the gully fielder and into the third man fence. Loose bottom hands assisted him there. |
| 27.4 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Length ball on middle and off, defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 27.5 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Good bouncer by Archer! On the leg pole line, it shoots off the surface and Labuschagne does well to get out of the way. |
| 27.6 : J Archer to Labuschagne, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 28.1 : C Woakes to Smith, On the pads of Smith, he tucks it towards square leg. |
| 28.2 : C Woakes to Smith, Smith shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 28.3 : C Woakes to Smith, Another one on the pads, Smith flicks this one towards mid-wicket. |
| 28.4 : C Woakes to Smith, Fullish on off, Smith blocks it out towards mid off. |
| 28.5 : C Woakes to Smith, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 28.6 : C Woakes to Smith, Bouncer to end the over by Woakes, Smith does well to evade it. |
| 29.1 : J Archer to M Labuschagne, Good length ball, nipping back in, Labuschagne looks to flick this one towards the leg side but only manages to get an inside edge onto the pad. It rolls towards fine leg as the batters take two. |
| 29.2 : Archer to Labuschagne, OUT! LBW! Finally the partnership is broken and some respite for the hosts! Archer is the man again as he has taken all the wickets until now. This one is a similar delivery to the previous one, good length ball just outside off, nipping back in. This time Labuschagne misses his flick altogether and is hit flush on the pads. The English players all go up together for the appeal and umpire Erasmus agrees. Labuschagne walks upto his partner Steven Smith, has a long ch |
| Matthew Wade is the next man in for the visitors. He is welcomed with chirps from the slip cordon. Rory Burns, Stuart Broad and Jonny Bairstow giving him some unwanted advice. Maybe, Wadey gave them his unwanted advice while fielding at short leg. Payback time. |
| 29.3 : J Archer to Wade, First ball for Wade, he shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the front foot. |
| 29.4 : J Archer to Wade, This one is full and outside off, Wade pushes this one through mid off. Broad hares after it and the batters take three in the meantime. |
| 29.5 : J Archer to Smith, FOUR! Full and on the pads of Smith, he flicks it towards the fine leg fence for a boundary. |
| 29.6 : J Archer to Smith, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 30.1 : C Woakes to Wade, Good length ball outside off to start the fresh over by Woakes. Wade lets it go to the keeper. |
| 30.2 : C Woakes to Wade, Fuller this time, Wade drives it straight but Archer from mid off stops it. |
| 30.3 : C Woakes to Wade, Good length ball outside off again, it is shaping away from Wade. He lets it go to the keeper. |
| 30.4 : C Woakes to Wade, FOUR! Driven handsomely. Woakes overpitches this outside off, Wade leans into the drive and pierces the gap between cover and point. First boundary for him. Australia behind by 200 now. |
| 30.5 : C Woakes to Wade, Outside off again, left alone by Wade. |
| 30.6 : C Woakes to Wade, Good length ball on middle this time, Wade taps it towards mid off. |
| Here is Sam Curran, finally. He had troubled Smith at the stroke of Lunch. Can he do that again and manage to get the prized scalp of Smith? |
| 31.1 : Sam Curran to Smith, Almost! What a start by Curran! Corker of a yorker and Smith does well to dig it out at the last moment. |
| 31.2 : Sam Curran to Smith, Outside off by Curran, left alone by Smith. |
| 31.3 : Sam Curran to Smith, On the pads of Smith, he flicks it towards mid-wicket and takes a couple. |
| 31.4 : Sam Curran to Smith, Similar ball, same result. Again on the pads, Smith flicks it towards mid-wicket and takes another couple. |
| 31.5 : Sam Curran to Smith, Another couple! Smith just does not miss out on any balls on his middle and leg pole. He shuffles across and plays it square this time towards deep square leg and takes two. Good batting by Smudge. With this, Australia have touched the 100-run mark. |
| 31.6 : Sam Curran to S Smith, Good length and outside off, Smith pushes this towards mid off. |
| DRINKS! Smith and Labuschagne were exceptional during their 69-run stand but Archer removed Labuschagne just two away from his half century. However, Smith continues to be the thorn in the way for the hosts. They would want to see him walking back. Interesting hour of play awaits. |
| 32.1 : C Woakes to Wade, Length ball wide outside off, Wade leaves it alone. |
| 32.2 : C Woakes to Wade, Similar delivery, left alone by Wade again. |
| A LBW appeal has been taken upstairs by Root after consulting his team mates. That looked too high to the naked eyes. The Ball Tracker finds it to be missing the stumps. Also, strangely the third umpire carried on to see the Ball Tracker in spite of seeing the inside edge on the Ultra Edge. This is something we haven't seen in the past. Would have been a big controversy had the Ball Tracker showed it to be hitting the stumps. |
| 32.3 : C Woakes to Wade, NOT OUT! Missing the off pole! Curran bowls this one on a length and on the off pole line, he gets it to nip back in a bit. Wade looks to block it out but misses the ball to get hit on the back pad. The England players go up in appeal but the umpire does not agree with them. After having a chat with his mates, Joe Root goes for the review. Ultra Edge comes into play, there is a spike as the ball passes the bat but the third umpire wants to have a look at the Ball Tracker. |
| 32.4 : C Woakes to Wade, On the pads of Wade, he works it towards deep backward square leg and takes three as the fielders do the mop up job. |
| 32.5 : C Woakes to Smith, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 32.6 : C Woakes to Smith, FOUR! Beautiful shot by Smith! This was full and on middle and leg, he just comes on the front foot and drives this down the down the ground through mid on for a boundary. |
| 33.1 : Sam Curran to Wade, On the pads of Wade to start the fresh over by Curran. He whips it behind square leg and takes a brace. |
| 33.2 : Sam Curran to Wade, Gets the line right this time. This one is in the channel. Wade lets it go to the keeper. |
| 33.3 : Sam Curran to Wade, Good length ball on middle, Wade is right behind the block off the back foot. |
| 33.4 : Sam Curran to Wade, Full ball on off this time, Wade punches this straight to mid on. |
| 33.5 : Sam Curran to Wade, Fuller ball on middle this time, Wade tucks it towards the mid-wicket with ease. |
| 33.6 : Sam Curran to Wade, Fullish ball, this is on the fifth stump line. Wade shoulders arms to this one. |
| Stat - Steven Smith has completed 700 runs in this Ashes. Only the sixth player to score 700-plus runs in a Test series on multiple occasion. Milestone! |
| 34.1 : C Woakes to Smith, Good length around off, Smith works it behind square leg and gets off strike. |
| 34.2 : C Woakes to Wade, FOUR! Crunched! Shortish ball outside off, Wade has room to cash in. He stays back and hammers the cut through point. Woakes continues bowling the wayward lines and lengths. Australia trail by 180 now. |
| 34.3 : C Woakes to Wade, Goes fuller on the pads this time, Wade flicks it straight to mid-wicket. |
| 34.4 : C Woakes to Wade, Good length ball around off, Wade taps it towards cover. |
| 34.5 : C Woakes to Wade, On the pads again, Wade pushes this towards mid on and takes a quick single. |
| 34.6 : C Woakes to Smith, Good length around off, Smith blocks it towards mid on. 6 runs from the over, without a hint of trouble. |
| Jack Leach is into the attack now. He will be trying to use the foot marks on the pitch. If Leach can land the ball on the rough outside the off stump of Wade, the left-hander might face some trouble. |
| 35.1 : J Leach to Wade, Floated outside off, pushed towards the man at cover. |
| 35.2 : J Leach to Wade, Another one floated on off, Wade comes down the track trying to negate the spin. He flicks it towards mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 35.3 : J Leach to Smith, Floated on the pads, Smith pushes this towards mid on and takes a single. |
| 35.4 : J Leach to Wade, Close one this! Leach bowls this one in the rough, gets a lot of turn off the surface. Wade tries to work it towards the leg side but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The ball loops up but goes wide of the short leg to his left. |
| 35.5 : J Leach to Wade, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 35.6 : J Leach to Wade, Wade comes down the track and pushes the ball towards mid on and keeps strike. |
| 36.1 : Sam Curran to Wade, Good length ball on middle and off, Wade looks to work it towards the leg side but it goes off the leading edge towards cover. |
| 36.2 : Sam Curran to Wade, Down the leg side, Wade tries to flick but misses. |
| 36.3 : Sam Curran to Wade, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| Wade given LBW! A quick review from him! Dharmasena thought for a while before raising his finger. That looks close. Yes, good enough to make Wade head into the pavilion as this one is clipping the leg stump, so umpire's call. |
| 36.4 : Curran to Wade, OUT! LBW! Matthew Wade is now gone and as always, the lone standing warrior is Steven Smith who is playing at the other end. Curran comes steaming in and bowls this one on the off pole line, it comes back in with the angle. Wade looks to flick this one towards the leg side but misses his flick. The ball hits Wade on the front pad and the English players appeal. Kumar Dharmasena takes his time and raises the dreaded finger at the very last moment. Wade goes for the review s |
| Mitchell Marsh is the next man in for Australia. He was the star for them with the ball. Australia need runs from him now. He has two centuries in Tests and interestingly, both of them have in the Ashes. Can he deliver with the bat again? |
| 36.5 : Sam Curran to Marsh, Swing and a miss! Full ball just outside off, Marsh goes for the drive off the first ball but misses it completely. Not the approach that the visitors would want off him right now. |
| 36.6 : Sam Curran to Marsh, Marsh defends it from within the crease. End of a successful over for Curran. |
| 37.1 : J Leach to Smith, Loopy ball on middle, Smith pushes this towards long on for a single. |
| 37.2 : J Leach to Marsh, Flaoted one around off and middle, Marsh pushes it towards cover. |
| 37.3 : Leach to Marsh, Huge appeal but looks to be going down. England do not review. Floats this one around middle as Marsh looks to work it towards mid on. He is late into the shot and is hit on the pads. Huge appeal from Leach and England but nothing from umpire. The Ball Tracker rolls in and confirms the same. |
| 37.4 : J Leach to Marsh, Floated fuller ball this time, pushed towards mid on by Marsh this time. |
| 37.5 : J Leach to Marsh, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 37.6 : J Leach to Marsh, Flatter around off this time,Marsh looks to work it towards point but this went off the outside edge towards the slip cordon, along the ground. A good end to the over from Leach. |
| 38.1 : Sam Curran to Smith, Length ball just outside off, Smith pushes this one off the back foot towards extra cover. |
| 38.2 : Sam Curran to Smith, On the pads of Smith, he flicks it towards the man at mid-wicket. |
| 38.3 : Sam Curran to Smith, This time fuller near the boot, Smith flicks this one towards fine leg and takes a single. |
| 38.4 : Sam Curran to Marsh, Just ahead of a good length, Marsh solidly defends this one towards silly mid off. |
| 38.5 : Sam Curran to Marsh, On the pads of Marsh, he flicks it towards deep square backward square leg as the batters take two. Marsh is off the mark with this couple. |
| 38.6 : Sam Curran to Marsh, Again on the pads, Marsh flicks it towards square leg and takes another couple. |
| 39.1 : J Leach to Smith, Shorter this time way outside off, Smith pushes this one wide of the fielder at gully who dives to his right as the batters take a couple. |
| 39.2 : J Leach to Smith, Floated outside off, Smith pushes this one towards cover. |
| 39.3 : J Leach to Smith, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 39.4 : J Leach to Smith, This time floated on middle and leg, Smith blocks it out. |
| 39.5 : J Leach to Smith, SIX! 10TH TEST FIFTY IN A ROW FOR STEVEN SMITH! Is this a purple patch or is it just the class of the man? We think the latter! This one is tossed up on middle and off, Smith comes down the track and heaves this over long on for a maximum. Gets to his 27th Test fifty in style! |
| 39.6 : J Leach to Smith, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. |
| 40.1 : Sam Curran to M Marsh, Good length ball on middle and off, Marsh pushes it towards mid off. |
| 40.2 : Sam Curran to M Marsh, This time fuller by Curran, Marsh pushes it towards the man at cover. |
| 40.3 : Sam Curran to Marsh, A very low full toss outside off, Marsh tries to bring his bat down in time but fails to do so as the ball carries through to Bairstow. |
| 40.4 : Sam Curran to Marsh, Fumble and another run! This is wide outside off, Marsh opens the face of his bat and guides it towards third man. The batters take off as Burns hares after it. He collects it near the ropes but fumbles and that allows the third which brings Steven Smith on strike. |
| 40.5 : Sam Curran to Smith, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 40.6 : Sam Curran to Smith, Good running! On the pads of Smith, he flicks it towards fine leg and takes a quick couple. The Australians are alert here as the hosts look tired. |
| Just three overs for Leach as Broad id back into the attack. 8-2-30-0 are his numbers so far. Can he get another wicket for his side before Tea? |
| 41.1 : S Broad to M Marsh, Full and on off by Broad to start off, Marsh pushes it towards mid off. |
| 41.2 : S Broad to Marsh, Again full and outside off, Marsh does not fiddle with it. |
| 41.3 : S Broad to Marsh, Down the leg side, Marsh looks to flick with just one hand on the bat but misses. It kisses his pad outside the leg pole and goes to the left of Bairstow who does well to pouch it. |
| 41.4 : S Broad to Marsh, Short and wide outside off, Marsh looks to cut with a wild swing but misses it completely. |
| 41.5 : S Broad to M Marsh, Fuller this time, driven towards mid off. |
| 41.6 : S Broad to Marsh, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 42.1 : Sam Curran to S Smith, FOUR! Powerful stroke by Smith! Full and on off, Smith drives this one through mid off and straight to the fence. |
| 42.2 : Sam Curran to Smith, On the pads of Smith, he flicks it towards square leg and gets a single to get off strike. |
| 42.3 : Sam Curran to Marsh, Full to Marsh, he punches it towards mid on. |
| 42.4 : Sam Curran to Marsh, Another fuller one, Marsh again punches it down the ground. |
| 42.5 : Sam Curran to Marsh, On the pads of Marsh, he flicks it towards mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 42.6 : Sam Curran to Smith, Outside off by Curran to Smith, he leaves it alone. |
| 43.1 : S Broad to Marsh, Full ball outside off, Marsh goes for a drive towards the cover region but it goes off the inner half back towards the bowler. |
| 43.2 : S Broad to Marsh, On middle and leg, Marsh tucks this one towards square leg. |
| 43.3 : S Broad to Marsh, Again on middle and leg, Marsh pushes this one towards mid on. |
| 43.4 : S Broad to Marsh, Similar line, Marsh plays it towards mid-wicket all along the ground. |
| 43.5 : S Broad to Marsh, FOUR! Bad ball by Broad, releasing all the pressure! Short and wide outside off, Marsh gets onto the back foot and cuts this one square through point where there is no protection and the ball races to the fence. |
| 43.6 : S Broad to Marsh, Length ball on middle and off, Marsh pushes this one back towards mid on. THAT WILL BE TEA ON DAY 2! |
| 92 runs, 2 wickets, a shared session one can say as both the teams have managed to do well in either half. But England just doesn't have the answer to the question called Steven Smith. The man seems to have come from another planet. He is in the middle of yet another fifty plus score, his 10th in a row. |
| Earlier in the session, Smith and Labuschagne combined well to form a partnership of 69 runs before England got rid of the gritty looking Marnus Labuschagne just before the Drinks break. Then, Sam Curran returned to claim his maiden Ashes wicket as he removed Matthew Wade. Since then, Marsh has dug in well along with Smith and have added 29 runs for the fifth wicket, so far. Deficit - 147 runs. |
| In the final session of the day, Australia would want these two to continue to bat while England will AGAIN hope to see the back of Smith as soon as they can. Can they do that? Join us back for the last session of Day 2 at 1600 local (1500 GMT) to find out. |
| ... Day 2, Session 3 ... |
| The England players are out in the middle for the final session on Day 2. They are followed by Steven Smith and Mitchell Marsh with the former taking the strike. Jofra Archer to start the proceedings for England. They have 38 overs to bowl this session. How many can they dig out? |
| 44.1 : J Archer to Smith, Starts with a bumper which is too high. Smith ducks under it. |
| 44.2 : J Archer to Smith, A good bouncer this time. Banged on middle and off, Smith looks to duck under it but then decides to go for the pull. He can't get bat on ball though. |
| 44.3 : J Archer to Smith, Another back of a length ball but this one is sliding down the leg side. Smith lets this one go. |
| 44.4 : J Archer to Smith, Goes for the good length ball around off, Smith lets it be. |
| 44.5 : Archer to S Smith, In the air... but safe. Another bouncer on middle. Smith this time stands tall and goes for the pull but can't find the timing. The ball balloons high in the air but lands in the vacant region behind square leg. They take a run, first one off the session. |
| 44.6 : J Archer to Marsh, Fuller around off, pushed back to the mid off fielder. A testing over this one from Archer. |
| Stuart Broad to bowl from the other end. He partners Jofra Archer again as they have done all day. Will he be able to take any wickets in this session? |
| 45.1 : S Broad to Smith, Good length ball on the off pole, Smith clips it through square leg for a single. |
| 45.2 : S Broad to Marsh, FOUR! Brilliant timing and no one is stopping that one. Broad goes fuller outside off, Marsh gets into the act as he leans into the drives and crunches the cover drive to the fence. A top shop that one. |
| 45.3 : S Broad to Marsh, A muted appeal but this looked going down the leg side. This is landed on a good length around middle and leg, Marsh fails to put bat on ball as this shapes a hint in to hit him on the pads. The ball goes towards square leg and the batters take a leg bye. |
| 45.4 : S Broad to Smith, Fuller on the pads this time, tucked towards deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 45.5 : S Broad to Marsh, Slightly fullish length, Marsh blunts it towards the off side. |
| 45.6 : S Broad to Marsh, Length ball around off, Marsh taps it towards point and takes a run. |
| 46.1 : J Archer to Marsh, Fuller ball around off, pushed towards mid off. |
| 46.2 : J Archer to Marsh, Bouncer! A good one as well as this caught Marsh in two minds. This was landed on middle. He first wanted to pull it away but decided against it. |
| 46.3 : J Archer to Marsh, Good length around off, Marsh pushes it towards cover solidly. |
| 46.4 : J Archer to Marsh, Fuller again, Marsh drives it firmly but finds the extra cover fielder. |
| 46.5 : J Archer to Marsh, Bouncer this time. Marsh ducks under it. |
| 46.6 : J Archer to Marsh, Good length ball that bounces a bit extra off the pitch. Marsh awkwardly pushes it towards gully with soft hands. |
| 47.1 : S Broad to Smith, Good length ball around off, pushed back to the bowler by Smith. |
| 47.2 : S Broad to Smith, FOUR! Easy picking this for Smith. Broad overpitches this outside off, Smith leans into the shot and times his cover drive. The cover fielder chases the ball but can't get there before the ball touches the fence. |
| 47.3 : S Broad to Smith, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 47.4 : S Broad to Smith, Bouncer! What was that? Back of a length ball, Smith ducks under it. As the ball goes past Smith, it shapes away from Bairstow who gets his right hand out in time to pouch this one. |
| 47.5 : S Broad to Smith, Another bouncer but the line is not right as this goes down the leg side. Smith ducks under it. |
| 47.6 : S Broad to Smith, Yorker to end the over. But again, Smith gets his bat down in time to dig it out. |
| 48.1 : J Archer to Marsh, Good length ball outside off, left alone by Marsh. |
| 48.2 : J Archer to Marsh, Looks to bowl a yorker but dishes a full toss. Marsh can't give it a proper treatment and pushes this towards mid on. |
| 48.3 : J Archer to Marsh, A ball in the channel this time, Marsh covers his timber and lets it go to Bairstow. |
| 48.4 : J Archer to Marsh, OUT! Marsh has thrown it away. He can't believe it. Archer can, number four for him. Archer bangs another shortish ball around middle and leg. Marsh looks to pull bat the ball takes the top half of the bat and goes straight in the hands of Jack Leach at fine leg. The 42-run stand is broken. Australia trail by 134 runs with their half the side back in the hut. Smith, however, continues to battle but is running out of the partners. |
| Tim Paine, the Australian skipper walks out to the middle at number 7. He, along with the former skipper Steven Smith stitched a brilliant 145-run stand in the last Test at Manchester and the visitors would be hoping for some of the same here as well. |
| 48.5 : Archer to Paine, Huge appeal! Archer appeals. He wants five. Umpire is unmoved. He begs for the review to his skipper. Root is not interested though. This is a good length ball and is angled into the batter. Paine looks to work it down the leg side but he is late in the shot and is hit on the pads. A good call eventually from the skipper as the Ultra Edge confirms there was an inside edge onto that one. |
| 48.6 : J Archer to Paine, Back of a length around off, tapped towards point. |
| 48.0 : Sam Curran is back into the attack. His numbers so far reads : 11-2-40-1 |
| 49.1 : Sam Curran to S Smith, Great fielding by Broad! Curran starts off with a loosener, full and wide outside off. Smith pushes it wide of mid off. Broad runs to his left and puts in a dive to stop the ball. |
| 49.2 : Sam Curran to Smith, Good length ball on middle and off, Smith shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 49.3 : Sam Curran to Smith, Down the leg side, Smith tries to flick this one but misses. |
| 49.4 : Sam Curran to Smith, Outside off, left alone by Smith. |
| 49.5 : Sam Curran to Smith, Another one outside off, Smith shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 49.6 : Sam Curran to Smith, DROPPED! Oh dear God! What has Joe Root done here? Steven Smith is literally the last man in the universe whose catch you want to drop right now but he has put it down. Curran bowls this one short of a length outside off, trying to make Smith play at this one. He obliges and tries to upper cut it over the slip cordon. However, he does not get the best of connection of it and it goes high between first and second slip. Joe Root at first slip dives high and to his right, |
| 50.1 : J Archer to Paine, Good length ball outside off, Paine lets it go to the keeper. |
| 50.2 : J Archer to Paine, Slightly shorter but down the leg side. Paine is not bothered and allows the keeper to collect. |
| 50.3 : J Archer to Paine, Back of a length ball on middle, Paine goes for the pull and manages to roll his wrists to this one. It goes towards square leg for a single. He is off the mark with that one. The shortish ball has troubled him this series but he did well there. |
| 50.4 : J Archer to Smith, Length ball around off, tapped onto the pitch on the off side by Smith. |
| 50.5 : J Archer to Smith, Another good bouncer! Smith looks to duck under it but maybe it kissed the helmet as it went in the webbings of Bairstow. |
| 50.6 : J Archer to Smith, FIVE WIDES! Bangs a short ball again but this is down the leg side and it is too high as Smith ducks. Bairstow can't collect this one either. |
| J Archer to Smith, Another bouncer! Smith sways away from it. A good over from Archer this one. |
| 51.1 : Sam Curran to Paine, Another LBW shout but again looks to be going down the leg side. Root is not going for the review again. Fullish length ball angled into Paine who looks to work it down the leg side but is late into the shot again. He is hit on the pads as Curran appeals. A good decision from the umpire as this was pitched outside leg which was confirmed by the Ball Tracker. |
| 51.2 : Sam Curran to Paine, On the stumps on a good length. Paine is solid in his block this time. |
| 51.3 : Sam Curran to Paine, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 51.4 : Sam Curran to Paine, On the pads on a fuller length, Paine finds the square leg fielder with his flick. |
| 51.5 : Sam Curran to Paine, Length ball around off this time, blocked by Paine on the off side. |
| 51.6 : Sam Curran to Paine, Beaten! A good nut to finish the over. Curran pitches it around off and makes it go past the outside edge of Paine's drive. Lucky not to edge that one. |
| Nasser Hussain is questioning the tactics of Joe Root of keeping a fine leg for Steven Smith! The former English skipper points out that the lines they are bowling is wide outside off to Smith by leaving a gap at point. Smudge is either putting it away through the line or nudging it to square leg by moving across the stumps. Nasser wants Root to put that fine leg fielder to deep point, to prevent the boundary and let Smith get a single on the leg side. He wants England to work on the other batsm |
| 52.1 : Archer to S Smith, In the air...but safe. Good length ball around off, Smith shuffles and looks to work it down the leg side but the ball takes the leading edge and balloon towards the vacant silly point region. Lucky escape this one. |
| 52.2 : J Archer to Smith, A beauty from Archer! What a ripper this one! Smith hasn't been beaten this comprehensively one can say. This is on a fuller length and closer to the off pole. Smith can't leave it. No one can. He looks to push but the ball whizzes past the outside edge. The battle between the two is on says the commentator on air. |
| 52.3 : J Archer to Smith, Slightly shortish length, Smith stands tall to push it towards point. |
| 52.4 : J Archer to Smith, On middle on a good length, tucked towards mid-wicket by Smith this time. |
| 52.5 : J Archer to Smith, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 52.6 : J Archer to Smith, Bangs this short but down the leg side. Smith is not bothered. |
| 53.1 : Sam Curran to Paine, Good length ball around off, pushed towards mid off by Paine. |
| 53.2 : Sam Curran to Paine, Beaten! Testing line this one from Curran to Paine. Pitches around off and makes it shape away from the prod of Paine. Lucky not to edge that one. |
| 53.3 : Sam Curran to Paine, Slightly shorter around off, Paine stands tall to block it towards point. |
| 53.4 : Sam Curran to Tim Paine, OUT! Caught behind! Curran has his man. Wicket number two from him and Paine can't do much in this innings as he walks back to the pavilion. Sam pitches this slightly fuller and makes Paine go for the drive. He set him up nicely by mixing his variations. This one is a scrambled seam delivery and nips away on landing. Paine goes to push it down the ground with a straight bat but the away movement means the ball takes the outside edge and goes straight to Bairstow. S |
| Pat Cummins is the next man in for the Aussies. He just has to stick at the other end and let Steven Smith do his work of getting the visitors as close to the English total as possible.. |
| REVIEW TIME! Cummins has been adjudged LBW. Two in two for Curran? Looks like it as this seems out plumb to the naked eye. However, Cummins has gone for the review and it looks like it will be wasted. Here comes the Ball Tracker and... |
| 53.5 : Sam Curran to Cummins, OUT! LBW! Two in two for Curran. That looked plumb. And the third umpire agrees as well. Curran pitches this one fuller on middle and leg. The ball swings back in and beats the defensive bat of Cummins to hit him on the pads. Huge appeal follows and umpire agrees. Cummins, however goes for the review after consulting Smith at the other end. Will that help? Let's see. Nothing on the Ultra Edge. Here comes the Ball Tracker. Well, it is hitting the timber and Cummins wi |
| Peter Siddle is the new man in and will face the hat-trick ball. |
| 53.6 : Sam Curran to Siddle, FOUR! No hat-trick for Curran! He goes for the yorker but dishes a full toss around the fifth stump line. The ball takes the outside edge and flies through slip and gully and to the fence. |
| 54.1 : J Archer to Smith, FOUR! Short of a length ball outside off, Smith stands tall and punches this through backward point for a boundary. This man does not seem concerned as to what is happening at the other end. |
| 54.2 : J Archer to Smith, Another short of a length ball, Smith comes down the track but has to defend it in the end. It hits the splice of the bat and falls onto the pitch. Smith initially does not know where the ball is but finds it out later. |
| 54.3 : J Archer to Smith, Smith has defended this length ball on middle from within the crease. |
| 54.4 : J Archer to S Smith, EDGED AND FOUR! Lucky lucky Steven Smith! This is a fuller ball outside off, Smith looks to open the face of his bat and guide this to the right of the fielder at gully. He does not get the best of connection on it and the ball goes between the second and third slip fielder through to the third man fence. |
| 54.5 : J Archer to Smith, Smith defends it from within the crease. They pick up a single. |
| 54.6 : J Archer to Siddle, Siddle has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 55.1 : Sam Curran to Smith, Good length ball on off, Smith shuffles to block but this goes towards the off side off the outer half of his bat. |
| 55.2 : Sam Curran to Smith, Fuller ball on middle, Smith is right behind the line of the ball to block. |
| 55.3 : Curran to Smith, Good length ball on middle and leg, Smith looks to work it down the leg side but he is late into the shot. He misses and the ball hits the pads. This was going down the leg side and hence the muted appeal. |
| 55.4 : Sam Curran to Smith, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 55.5 : Sam Curran to Smith, Good length ball outside off, Smith plays inside the line of the ball but it shapes away from the bat and to the keeper. |
| 55.6 : Sam Curran to Smith, Bouncer to finish the over. However, this one is going down the leg side. Smith lets it be. |
| 56.1 : J Archer to Siddle, Left alone on length by Siddle. A good length ball, angled into the right-hander. Siddle covers the stumps and allows the keeper to collect it behind the wicket. |
| 56.2 : J Archer to Siddle, This one slides down the leg side. Bairstow dives to his left to stop but can't gather it cleanly. They take a bye. |
| 56.3 : J Archer to Smith, Ohh! Smith wants to hammer this one through covers. This is pitched on a good length and shapes away as Smith looks too heave this away. The ball goes past the flashing blade to the keeper. |
| 56.4 : J Archer to Smith, A bumper to follow! Smith does well to evade. |
| 56.5 : J Archer to Smith, And another bouncer on middle, Smith this time stands tall to push it towards gully and get off strike. |
| 56.6 : J Archer to Siddle, Good length ball on the pads, tucked towards short fine leg by Siddle to get a run. This has been a superb spell from Archer. |
| 57.1 : Sam Curran to Siddle, Fuller ball outside off, Siddle shoulders arms to this one. |
| 57.2 : Sam Curran to Siddle, On middle this time, blocked towards mid on by Siddle. |
| 57.3 : Sam Curran to Siddle, Fuller ball on the pads, Siddle timed it well but can't beat the mid-wicket fielder. |
| 57.4 : Sam Curran to Siddle, Huge appeal but the umpire says not out. Curran wasn't too sure either after the umpire's decision as he looked to his skipper. Goes for the fuller ball, Siddle misses his flick and is hit on the pads. A good ball but equally a good call by the bowler and skipper not to review as the Ball Tracker shows this was pitching outside leg. |
| 57.5 : Sam Curran to Siddle, This time Siddle is solid behind the block. |
| 57.6 : Curran to Siddle, Curran has wrapped Siddle in front of the stumps again on a fullish length. Siddle again misses his flick and is hit flush on the pads. Again, this looked going down the leg side. The appeal has been denied by the umpire, and a good decision that. England don't review again and rightly so. The Ball Tracker showed that this was pitched in line but was missing the leg pole. Another good over from Curran. |
| Spin time again! Jack Leach is back into the attack. He has just bowled the 3 overs so far today and given away 12 runs. |
| 58.1 : J Leach to Smith, Floats one on a fullish length, pushed towards mid-wicket by Smith. |
| 58.2 : J Leach to Smith, Flatter one around off and on a shortish length, Smith looks to cut but can't get the timing right. The ball goes through point and Smith calls for a quick couple. The fielder from deep point throws the ball towards the non-striker's end but Siddle is well in as Leach breaks the stumps. |
| 58.3 : J Leach to Smith, Tossed up ball on middle, Smith pushes this towards cover for a run. |
| 58.4 : J Leach to Siddle, Another tossed up ball, negotiated well by Siddle. |
| 58.5 : J Leach to Siddle, This one is flatter around off, Siddle does well to block off the back foot. |
| 58.6 : J Leach to Siddle, Tossed up ball to finish the over. Siddle blocks it out off the front foot. |
| 59.1 : Sam Curran to Smith, Fuller ball on middle and leg, Smith flicks it towards square leg and wants a couple. But the deep square leg fielder hares at the ball and keeps it to one. |
| 59.2 : Sam Curran to Siddle, Good length ball outside off, Siddle lets it be. |
| 59.3 : Sam Curran to Siddle, Fullish ball around off, Siddle finds the mid off fielder with his drive. |
| 59.4 : Sam Curran to Siddle, Goes past the outside edge this time. Curran pitches this slightly fuller and makes it shape away from the right-hander. Siddle tries to push inside the line and misses. |
| 59.5 : Sam Curran to Siddle, Goes for the yorker but dishes out a full toss around off, Siddle pushes this through point to cross over for a run. |
| 59.6 : Sam Curran to Smith, Shortish ball around middle and off, Smith throws his bat at it as he looks to loft it over the slip cordon. Can't get bat on the ball though. |
| DRINKS! The Three Lions have come roaring back in the first hour of the final session on Day 2 as the visitors still trail them by 107 runs with just 3 wickets in hand. However, the only worry for them is that one of those three wickets is Steven Smith. The best chance for England is to bowl as many balls to the tail-enders and keep Smith at the non-striker's end. There are 22 overs left in the day but just over an hour to bowl it. |
| 60.1 : J Leach to Siddle, Darted onto the off pole, Siddle pushes it back towards the bowler. |
| 60.2 : J Leach to Siddle, Leach tosses it up, Siddle pushes it towards the off side. |
| 60.3 : J Leach to Siddle, Tossed up on middle and off, pushed towards mid off by Siddle. |
| 60.4 : J Leach to Siddle, Flighted on middle, Siddle blocks it out. |
| 60.5 : J Leach to Siddle, Similar line, Siddle does the same thing and pushes it back towards Leach. |
| 60.6 : J Leach to Siddle, 6 balls, 6 dots from Leach. Full and floated on middle, Leach blocks it out. |
| Chris Woakes into the attack now! His figures so far, 7-2-30-0. He hasn't been to his best and would look to make amends of it. |
| 61.1 : C Woakes to Smith, OUT! LBW! Finally the defense of Steven Smith is breached and Chris Woakes is the man to do it. A very fine innings from Smith comes to an end and without him, the visitors score would have looked a paltry one. Good length ball just outside off, it comes inside with the angle. Smith shuffles across in his usual manner trying to flick the ball towards the leg side but unusually, he misses his flick this time and is hit on the pads. He is caught dead in front of the stump |
| 0.0 : Nathan Lyon is in at number 10. Australia would want a few runs from the remaining two wickets. |
| 61.2 : C Woakes to Lyon, Jaffa from Woakes first up to Lyon and he is beaten. On a length, just outside off, it pitches and swings away. Lyon looks to defend but does so inside the line and the ball whizzes past his outside edge. |
| 61.3 : C Woakes to N Lyon, EDGED AND FOUR! Good length ball outside off, Lyon goes for the off side push this time but he edges it wide of the slip cordon and the ball races towards the third man fence. |
| 61.4 : C Woakes to Lyon, On the leg side, Lyon looks to flick but misses and is hit on the thigh pad. |
| 61.5 : C Woakes to Lyon, On the pads, Lyon tucks it towards the leg side. |
| 61.6 : C Woakes to Lyon, FOUR! Good shot by Lyon this time and the deficit is below 100 now. Good length ball outside off, Lyon caresses this one through point for a boundary. |
| Jofra Archer into the attack! He would want to claim a fifer. Can he do it? |
| 62.1 : J Archer to Siddle, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 62.2 : J Archer to Siddle, Fuller this time outside off, Siddle gets on the front foot and punches this one through cover. Curran hares after it and keeps it just in the field as the batters take three. |
| 62.3 : J Archer to Lyon, Length ball on middle and off, blocked out by Lyon. |
| 62.4 : J Archer to Lyon, Another length ball, this time on middle and leg, played down onto the pitch. |
| 62.5 : J Archer to Lyon, Bouncer this time, Lyon looks to upper cut it over the slip cordon but misses the ball. |
| 62.6 : J Archer to Lyon, On the off side, fuller ball. Lyon blocks it off. |
| 63.1 : C Woakes to Siddle, Full and wide outside off, Siddle gets onto the front foot and punches this one towards the cover region. The fielders hare after it as the batters take three. |
| 63.2 : C Woakes to Lyon, Length ball on middle and leg, punched off the back foot by the batsman towards mid on. |
| 63.3 : C Woakes to Lyon, Lyon pushes this good length ball straight back towards Woakes. |
| 63.4 : C Woakes to Lyon, Down the leg side, Lyon looks to flick but misses. |
| 63.5 : C Woakes to Lyon, Play and a miss! This time Lyon looks to defend off the back foot but he does so inside the line and the ball whizzes past the outside edge. |
| 63.6 : C Woakes to Lyon, Swing and a miss this time! Short and wide outside off, Lyon goes after it with a wild slash and misses. |
| 64.1 : J Archer to Siddle, Good length ball on middle and off, Siddle looks to work this one towards the leg side but gets a leading edge which goes towards cover-point. |
| 64.2 : J Archer to Siddle, Siddle defends this length ball off the back foot onto the ground. |
| 64.3 : J Archer to Siddle, Yorker by Archer this time, Siddle jams it out. |
| 64.4 : J Archer to P Siddle, FOUR! Valuable runs for the Aussies! Short and wide outside off, Siddle cuts this one through cover-point for a boundary. The trail now down to 89 runs. |
| 64.5 : J Archer to Siddle, Bouncer this time on middle and leg, Siddle ducks under it. |
| 64.6 : J Archer to Siddle, Peter shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 65.1 : C Woakes to Lyon, Good length ball on the fourth stump line, it pitches and nips away. Lyon looks to defend but is squared up as the ball goes to Bairstow behind the wickets. |
| 65.2 : C Woakes to Lyon, Length ball outside off, left alone by Lyon. |
| 65.3 : C Woakes to Lyon, FOUR! Good length ball on off, Lyon stays back and lofts it over mid off for a boundary. It crosses the fence on a couple of bounces. He was expecting the short ball and that might have helped him play that stroke. The partnership moves on to 22 runs and the run rate of it is above 5. |
| 65.4 : C Woakes to N Lyon, Full on middle and leg, driven through mid-on by the batsman. |
| 65.5 : C Woakes to Lyon, SIX! Pulled away by Lyon and into the crowd! This is again short in length and on middle, he just swings his bat at it and the ball flies towards the square leg region for a maximum. Lyon playing some extravagant strokes here. |
| 65.6 : C Woakes to Lyon, Nathan has punched that ball through the offside. |
| 66.1 : J Archer to Siddle, Fullish length ball around off, Siddle strokes it through point to take a single. |
| 66.2 : J Archer to Lyon, Bouncer but down the leg side. Bairstow leaps towards his left to pouch that one and save a certain boundary. |
| 66.3 : J Archer to N Lyon, FOUR! Up and over! Lyon having some fun in the middle now. Archer pitches this fuller, in the slot of Lyon. He stays in the crease and lifts it over the cover-point for a fence. He is playing a little gem here for Australia. |
| 66.4 : J Archer to Lyon, Shortish ball around off, Lyon wants to upper cut this one as he his the man with confidence. Can't get bat to the ball. |
| 66.5 : J Archer to Lyon, DROPPED! Short ball on middle and leg, Lyon again looks to pull this one over square leg but gets a top edge on it. The ball skies towards backward square leg, Leach goes to his left as he tries to take the catch. He settles himself under it, gets both his hands on it but puts down the catch. That was a dolly and he should have hung on to it. Archer cannot get his 5-fer yet and in the meanwhile, Lyon takes a single and reaches the 1000 run milestone in Test matches for hi |
| 66.6 : J Archer to Siddle, Bumper down the leg side. Siddle ducks under it. |
| Jack Leach is back into the attack after putting down the catch of Lyon. Can he make amends? |
| 67.1 : J Leach to Lyon, Flatter ball on the leg stump. Lyon sits down to sweep but misses the timing. |
| 67.2 : J Leach to Lyon, Another flighted ball on the leg pole line, Lyon sweeps it towards deep square leg for a run. |
| 67.3 : J Leach to Siddle, A sweep from Siddle this time. A tossed up ball on middle, Siddle sweeps for a run. |
| 67.4 : J Leach to Lyon, Another sweep but finds the short fine leg fielder this time. |
| 67.5 : J Leach to Lyon, And again. But again can't beat the short fine leg fielder. Leach continues tossing the ball on middle and leg. |
| 67.6 : J Leach to Lyon, Connects the sweep well this time and gets a single off the last ball to keep the strike with him. Tossed up ball around middle and leg, Lyon sweeps towards deep square leg with ease. Not a very good over this one from Leach. |
| 68.1 : J Archer to N Lyon, OUT! TIMBER! 5-fer for Archer and the fun for Lyon has ended! Archer steams in to start his new over, Lyon must be expecting the short ball but Archer surprises him with a knuckle-ball yorker. It loops on him, coming in. Lyon misses the ball altogether as he looks to swing it away. The good looking partnership of 37 runs has ended and the visitors are 9 down now. |
| Josh Hazlewood, the last man walks out for the visitors. Can he do what Lyon did to take Australia closer to the English total? |
| 68.2 : J Archer to Hazlewood, Dropped or not? Looked like that had hit Hazlewood on the glove but the replays show that it has hit him on the grille of the helmet. However, the umpire has given it as runs so Hazlewood is off the mark. Bouncer by Archer to Hazlewood, he looks to fend at it but misses. The ball comes off the grille of the helmet and goes to the left of Root at first slip. It hits him on his forearm as he dives and rolls behind as the batters take one. Initially it looked like Root |
| 68.3 : J Archer to Siddle, Down the leg side, Siddle goes after it but misses his flick. |
| 68.4 : J Archer to Siddle, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 68.5 : J Archer to P Siddle, OUT! A blinder from Rory Burns at gully to close out the Australian innings! Number 6 for Archer, his second 6-fer in the series! Fuller length ball around off this time from Archer, Siddle throws his bat at the ball but it takes the outside edge and flies wide of Rory Burns who dives to his right to gobble it. A top performance from Archer this one and he is receiving a rousing applause from the crowd. AUSTRALIA ALL OUT FOR 225! |
| Outstanding bowling performance by Jofra Archer. He finished with a 6-wicket haul and is leading his team off the park! What a session for England! They hunted down 6 wickets and gained a handy 69-run lead. Once again it was Steven Smith who held the Aussie innings together and once he fell late in the evening session, the visitors folded. However, the quickfire partnership between Siddle and Lyon helped the Kangaroos to reduce the deficit by a fair margin. |
| Another dismal batting show by Australia! Apart from the usual suspects, Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith, there wasn't much fight offered by the rest. England bowled with a lot of heart. The inclusion of Sam Curran brought a breath of fresh air in their already potent bowling attack and the left-armer troubled the Aussie batsmen the most. He snaffled a 3-fer and impressed everyone with his variations. England have a tricky period to survive before Stumps, let's see how they deal with it... |
| 0.1 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Short of a length ball to start the innings by Cummins. It is very close to the body of Burns and he does well to evade it. |
| 0.2 : Pat Cummins to Burns, FOUR LEG BYES! Proper bouncer this time on middle and leg, Burns initially looks to play at it but then pulls away. He tries to duck under it but is late in doing so. The ball goes off his shoulder over Tim Paine and into the fine leg fence. |
| 0.3 : Cummins to Burns, NASTY! Another great bumper by Cummins and this one has hit Burns on the helmet. Bouncer on middle and off, Burns looks to sway away this time straightaway but the ball shoots off the surface. It hits his glove first and then onto the grille of the helmet. The ball falls onto the pitch and umpire Erasmus straightaway signals to the dressing room for the physio. |
| Rory Burns is hit on the helmet. The umpire calls for the physio straightaway. He is looking after him for the routine concussion test. They're taking their time to settle in. |
| 0.4 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Bouncer on middle again by Cummins, this time Burns does well to evade it. |
| 0.5 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Full and wide outside off, Paine dives to his right as the ball shapes further away after crossing the batter. He pouches it nicely. |
| 0.6 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Beaten! Superb last ball to finish the over by Cummins. Pitches this on a good length and closer to the off stump. Burns looks to play at it but the ball whizzes past the outside edge. No wickets in the over but a top one to say the least. |
| Josh Hazlewood to share the new ball with Cummins from the other end. |
| 1.1 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Length ball on middle and off, blocked by Denly off the back foot. |
| 1.2 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Fuller on middle and off, Denly blocks it off the front foot this time. |
| 1.3 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Length ball wide outside off, Denly looks to play at it but does so inside the line of the delivery. |
| 1.4 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Front foot defense offered by Denly to this full ball on middle and off. |
| 1.5 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Solid defense by Denly once more as he defends it from within the crease. |
| 1.6 : J Hazlewood to Denly, On the pads of Denly, he tucks it towards the square leg region. Maiden to start off for Hazlewood. |
| 2.1 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Short of a length ball just outside off, Burns sways away from it. |
| 2.2 : Pat Cummins to Burns, The plan looks clear for Burns. Bowl as many bouncers as you can to him and that is what Cummins is doing. Another bumper on the leg pole line and Burns ducks under it. |
| 2.3 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Short of a length just outside off, Burns evades this one as well. |
| 2.4 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Bowls a surprise full delivery. Burns is up for it and pushes it back towards Cummins. Good contest going on here between the two. |
| 2.5 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Pulls his length back again does Cummins, he leaves this one alone. |
| 2.6 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Bouncer again! Burns ducks under this one and has a nervous smile on his face following the short ball. End of another over by Cummins. England remain unscathed. |
| 3.1 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Denly prods forward and tries to block this one off the front foot but gets a leading edge towards mid-wicket. |
| 3.2 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Joe Denly shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 3.3 : J Hazlewood to Joe Denly, DROPPED! This was exactly what the visitors would not have wanted going into Stumps at Day 2 but Harris has put this one down. This one was full and wide outside off, Denly is lured into this one. He goes for the drive and gets a thick outside edge on it. It goes straight to Harris at gully, at chest height. He tries to take it with his fingers pointing up but it pops out and goes behind for a run. Denly has been dismissed in similar fashion throughout this series |
| 3.4 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Bouncer by Hazlewood to Burns, he ducks in time and lets it through to Paine. |
| 3.5 : J Hazlewood to Burns, FOUR! Down the leg side, Burns flicks this one off his pads and towards fine leg for a boundary. He is off the mark with that. |
| Burns has been given out LBW but he has singled the 'T' straightaway. Let's see what the the replays show. No edge, confirms the Ultra Edge. Here comes the Ball Tracker, well, that pitched outside leg. So, no point checking if that has hit the stumps. Burns stays, so does the review. A top call from him. |
| 3.6 : J Hazlewood to Burns, NOT OUT! ENGLAND REMAIN UNSCATHED! This always looked to be pitching outside leg to the naked eye and the Ball Tracker confirms it. Hazlewood bowls one on a good length around leg, it straightens a touch after pitching. Burns looks to flick it off his pads towards the leg side but misses it and is hit high on the pads. The Australian players appeal loudly following the miss and umpire Dharmasena agrees as he raises his finger. However, Burns is convinced that he is not |
| England have safely survived the tricky 4 overs! The crowd lets out a big cheer as the players start to head back to the pavilion. That brings an end to an enthralling day of Test cricket. It started with Australia picking the remaining wickets early in the morning but then immediately were under the pump after losing their openers cheaply. What followed next was the old script! Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith formed a partnership to steady the ship but then the former departed and the latte |
| Jofra Archer was the star of the show for England! He picked up his second 6-wicket haul of the series and was ably assisted by the impressive Sam Curran. They gained a handy 69-run lead and will be feeling on top in this Test match. Australia will be disappointed with their batting approach which continues to falter and rely heavily on Steven Smith. |
| Day 3 is considered to be the moving day of a Test match. This game is already into its third essay and England have their noses in front. Having said that, Australia are not too far behind and would like to win the morning session of the third day to bring this Test match on level terms. Momentum has kept on swinging so far and you never know what the future holds. Do join us at 1100 local (1000 GMT) for all the action. Cheers! |
| ... Day 3, Session 1 ... |
| One of the very few occasions in this Ashes where the Three Lions are on top. Will they be able to make the most of it? Or will the Australian bowling attack once again turn it around and bail out their mediocre batting? Welcome to the coverage of Day 3 of the final Test match of this series where these questions will be answered! |
| A quick recap of Day 2. Australia bundled out the hosts early in the day and got exactly the start they wanted. However, almost everything after that was haywire. The openers were dismissed cheaply and Labuschagne and the modern day 'Don' Steven Smith rescued the Kangaroos from embarrassment. The middle order failed to perform and the third top scorer for the Men Down Under was Nathan Lyon as he scored some valuable runs in the end to reduce the deficit to 69. The standout performer for England |
| Predicto Praky, the Seer - 'Who decides these polls? Don't you think that the players could be jinxed? Poor Denly. Will get out on the first ball he faces today!' @PPTS - Don't believe in black magic but if you do, you would be believing in the policy of reverse jinxing... |
| The Australian players walk out to the middle. English openers, Rory Burns and Joe Denly follow them too with the latter taking strike first up. Pat Cummins to start the proceedings for Australia. Here we go... |
| 4.1 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Uppish but wide of Wade. Fuller one on the pads to start the day from Cummins. Denly flicks it off his pads and past the short leg fielder for a couple. First runs off the day. |
| 4.2 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Fuller but this one is around off, Denly blocks it out back to the bowler. |
| 4.3 : Pat Cummins to Denly, FOUR! Glorious drive! Cummins goes fuller again, Denly caresses the drive past the mid off fielder and the ball races to the fence. First boundary of the day. |
| 4.4 : Pat Cummins to Denly, In the channel outside off, Denly thought to have a poke but the away movement meant he dropped his hands and let the ball through to the keeper. |
| 4.5 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Good length ball on middle, Denly wants to work it down the leg side but misses his flick to get hit on the pads. |
| 4.6 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Slightly fullish on middle, pushed towards mid on this time. Cummins would probably want to get closer to the off pole in his next over. |
| Josh Hazlewood to partner Cummins from the other end. Both of them need to be at their best to drag Australia back into the game. |
| 5.1 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Shortish length on middle and leg, Burns stands tall to block this one onto the pitch on the leg side. |
| 0.0 : Update - Marcus Harris has not taken the field. Cameron Bancroft is the substitute. It seems the Australian opener hasn't recovered from the blow on his fingers while dropping Denly. |
| 5.2 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Huge appeal for caught behind down the leg side but the umpire says not out. Australia don't opt for the review. This is another back of a length ball which is going down the leg side. Burns looks to glance it fine down the leg side but misses. Paine dives to his right to pouch it and goes for the appeal. No edge, confirms the Ultra Edge. |
| 5.3 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Fuller on off and middle, blocked nicely by Burns. |
| 5.4 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Bumper but again sprayed down the leg side. Burns lets it be. |
| 5.5 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Good length ball on middle this time. Burns is solid with his block. |
| 5.6 : J Hazlewood to Burns, FOUR! Hammered over point! Wide outside off on a good length. Burns has enough room to flex his arms. He gets in position and hammers it over point to get his first boundary of the day. |
| 6.1 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Good length ball outside off, Denly lets it be. |
| 6.2 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Around off on a good length, blocked this time. |
| 6.3 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Hit on the body! Cummins goes for the back of a length ball, Denly wants to sway away but the ball doesn't bounce and hits Denly on the back. The ball rolls towards fine leg and they take a leg bye. |
| 6.4 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Goes around the wicket and bangs the ball short in the channel. Burns lets it go to the keeper. |
| 6.5 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Length ball outside off this time, Burns shoulders arms again. |
| 6.6 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Goes for the yorker but this one is a low full toss, jammed out nicely by Burns. |
| 7.1 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Around off on a good length, Denly is solid with the block. |
| 7.2 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Fuller ball around off and middle, Denly keeps it out. |
| 7.3 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Good length ball around the fourth stump line this time. Denly lets it pass to the keeper behind the wicket. |
| 7.4 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Beaten! A good nut that one. Pitches on a good length and shapes away from the push of Denly. Very close to taking the outside edge on that one. |
| 7.5 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Another ball in the channel from Hazlewood, Denly this time is not lured into it and shoulders arms. |
| 7.6 : J Hazlewood to Joe Denly, Good length ball outside off, Denly pushes this towards gully. Maiden! |
| 8.1 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Good length ball around middie, Burns works it down the leg side but can't go past the short leg fielder. |
| 8.2 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Good work from Paine to save a certain boundary. Bouncer but this one goes way down the leg side. Paine leaps to his right to pouch that one. |
| 8.3 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Around middle and off, Burns is solid in defense this time. |
| 8.4 : Pat Cummins to Burns, FOUR! Glamorous! That is a super shot! Cummins dishes this fuller around off, Burns leans into the drive and creams this one through covers to the fence. He has his share of troubles with the bouncers but anything fuller, Burns has not missed out. Also, he hasn't been rattled by the barrage of bouncers he has received. |
| 8.5 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Good comeback from Cummins! Bangs it short around off, Burns looks to take the bat away but is late into it. As he takes the bat away, the ball takes the toe end and goes towards the slip cordon on the bounce. |
| 8.6 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Another bouncer from Cummins. Burns does well to get out of the way of it. |
| 9.1 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Beaten! A beauty to start the fresh over from Hazlewood. Slightly shortish around off, Denly has a poke but the ball goes past the outside edge. Lucky not to edge that one. |
| 9.2 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Beaten again! Another beauty from Hazlewood. Denly has another poke to this good length ball around off, but it whizzes past the outside edge. |
| 9.3 : J Hazlewood to Denly, A solid defense from Denly this time. |
| 9.4 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Good length ball around off again, Denly guides this towards the gully fielder by opening the face of the bat. The gully fielder dives to his right and parries the ball towards point. |
| 9.5 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Bouncer but this one is going down. Denly ducks under it. |
| 9.6 : J Hazlewood to Denly, In the channel outside off, left alone. |
| 10.1 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Just behind good length around off, Burns lets it be. |
| 10.2 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Bouncer on middle, Burns ducks under it. |
| 10.3 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Good length ball on the pads, pushed toward mid on. |
| 10.4 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Another bumper! Burns sways away nicely. He drops his hands in time and lets the ball go to the keeper. |
| 10.5 : Pat Cummins to Burns, Slightly fullish length, Burns pushes this gently towards mid off to take a run. |
| 10.6 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Good length ball on the pads, Denly looks to flick but can't get bat on ball. The ball hits the pads and rolls towards short leg. |
| 11.1 : J Hazlewood to Burns, Good length ball on middle and leg, Rory stands tall and blocks. |
| 11.2 : J Hazlewood to Burns, On middle this time on a good length, Burns pushes this towards point to take a run. |
| 11.3 : J Hazlewood to Denly, On middle and off, blocked by Denly with ease. |
| 11.4 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Slightly fuller around off, Denly looks to block it towards the off side but the ball goes towards the short leg fielder off the outer half of the willow. |
| 11.5 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Slightly fuller, Denly drives it left of the bowler but Wade dives to his right to stop the ball, can't gather it cleanly but no runs. |
| 11.6 : J Hazlewood to Joe Denly, Around off on a good length, Denly taps it towards point. |
| Nathan Lyon with spin for the first time this innings. Just like Leach yesterday, Lyon will be looking to make the most of the footmarks made by the pacers near the crease. |
| 12.1 : N Lyon to Burns, Floated ball on middle, Burns works it towards fine leg and takes one. |
| 12.2 : N Lyon to Denly, Around off, Denly comes down the track to smash it but finds the mid on fielder. |
| 12.3 : N Lyon to Denly, Goes fuller and offers a lot of loop. Can't beat the mid-wicket fielder this time. |
| 12.4 : N Lyon to Denly, Flatter one around off, worked towards the off side. |
| 12.5 : Lyon to Denly, FOUR! Over the bowlers head! Loopy ball around off and middle, Denly walks down the track and lifts it over Lyon's head and to the long off fence. Superb shot. The lead now is 100. Also, this boundary brings up the highest opening stand in this Ashes for either side. |
| 12.6 : Lyon to Denly, SIX! Denly doesn't want Lyon to get settled. Another loopy ball around middle and leg. Denly again dances down the track and pummels this one over the long on fence for a maximum. He is looking in good touch in the middle. Maybe the new born has brought some confidence in the right-hander. |
| Peter Siddle into the attack from the other end. He replaces Josh Hazlewood and will be looking to improve on his showing in the first innings. |
| 13.1 : P Siddle to Burns, Siddle starts with a ball around off on a good length, Burns blocks it out. |
| 13.2 : P Siddle to Burns, Another ball around off, Burns pushes this towards square leg and takes a run. |
| 13.3 : P Siddle to Denly, Good length ball around off, Denly looks to block it on the off side but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 13.4 : P Siddle to Joe Denly, Fuller one this time. Denly pushes it towards mid on. |
| 13.5 : P Siddle to Denly, Outside off this time. Denly drives this one through cover-point and takes three before the fielder can return the ball. He is looking very positive out in the middle. |
| 13.6 : P Siddle to Burns, On middle, Burns blocks it out off the back foot. |
| 14.1 : N Lyon to Denly, Loopy ball on middle, Denly works it down the leg side. |
| 14.2 : N Lyon to Denly, Flatter one down the leg side this time. Denly goes for the flick but misses. |
| 14.3 : N Lyon to Denly, Slightly shorter around off, Denly pushes this towards cover. |
| 14.4 : N Lyon to Denly, FOUR! Denly in punishing mode! Another loopy ball around off, Denly has his dancing shoes on to drill this one right off the mid off fielder. The ball races to the fence in a jiffy. |
| 14.5 : N Lyon to Denly, Flighted around off, Denly blocks this one out with ease. |
| 14.6 : N Lyon to Denly, Darts this one on middle, Denly gets to the pitch of the ball to block. |
| 15.1 : P Siddle to Burns, FOUR LEG BYES! Poor line from Siddle this time. Runs coming thick and fast at the moment for England. Siddle sprays this down the leg side. Burns looks to flick it but misses. The ball hits the pads and goes towards the fine leg fence. |
| 15.2 : P Siddle to Burns, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 15.3 : P Siddle to Burns, Back of a length ball, angled into the batter. Burns stands tall to tap it towards point. |
| 15.4 : P Siddle to Burns, On middle and leg on a good length this time. Burns can't get bat on ball again and is hit on the pads. Siddle got a couple of fielding changes after the last ball as he got a slip added but this line is not what he would've liked to bowl. |
| 15.5 : P Siddle to Burns, FOUR! Siddle bowls a fullish ball around off, Burns drives it straight down the ground and to the long off fence. 50-up for England with that exquisite drive. That went between the legs of Denly at the non-striker's end. |
| 15.6 : P Siddle to Burns, Good length around off, blocked out easily by Burns. |
| 16.1 : N Lyon to Denly, Tossed up just outside off, Denly looks to push it towards the leg side but it goes off the outer half towards point. |
| 16.2 : N Lyon to Denly, Another one tossed up outside off, Denly this time does manage to push it towards mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 16.3 : N Lyon to Burns, OUT! CAUGHT! The opening stand has been broken and unexpectedly Nathan Lyon is the man to do so. This one is shorter and outside off, it pitches and stays a bit low. Burns looks to cut it through point but gets a bottom edge on that one and Tim Paine does well to hold onto it behind the wickets. Burns was looking good out in the middle but he has thrown his wicket away and he looks distraught. Australia will be hoping that this wicket is the opening that they need to get |
| Skipper Joe Root is the new man in for England. He is still after that three-figure score in Ashes since 2015. His last chance in this series. |
| 16.4 : N Lyon to Root, Flatter on the pads, Root works it through square leg to take a couple and get off the mark. |
| 16.5 : N Lyon to Root, On the pads on a fullish length, Root works it towards the mid-wicket to take a quick single. |
| 16.6 : N Lyon to Denly, Darted one on the pads of Denly, he works it fine down the leg side to take a run. A successful over by Lyon and his first wicket in this Test. |
| Josh Hazlewood is back on, replacing Peter Siddle! Tim Paine is certainly aware about the stats. Josh has got Root out 7 times in Tests, the joint-most with his bowling partner, Pat Cummins. Can he get him out again? His numbers so far, 6-3-10-0. |
| 17.1 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Outside off on a good length, Denly lets it go to the keeper. |
| 17.2 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Fuller around off, Denly strokes it towards cover. |
| 17.3 : J Hazlewood to Joe Denly, Good length ball around off this time, Denly works it towards the gully with soft hands. |
| 17.4 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Bouncer this time. Denly ducks under it. |
| 17.5 : J Hazlewood to Denly, In the channel on a slightly fuller length. Denly lets it go. |
| 17.6 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Good length ball around off, Denly blocks it solidly. A maiden over after a while. |
| DRINKS! England were cruising along in the opening hour but they have been pegged back in the last moments by Nathan Lyon as he has picked up the wicket of Rory Burns and broken the opening stand. However, the Three Lions are still far ahead in the context of the match as they lead the visitors by 127 runs and still have 9 wickets in hand. Pat Cummins will resume the proceedings after the Drinks break from the other end in an attempt to pull this game back in favour of the visitors. |
| 18.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length ball just outside off, Root pushes this one towards point with soft hands and takes a quick single. |
| 18.2 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Bouncer by Cummins to Denly on middle and leg, Denly ducks under it. |
| 18.3 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Length ball outside off, left alone by Joe Denly. |
| Kumar Dharmasena had a word with Tim Paine and Matthew Wade during the Drinks break. Maybe, the Sri Lankan was asking them to cut down the chatter around the batsmen. |
| 18.4 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Another one, similar line and length, Denly shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 18.5 : Pat Cummins to Joe Denly, Another length ball on a similar line, this time Denly does go for the block but edges it. It goes towards the man at gully on the bounce. |
| 18.6 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Bouncer down the leg side, Denly ducks under it and lets Paine collect it behind the stumps. |
| 19.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, Length ball outside off, left alone by Root. |
| 19.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, FOUR! Up and over the slip cordon! Did Root mean to play it that fine? Only he will know but anyway he has got the desired result. Short and wide outside off, Root goes onto the back foot and tries to upper cut it but gets a faint top edge on it. The ball flies over the slip cordon and goes to the third man fence. |
| 19.3 : J Hazlewood to Joe Root, Length ball just outside off, Root looks to block it but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 19.4 : J Hazlewood to Root, Root shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 19.5 : J Hazlewood to Root, Fuller this time outside off, Root leans into the drive and pushes this one towards the cover region. The man in the deep mops it up and the batters take two. |
| 19.6 : J Hazlewood to Root, Good length ball on off pole, Root blocks it out. |
| 20.1 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Full and wide just outside off, pushed towards the man at short extra cover. |
| 20.2 : Pat Cummins to Denly, This time a bit shorter in length, pushed off the back foot towards the same region. |
| 20.3 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Good length ball outside off, Denly pushes this towards point. |
| 20.4 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Similar length, on the off pole line, Denly pushes this towards mid on. |
| 20.5 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Slapped away towards cover! Short and wide outside off, Denly plays this one on the up and slaps it towards the cover region. The batters take two while the fielder does the mopping up job. |
| 20.6 : Pat Cummins to Denly, OUCH! That has hit Denly on the box and he is down on the ground! Good length ball around off, it jags back in. Denly tries to block but misses to get hit on the box. Looks in a lot of pain. |
| Slight halt in play as Denly is taking his time to recover after getting hit on the box. Root is having a laugh about something. Denly is getting his groin protector changed. Up and ready now at the non-striker's end now. |
| 21.1 : J Hazlewood to Root, EDGED BUT SHORT! Good length ball around off, it nips away after pitching. Root looks to defend it with soft hands but gets an outside edge on it as the ball goes towards first slip on the bounce. Warner gets a hand on it but it goes past him towards the third man fence and the batters take two. If this had carried, it would have been the 8th time that Hazlewood had dismissed Root in this series. |
| 21.2 : J Hazlewood to Root, Length ball outside off, Root pushes this towards point and takes a single. |
| 21.3 : J Hazlewood to Denly, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 21.4 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Good length ball on middle and leg, blocked towards mid on this time. |
| 21.5 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Denly looks to block this good length ball around off but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 21.6 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Denly presents the full face of the bat and defends it off the front foot. |
| 22.1 : Pat Cummins to Root, Length ball around off, blocked towards cover. |
| 22.2 : Pat Cummins to Root, This time on middle and leg, Root pushes this one towards mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 22.3 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Good fielding! This is fuller and around off, exactly where Denly wants it to be. He drives at it and the ball goes to the left of mid off. Siddle runs from mid off and dives to his left as he saves at least a couple of runs for his side. Good effort from the bowler. |
| 22.4 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Bouncer down the leg side, Denly ducks under it. |
| 22.5 : Pat Cummins to Denly, FOUR! Length ball around middle and off, Denly looks to push at it but gets an inside edge on it. It goes past the leg pole and into the fine leg fence for a boundary. Lucky for Denly. |
| 22.6 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Length ball on middle and leg, Denly blocks this one out. |
| Mitchell Marsh into the attack. He took a 5-fer on his return in the first innings. Can he help Australia get a couple more before Lunch? |
| 23.1 : M Marsh to Joe Root, Starts with a fuller ball around off, Root pushes it straight down the ground but can't beat the mid off fielder. |
| 23.2 : M Marsh to Root, FOUR! Whipped! On the pads this time. Root flicks it through square leg to earn a boundary. Easy picking that one. |
| 23.3 : M Marsh to Root, Run out chance? Well, not really, Denly was in but anyway, Wade couldn't hit the timber with the throw either. Root drives this fuller ball towards cover and wants a run then denies. Denly has come a long way and he has to return back. He gets back in time though. |
| 23.4 : M Marsh to Root, Solid block to this ball around off. |
| 23.5 : M Marsh to Root, Beaten! Late movement on that one. Pitches around off and lets it shape away from the bat of Root. It whizzes past the outside edge and to the keeper. |
| 23.6 : M Marsh to Root, This one is on middle and off, kept a bit low as well. Root does well to block. |
| 24.1 : P Siddle to Denly, Length ball just around off, it jags back in sharply and hits Denly on the thigh pad as he misses his block. Siddle exchanges a stare with Denly. |
| 0.0 : Peter Siddle replaces Cummins. 2-0-8-0, his figures so far in this innings. |
| 24.2 : P Siddle to Denly, Denly has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 24.3 : P Siddle to Denly, FOUR! Good length ball outside off, Denly looks to push at this one straight down the ground but it goes off the outer half towards the empty third man region for a boundary. The boundary takes the English lead to 152. |
| 24.4 : P Siddle to Denly, This time Denly plays this one towards mid-wicket. |
| 24.5 : P Siddle to Denly, Good length ball on middle, Denly again looks to push this one down the ground but it goes off the inner half towards mid on. |
| 24.6 : P Siddle to Denly, Length ball coming into Denly, he misses his flick and gets hit on the thigh pad. |
| 25.1 : M Marsh to Root, Full and outside off, Root pushes it towards mid off. |
| 25.2 : M Marsh to Root, On middle and off, Root blocks it out. |
| 25.3 : M Marsh to Root, Good length ball outside off, Root pushes this one towards point and takes one. |
| 25.4 : M Marsh to Denly, On the pads of Denly, he flicks it towards square leg and takes a single to give his skipper the strike. |
| 25.5 : M Marsh to Root, Full length ball outside off, pushed towards cover-point. |
| 25.6 : M Marsh to Root, Length ball just outside off, Root pushes this one off the back foot towards deep point and takes a couple to end the over. |
| 26.1 : P Siddle to Denly, Length ball on middle and leg, Denly pushes it towards mid on off the back foot. |
| 26.2 : P Siddle to Denly, This time just outside off, Denly tries to block it out off the back foot but it goes off the inside half onto the pitch. |
| 26.3 : P Siddle to Denly, Denly blocks this one off the back foot. |
| 26.4 : P Siddle to Denly, Fuller in length this time, pushed towards mid off. |
| 26.5 : P Siddle to Joe Denly, Length ball just outside off, Denly pushes this towards cover-point. |
| 26.6 : P Siddle to Denly, Another length ball, blocked out by Denly. Maiden by Siddle, trying to pile on the pressure. |
| Nathan Lyon is on now! Got rid of Burns in his 3 over spell. Can he get another one before Lunch? |
| 27.1 : N Lyon to Root, Tossed up wide outside off, Root blocks this one out. |
| 27.2 : N Lyon to Joe Root, OUT! CAUGHT! The English skipper is out of here and Lyon is bringing out his 'A' game here! This is the 7th time that Lyon has dismissed Root, joint most with his teammates, Cummins and Hazlewood. This delivery is nothing special from Lyon, just like his last wicket. He pitches this one way outside off, gets it to spin back in a little. Root goes far too ahead in an attempt to put bat on ball but gets an outside edge on it which goes straight to Smith at first slip. He |
| Ben Stokes is the new man in for the hosts. |
| 27.3 : N Lyon to Stokes, Tossed up wide and outside off, Stokes blocks it out. |
| 27.4 : N Lyon to Stokes, Again Lyon tosses it up, Stokes blocks it out. |
| 27.5 : N Lyon to Stokes, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 27.6 : N Lyon to Stokes, Ohh! Almost another one for Lyon! He pitches this one a touch shorter on the off pole line, Stokes goes onto the back foot to block it out. He gets an outside edge on it, luckily for him. Had he missed that, he was plumb LBW. |
| Change of ends for Mitchell Marsh. |
| 28.1 : M Marsh to Denly, Sprays this one down the leg side. Denly lets it be. |
| 28.2 : M Marsh to Denly, Fuller one around off, pushed towards mid off by Denly this time. |
| 28.3 : M Marsh to Denly, Another ball on off and middle, Denly is solid with the block again. |
| 28.4 : M Marsh to Denly, Good length ball around off, tapped towards cover by Denly. |
| 28.5 : M Marsh to Denly, Good ball that one. Where did that hit? High on the thigh pad it seems. This one jagged back in with the angle from a good length ball. Denly looks to work it down the leg side but misses to get high on the pads. |
| 28.6 : M Marsh to Denly, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 29.1 : N Lyon to Stokes, Darted onto the leg pole line, Stokes looks to flick this one but misses. It kisses his pads and goes towards fine leg as the batters take a leg bye. |
| 29.2 : N Lyon to Denly, Tossed up and wide outside off, Denly defends it out. |
| 29.3 : N Lyon to Denly, Denly comes down the track and pushes this one back towards Lyon. |
| 29.4 : N Lyon to Denly, This time Denly stays back in his crease and pushes it back towards Lyon again. |
| 29.5 : N Lyon to Denly, Denly pushes this flighted ball off the front foot towards mid on. |
| 29.6 : N Lyon to Joe Denly, Tossed up outside off, Denly tries to defend it but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The Australians want to bowl another over but the English batsmen have already started to make their way to the pavilion. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena takes the bails off and that is LUNCH ON DAY 3! |
| End of an absorbing session of Test cricket! England are ahead by 157 runs with 8 wickets in hand. They look in a decent position at the moment. However, Root's dismissal at the stroke of Lunch would mean that the Aussies wouldn't feel too bad about their efforts in the morning. |
| The day started with Rory Burns and Joe Denly adding the first 50-plus stand for the opening wicket in this Ashes. However, Lyon removed Burns to break the partnership soon after that. England added 79 runs and largely looked in control. Daddy Denly is looking very solid out there and with the support of the middle order, he would like to consolidate England's position even more in the game. |
| As far as the visitors are concerned, their bowlers were disciplined and bowled good lines and lengths and kept the run-scoring in check. Lyon was the man with the wickets for them. Post Lunch, they would want to get into the lower middle order of the English side by taking quick wickets. England would hope to have another good partnership to take the game firmly under their control. Join us back at 1340 local (1240 GMT) for all the action. |
| ... Day 3, Session 2 ... |
| Welcome back to the coverage of the final Ashes Test match. The Australian players are out in the middle and taking their positions in the field. Joe Denly and Ben Stokes follow them with the latter taking strike who is yet to get off the mark. Pat Cummins to start the proceedings for Australia post Lunch. Everyone's set and here we go... |
| 30.1 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, Cummins is right on the money first ball. On a good length and closer to the body of Stokes on off. He lunges forward to block. |
| 30.2 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, In the channel outside off, Stokes lets it go. Cummins needs to be closer than this to make Stokes play these balls. |
| 30.3 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, On the pads on a fullish length. Stokes looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. The ball rolls towards square leg. The batters change ends for a leg bye. |
| 30.4 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Beaten! A ripper that one. Pitched on a good length and shaped away as Denly looked to work it on the off side. Lucky not to edge that one. However, Denly will forget it quickly as he has done that throughout the innings. |
| 30.5 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Fuller around off this time, Denly strokes it straight to mid off. |
| 30.6 : Pat Cummins to Denly, FOUR! Superb timing on that one. Cummins overpitches this outside the off stump for Denly. He gets in the position and drives it handsomely through cover-point for a boundary. The cover fielder gave it a chase but came second. Denly moves into the 40s with that boundary. |
| Nathan Lyon to bowl from the other end. He has taken two wickets already in this innings and will be looking to build on it. |
| 31.1 : N Lyon to Stokes, A bit short outside off, cut towards the man at cover. |
| 31.2 : N Lyon to Stokes, Fuller this time, floated outside off, pushed towards the off side. |
| 31.3 : N Lyon to Stokes, Stokes defends this one off the front foot and onto the ground. |
| 31.4 : N Lyon to Stokes, This time Stokes pushes this towards the cover region and takes one to get off strike. |
| 31.5 : N Lyon to Denly, Uppish but wide of Lyon! Denly comes down the track to Lyon again but plays this uppishly down the ground. Lyon gets down to his left but is unable to get a hand on it. The ball goes towards long off and the batters take two. |
| 31.6 : N Lyon to Denly, Last ball of the over, blocked out by Denly. |
| 32.1 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, Length ball just outside off, left alone by Stokes. |
| 32.2 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, Chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 32.3 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, Another one outside off by Cummins, left alone. |
| 32.4 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, Cummins bowls this one again in the channel outside off, Stokes doesn't fiddle with it. |
| 32.5 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, Outside off, Stokes shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 32.6 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, This time fuller and finally attacking the off pole, Stokes blocks it out back towards Cummins. |
| 33.1 : N Lyon to Denly, Tossed up full and wide outside off, Denly pushes this one towards point. |
| 33.2 : N Lyon to Denly, This time flatter on middle and leg, pushed towards mid on. |
| 33.3 : N Lyon to Denly, Again flatter on middle, Denly pushes this one towards mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 33.4 : N Lyon to Stokes, Shorter to Stokes by Lyon, he blocks this one out. |
| 33.5 : N Lyon to Stokes, Another shorter one, Stokes pushes this one towards cover off the back foot. |
| 33.6 : N Lyon to Stokes, Short and on middle by Lyon. Stokes blocks it out. |
| 34.1 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Full on middle and off, Denly blocks it out. |
| 34.2 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Another fuller one, pushed towards mid off by Denly. |
| 34.3 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Length ball just outside off, Denly stands tall and pushes it back towards Cummins. |
| 34.4 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Good length ball just outside the off pole, Denly opens the face of the bat and pushes this one towards cover-point. |
| 34.5 : Cummins to Joe Denly, Short of a length ball this time by Cummins, Denly goes onto the back foot and pulls it towards mid-wicket off the top half of his bat for one. Replays show he went a touch too back as his boot almost touched the wicket. |
| 34.6 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, Good length ball outside off, left alone by Stokes. |
| 35.1 : N Lyon to Denly, Flatter and fuller on middle, Denly lunges to push it towards mid-wicket. |
| 35.2 : N Lyon to Denly, Loopy ball on middle, Denly comes down the track to push it to the right of Lyon who gets to the ball and hits the stumps at the striker's end. Denly is safely in though. |
| 35.3 : N Lyon to Denly, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 35.4 : N Lyon to Denly, Fuller around off, Denly drives it left of Lyon to take a single as the ball goes towards long off. |
| 35.5 : N Lyon to Joe Denly, Fuller around off, Denly drives it left of Lyon to take a single as the ball goes towards long off. |
| 35.6 : N Lyon to Stokes, On the leg stump this time, Stokes looks to glance it down the leg side but misses to get hit on the pads. |
| 36.1 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Good short ball to start of the over by Cummins, just outside the off pole, near the eye line. Denly looks to pull this one but misses it completely. |
| 36.2 : Pat Cummins to Denly, 100 up for England and they are now 169/2 effectively! Good length ball on middle and leg, Denly plays this one towards mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 36.3 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, On middle and leg to Stokes, he flicks it towards the man at mid-wicket. |
| 36.4 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, Length ball just outside off, Stokes pushes this one towards cover. |
| 36.5 : Pat Cummins to Stokes, Short of a length ball outside off, Stokes pulls this one but does not time it to perfection. It goes uppishly towards square leg but way too short of the fielder, Lyon in the deep. The batters take one. |
| 36.6 : Pat Cummins to Denly, Fuller on middle and leg, driven towards mid on to end the over. |
| 37.1 : N Lyon to Stokes, FOUR! Treat to the eyes this shot by Stokes! Lyon tosses it up on off, Stokes comes down the track and lofts it over the fielder at mid off for a boundary. |
| 37.2 : N Lyon to Stokes, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 37.3 : N Lyon to Stokes, Good comeback by Lyon. He pushes this one on the off side, a touch shorter. Stokes looks to defend it off the back foot but misses. |
| 37.4 : N Lyon to Stokes, STOKES DROPPED BY STEVEN SMITH! Lyon pushes this one short and flatter outside off, Stokes goes onto the back foot and tries to cut it. It goes off the edge towards Steven Smith at blistering pace on chest height. He tries to catch it with his fingers pointing up but it goes through them, hits his chest and then bounces out. Stokes is a man in form and Australia would want to take his wicket as quickly as possible after this dropped catch. |
| 37.5 : N Lyon to Stokes, Outside off, left alone by Stokes. |
| 37.6 : N Lyon to Stokes, Flatter on off, Stokes defends this one by getting right behind the line of the delivery. Good comeback by Lyon after getting hit for a boundary on the first ball. |
| Josh Hazlewood into the attack. Australia needs wickets. |
| 38.1 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Shortish ball pitched around off, this one is angled into the batter, Denly looks to push it towards the leg side but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 38.2 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Good running! Another ball on a good length, Denly looks to block but the ball takes the inside edge and goes towards deep square leg. They take a couple. Very good running between the wickets. |
| 38.3 : J Hazlewood to Denly, On middle, this one is blocked nicely. |
| 38.4 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Wanted to get to his fifty but Denly is sent back by Stokes, rightly so. Good length ball around off, Denly taps it towards point and wants a single. Stokes denies as the single was not on there. |
| 38.5 : J Hazlewood to Denly, FOUR! There is the fifty! Third one of the series. He gets there with a superb whip off his pads. Hazlewood dishes this full and on the pads, Denly has been in the middle for too long to miss out on that one. He whips it off his pads and the ball goes through to the deep square leg fence. All of his half centuries in his career have come in the fourth innings of the Tests. Interesting stat that one. He would want to get to his maiden century though. |
| 38.6 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Good length around off this time, he blocks it towards point. |
| 39.1 : N Lyon to Stokes, Full and floated outside off, Stokes pushes this one towards cover and takes a single. |
| 39.2 : N Lyon to Denly, Floated outside off to Denly, he pushes this straight to the man at cover. |
| 39.3 : N Lyon to Denly, Tossed up on middle and leg, pushed towards mid on by Denly. |
| 39.4 : N Lyon to Denly, Flighted one on middle, Denly pushes this towards Lyon. |
| 39.5 : N Lyon to Denly, Close but Denly survives! This one is a touch shorter by Lyon, it skids off the pitch. Denly just about gets his bat down in time and the ball hits the inside edge of his at and then the pad. Had he missed that, he was a goner! |
| 39.6 : N Lyon to Denly, On the pads, Denly flicks it away towards square leg. Good over by Lyon. |
| 40.1 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, BEATEN! Jaffa from Hazlewood! This is on a length outside off, it shapes a bit away with the angle. Stokes looks to fend at it but it goes past his outside edge. |
| 40.2 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Outside off, this time Stokes chooses to leave this one alone. |
| 40.3 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Another one outside off, Stokes does not fiddle with it. |
| 40.4 : J Hazlewood to Ben Stokes, Fuller and outside off, Stokes looks to go for the stylish cover drive but it goes off the inner half of his bat towards mid off. |
| 40.5 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Short of a length on off, Stokes goes onto his back foot, gets on top of the bounce and pulls this towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 40.6 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Solid defense by Denly off the back foot. He pushes this one towards mid off. |
| 41.1 : N Lyon to Stokes, Short of a length on off, Stokes blocks it out. |
| 41.2 : N Lyon to Stokes, IN THE AIR BUT SAFE! Tossed up by Lyon on middle and off, Stokes gets down on one knee and goes for the slog sweep but top edges it. It skies towards deep mid-wicket but there is no one down there and it falls safe. The batters take three while the fielders do the mopping up job. |
| 41.3 : N Lyon to Joe Denly, Full and floated on off, Denly pushes this one towards mid off. |
| 41.4 : N Lyon to Denly, Denly comes down the track and pushes this one towards mid off. He looks for a single but is sent back by Stokes. |
| 41.5 : N Lyon to Denly, A touch short, pushed to point by Denly. |
| 41.6 : N Lyon to Denly, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 42.1 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, On the pads of Stokes, he pushes it towards mid on off the back foot. |
| 42.2 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, A very late call by Umpire Erasmus and it is a NO BALL! Length ball on middle and off, Stokes pushes this back towards the bowler. |
| J Hazlewood to Stokes, Full and on the pads, pushed towards square leg. |
| 42.3 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Another one on the pads, pushed towards mid-wicket. |
| 42.4 : J Hazlewood to Ben Stokes, Full this time wide outside off, Stokes leans forward and drives it towards cover for a three. Great shot this one, shows the confidence of Stokes. |
| 42.5 : J Hazlewood to Joe Denly, Short of a length on middle, Denly pulls this one towards deep backward square leg and takes a single. |
| 42.6 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, This time a bumper to Stokes, he too pulls it but in front of square leg and he takes a single to retain strike. |
| 43.1 : N Lyon to Stokes, Tossed up on the off pole line by Lyon, it pitches and straightens. Stokes gets his bat down in time and blocks it with the outer half of his bat as the ball rolls towards the off side. |
| 43.2 : N Lyon to Stokes, Stokes has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 43.3 : N Lyon to Stokes, FOUR! Poor fielding from Labuschagne here! This is tossed up outside off, Stokes pushes this towards cover. Labuschagne from point runs to his left, dives but lets the ball through from underneath him. There is no protection in the deep and it crosses the fence. |
| 43.4 : N Lyon to Stokes, SIX! What a shot by Stokes! This one is tossed up on middle and off, Stokes gets down on one knee and properly slog sweeps it over mid-wicket. Umpire Dharmasena gets it checked upstairs before raising both his hands. This takes the lead over 200 for the hosts and they will be relieved to get there with still 8 wickets in hand. |
| 43.5 : N Lyon to Stokes, Stokes has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 43.6 : N Lyon to Stokes, On the pads, Stokes pushes this one towards mid-wicket and takes a single to retain strike. |
| Mitchell Marsh into the attack now! Just 3 overs for him this innings so far. Can he break this stand? |
| 44.1 : M Marsh to Stokes, Length ball outside off, left alone by Stokes. |
| 44.2 : M Marsh to Stokes, BEATEN! Stokes goes to play this one towards the off side but is beaten by the away movement as the ball goes past his outside edge. |
| 44.3 : M Marsh to Stokes, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 44.4 : M Marsh to Stokes, Length ball on middle and leg, Stokes looks to block it but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 44.5 : M Marsh to Stokes, On the pads, Stokes flicks it towards square leg and takes a single. |
| 44.6 : M Marsh to Denly, Loud appeal by the Australians but denied by umpire Erasmus! This looks plumb to the naked eye but let's see. This is pitched just outside off, it comes back in with the angle. Denly looks to flick this one but misses to get hit on the front pad. Marsh along with his teammates put in a loud appeal but the umpire has denied it. Tim Paine has a long chat with his bowler but decides against the review. Now with 2 reviews in hand, they might as well should have gone for it. |
| 45.1 : N Lyon to Stokes, Flatter around middle, blocked nicely by Stokes. |
| 45.2 : N Lyon to Stokes, Flighted ball on the pads, Stokes works it through mid-wicket. He wants two straightaway but decides against it seeing the rushing fielder. |
| 45.3 : N Lyon to Denly, Flighted on off this time, Denly pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 45.4 : N Lyon to Denly, Another solid block from Denly to this flatter delivery on the off side. |
| 45.5 : N Lyon to Denly, Quicker and fuller, pushed towards mid on. |
| 45.6 : N Lyon to Denly, Quicker one again, Denly looks to block but misses to get hit on the pads. |
| DRINKS! England continue to tighten their grip in the game. Denly has moved to his half century while Stokes is racing along nicely. The duo has added 48-run between them and would want to continue going upwards. Australians have not looked threatening. Interestingly, Marsh, their star bowler of the first innings just bowled 3 overs. He returned to trouble the batters. He had Denly plumb in front of the wicket but the umpire didn't agree with him and the Aussie skipper didn't go for the review. |
| 46.1 : M Marsh to Stokes, FOUR! Good length ball outside off, Stokes goes to push at it towards cover but it goes off the outer half towards backward point as the ball races to the fence. The 50-run stand is up with this boundary. |
| 46.2 : M Marsh to Stokes, Full and on the pads, Stokes pushes it towards mid-wicket. |
| 46.3 : M Marsh to Stokes, Length ball outside off, left alone by Stokes. |
| 46.4 : M Marsh to Stokes, Good length ball on middle and off, blocked out by Stokes. |
| 46.5 : M Marsh to Stokes, Another one outside off, Stokes gets behind the line of the delivery and blocks it out. |
| 46.6 : M Marsh to Stokes, Stokes gets onto the back foot to this length ball, pushes it towards cover with soft hands and takes a single. |
| 47.1 : N Lyon to Stokes, Full and floated outside off, blocked out by Stokes. |
| 47.2 : N Lyon to Stokes, Tossed up outside off, Stokes pushes this towards cover. |
| 47.3 : N Lyon to Stokes, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 47.4 : N Lyon to Ben Stokes, On the pads, Stokes pushes this towards mid on for a single. |
| 47.5 : N Lyon to Denly, Denly has defended this one off the back foot. |
| 47.6 : N Lyon to Denly, Floated outside off, pushed towards cover-point. |
| 48.1 : M Marsh to Stokes, Fuller one around off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 48.2 : M Marsh to Ben Stokes, Bouncer! Was that off the pads? No, the umpire gives it as runs. Stokes goes to pull it but gets a bottom edge onto the pads. The ball balloons towards short fine leg but Paine can't get there. They take a single. |
| 48.3 : M Marsh to Denly, On the pads, tucked towards mid on. |
| 48.4 : M Marsh to Denly, FOUR! Cut away! Short and wide. Denly goes back and bisects the cover and point fielder with his cut to get a boundary. Too shot that one. |
| 48.5 : M Marsh to Denly, Good length on middle, worked towards square leg for a run. |
| 48.6 : M Marsh to Stokes, Fuller this time, pushed towards mid-wicket. |
| Marnus Labuschagne is into the attack now. Part-time leg spinner to part-time leg spinner it seems now. |
| 49.1 : M Labuschagne to Denly, FOUR! Darts one on the pads to Denly. He glances it fine down the leg side and the ball races to the fence. No chance for the deep square leg fielder there. |
| 49.2 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Flatter around off, blocked by coming forward. |
| 49.3 : M Labuschagne to Denly, On middle, blocked back to the bowler. |
| 49.4 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Slightly shorter, pushed back to the point fielder. |
| 49.5 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Uppish but wide of Labuschagne. Flighted ball on off, Denly pushes it to the left off Marnus who dives to his but can't catch that. Mid off stops and no runs taken. |
| 49.6 : M Labuschagne to Denly, FOUR! Up and over the mid off fielder. This time Denly gets to the pitch of the ball to loft it over the mid off fielder. For one moment, Denly would've had his heart in his mouth seeing the mid off fielder leaping to take the catch but this was over his attempt. |
| Josh Hazlewood is back into the attack. Australia need him to step up big time if they want to stand any chance of pulling this game back in their favour. |
| 50.1 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Starts with one outside off, Stokes lets it be. |
| 50.2 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Huge appeal for LBW! The umpire is unmoved. Australia do not opt for the review again. That looked to be going down leg. Also, Stokes walks across the off stump. Here comes the Ball Tracker, well this one is missing the leg pole as the ball went down with the angle. A good call to not go for the review this time. |
| 50.3 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Fuller ball, pushed towards the off side. |
| 50.4 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Good length ball around off, Stokes taps it through point to get three. Cameron Bancroft, the substitute, hares after the ball and saves a run. |
| 50.5 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Fuller one around off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 50.6 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Outside off, left alone by Denly this time. A good leave as he had covered his stumps. |
| Why did Tim Paine not go for the review when Joe Denly was trapped right in front of the stumps in the 45th over? Nasser Hussain tries to understand that. So, he finds out when the ball meets the pads of Joe Denly, Paine, as a keeper didn't move a lot. Meaning he didn't have the idea of which way the ball is going. Either his reviewing technique or the keeping technique is at fault, quips Nasser. |
| 51.1 : M Labuschagne to Ben Stokes, Marnus dishes a full toss on middle, Stoke pushes it towards mid on for a single. |
| 51.2 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Flighted one on middle, pushed towards the off side. |
| 51.3 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Another ball around off, another block towards the off side by Denly. |
| 51.4 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Flighted and fuller, pushed wide of the bowler for a single through mid off. |
| 51.5 : M Labuschagne to Stokes, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 51.6 : M Labuschagne to Stokes, Appeal but not sure if that was for a catch. Pitched way outside off on the rough and turns into the batter. Stokes looks to reverse sweep but plays all over the ball. The Ball Tracker arrives to show that this was missing the stumps by quite a big margin. |
| 52.1 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Good leave that one, on the length of the ball. Pitched around off and came into the batter. Denly covers the stumps and shoulders arms. |
| 52.2 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Back of a length ball on middle, blocked back to the bowler. |
| 52.3 : J Hazlewood to Denly, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 52.4 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Good length around off, tapped towards point. |
| 52.5 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Fuller this time, pushed towards mid off. |
| 52.6 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Fuller around off this time, Denly is solid with his block again. |
| 53.1 : M Labuschagne to Stokes, Flat and on the off pole, blocked out by Stokes. |
| 53.2 : M Labuschagne to Stokes, Through the gate! Labuschagne tosses this one up nicely outside off. It pitches on the rough and turns back in sharply. Stokes looks to push it towards mid off but it goes between his bat and pad, missing the off pole. Paine too is unable to collect it and it goes towards fine leg as the batters take two. |
| 53.3 : M Labuschagne to Stokes, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 53.4 : M Labuschagne to Stokes, Run out chance missed! This is tossed up on off, Stokes pushes this towards mid on and sets off for a single. Denly is late to respond but obliges. Wade from mid on hares in at the ball, picks it up and has a shy at the keeper's end but misses. Tim Paine too fails to collect the ball as he whips the bails off. Denly might have been in danger had Wade struck on the direct-hit but he survives. |
| 53.5 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Tossed up on middle and leg, pushed towards mid-wicket for a single by Denly. |
| 53.6 : M Labuschagne to Stokes, This time on the pads to Stokes, he flicks it towards mid-wicket and takes a single too. He keeps strike. |
| 54.1 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Bouncer on middle, Stokes pulls it towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 54.2 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Fuller around off, Denly drives it firmly but can't beat the cover fielder. |
| 54.3 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Good length ball on off, pushed back to the bowler by Denly this time. |
| 54.4 : J Hazlewood to Denly, Bouncer around off, Denly swivels to pull but the ball takes the inside edge and goes towards the square leg for a single. The single brings Denly's highest score in Tests. |
| 54.5 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Goes round the wicket to Stokes and dishes this in the channel outside off, Stokes leans to push but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 54.6 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Short and wide from Hazlewood. Stokes slaps this past point. The ball races to the fence but Labuschagne hares from the third man position and dives to save a run. The batters take three. |
| 55.1 : M Labuschagne to Stokes, Loopy ball on middle, tapped towards mid-wicket by stokes. |
| 55.2 : M Labuschagne to Stokes, SIX! Hammered over the mid on fence to get to his half century! Stokes dances down the track to this flighted ball and converts it into a full toss and nails a six over the fence. |
| 55.3 : M Labuschagne to Stokes, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 55.4 : M Labuschagne to Stokes, Shortish ball, Stokes is in awkward position as he looks to block it. The ball drops very close to the short leg fielder. Bancroft there can't get to the ball. |
| 55.5 : M Labuschagne to Ben Stokes, Flighted ball, Stokes works it down the leg side and wants a quick run. Wade gets to the ball and goes for the shy at the non-striker's end but misses. A direct hit would have been tight. |
| 55.6 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Fuller on the pads, almost yorker, Denly keeps out. |
| Peter Siddle is back into the attack. Just the 4 overs for him so far in the innings. Wondering what Tim Paine is saving him for as he is one of their three frontline pacers? |
| 56.1 : J Hazlewood to Stokes, Good length outside off, pushed towards point for a single. |
| 56.2 : P Siddle to Denly, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 56.3 : P Siddle to Denly, Good length ball this one, it is angled into the batter. Denly looks to push it towards the leg side but misses to put bat on the ball. He is hit on the pads. |
| 56.4 : P Siddle to Denly, Beaten! Good length ball in the channel, it is closer to off pole. Denly goes for the poke but misses. The ball whizzes past the bat and to the keeper. |
| 56.5 : P Siddle to Denly, FOUR! Easy picking! On the pads on a fuller length, Denly whips it off the toes and through to the mid-wicket fence. |
| 56.6 : P Siddle to Joe Denly, Edged but short! Good length ball again, it is closer to off pole so Denly plays at it. The ball takes the outside edge but drops just ahead of diving Paine. |
| 57.1 : M Labuschagne to Stokes, Flighted outside off, on the rough, Stokes works it down the leg side. |
| 57.2 : Labuschagne to Stokes, Pitched on the rough and came back in. Stokes looks to work it towards the off side but is hit on the pads. A muted appeal follows but nothing from the umpire. The Ball Tracker shows that it was missing the leg stump. |
| 57.3 : M Labuschagne to Ben Stokes, Shorter one this time, Stokes pulls it towards deep square leg to take a run. |
| 57.4 : M Labuschagne to Denly, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. |
| 57.5 : M Labuschagne to Denly, FOUR! Full toss this time, Marnus walks across the leg stump by a step and drills the drive it right of the diving Labuschagne. The ball races to the long on fence. The boundary brings 100-run stand between the two. |
| 57.6 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Pitched outside leg this one, Stokes pads it away. |
| 58.1 : P Siddle to Stokes, Length ball on the off pole line, Stokes stands tall and blocks it out. |
| 58.2 : P Siddle to Stokes, This time outside off, pushed towards the man at cover. |
| 58.3 : P Siddle to Stokes, Again outside off, Stokes plays this one towards backward point and takes a single. |
| 58.4 : P Siddle to Denly, Length ball on middle and off, pushed towards mid off. |
| 58.5 : P Siddle to Denly, FOUR! Denly comes out of his crease this time, converts this good length ball into a fuller one and creams this one through the cover region for a boundary. Labuschagne does hare after the ball, puts in a dive, but in vain. |
| 58.6 : P Siddle to Denly, Good length ball on middle, jagging back in. Denly looks to block this one but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 59.1 : M Labuschagne to Stokes, Pitched outside off, spinning into the left-hander, Stokes goes back and guides it towards fine leg for a run. |
| 59.2 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Darts one on the pads, Denly pads it away. |
| 59.3 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Leading edge but lands safely. Flighted one around off, Denly looks to push it towards the leg side but the ball takes the leading edge and goes towards cover. |
| 59.4 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Another one padded away by Denly as it pitched outside leg. Labuschagne wants to use the rough but he is unable to do so. |
| 59.5 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Another one darted from outside leg, Denly is behind the line in defense. |
| 59.6 : M Labuschagne to Denly, Another one darted on the leg stump, Denly pads it away again and walks off unharmed to TEA ON DAY 3. |
| A session thoroughly dominated by England! They have extended their lead to 262 runs and are in a very dominating position in this Test match. Joe Denly and Ben Stokes are amidst a century stand and that has propelled the Three Lions. Australia tried hard but without any success. They did have a couple of chances to dismiss both the current batsmen but failed to take that. Ben Stokes was dropped on 7 by Steven Smith and then the lbw appeal of Joe Denly was not referred by Tim Paine when he was o |
| ... Day 3, Session 3 ... |
| The Aussies are in a huddle and are getting some pep talk by their skipper. They take their positions in the field now. Joe Denly and Ben Stokes are already out in the middle. Peter Siddle to start for Australia with the ball, Stokes to take the strike first up. Joe Denly, on the other end, will be looking to score at least the 18 runs first up so that he can get to his maiden Test ton and then carry on from there. |
| 60.1 : P Siddle to Stokes, Good length ball around off, Stokes lets it go to the keeper. |
| 60.2 : P Siddle to Stokes, Gets closer to the off pole this time on a good length. Stokes taps it towards cover. |
| 60.3 : P Siddle to Stokes, Good length ball, angled into the left-hander. Stokes looks to work it on the leg side but gets an inside edge and onto the pad. |
| 60.4 : P Siddle to Stokes, Another good length ball on middle, Stokes tucks it towards square leg. |
| 60.5 : P Siddle to Stokes, Good length outside off, Stokes looks to drive but can't get the timing right as the ball goes towards the mid off fielder. |
| 60.6 : P Siddle to Stokes, Wide outside off this one, Stokes shoulders arms. |
| Nathan Lyon into the attack! He is the man with the two wickets. Can he break this stand? |
| 61.1 : N Lyon to Denly, Full and floated on off, Denly comes down the track pushes this one towards mid off. |
| 61.2 : N Lyon to Denly, Stays back this time, pushes this one towards point. |
| 61.3 : N Lyon to Denly, FOUR! Denly comes down the track this time and powers this one down the ground past the diving mid off fielder for a boundary. |
| 61.4 : N Lyon to Denly, On the pads this time, flicks towards fine leg and gives his vice-captain the strike. |
| 61.5 : N Lyon to Stokes, Short in length, Stokes blocks this one out. |
| 61.6 : N Lyon to Stokes, Similar ball, similarly played out by Stokes towards the off side. |
| 62.1 : P Siddle to Denly, Denly moves into his 90s now with this shot! Length ball outside off by Siddle, Denly opens the face of his bat and guides this one through point and gully. Lyon from gully hares after it, put in a dive and saves a run for his side as the batters take three. |
| 62.2 : P Siddle to Stokes, Stokes defends this length ball from within the crease. |
| 62.3 : P Siddle to Stokes, FOUR! Powerfully driven by Stokes this time! Full and on middle and off, Stokes gets onto the front foot and drives this one down through mid on for a boundary. |
| 62.4 : P Siddle to Ben Stokes, Length ball outside off, Stokes cuts this one towards backward point and takes two. Bancroft, the substitute fielder, from point runs after it and does the mopping up job. |
| 62.5 : P Siddle to Stokes, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 62.6 : P Siddle to Stokes, FOUR! Bang! Wide outside off, Stokes slaps this one through covers and it races to the fence. 13 runs off the over. |
| 63.1 : N Lyon to Denly, Full and floated on middle, played back towards the bowler. |
| 63.2 : N Lyon to Denly, On middle and leg this time, Denly flicks this one towards mid-wicket. Labuschagne from deep mid-wicket runs in and tries to collect the ball but fumbles and that allows the batters to take two. |
| 63.3 : N Lyon to Denly, Denly pushes this one off his pads towards mid-wicket. |
| 63.4 : N Lyon to Denly, Another one on the pads, pushed towards square leg as the batters take one. |
| 63.5 : N Lyon to Stokes, Good ball by Lyon. He pitches this one on the off pole line and gets it to straighten. Stokes looks to block it but he gets a slight outside edge onto it. The ball brushes the pads of Paine before looping over Smith at first slip. |
| 63.6 : Lyon to Ben Stokes, OUT! TIMBER! What a beauty this one, a spinner's dream ball! Finally the partnership is broken and Lyon gets his third! This one was tossed up by Lyon on middle and leg, it pitches and spins away from the blade of Stokes as he is onto the front foot. Stokes is completely squared up by this one, it beats his outside edge and the ball crashes into the off pole. A sensational delivery to get rid of Stokes but is it too late for Australia? Only time will tell as England ar |
| Jonny Bairstow walks out to the middle. Interesting to see what approach he opts to score his runs. |
| 64.1 : P Siddle to Denly, Fuller one, closer to off pole, Denly blocks it towards the off side. |
| 64.2 : P Siddle to Denly, Another fullish ball around off, Denly drives it straight to mid off. |
| 64.3 : P Siddle to Denly, Another ball around off, Denly lunges to block it towards cover. |
| 64.4 : P Siddle to Joe Denly, Slightly shorter and Denly goes to cut but gets an inside edge. The ball goes towards the fine leg region. He takes one and is now just 6 away from his maiden Test ton. |
| 64.5 : P Siddle to Bairstow, Beaten first ball! Good length ball around off. It pitches and shapes away as it gets closer to Bairstow's push. |
| 64.6 : P Siddle to Bairstow, Sprays down the leg side this time. Paine can't collect it cleanly on his left. The ball goes off his gloves towards fine leg for a bye. |
| 65.1 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Short this time just outside off, Bairstow flicks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 65.2 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Innovative from Bairstow! Floated outside the off pole this time, very full. Bairstow goes down on one knee in an attempt to sweep the ball but opens up the face of the bat at the last moment and guides it towards third man for a couple. |
| 65.3 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Floated on off, pushed towards mid off. |
| 65.4 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Floated on middle and off, Bairstow pushes it back towards Lyon. |
| 65.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Shorter this time, blocked by Bairstow. |
| 65.6 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Last ball of the over, the batsman defends it from within the crease. Denly on strike for the next over now. |
| 66.1 : P Siddle to Denly, Length ball just outside off, Denly opens the face of his bat and pushes this towards point. Maybe there was a run on there but the batters opt against it. |
| 66.2 : P Siddle to Denly, Another length ball, blocked out by Denly. |
| 66.3 : Siddle to Denly, A loud appeal by Siddle but denied by the umpire! This is a good length ball on off, it jags back in. Denly takes a step down the track and looks to flick but misses. Siddle and the Australian players appeal but nothing from the umpire. They opt against taking the review. Replays roll in and Ultra Edge shows no bat. Ball Tracker comes in now and shows that this was missing leg. Good decision by the umpire. |
| 66.4 : P Siddle to Denly, FOUR BYES! Peach of a delivery by Siddle! This has cut Denly in half! Some nerves maybe as he gets closer to his ton. This is again on a good length, again coming back in. Denly looks to defend off the front foot but misses as the ball goes between his body and bat, just over the leg pole and past the diving Tim Paine. It goes into the fine leg fence for four leg byes. |
| 66.5 : P Siddle to Denly, The batsman has punched the ball off the back foot. |
| 66.6 : P Siddle to Denly, OUT! CAUGHT! Denly is out of here and he has missed out on his ton by just 6 runs! This is a touch fuller and just outside off, this time Siddle gets it to straighten a touch. Denly has a poke at it but it goes off the outside edge towards first slip. Steven Smith is stationed there and he does not drop this one and Denly has to take the long walk back to the pavilion. |
| Jos Buttler is the new man in for England. |
| 67.1 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Darts one on middle, Bairstow works it towards the mid-wicket. |
| 67.2 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Flatter one around off, Bairstow keeps it out. |
| 67.3 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Around off but Bairstow looks to sweep. Can't get bat on ball and is hit on the pads outside the line off pole. |
| 67.4 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Slightly shortish one this time, Bairstow stays back and tucks it towards the short leg fielder. |
| 67.5 : N Lyon to Bairstow, Another one which is slightly short. Another clip straight to the short leg. |
| 67.6 : Lyon to Bairstow, Flighted one on the pads this time, Bairstow can't get bat on ball this time and is hit on the pads. A muted appeal but nothing serious. |
| 68.1 : P Siddle to Buttler, Fuller around off, Bairstow strokes it straight to mid off. |
| 68.2 : P Siddle to Buttler, FOUR! Punched off the back foot. Slightly shortish ball, Buttler gets on top of the bounce and slaps it through covers for his first boundary. |
| 68.3 : P Siddle to Buttler, FOUR! Great timing but it wasn't far away from Siddle's left hand. Bowls slightly on the good length, Buttler thumps it down the ground, and past the left side of Siddle. The ball races to the fence. Back-to-back boundaries for Buttler. |
| 68.4 : P Siddle to Buttler, Length ball on the off pole, blocked out by Buttler. |
| 68.5 : P Siddle to Buttler, On the pads this time, Buttler flicks this one off his pads towards mid-wicket and takes three. With this, the lead for England crosses the 300-run mark. |
| 68.6 : P Siddle to Bairstow, FOUR! Cut away! This is short and outside off, Bairstow goes onto his back foot and cuts it away through point for a boundary. An expensive over this, 15 off it. |
| Josh Hazlewood is back into the attack. He is still looking for a wicket this innings. His numbers so far, 15-5-42-0. |
| 69.1 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Length ball on middle and off, pushed towards mid on off the back foot. |
| 69.2 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, On the pads of Buttler, he flicks it towards square leg and takes a couple. |
| 69.3 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Length ball on middle and off, Buttler pushes it back towards the bowler. |
| 69.4 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 69.5 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Length ball outside off, Buttler tries to push it away from his body but misses the line of the delivery and is beaten. |
| 69.6 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Length ball outside off, left alone by Buttler. |
| Cummins is back on! 13-4-27-0 so far for him. |
| 70.1 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, FOUR! Good length ball just outside off, Cummins is welcomed into the attack in style by Bairstow as he dispatches this one towards the cover region for a boundary. |
| 70.2 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Length ball on middle and off, blocked out by Jonny. |
| 70.3 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Length ball outside off, Bairstow confidently leaves it alone. |
| 70.4 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, Length ball above the off pole, Bairstow pushes this one back towards the bowler. |
| 70.5 : Pat Cummins to J Bairstow, Fuller this time outside off, JB pushes this towards mid off. |
| 70.6 : Pat Cummins to Bairstow, FOUR! Great cut by Bairstow again! Length ball wide outside off by Cummins, Bairstow cuts this one through cover-point for a cracking boundary. |
| 71.1 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Length ball outside off, left alone by Jos. |
| 71.2 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Full and wide outside off, Buttler pushes this with ease towards covers and takes a couple. |
| 71.3 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Down the leg side, Buttler looks to flick but misses it. |
| 71.4 : J Hazlewood to Jos Buttler, Fuller and on the off pole line, Buttler pushes this one towards mid on. |
| 71.5 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, BEATEN! Good ball by Hazlewood! Length ball just outside off, Buttler looks to fend at it but does so inside the line. It nips away and beats the outside edge of Buttler's bat. Unplayable says the commentator on air. |
| 71.6 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Length ball on middle and off, blocked by Jos. |
| Mitchell Marsh into the attack now replacing Cummins after just one over. With new ball just 8 overs away, Paine wants Cummins, his leading wicket-taker to stay fresh. |
| 72.1 : M Marsh to Bairstow, Length ball bowled by Marsh first up, it jags back in. Bairstow looks to defend but misses to get hit on the thigh pad. |
| 72.2 : M Marsh to Bairstow, This time Bairstow does manage to get behind the line of the delivery and defends it out. |
| Steven Smith has taken a good low catch at slip or has he? Bairstow is holding his ground as he thinks this might have landed just short of Smith. The umpires converge and refer it upstairs. However, the soft signal is out. And, that will remain out as Smith has grabbed that nicely, inches above the turf, as confirmed by the replays. |
| 72.3 : M Marsh to Bairstow, OUT! CAUGHT! That's a clean catch and Bairstow has to go back! The budding partnership is broken and Mitchell Marsh takes his first wicket of the second innings. This one is on a length and outside off, Bairstow looks to block this one off the back foot but gets an outside edge on it. It goes low towards the left of Steven Smith at first slip where he takes a very good low catch. Paine did dive to his right and that might have blind sided Smith a bit but he hung onto i |
| Sam Curran walks into the middle now. He came out with ultra aggressive intent with the bat in the first innings but failed to play a handy knock. He would try to make use of this innings with England under no pressure. |
| 72.4 : M Marsh to Curran, Back of a length outside off, pushed towards point. |
| 72.5 : M Marsh to Curran, On the pads of Curran, he flicks it towards square leg and gets a couple to get off the mark. |
| 72.6 : M Marsh to Curran, Wide ball outside off, Curran goes for a slash but misses the ball altogether. |
| Nathan Lyon back on now! He has three wickets in his kitty and with the way it's going, he would eye a fifer. Also, the second new ball will be due shortly and Tim Paine wants to get there quickly. |
| 73.1 : N Lyon to Buttler, Darts quicker one around off, blocked onto the pitch on the leg side. |
| 73.2 : N Lyon to Buttler, FOUR! Beautifully done! Flighted ball on a fullish length. Buttler takes one step forward and drills this one through the covers for a boundary. |
| 73.3 : N Lyon to Buttler, On middle, Buttler blocks it out. |
| 73.4 : Lyon to Buttler, Buttler is rapped in front of the stumps as Lyon and Australia appeal. The umpire does not agree. Skipper Paine and Lyon get together to check if they need to go upstairs. They decide against it. This is flatter and quicker! Buttler goes back to work it down the leg side but misses to get hit on the pads. Whoa! The Ball Tracker arrives and again, it shows Three Reds. Another missed opportunity from Paine and Australia. They probably thought this was too high to be reviewed |
| 73.5 : N Lyon to Buttler, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 73.6 : N Lyon to Buttler, Fuller ball on off, driven toward long on for a single. |
| 74.1 : M Marsh to Buttler, Good length ball on the off pole, it comes back in a hint. It goes off the inner half of his bat towards square leg and the batters take one. |
| 74.2 : M Marsh to Curran, This time behind a good length on the off pole line to Curran, he defends it out. |
| 74.3 : M Marsh to Sam Curran, Fuller this time by Marsh, Curran pushes this towards mid on. |
| 74.4 : M Marsh to Curran, Wide outside off, Curran goes for a swing at it but misses the ball altogether. |
| 74.5 : M Marsh to Curran, Another swing and a miss! Outside off again, Curran once more looks to cut it towards point but misses it. |
| 74.6 : M Marsh to Curran, Length ball outside off, pushed towards point by Curran and he takes a single to retain strike. |
| DRINKS! Three wickets in the first half of the final session for Australia. They were on the mat at Tea but they have done well to crawl back. Stokes was cleaned up by a beauty from Lyon while Joe Denly fell 6 short of his maiden Test ton. Bairstow and Buttler came out with positive intent but Marsh sent Bairstow packing soon. Buttler was also out LBW but Australia opted not to take a review and that is why he is still on the crease along with Sam Curran. |
| 75.1 : N Lyon to Curran, Darted one on middle, Curran keeps it out. |
| 75.2 : Lyon to Curran, Flighted one on middle, Curran pads it away. Lyon appeals but the umpire doesn't agree. The Ball Tracker rolls in to show that this was going to miss the off pole. |
| 75.3 : N Lyon to Curran, On the pads, tucked towards the leg side. |
| 75.4 : N Lyon to Curran, Beaten! Lovely ball. It is turning away from the push of Curran who plays down the wrong line. |
| 75.5 : N Lyon to Curran, Shorter one on middle, Curran stays back to work it towards point. |
| 75.6 : N Lyon to Curran, Flatter around off, Curran taps it towards cover. |
| 76.1 : M Marsh to Buttler, Length ball outside off, left alone by Buttler this time. |
| 76.2 : M Marsh to Buttler, Looks for the yorker but sprays this one down the leg side. Buttler goes for the flick but misses. |
| 76.3 : M Marsh to Buttler, Gets the line right this time. Closer to off, blocked towards cover. |
| 76.4 : M Marsh to Buttler, On middle, pushed back to the bowler by Buttler this time. |
| 76.5 : M Marsh to Buttler, Around off on a good length, Buttler looks to block towards mid-wicket but the ball takes the inner half of the bat and goes towards square leg. |
| 76.6 : M Marsh to Jos Buttler, Fuller and slightly outside off, Buttler looks to drive but the ball takes the outside edge and goes through point and gully for a run. |
| 77.1 : N Lyon to Buttler, Bowls a fuller ball on off, blocked easily by Buttler. |
| 77.2 : N Lyon to Buttler, Floated on middle and leg, clipped towards mid-wicket. |
| 77.3 : N Lyon to Buttler, Loopy fuller ball, Buttler strokes it straight to mid off. |
| 77.4 : N Lyon to Buttler, Flatter one on middle and leg, Buttler lunges to block but the ball takes the inner half and goes past the short leg fielder for a single. |
| 77.5 : N Lyon to Curran, On the pads of Curran, he guides it towards square leg for a single. |
| 77.6 : N Lyon to Buttler, Floated one on middle, Buttler pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 78.1 : M Marsh to Curran, Shortish ball, Curran pulls this one in front of square leg nicely. The ball goes towards the fence but Lyon from fine leg hares after the ball, makes a diving stop and saves a couple. |
| 78.2 : M Marsh to Curran, FOUR! Overpitched by Marsh and punished by Curran! Fuller and outside off, Curran gets into position to drill this one through covers to get a boundary. On the charge it seems. |
| 78.3 : M Marsh to Curran, FOUR! Another fuller ball outside off, Curran throws his bat and gets an outside edge which flies through gully and point to get another boundary. |
| 78.4 : M Marsh to Curran, Around off on a good length, Curran pushes this through point to get a single this time. |
| 78.5 : M Marsh to Buttler, Great effort from Cummins at long on. Paine came up to the stumps on this ball. Marsh pitches this up to Buttler. He flicks it uppishly through mid on. The ball is racing to the fence but Cummins from mid-wicket chases it down and saves a run. |
| 78.6 : M Marsh to Curran, Fuller ball, pushed towards mid on. 14 runs from this over. |
| 79.1 : N Lyon to Buttler, Slightly shorter length, Buttler pushes this towards point to get a run. |
| 79.2 : N Lyon to Curran, Looped up on middle, Curran keeps it out. |
| 79.3 : N Lyon to Curran, Beaten! Lands this one middle and makes it spin away from the poke of Curran. Lucky not to get an edge on that one. |
| 79.4 : N Lyon to Curran, On the pads this time, tucked towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 79.5 : N Lyon to Buttler, Flatter one around off, blocked. |
| 79.6 : N Lyon to Buttler, Sprays this one down the leg side. Paine does well to collect that one as Buttler leaves it alone. |
| The second new ball is available now as the 80 overs are completed in this innings. Australia have taken the new ball as well at the first opportunity and Pat Cummins will be the one to start off with it. There is still some pace and bounce on the pitch and Cummins will be looking to extract it. |
| 80.1 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Goes for the bumper straightaway but Curran does well to pull this behind square leg for a single. |
| 80.2 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Good length on middle, tucked towards the leg side for a single by Buttler. |
| 80.3 : Pat Cummins to Curran, Bumper down the leg side. Curran misses his flick. Paine catches it, makes it look like there is a a tickle down the leg side but nothing on it. |
| 80.4 : Pat Cummins to Curran, OUT! Gone this time around the pads. The new ball has worked for Australia as Cummins gets his first wicket of the innings. Not a great delivery to be honest but Pat won't mind. He bowls it on a good length but this one goes down the leg side. Curran goes for the flick but this time he does get a fine tickle on it as the ball goes to the right of Paine behind the wickets. He dives across and holds onto a fine catch. A good grab from the Aussie skipper. England lead b |
| Chris Woakes is the new man in for the hosts. Buttler will be asking Woakes to stick with him and stitch a good stand here. |
| 80.5 : Pat Cummins to Woakes, FOUR! Another one going down the leg side. Woakes doesn't get a tickle. In fact, he flicks this from the middle of the bat through to the fine leg region for a boundary. Woakes is off the mark and takes the English lead past the 350-run mark. |
| 80.6 : Pat Cummins to Woakes, Around off on a good length, blocked. |
| Josh Hazlewood to bowl from the other end. He partners Pat Cummins as usual. |
| 81.1 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Good length ball on middle, Buttler clips it towards square leg and races for a couple. Very good running between the wickets. Paine wasn't happy with that effort from Cameron Bancroft who is in the middle for Marcus Harris. |
| 81.2 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Around off this time, Buttler taps it past the diving gully fielder to take one. |
| 81.3 : J Hazlewood to Woakes, Good length ball around off, Woakes has a poke at the ball but it shapes away from his hanging bat and goes straight to Paine. |
| 81.4 : J Hazlewood to Woakes, Good length around off, blocked towards cover. |
| 81.5 : J Hazlewood to Woakes, Bumper this one but too high as Woakes ducks under it. |
| 81.6 : J Hazlewood to Woakes, Length ball around off, Woakes defends it out. |
| 82.1 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Good length ball in the channel. Buttler looks to push it on the off side but is beaten by the away movement. |
| 82.2 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Slightly fuller, Buttler blocks it towards the off side. |
| 82.3 : Pat Cummins to Jos Buttler, Another fullish length ball, Buttler strokes it uppishly towards mid off. Falls too short of the fielder though. |
| 82.4 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, FOUR! Crunched through the covers. Slightly fullish and just outside off, Jos leans into the drive and crunches it through the covers to get a boundary. He races to 35 with that four. |
| 82.5 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Good length ball, angled into the batter, Buttler looks work it down the leg side but he is late into the shot. The ball hits him high on the pads and roll towards gully. |
| 82.6 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Outside off this time, Buttler shoulders arms. |
| 83.1 : J Hazlewood to Woakes, Length ball on the hips of Woakes, he tucks it towards square leg and takes a single. |
| 83.2 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, A bit fuller this time, pushed towards the man at mid on by Buttler. |
| 83.3 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, FOUR! Lovely shot by Buttler! Full and wide outside off, Buttler takes a step forward and drives this one through the covers for a boundary. Creamed it! |
| 83.4 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, EDGED AND FOUR! Runs flowing here now! A good length ball outside off, Buttler looks to have a push at it but it goes off the outside edge towards third man for a boundary. It bisects the second slip and gully fielder on its way. |
| 83.5 : J Hazlewood to Buttler, Length ball on off, pushed towards cover-point for a single. Woakes on strike for the last ball. England have now scored 300 runs in their second innings and the lead is now 369. |
| 83.6 : J Hazlewood to Woakes, Woakes shows the full face of the bat and defends this ball out confidently. |
| 84.1 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Good length ball on middle, it goes down the leg side with the angle. Buttler goes for the flick but misses. |
| 84.2 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Another good length ball, this one is pitched around off, it jags back in and hits Buttler high on the thigh pad. They go for a quick leg bye as the ball goes towards short leg. |
| 84.3 : Pat Cummins to Woakes, Back of a length ball on middle, Woakes works it behind square for an easy single. |
| 84.4 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Around off, blocked towards mid on. |
| 84.5 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Good length ball closer to the off pole this time, Buttler hops to block it out. |
| 84.6 : Pat Cummins to Buttler, Another ball on off, Buttler pushes it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| Peter Siddle is back into the attack now. His figures so far are 11-3-51-1. Not too impressive for a bowler of his caliber. |
| 85.1 : P Siddle to Buttler, Good length ball around off, Buttler pushes this towards mid off. |
| 85.2 : P Siddle to Buttler, Around off on a good length, Buttler drives it straight to cover. |
| 85.3 : P Siddle to Buttler, Pulled away for a single through mid-wicket. Siddle bangs this one short around off. Buttler walks across the off stump before the ball is delivered and pulls it nicely for a single. |
| 85.4 : P Siddle to Woakes, Another back of a length ball around off, Woakes stands tall and blocks. |
| 85.5 : P Siddle to Woakes, Good length ball, closer to the off pole, Woakes is right behind the line of the ball as he defends it out. |
| 85.6 : P Siddle to Woakes, Fuller around off, pushed towards Lyon at cover. |
| Mitchell Marsh is back on! He replaces Pat Cummins into the attack for the final burst of the day. His figures so far are 10-1-39-1. |
| 86.1 : M Marsh to Buttler, Wide outside off, Buttler lets it be. |
| 86.2 : M Marsh to Buttler, Fuller around off, Buttler drives it wide of the long off fielder. Cummins there dives to save a certain boundary. A good save that one from him late in the day. It's a half stop and Buttler gets a run. |
| 86.3 : M Marsh to Woakes, On middle this time, Woakes keeps it out. |
| 86.4 : M Marsh to Woakes, Good length around off, Woakes taps it towards point. |
| 86.5 : M Marsh to Woakes, Wide outside off this time. Left alone by Woakes. |
| 86.6 : M Marsh to Woakes, OUT! A Smith blinder to send Woakes packing! You can't keep this man out of the picture for a long time. Absolute stunner this one! Flying like Superman! Marsh dishes this one fuller and outside off, Woakes goes for the drive but the ball takes the outside edge of his blade and flies wide of Steven Smith at second slip. He throws his right hand at the ball and snaffles it brilliantly. Great effort. England lead by 374 at the moment! |
| Jofra Archer is the next man in for the Three Lions. |
| 87.1 : Siddle to Jos Buttler, OUT! Another blinder at square leg and Buttler is outta here now! This time it's Smith's apprentice, Marnus Labuschagne. No back-to-back half centuries for Buttler. Back of a length ball around middle, this one does not rise enough but Buttler still goes for the pull. He gets the top half of his bat on this one and the ball goes high in the air towards square leg. Marnus Labuschagne runs forward from deep square leg, dives and pouches this one inches above the groun |
| 0.0 : Jack Leach is the next man in for the hosts. He comes out following a huge roar from the crowd. They have loved him throughout this Ashes and they are showing it in his last innings here. |
| 87.2 : P Siddle to Leach, Around middle on a good length, Leach defends it out. |
| 87.3 : P Siddle to Leach, Around off, Leach's block is met with a loud cheer from the crowd. |
| 87.4 : P Siddle to Leach, Back of a length on the body, Leach manages to fend it away awkwardly. |
| 87.5 : P Siddle to Leach, Fuller one on middle, Leach pushes this towards mid on. |
| 87.6 : P Siddle to Leach, Back of a length on the body, Leach stands tall and blocks it onto the pitch. A wicket maiden! |
| Pat Cummins is into the attack after just one over from Marsh. |
| 88.1 : Pat Cummins to Archer, Back of a length ball on the body, Archer looks to fend it away awkwardly but he has his eyes off the ball as he does that. No contact. |
| 88.2 : Cummins to J Archer, Another back of a length ball on the body, this time Archer gets bat on ball. Not with proper timing as the ball goes towards square leg aerially. Jofra is off the mark with that single. |
| 88.3 : Pat Cummins to Leach, Fuller on the pads, Leach strokes it nicely through long on for three this time. The running between the wicket gets appreciation from skipper Joe Root from the pavilion. |
| 88.4 : Pat Cummins to Archer, Bouncer on the body. Archer does well to block it off the back foot. |
| 88.5 : Pat Cummins to Archer, Another back of a length ball but this one is down the leg side. Archer tucks it fine down the leg side and gets off strike. |
| 88.6 : Pat Cummins to Leach, Back of a length again, Leach looks to block but the ball takes the outside edge and goes through point and gully. They take a run of this one. Leach retains strike. |
| Marnus Labuschagne is back into the attack. He replaces Peter Siddle. He has three fielders in catching positions, a short leg, a leg slip and a slip. |
| 89.1 : M Labuschagne to Leach, Looks for the rough straight away but can't land it there. Leach blocks it towards cover. |
| 89.2 : M Labuschagne to Leach, Good block in the end from Leach. He advanced down the track and Marnus saw that as he darted this one on the pads. Pushed towards mid on by Leach. |
| 89.3 : M Labuschagne to Leach, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 89.4 : M Labuschagne to Leach, Flatter one, this turns miles away as Leach looks to push but misses. |
| 89.5 : M Labuschagne to Leach, On the pads, worked towards square leg. |
| 89.6 : M Labuschagne to Leach, Gets this one to land on the rough and it spins in to hit the pads of Leach. A muted appeal but nothing serious from the Aussies. |
| 90.1 : Pat Cummins to Archer, Cummins continues bowling the bumpers. This is again on the leg side. Archer works it behind square leg for a single. |
| 90.2 : Pat Cummins to Leach, Another bumper and a good one as well. This is pitched on middle and it goes closer to the head of Leach. Jack stands tall and fends it off. |
| 90.3 : Pat Cummins to Leach, And another one. This time the umpire signals one for the over. Cummins bangs this one short on middle and makes it to shape away. Leach drops his hands to sway away. |
| 90.4 : Pat Cummins to Leach, And again. Leach is right up to the bounce of the ball to block. This was banged on middle too. Good over so far but equally well played by Leach. Two more balls remaining in the day for the survival. |
| 90.5 : Pat Cummins to Leach, Almost! Cummins bowls another bumper on the body. Leach hops to work it down the leg side. He does so but the ball is in the air as it goes past Cameron Bancroft, the substitute at short leg. Can't call it a chance as this went away quickly. Leach gets a single and would be happy that he is not going to face the last ball of the day. |
| 90.6 : Pat Cummins to Archer, Another rising delivery around off but Archer stays tall to this one and blocks it well. THAT WILL BE STUMPS ON DAY 3. |
| A cracking end to a batting dominated day at The Oval! England have parked themselves in the driver's seat in spite of losing wickets in a flurry in the last session. They have extended their lead to 382 runs and have the power to call the shots in this Test match. |
| After gaining a handy lead, the English openers produced a half century stand, something that eluded both sides throughout the series. Nathan Lyon tried to keep Australia in the reckoning with a couple of wickets after that but the century partnership between Ben Stokes and Joe Denly pushed the Aussies firmly on the back foot. The visitors were the culprit of dropping Stokes on 7 and not referring Denly's lbw appeal (when he was out). In general too, Australia did not use their reviews properly |
| Australia enjoyed a fine evening session by picking 6 wickets in it but England also managed to score quick runs and zoom their lead close to 400. The Aussies clearly have their backs to the wall and will need a record chase at this venue to fulfill their dreams of a Test series win in England since 2001. |
| The pitch is offering good assistance to the bowlers, mainly the spinners and the rough created on the surface will help Jack Leach later on. But this is something to look forward to after England's second innings batting closes. They still have two wickets in hand and would like to extend their lead more with plenty of time left in this Test match. What's in store for us on Day 4? Do join us at 1100 local (1000 GMT) to find out. Cheers! |
| ... Day 4, Session 1 ... |
| Welcome to Day 4 of the final Ashes Test match. England still have two wickets left and will be trying to swell their lead as much as they can before Australia can bowl them out. On the other hand, the task at hand for the visitors is quite straightforward. Take the remaining wickets as quickly as they can and then focus on the batting side of things. An enthralling day, and quite possibly, the final day of this Ashes awaits us! |
| The Three Lions lead Australia by a huge margin of 382 runs and will be looking to cross the psychological 400-run mark. On Day 3, after some bad use of the DRS (or no use) and some substandard fielding by Australia, England found themselves effectively at 262/2 at Tea. The turnaround started in the third session as Australia crawled back into the game by taking 6 wickets in the final session of the day. The 127-run stand between Stokes and Denly took the game away from the visitors and they wil |
| As for the hosts, they are way on top of the Kangaroos at the moment and Australia will need to pull a rabbit out of their hats if they want to stand any chance of winning this Test match. One might say, that the rabbit's name is Steven Smith. He has been stupendous throughout this series and will want to end it on a high as the Men Down Under look for their first series win on English soil since 2001. However, the task of chasing down such a big total is not a single person's job and he will ne |
| The Australians are out on the field, led by skipper Tim Paine. They are taking their fielding positions as the English batters, Jofra Archer and Jack Leach follow them. Leach will face the first ball of Day 4 from Nathan Lyon who will start the proceedings for the visitors. |
| 91.1 : N Lyon to Leach, Flat and outside off, Leach looks to push at it but it turns away and beats the outside edge of Leach's bat. |
| 91.2 : N Lyon to Leach, Huge turn! Another one on a good length, again Leach prods forward but he is beaten by the turn. Spin on offer for the GOAT here. |
| 91.3 : N Lyon to Leach, FOUR! First boundary of the day! A touch shorter this time, Leach goes onto the back foot, makes room for himself and slaps this through cover for a boundary. |
| 91.4 : N Lyon to Leach, Tossed up around off, Leach goes for the sweep now but misses the ball completely. |
| 91.5 : N Lyon to Leach, This one is pitched outside off, Leach lets it through to Paine. |
| 91.6 : N Lyon to Leach, Leach beaten for the third time in the over! Similar to the last two times, tossed up outside off, it spins and misses the outside edge. Good start for both the sides. |
| Pat Cummins to steam in from the other end. A short leg in place along with two men out in the deep on the leg side. Expect some short stuff! |
| 92.1 : Pat Cummins to Archer, Cummins starts the over with one down the leg side, Archer looks to flick this one but misses. |
| 92.2 : Pat Cummins to Archer, Short of a length near the shoulder, Archer tucks it towards short leg onto the ground. Well played this one. |
| Review time! It's for a caught behind appeal which has been turned down by umpire Erasmus. Tim Paine thinks for a while and then goes for the DRS. On the first replay, it seems to be brushing the thigh pad but nopes, STOP THE PRESS, Paine has got it right. There is a slight tickle on Archer's gloves and it's well spotted by the Ultra Edge. Early success for Australia. |
| 92.3 : Pat Cummins to Archer, OUT! CAUGHT! Fortunes turned overnight for the Australian skipper in terms of the DRS! This time he does go for the review and it is a successful one! Jofra Archer is out of here and England 9 down now. Again Cummins bowls this one down the leg side, Archer tries to flick this one but misses. The Australian team put in a muted appeal but skipper Paine thinks that Archer has edged that one. He takes a short while and goes for the DRS. Replays roll in, Ultra Edge com |
| Stuart Broad is the last batsman for England. |
| 92.4 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Short in length and on middle, rising onto the batsman, Broad stands tall inside the crease and taps it down in front of gully. |
| 92.5 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Swing and a miss! Broad won't die wondering. He is expecting a bouncer every time and has decided to have a go. Short and on middle, angling away, Stuart tries to pull but is beaten. |
| 92.6 : Pat Cummins to Broad, And again. Cummins continues to bang in short, it's around leg and middle, leaving the left-hander, Broad is just swinging his bat blindly in the hope to connect. Nothing doing. Pat starts with a wicket maiden! |
| 93.1 : N Lyon to Leach, Full and flighted on off, Leach pushes it towards point and looks for a run. He is sent back. Straightaway umpire Dharmasena gets into the act as Leach was running straight down the middle of the track. A friendly warning, teams can be fined runs if their batsmen continue doing that. |
| 93.2 : N Lyon to Leach, Tossed up ball outside off, left alone. |
| 93.3 : N Lyon to Leach, Shortish and outside off, Leach tries cutting but misses. |
| 93.4 : N Lyon to Leach, Skidding back into the left-hander from around off, Leach works it to backward square leg. |
| 93.5 : N Lyon to Leach, Turning away from the batsman, Leach tries flicking against the spin and gets a leading edge. It rolls safely to backward point. |
| 93.6 : N Lyon to Leach, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 94.1 : Pat Cummins to Broad, SIX! This time Broad connects and he has sent this one over the square leg fence. Short again by Cummins to Broad, he goes for the pull and connects after two failed attempts. It sails over Siddle at square leg for a biggie. Broad going all guns blazing. |
| 94.2 : Pat Cummins to Broad, This time Broad misses but no harm done. Again a short ball, Broad tries to hook but misses. |
| Where is Steven Smith going? A long stop, right behind Tim Paine. You can call it a fly slip also. Bouncers and more bouncers, expect it. |
| 94.3 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Another shorter one and Broad misses again. The umpire gives it one for the over. |
| 94.4 : Pat Cummins to Broad, SIX AGAIN! This one flies over mid-wicket! Too predictable by Cummins, Broad goes back and hooks it over mid-wicket for a maximum. Important runs here for the hosts and they are now just 2 short of the 400-run lead mark. |
| 94.5 : Pat Cummins to Broad, Cummins changes his line after a talk with his skipper, bowls it outside off. Broad goes for the slap but misses. |
| 94.6 : Pat Cummins to Broad, This time Broad tries to defend but is squared up by the away swinging length delivery. |
| 95.1 : N Lyon to Leach, Tossed up on off, Leach blocks it out nicely towards the off side. |
| 95.2 : N Lyon to J Leach, Lot of turn for Lyon again and Leach will be licking his lips here, waiting for his turn to bowl. Tossed up just outside off, Leach looks to defend it but it goes off the outside edge towards second slip on the bounce. |
| 95.3 : N Lyon to Leach, OUT! CAUGHT! That is that as far as the English batting is concerned and Leach is the last man to be dismissed. Lyon tosses this one outside off, Leach gets down on one knee and goes for the slog sweep towards long on. He top edges it and it balloons towards mid on. Hazlewood jogs to his left and gobbles it up and falls down in his follow through. The visitors have stopped England from crossing the 400-run mark and now the match relies on the Australian batters. |
| Heavy roller is on its way out as England are done within 20 minutes of Day 4! Australia didn't waste much time in picking the remaining two wickets and now will have to bat out of their skins to overhaul this enormous target of 399 runs. If they manage to do that, it will be the highest successful chase at The Oval and will hand them their first series win in England after 2001. |
| A quick summary of the English second innings. After gaining a handy 69-run lead, their openers put on the first 50-plus stand of this Ashes and provided the platform. Post that, Joe Denly and Ben Stokes formed a century stand with the former missing out on his maiden Test ton by a whisker. Australia were average throughout but in the last session of Day 3, they managed to pick 6 wickets to restrict England's charge somewhat. Nathan Lyon starred for them with a 4-wicket haul but the amount of tu |
| 0.1 : S Broad to Harris, Catch it is the cry but the umpire has signalled it as a bye. Good length ball from around the wicket. The ball goes with the angle. Bairstow dives to his right but cannot hold onto it. The ball deflects off his glove behind and the Australian scorecard is underway albeit with a bye. |
| Marcus Harris is out to bat with seven stitches on his hand. He hurt himself on the evening of Day 2 while attempting a catch. He didn't take the field yesterday but is still batting at his preferred position because it was an external injury. It will be interesting to see how much of an impact those stitches have on his game. He has not had a brilliant series so far and this might make matters worse. |
| 0.2 : S Broad to Warner, Little to no swing on this one. It is on a length outside off, Warner leaves it alone. |
| 0.3 : S Broad to Warner, Bread and butter of this series. Broad beating the outside edge of Warner's willow. Good length ball on the channel of off stump. David looks to defend but the ball zips away just a hint squaring Warner all ends up. |
| 0.4 : S Broad to Warner, Warner is off the mark. On the pads, Warner turns it behind square on the leg side and gets a couple. First runs off the bat. |
| 0.5 : S Broad to Warner, Beaten again. Warner looks tentative, clearly Broad is living rent free in Warner's head. He is playing away from the stumps to get LBW out of the equation. Good length ball outside off, David looks to defend but once again gets beaten. |
| 0.6 : S Broad to Warner, Warner survives the first. Good length ball on the pads, David pushes it to mid on to get Australia off the first over unscathed. |
| Jofra Archer unleashed from the other end. He dismissed David Warner in the first innings and is fresh from a 6-fer. |
| 1.1 : J Archer to Harris, Jofra bowls a loosener first up. It is a straight ball outside off, Marcus shoulders arms to it. |
| 1.2 : J Archer to Harris, Another ball on the fourth stump line, Harris has no business with it. |
| 1.3 : J Archer to Harris, On the pads, Harris glances it to square leg. |
| 1.4 : J Archer to Harris, On the body again, Harris this time turns it towards fine leg and gets to the other end. He is off the mark. |
| 1.5 : J Archer to Warner, Ohhh!!!! That was not far away from kissing the outside edge. Full ball outside off, Warner goes for a big fancy drive but the ball nips away and goes just past the outside edge to the keeper. |
| 1.6 : J Archer to Warner, No trouble on this one. It is on a length outside off, Warner lets it carry to the keeper. Just a run off Jofra's first. |
| 2.1 : S Broad to Harris, Hits the deck hard outside off, Harris leaves it alone. |
| 2.2 : S Broad to Harris, Bowls it full on middle and leg, Harris pushes it to mid on. |
| 2.3 : S Broad to Harris, Pulls his length back and bowls it slightly fuller than a short ball on the fifth stump line. Harris does not disturb this. |
| 2.4 : S Broad to M Harris, Fuller than the previous one and attacking the stumps. Harris looks to defend but the ball goes off the outer half of his bat towards backward point. Slight movement there. |
| 2.5 : S Broad to Harris, Peach! Good length ball around off, the ball straightens after pitching. Harris looks to defend but the ball beats the willow and the off pole. |
| 2.6 : S Broad to Harris, FOUR! Crunching shot! This should get Harris going. Broad is guilty of overpitching this on off, Harris is quick to pounce on it. He gets on his front foot and creams his drive beautifully through mid off for a boundary. |
| 3.1 : J Archer to Warner, Back of a length ball on top of off. Warner defends it towards point and shouts a loud no to his partner. |
| 3.2 : J Archer to Warner, Beaten again! This shows the man is not his usual confident self. Good length ball outside off, Warner has a slash at it but misses. In form Warner would have sent that racing away to the fence. |
| 3.3 : J Archer to Warner, On the stumps, David defends it with a straight bat. |
| 3.4 : J Archer to Warner, On the pads, Warner looks to flick but is late on it. The ball lobs up off his thigh pad to the side of the pitch on the leg side. |
| 3.5 : J Archer to Warner, FOUR! This will give Warner a little bit of confidence. Length ball outside off, Warner missed the first one which had width on offer, this time he does not. He gets on his back foot and crunches his punch through extra cover for a boundary. |
| 3.6 : J Archer to M Harris, Follows it up with a quick single. On the pads, Warner glances it to the on side and calls for a quick single. Harris responds. The fielder has a shy at the bowler's end but misses. Would have been worth a look had he scored. |
| 4.1 : S Broad to Warner, Length ball outside off, Warner initially looks to play at it but withdraws the ball at the last moment. |
| 4.2 : S Broad to Warner, On the pads of Warner, he goes for the flick but misses. It hits him on the pads and the ball rolls towards square leg for a leg bye. |
| 4.3 : S Broad to Harris, Full on off to Harris, he pushes this one towards cover. |
| 4.4 : S Broad to Harris, Full length ball outside off, Harris looks to push at it but it beats his outside edge and goes to Bairstow on the bounce. |
| 4.5 : S Broad to Harris, FOUR! Good flick from Harris, this is full on middle and leg. He plays it late and under his eyes, flicks it towards mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 4.6 : Broad to M Harris, OUT! Bowled! If the previous shot was class from Harris, this one is just brilliant from Broad. He has the last laugh and Harris' poor series comes to an end. Broad bowls it full on off coming from around the wicket. The ball comes in with the angle and then moves away. Harris looks to defend but the away movement squares Harris all ends up and he has to hear the terrible noise of the stumps rattling out of the place. The off stump is of for a walk and Broad is up and run |
| Marnus Labuschagne walks out at number 3. |
| 5.1 : J Archer to Warner, Length ball on the thighs of Warner,he pushes it towards mid on. Thinks about a run but opts against it. |
| 5.2 : J Archer to Warner, Squared up again! Boy oh boy! Reminiscent to the delivery that dismissed Harris, this just missed the off pole. Length ball on off, straightens and beats the outside edge. |
| 5.3 : J Archer to D Warner, EDGED AND FOUR! Flies through point and gully! Fuller and outside off, Warner looks to go for the drive but gets a thick edge on this one. It flies between gully and point and through to the third man fence. Warner into double figures, rare sight in this Ashes. |
| 5.4 : J Archer to D Warner, Edged again but safe again! Again Warner goes for the push towards cover but it goes off the edge towards gully on the bounce. |
| 5.5 : J Archer to Warner, Bouncer on middle and leg, Warner ducks and lets it through to Bairstow! |
| 5.6 : J Archer to Warner, Length ball on middle and off, jags back in. Warner looks to flick but misses and is hit on the pad. A stifled appeal but the umpire denies it. Looks to be going down leg. England opt against taking the review and Warner survives. |
| 6.1 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Comes over the wicket to the right-hander. Fuller outside off, Labsuchagne is aware of off stump and leaves it alone. |
| 0.0 : Here is Michael Holding talking about the batting technique of David Warner. He picks out three dismissals of Warner and points out that David is playing well in front of his pads and not under his eyes. He is trying to approach the ball rather than waiting back and greeting it. Holding quips, if David Warner continues to bat like this in England, he will need a lot of luck to succeed. |
| 6.2 : S Broad to Labuschagne, FOUR! Poor from Archer. Fuller on off, Labuschagne gets on his front foot and drives it to the right of mid off. Archer puts a dive and gets to the ball but he fails to get much of his hand to it. The ball goes past him and to the long off fence for a boundary and Labuschagne is off the mark. |
| 6.3 : S Broad to Labuschagne, On the pads, Labuschagne flicks it through mid-wicket and gets three as the fielder cleans it up. |
| 6.4 : S Broad to Warner, OUT! Caught! Warner's series ends the way it started as well. Broad got the better of him at the start of the series and he has got the better of him at the end of the series. Good length ball angling away after pitching on off. Warner looks to defend but just like Holding said earlier he does so away from the body. The ball takes the outside edge and goes to the right of third slip. Burns there takes a very good catch in front of second slip. The tale of the series conti |
| Steven Smith is at the crease. The same old script, the Australian openers dismissed cheaply and Smith and Labuschagne trying to rescue the innings. The only question that remains is, will they be able to do it? |
| 6.5 : S Broad to Smith, Smith starts his innings with a solid back foot defense. |
| 6.6 : S Broad to Smith, Fuller around off, Smith drives it not too cleanly to cover. |
| 7.1 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Away from the off pole meaning Labuschagne has nothing to do with it. |
| 7.2 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Hits the deck hard away from the off stump, Marnus leaves it alone. |
| 7.3 : J Archer to Labuschagne, Full on the pads, Labuschagne flicks it just past Buttler at short leg for a single. |
| 7.4 : J Archer to Smith, FOUR LEG BYES. Good length ball on top of leg, Smith shuffles across and looks to flick but the ball tickles off the thigh pad fine down the leg side. |
| 7.5 : J Archer to Smith, Fuller closer to off pole, Smith defends it with a straight bat. |
| 7.6 : J Archer to Smith, FOUR! Glorious! Fuller outside off, Smith keeps his balance and drives it with class through covers for a boundary. That shot had more Caribbean flair than Australian power. Off the mark in style, is the World's No.1 Test batsman. |
| 8.1 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Good length ball outside off, ML leaves it alone. |
| 8.2 : S Broad to Labuschagne, On the fourth stump line, Labuschagne does not get in its way to the keeper. |
| 8.3 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Closer to the off pole, Labuschagne defends it with a straight bat towards mid on. |
| 8.4 : S Broad to Labuschagne, This one comes in off the deck but Marnus is aware of his off stump and leaves it alone. |
| 8.5 : S Broad to Labuschagne, On the pads, Labuschagne glances it towards fine leg for one. |
| 8.6 : S Broad to Smith, Down the leg side, Smith shuffles across and looks to flick but misses. |
| Sam Curran into the attack. He troubled this duo in the first innings. Good move to bring the young all-rounder on by Root. |
| 9.1 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Starts with a fuller ball on off, Marnus defends it with calmness. |
| 9.2 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Full outside off, Labuschagne pushes it to cover. |
| 9.3 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Swing on this one. On middle and leg, Labuschagne looks to flick but gets a thick inside edge off his pads towards fine leg for a single. There was a stifled appeal but nothing from the umpire. |
| 9.4 : Sam Curran to Smith, Fuller on off, Smith plays another good looking drive but cannot get it past the man at cover. |
| 9.5 : Sam Curran to Smith, FOUR! Wow! This is the class of this man. Fuller ball on off, it comes back in. Smith keeps his eyes on the ball and drives it past the diving mid on fielder for a boundary. |
| 9.6 : Sam Curran to Smith, Follows it up with a solid back foot defense to get through the over. |
| 10.1 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Full and targeting the stumps, Marnus keeps it out. |
| 10.2 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Broad misses his line and bowls one down the leg side. |
| 10.3 : S Broad to Labuschagne, Short ball closer to the body, Marnus pulls it towards deep square leg for one. |
| 10.4 : S Broad to Smith, FOUR! Movement for Broad that will encourage him. On a length on off, Smith shuffles across and flicks it with the swing fine down the leg side for a boundary. |
| 10.5 : S Broad to Smith, Full on off, Smith pushes it straight down the ground. Broad gets down to get the ball but the ball hits his finger and goes behind. Does not cost any run though. |
| 10.6 : S Broad to Smith, On the fourth stump line, Smith leaves it alone. |
| 11.1 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Full on middle and off. This one swings in. Labuschagne drives it towards mid-wicket off the inner half of his bat. |
| 11.2 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Down the leg side, Marnus tries to flick but misses. |
| 11.3 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Full on off, Labuschagne keeps his head down and defends it. |
| 11.4 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Just past the outside edge. On the fifth stump line, Labuschagne goes chasing after it. Luckily for him he does not edge it. Ohhs and ahhs from the English players. |
| 11.5 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Good length ball on off, Labuschagne defends it off the front foot. |
| 11.6 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Solidly defended to get through the over. Maiden for Sam Curran. |
| Spinner into the attack now. Jack Leach to roll his arm over. |
| 12.1 : J Leach to Smith, Beauty by Denly to start off! Deceives Smith to start off. It pitched outside off, Smith expected it to spin away so he shoulders arms to it. It goes on with the angle and misses the off stump by a whisker. Good signs for Leach! |
| 12.2 : J Leach to Smith, Tossed up outside off, pushed towards cover. |
| 12.3 : J Leach to Smith, Floated on middle and leg, Smith pushes this one towards mid on and takes a single. |
| 12.4 : J Leach to Labuschagne, Full and flighted on off, pushed towards cover. |
| 12.5 : J Leach to M Labuschagne, This is a touch short, Labuschagne looks to push at it but gets the outer half on it and the ball goes towards backward point for a single. |
| 12.6 : J Leach to Smith, Smith defends this one off the back foot presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 13.1 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Length ball just outside off, Labuschagne looks to fend at it first but pulls his bat away at the last moment. |
| 13.2 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Swings this one in, Labuschagne defends this one off the back foot. |
| 13.3 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Away swinger this time and beats Labuschagne all ends up! Brilliant by Curran! Length ball on off, it swings away and beats the outside edge of Labuschagne's blade by a whisker. |
| 13.4 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Good length ball on the off pole line, pushed back towards Curran. |
| 13.5 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Good length ball outside off, left alone by Labuschagne. |
| 13.6 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Last ball of the over, left alone by ML. Good bowling by Curran again troubling Labuschagne. |
| 14.1 : Leach to S Smith, Ohh! Close call that! Smith dances down the track trying too hit this one straight over Leach's head. He gets the inside half of his bat on it and it uppishly goes towards long. It falls safely and the batters take one. |
| 14.2 : J Leach to Labuschagne, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 14.3 : J Leach to Labuschagne, Full and floated outside off, Labuschagne blocks it off. |
| 14.4 : J Leach to Labuschagne, Another one tossed up on middle and off, Labuschagne pushes this one down the ground and takes one. |
| 14.5 : J Leach to Smith, Flat and on middle, Smith defends it from within the crease. |
| 14.6 : J Leach to Smith, Smith prods forward and presents the full face of the bat to block it off. |
| 15.1 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Length ball on middle and leg, coming in with the angle, Labuschagne tries to defend it but it goes off the inner half towards square leg for a single. |
| 15.2 : Sam Curran to Smith, Full on off, pushed towards cover by Smith. |
| 15.3 : Sam Curran to Smith, Good length ball on middle and off, Smith tries to block it but it goes off the outside edge towards backward point. |
| 15.4 : Sam Curran to Smith, On the pads of Smith, he flicks it towards backward square leg and takes a single. |
| 15.5 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 15.6 : Sam Curran to Labuschagne, Length ball outside off, left alone by Marnus. |
| 16.1 : J Leach to Smith, Smith comes down the track and pushes this one towards long on for a single. |
| 16.2 : J Leach to Labuschagne, Short of a length just outside off, Labuschagne cuts it straight to the man at backward point. |
| The square leg umpire has gone upstairs for stumping. Marnus Labuschagne is the man in danger. Bairstow thinks he has his man. He was quick as lighting to get rid of the bails. Let us see what the replays have to say. |
| 16.3 : J Leach to Labuschagne, OUT! STUMPED! Leach has made the full use of the pitch and one of the two main batters has been sent packing to the pavilion. Bairstow was ultra-sharp in removing the bails and he has helped Leach provide the all important breakthrough. Leach tosses this one outside off, on a good length. It pitches and spins away sharply beating the outside edge of Labuschagne's bat. He prods forward and is caught out of his crease by Bairstow as he quickly whips the bails off. The |
| The new man in is Matthew Wade. |
| 16.4 : J Leach to Wade, Gives it air on off and middle, Wade shuffles and tucks it wide of short leg. |
| 16.5 : J Leach to Wade, FOUR! Wade is off the mark! He has come with an aggressive approach here. Tossed up outside off, Wade gets down on one knee and sweeps it with power all along the ground through square leg for a boundary. |
| 16.6 : J Leach to Wade, Floated on off, Wade turns it behind square on the leg side with the spin to keep the strike. |
| 17.1 : Sam Curran to Wade, Length ball on middle and off, Wade blocks this one out. |
| 17.2 : Sam Curran to Wade, Another length ball just outside off, Wade pushes this one towards mid-wicket. |
| 17.3 : Sam Curran to Wade, BEATEN! Some sledging by Sam Curran as well and the contest is alive and beating! This is on a length just outside off, Curran gets it to shape a tad bit away. Wade looks to push at it but is squared up. Curran while walking back for the run up has a word or two with Wade. |
| 17.4 : Sam Curran to Wade, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 17.5 : Sam Curran to Wade, BEATEN AGAIN! Similar ball, on a length, outside off, nipping away and beats the outside edge. Curran on top of Wade here. |
| 17.6 : Sam Curran to Wade, Bouncer by Curran and Wade ducks under it. A very good over by Curran comes to an end. |
| 18.1 : J Leach to S Smith, Full and floated outside off, Smith pushes this towards cover. |
| 18.2 : J Leach to S Smith, Smith has to prod forward a bit, unbalancing himself. He gets the outside half of his bat on this tossed up ball as it rolls towards backward point. |
| 18.3 : J Leach to Smith, UPPISH BUT JUST SHORT! Leach almost did the trick here. Tossed up outside off again, Smith comes down the track trying to push it above mid off. He does not time it properly and the ball falls just short of the man there. |
| 18.4 : J Leach to Smith, The batsman has punched the ball off the back foot. |
| Auskar - 'Labu gone? Smith Part II out? Gone. This Test match is over. Will we witness a third session?' KingVic@Auskar - 'Mate. They have a plane to catch at 9 pm. This day will not have a post-Tea session.' @KingVic - Amazing to see your in-depth information.... |
| 18.5 : J Leach to Smith, This time just wide of short leg! On middle and leg, Smith tries to block it but it goes off the inner half onto the pads and to the right of the short leg fielder. The batters take one in the meantime. |
| 18.6 : J Leach to Wade, Wade dances down the track and pushes this through cover-point for a couple. |
| 19.1 : Sam Curran to Smith, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 19.2 : Sam Curran to Smith, Length ball on middle and leg, played onto the pitch by Smith. |
| 19.3 : Sam Curran to Smith, Full and on off, Smith pushes this one towards mid off. |
| 19.4 : Sam Curran to Smith, Length ball on the hips, Smith pushes this one towards mid on. |
| 19.5 : Sam Curran to Smith, Bread and butter for Smith as this one is on the hips and Smith tucks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 19.6 : Sam Curran to Wade, Full and outside off, Wade drives this through cover for three as the ball does not have the legs to cross the fence. |
| England hustling around as they want one more over before Lunch. And they will get it as Jack Leach has the ball in hand. |
| 20.1 : J Leach to Wade, Wade comes down the track and Leach spots it early as he darts in a quicker one. Wade pushes it down the track uppishly but on the bounce to Leach. |
| 20.2 : J Leach to Wade, Wade has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 20.3 : J Leach to Wade, Beaten by the bounce now! Short and wide outside off, Wade looks to cut but it goes above his bat and into the gloves of Bairstow. Misses the edge by a whisker. |
| 20.4 : J Leach to Wade, Wade dances down the track and does well to block the ball. |
| 20.5 : J Leach to Wade, Wade again dances down the track, desperately trying to negate the spin but it beats his bat and he is hit low on the pads. An appeal by Bairstow but the umpire is unmoved. |
| 20.6 : J Leach to Wade, Wade again dances down the track but misses again to get hit low on the pads. He survives the first session and THAT WILL BE LUNCH ON DAY 4! |
| Excellent session for England. They have dominated the first session and are on top of this game. |
| After adding 16 runs to their overnight score, England gave the visitors a stiff target of 399. Just like the highlight of the series, Broad got rid of the openers quickly. Labuschagne and Smith then once again tried to steady the ship but the genius with the spectacle, Jack Leach, got rid of the dangerous Labuschagne. |
| Australia are on the back foot in this Test and only a miracle innings from their saviour of the series, Steven Smith can save this match for them. He though will need someone to be equally good if that is to happen. Wade has joined him out in the middle. Can the Tasmanian be the one to play the heroic knock from the other end? Join us after the break to find out. |
| ... Day 4, Session 2 ... |
| Welcome back to the coverage of the second session of Day 4 of the final Ashes Test match. The English players are back out in the middle and they are pumping after a great first session. As for the Aussies, the equation is quite simple, keep wickets in hand and keep the scoreboard ticking. Steven Smith and Matthew Wade are out in the middle with the former taking strike. Chris Woakes will start the proceedings for the hosts. |
| 21.1 : C Woakes to Smith, Length ball around off to start off by Woakes. Smith blocks it out towards the off side solidly. |
| 21.2 : C Woakes to Smith, Similar ball, Smith pushes this one off the back foot towards cover. |
| 21.3 : C Woakes to Smith, Fuller ball around middle and off, Smith pushes it back towards Woakes. |
| 21.4 : C Woakes to Smith, Length ball around off, Smith shuffles and leaves this one. |
| 21.5 : C Woakes to Smith, Outside off, left alone by Smith. |
| 21.6 : C Woakes to Smith, Fuller and around off, Smith pushes this towards cover off the front foot. |
| Stuart Broad to bowl from the other end. He has been great to the left-handed batters in this series and will be looking to trouble Matthew Wade as much as possible. |
| 22.1 : S Broad to Wade, First ball by Broad, left alone by Wade. |
| 22.2 : S Broad to Wade, FOUR! Good shot this by Wade, he stands tall, opens the face of his bat and pushes this past the diving gully fielder, Joe Denly, towards the third man fence. |
| 22.3 : S Broad to Wade, On the pads of Wade, he flicks it towards square leg and takes three as the fielders do the mopping up job. |
| 22.4 : S Broad to Smith, Outside off, left alone by Smith. |
| 22.5 : S Broad to Smith, Another one outside off, Smith leaves this one alone in a more conventional way. |
| 22.6 : S Broad to Smith, On the pads, Smith looks to flick this one to get hit on the pads. The ball rolls towards fine leg as the batters take a leg bye. |
| 23.1 : C Woakes to S Smith, Good length ball on middle and leg, Smith pushes this one towards mid on. |
| 23.2 : C Woakes to Smith, Fuller this time, Smith pushes this towards mid-wicket and takes a single to give Wade the strike. |
| 23.3 : C Woakes to Wade, Length ball on the pads, Wade pushes this towards the man at mid-wicket. |
| 23.4 : C Woakes to Wade, Pitched on middle and off, it goes with the angle straight to Bairstow as Wade shoulders arms. |
| 23.5 : C Woakes to Wade, Short of a length this time, Wade looks to pull but mistimes it and it goes all along the ground towards mid-wicket. |
| 23.6 : C Woakes to Wade, Wade leaves this ball outside his off stump. |
| 24.1 : S Broad to Smith, Length ball outside off, left alone by Steven. |
| 24.2 : S Broad to Smith, Left alone by Smith again as he does not look to fiddle with this one. |
| 24.3 : S Broad to Smith, Length ball outside off, it jags back in. Smith shuffles across and tries to block it but misses. It hits him high on the pad but looks to be outside off. The English players appeal but nothing from the umpire. They opt against the review. It proves to be a good decision as Ball Tracker shows this to be missing the off pole. |
| 24.4 : S Broad to Smith, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 24.5 : S Broad to Smith, FOUR! Outrageous shot by Smith! Full and outside off, Smith shuffles across and clips this through mid-wicket for a boundary as the ball races to the fence. |
| 24.6 : S Broad to Smith, Bouncer on the leg pole line, Smith ducks under it and Bairstow collects it. |
| 25.1 : C Woakes to M Wade, Full and just outside off, Wade pushes this towards mid off. |
| 25.2 : C Woakes to Wade, FOUR! Graceful by Wade! Another fuller one, this is much more outside off, Wade just leans into the drive and caresses this through cover and to the fence. |
| 25.3 : C Woakes to Wade, Length ball on middle and off, Wade pushes it back to the bowler off the back foot. |
| 25.4 : C Woakes to Wade, This time just outside off, Wade pushes this off the back foot towards cover. |
| 25.5 : C Woakes to Wade, This time behind a length, Wade looks to cut it but it goes off the inside half onto the pitch. |
| 25.6 : C Woakes to Wade, Short and wide this time, Wade goes onto the back foot and cuts it off the back foot. However, the fielder at point dives to his right and makes a brilliant stop. Saves a certain boundary. |
| 26.1 : S Broad to Smith, Bouncer this time just outside off, Smith does well to evade this one. |
| 26.2 : S Broad to Smith, Full on middle and off, Smith looks to push this towards the off side but it goes off the inner half towards mid on. |
| 26.3 : S Broad to Smith, OUT! Caught! Surprise, surprise! Smith departs before getting to his 50! The golden goose is out of here! The ploy to keep a leg slip has worked and finally at the end of the series England have found a way to get rid of Smith. Broad hits the deck hard and bowls it on top of middle and leg. Smith shuffles like his usual self and looks to flick it fine. It comes off the upper half of his bat and goes to the left of leg slip. Ben Stokes there is standing fine. He dives acro |
| The next man in for Australia is Mitchell Marsh. The visitors need a blinder of an innings from him to have any chance of saving this Test match. |
| 26.4 : S Broad to Marsh, Length ball outside off, left alone by Marsh. |
| 26.5 : S Broad to M Marsh, This is fuller by Broad, attacking the stumps, Marsh drives it straight down the ground towards mid off. |
| 26.6 : S Broad to Marsh, Good shot by Marsh this one but straight to the man. Full and wide outside off, Marsh leans into the shot and drives it towards cover but straight to the man. |
| Jack Leach is back on. 5-1-13-1, his figures so far. Short leg and leg slip and a slip in place. |
| 27.1 : J Leach to Wade, Floated on off, Wade tucks it towards square leg. |
| 27.2 : J Leach to Wade, Comes down the track and blocks it away. He's used his feet well against Leach. |
| 27.3 : J Leach to Wade, Turn and bounce on this one. Tossed up outside off, Wade leaves it alone. Bairstow fails to gather it and the ball goes behind. Wade is ball watching and when he looks at his partner he sees that he is well ahead for a bye and gets it. |
| 27.4 : J Leach to Marsh, Floated on off, Marsh keeps it out. |
| 27.5 : J Leach to Marsh, Tossed up on off, Marsh nudges it towards cover. |
| 27.6 : J Leach to Marsh, Flights one on the stumps, Mitchell keeps it out. |
| 28.1 : S Broad to Wade, Fuller on off, Wade strokes it towards cover for one. |
| 28.2 : S Broad to Marsh, FOUR! Marsh is off the mark with a boundary just like Wade! Good length ball outside off, Mitchell gets on his back foot and cuts it through point for a boundary. |
| 28.3 : S Broad to Marsh, Length ball outside off, Mitchell throws his bat at it but misses. |
| 28.4 : S Broad to Marsh, On off, Marsh strokes it to point. |
| 28.5 : S Broad to Marsh, No swing on this one. It is on the fourth stump line and leaves it alone. |
| 28.6 : S Broad to Marsh, Short ball slightly away from the body, Marsh pulls it to deep mid-wicket and keeps the strike. |
| 29.1 : J Leach to Marsh, Tossed up outside off, played towards cover by Marsh. |
| 29.2 : J Leach to Marsh, Flatter this time, Marsh cuts this towards point and takes a single. |
| 29.3 : J Leach to Wade, FOUR! Down the track and to the fence! It is floated on off, Wade dances down and drives this through mid off for a boundary. |
| 29.4 : J Leach to Wade, FOUR! Another boundary! Again Wade dances down the track but this time he lofts it over mid on, couple of bounces and into the long on fence. |
| 29.5 : J Leach to M Wade, FOUR! Brilliant batting by Wade! Playing with the mind of Leach! Due to the two previous boundaries, Leach bowls this one short. Wade this time stands back and cuts this through backward point for the third boundary of the over. |
| 29.6 : J Leach to Wade, Wade comes down the track and pushes this one straight back towards Leach. |
| Chris Woakes is back on. 3-1-5-0, his figures so far. |
| 30.1 : C Woakes to Marsh, On the pads of Marsh, he flicks it towards mid on. |
| 30.2 : C Woakes to Marsh, NO BALL! Drama in the Ashes! In the previous innings of Australia, Sam Curran overstepped and this time Chris Woakes does as he gives a life to Mitchell Marsh. Good length ball outside off, Marsh goes for the push but outside edges it towards Burns at third slip. He dives low to his right and takes a great catch. The English players jump up in joy and Marsh starts walking off but umpire Dharmasena tells him to wait as he wants to check for overstepping. The umpire goes u |
| C Woakes to Marsh, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 30.3 : C Woakes to Marsh, Length ball on middle and off, Marsh blocks it out. |
| 30.4 : C Woakes to Marsh, Marsh pushes this one towards mid off. |
| 30.5 : C Woakes to Marsh, Marsh does well to block this fuller one out as he defends it onto the ground. |
| 30.6 : C Woakes to Marsh, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 31.1 : J Leach to Wade, Down the leg side to Wade, he flicks it towards fine leg and takes a single. |
| 31.2 : J Leach to Marsh, Marsh gets onto the front foot and blocks this one out. |
| 31.3 : J Leach to Marsh, Tossed up on off, defended well by Mitchell Marsh. |
| 31.4 : J Leach to Marsh, Tosses this one on middle and Marsh pushes this back towards the bowler. |
| 31.5 : J Leach to Marsh, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 31.6 : J Leach to Marsh, Last ball of the over, Marsh pushes this towards cover and takes a single to retain strike. |
| 32.1 : C Woakes to Marsh, Down the leg side to start off by Woakes, Marsh looks to flick this one but misses. He is hit on the pads and a muted appeal follows. The umpire is not interested and the batters take two leg byes as the ball rolls towards fine leg. |
| 32.2 : C Woakes to Marsh, Good length ball on off, defended well by Marsh. |
| 32.3 : C Woakes to Marsh, Full and on off, Marsh pushes this towards cover for a single. |
| 32.4 : C Woakes to Wade, Full on middle and off, Wade pushes this towards extra cover. |
| 32.5 : C Woakes to Wade, EDGED BUT SHORT! Good length ball on off, Wade looks to push at it but gets a thick outside edge. The ball flies off the bat but falls just short of second slip as he gobbles it up on the bounce. |
| 32.6 : C Woakes to Wade, BEATEN! This is a length ball just outside off, Wade looks to defend but is squared up. |
| 33.1 : J Leach to Marsh, Marsh has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 33.2 : J Leach to Marsh, NOT OUT! This one has bounced just before the boot of Burns and Marsh again survives. Leach floats this one on a good length outside off, Marsh prods forward to defend this onto the ground. He does not get the best connection on it and the ball shoots up off the boot of Rory Burns. Or that is what the English team thought. |
| 33.3 : J Leach to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 33.4 : J Leach to Marsh, Marsh defends this floated one outside off onto the ground. |
| 33.5 : J Leach to Marsh, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 33.6 : J Leach to Marsh, Marsh defends this one well by staying in his crease. |
| DRINKS! What an hour for England! Yes one can say they have got just one wicket but if that one wicket is of the man that has single-handedly taken the Ashes back home then it has to be said that it has been a solid hour for England. They should have had two but Woakes was guilty of overstepping had he stayed in line Marsh would have been back too. |
| 34.1 : C Woakes to Wade, Good length ball on middle and off, Wade pushes this one towards the off side. |
| 34.2 : C Woakes to Wade, This time a touch fuller, Wade defends it onto the ground. |
| 34.3 : C Woakes to M Wade, Length ball on middle and leg, Wade looks to play it towards the leg side but it goes off the outer half towards point for a single. |
| 34.4 : C Woakes to Marsh, FOUR! Great shot by Marsh! Full and wide outside off, Marsh leans into the shot and drives this through the cover region for a boundary. |
| 34.5 : Woakes to Marsh, Length ball on middle and off, Marsh looks to block it out but misses to get hit on the thigh pad. There is a muted appeal but the umpire is unmoved. Seems to be going above the wickets. |
| 34.6 : C Woakes to Marsh, Full on middle and leg, pushed towards mid on. |
| 35.1 : J Leach to Wade, Tossed up on a good length, Wade comes down the track and defends it. |
| 35.2 : J Leach to Wade, Just short of the man at mid-wicket! This is another good length ball, Wade again comes down the track and tries to loft it over mid-wicket. He mistimes it and it falls just short of the man at mid-wicket who tries to dive forward and take it but can't get to it. The batters take a quick single in the meantime as he fails to gobble it up on the first attempt. |
| 35.3 : J Leach to Marsh, Marsh rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball towards point. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 35.4 : J Leach to Wade, FIVE PENALTY RUNS! Tossed up outside off, Wade looks to defend but misses. The ball goes through the legs of Bairstow and hits the helmet which is kept behind him. Resulting in the umpire signalling 5 runs! |
| 35.5 : J Leach to Wade, Floated around off, Wade comes down the track and pads it away. |
| 35.6 : J Leach to Wade, Once again comes down the track and this time pushes it towards mid off. |
| 36.1 : C Woakes to M Marsh, DROPPED! A difficult one for any fielder that. Ahead of a good length on off, Marsh goes for an extravagant drive but gets an outside edge on it which flies towards the man at gully. Burns leaps up, trying to grab it with one hand but it pops out and goes behind him towards third man for a single. |
| 36.2 : C Woakes to Wade, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 36.3 : C Woakes to Wade, This is full and wide outside off, Wade pushes this towards mid off and goes off for a single. The man there has a shy at the non-striker's end and he hits but Wade is well in. The ball deflects off the stumps and goes towards mid on and the batters take another quick single. Total two runs taken. The umpire goes to the third umpire for a quick re-check and finds that Wade is well in. |
| 36.4 : C Woakes to Wade, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 36.5 : C Woakes to Wade, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 36.6 : C Woakes to Wade, FOUR! This is full and on the pads, Wade has flicked this one towards mid-wicket for a boundary as it races towards the fence. |
| 37.1 : J Leach to Marsh, Floated on the stumps, Mitchell pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 37.2 : J Leach to Marsh, Flighted on off, Mitchell defends it off the front foot. |
| 37.3 : J Leach to Marsh, Tossed up on off, Mitchell flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 37.4 : J Leach to Wade, Gives it air on off, Wades comes down the track and strokes it to the right of Leach. He gets down but cannot stop the ball. It goes behind him and they take a run. |
| 37.5 : J Leach to Marsh, Pitched outside leg, Marsh pads it away. |
| 37.6 : J Leach to Marsh, Maybe spinning too much. Tossed up on off, Marsh looks to pad it away but the ball flicks his pad and goes behind. There is a stifled appeal but nothing from the umpire. |
| Jofra Archer is back on. 4-0-15-0, his figures so far. |
| 38.1 : J Archer to Wade, Full and on the pads, Wade flicks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 38.2 : J Archer to Wade, Another one on the pads, he flicks it towards square leg. |
| 38.3 : J Archer to Wade, Full on middle and leg, Wade pushes this back to the bowler. |
| 38.4 : J Archer to Wade, FOUR! Short of a length ball on the leg pole line, Wade hooks it fine towards the leg side and beats the fielder in the deep as the ball races towards the fence. |
| 38.5 : J Archer to Wade, An appeal! At first it looked like it was for a caught behind but the replays confirm it was for the LBW! Short of a length ball on middle and off, Wade ducks under it. |
| 38.6 : J Archer to Wade, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 39.1 : J Leach to Marsh, Down the leg side, Marsh pads it out. |
| 39.2 : J Leach to Marsh, Another one down the leg side, Marsh offers no shot as he pads it away. |
| 39.3 : J Leach to Marsh, Leach is taking LBW out of the equation as he is pitching his balls outside the leg pole. Marsh again pads it away. |
| 39.4 : J Leach to Marsh, Marsh looks to defend this time but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 39.5 : J Leach to Marsh, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 39.6 : J Leach to Marsh, Full and floated on off, Marsh blocks it out. |
| 40.1 : J Archer to Wade, Length ball on middle and off, blocked out onto the pitch. |
| 40.2 : J Archer to Wade, This is outside off, Wade pulls this towards square leg and takes a single. |
| 40.3 : J Archer to Marsh, Length ball on middle and off again, Marsh defends it off the back foot. |
| 40.4 : J Archer to Marsh, FOUR! Short of a length just outside off, Marsh pulls this one through mid-wicket for a boundary. Great timing on this! |
| 40.5 : J Archer to Marsh, Length ball on middle and off, defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 40.6 : J Archer to Marsh, Bouncer by Archer! Marsh ducks under it and Bairstow collects it. |
| Joe Root brings himself into the attack. He will be looking to bowl into the rough. |
| 41.1 : Joe Root to Wade, Joe Root floats this one on middle and leg, Wade sweeps this one towards square leg. 50 up for Matthew Wade for this one and this is his 5th in Tests. |
| 41.2 : Joe Root to Marsh, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 41.3 : Joe Root to Marsh, Tossed up on off, blocked out by Marsh onto the off side. |
| 41.4 : Joe Root to Marsh, On the pads of Marsh, pushed towards mid-wicket. |
| 41.5 : Joe Root to Marsh, Another one on the pads, Marsh again tucks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 41.6 : Joe Root to Marsh, On the pads of Marsh, he sweeps it towards square leg and takes a single. |
| 42.1 : J Archer to Marsh, Down the leg side, Marsh looks to flick it but misses. |
| 42.2 : J Archer to Marsh, Length ball outside off by Archer, left alone. |
| 42.3 : J Archer to Marsh, Another one down the leg side, Marsh tries to flick but misses. Bairstow dives to his left and gathers it. |
| 42.4 : J Archer to Marsh, Bouncer by Archer, Marsh sways away from it. |
| 42.5 : J Archer to Marsh, Another bouncer, Marsh drops his gloves and lets it through to Bairstow. |
| 42.6 : J Archer to Marsh, FOUR! Bad ball! Length ball wide outside off, Marsh cuts it through the point region for a boundary. It races to the fence. |
| 43.1 : Joe Root to Wade, Floated on off, pushed towards the man at cover for a single. |
| 43.2 : Joe Root to Marsh, On the pads of Wade, he flicked it towards the man at mid-wicket. |
| 43.3 : Joe Root to Marsh, OUT! CAUGHT! Brilliant bowling change by the skipper as he brought himself on and it has paid rich dividends. Marsh has thrown his wicket again after a good start. This is tossed up around the pads of Marsh, he tries to work it towards the leg side but does so uppishly. Jos Buttler takes a sharp catch at short leg to his right and half the Aussie side is back in the hut. The budding 63-run stand between Wade and Marsh is broken and Australia staring down the barrel now. |
| 43.4 : Joe Root to Paine, Paine pushes this one straight down the ground and takes a single to get off the mark off his first ball. |
| 43.5 : Joe Root to Wade, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 43.6 : Joe Root to Wade, Tossed up on off, Wade looks to fend at it but is beaten by the turn. |
| England have taken a review. If it is for LBW then it looks high. Let us see what the replays have to say. |
| 44.1 : J Archer to Paine, NOT OUT! Going down leg! |
| 44.2 : J Archer to Paine, Bouncer by Archer to Paine, he ducks under it. |
| 44.3 : J Archer to Paine, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 44.4 : J Archer to Paine, FOUR! Full and wide outside off, Paine leans into it and drives this one through the cover region for a boundary. |
| 44.5 : J Archer to Tim Paine, Full and on off, driven towards mid off by Paine. |
| 44.6 : J Archer to Paine, Length ball on middle and off, defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 45.1 : Joe Root to Wade, Flatter delivery on middle, Wade defends it off the back foot. |
| 45.2 : Joe Root to Wade, Full delivery on middle, Wade blocks it out. |
| 45.3 : Joe Root to Wade, Full delivery outside off, Wade comes down the track and pushes this to short third man. |
| 45.4 : Joe Root to Wade, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 45.5 : Joe Root to Wade, Flighted delivery outside off, Wade dances down the track and lofts this over the mid off fielder but by just. Stuart Broad runs after it from mid off and makes an excellent diving stop. The replays roll in and it shows that Broad has done a terrific job there. Saved a run. |
| 45.6 : Joe Root to Paine, FOUR! Flighted delivery around off, Paine drives this nicely towards the cover region for a boundary. Nicely played that. |
| Jack Leach is back on! |
| 46.1 : J Leach to Wade, FOUR! Floated on off, Wade comes down the track and drives this one through the cover region for a boundary. Good shot by Wade as he negates the spin on this one. |
| 46.2 : J Leach to Wade, Again Wade comes down the track and pushes this one towards mid on to take a run. |
| 46.3 : J Leach to Paine, Leach floats this one on off, Paine looks to defend it but it goes off the inside half towards square leg for a single. |
| 46.4 : J Leach to Wade, On the pads, Wade works it towards the leg side. |
| 46.5 : J Leach to Wade, JUST SHORT! Floated delivery on middle and off, Wade comes down the track and tries to heave it over the fence at mid-wicket. Sam Curran at deep mid-wicket comes running in from deep and puts in a dive but the ball falls short of him and gets to him on a bounce. A lucky escape for Wade. This could have been a big blow before Tea for Australia. |
| 46.6 : J Leach to Paine, Leach floats this one on off, Paine defends it off the front foot. THAT IS TEA ON DAY 4! |
| Another session which belonged to England. They started the session well by getting rid of the ultra dangerous Steven Smith. Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Wade put up a strong fight after that with a 63-run stand but the former fell prey to Joe Root against the run of play. Matthew Wade though is looking strong out in the middle and has batted really well to get to his 50. He is joined by his skipper and now the captain will need to lead from the front if Australia are to pull off the miracle. |
| Can Australia keep on fighting and drag this Test at least till Day 5 or will England get rid of the lower order and wrap up the game and level the series in the final session of Day 4 itself? Join us after the break to find out. |
| ... Day 4, Session 3 ... |
| We are back for the final session! The England players make their way out to the middle along with Tim Paine and Matthew Wade. Sam Curran will start the final session for the hosts. Will this be the final session of Ashes 2019? Let's see what happens... |
| 47.1 : Sam Curran to M Wade, Full delivery on middle, Wade drives this to mid off. |
| 47.2 : Sam Curran to Wade, Short delivery on middle, Wade defends it off the back foot. |
| 47.3 : Sam Curran to Wade, Full delivery outside off, Wade leaves it alone. |
| 47.4 : Sam Curran to Wade, Good length ball on off, Wade defends this towards point for a single. First run of the session. |
| 47.5 : Sam Curran to Paine, On a length outside off, Paine lets it go to the keeper. |
| 47.6 : Sam Curran to Tim Paine, FOUR! Poor end to the over from Curran! Bowls a full toss outside off, Paine drives this nicely towards the cover region for a boundary. The fielder from covers runs after it and tries to make the stop but fails to do so. |
| Jofra Archer to bowl from the other end! He got a bit of reverse swing before Tea and Root will be hoping that it occurs again. |
| 48.1 : J Archer to Wade, Full delivery on off, Wade pushes this to mid off. |
| 48.2 : J Archer to M Wade, FOUR! Full delivery on off, Wade drives this nicely towards the cover region for a boundary. The fielder chases after it but in vain. |
| 48.3 : J Archer to Wade, Good length delivery on middle, Matthew flicks it to backward square leg for a single. |
| 48.4 : J Archer to Paine, FOUR LEG BYES! Archer strays down the leg side, Paine looks to flick but misses it. It goes off his thigh pad and into the fine leg fence. |
| 48.5 : J Archer to Paine, Back of a length delivery on off, Paine defends it to the off side and crosses over for a single. |
| Review time! Joe root goes for the review as he thinks Jofra Archer has got Matthew Wade out LBW. It looks like it is pitching outside leg. Let's see what happens. |
| 48.6 : J Archer to Wade, NOT OUT! Review wasted here from England! Full delivery on leg, Wade looks to flick but misses the ball. It hits his pads and Jofra goes for a huge appeal but the umpire is unmoved. Joe Root after some thought decides to go for the review. The replays roll in and the Ball Tracker shows that the ball was pitching outside leg. Poor review from England here. The hosts have lost both their reviews. |
| 49.1 : Sam Curran to Paine, Full delivery on middle, Paine digs it out off the front foot. |
| 49.2 : Sam Curran to Paine, FOUR! Back of a length delivery on middle, Paine flicks it off towards the fine leg region for a boundary. |
| 49.3 : Sam Curran to Paine, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 49.4 : Sam Curran to Paine, Full delivery on off, Paine defends it off the front foot. |
| 49.5 : Sam Curran to Tim Paine, Another full delivery on middle, Paine pushes this towards mid off and takes off for a quick single. |
| Stuart Broad takes the ball to umpire Kumar Dharmasena. He is of the opinion that the ball has gone out of shape. Dharmasena passes it through the 8-shaped gauge and gives the ball back to Stuart saying there are no problems and they should continue. |
| 49.6 : Sam Curran to Wade, Short ball outside off, Wade cuts this towards cover and crosses over for a single. |
| 50.1 : J Archer to M Wade, Good length delivery on middle, Wade defends this towards point. The batters think of a single but decide against it. |
| 50.2 : J Archer to M Wade, EDGED AND SIX! Short ball aimed at the body, Wade rocks back to pull but gets a thick top edge which goes over the fine leg fielder for a maximum. That looked like it would go into the hands of the fielder but it flew over the ropes. |
| 50.3 : J Archer to Wade, BOUNCER! A good one that! Archer bowls this above the head of Wade who does well to duck under it. |
| 50.4 : J Archer to Wade, Good length ball outside off, Wade lets it go to the keeper. |
| 50.5 : J Archer to Wade, BOUNCER! Another one aimed at the head of Wade. He ducks under it. |
| 50.6 : J Archer to Wade, Full delivery on middle, Wade pushes this to mid on. |
| Jack Leach is back into the attack. He will be trying to aim the rough and get the left-handed Wade out of here. |
| 51.1 : J Leach to Paine, Full delivery on middle, Paine pushes this back to the bowler. |
| 51.2 : J Leach to Paine, Floated ball on off, Tim defends it off the front foot. |
| 51.3 : J Leach to Paine, Quicker delivery on off, Paine gets his bat down in time to defend it out. |
| 51.4 : J Leach to Paine, Flighted delivery on middle, Paine comes down the track and pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 51.5 : J Leach to Paine, BEATEN! Flat delivery outside off, Paine attempts to cut but fails to put any bat on it. |
| 51.6 : J Leach to Paine, Flat delivery on off, Tim blocks it out off the front foot. |
| 52.1 : J Archer to Wade, BEATEN! Good length delivery outside off, Wade looks to drive but misses it completely. |
| 52.2 : J Archer to Wade, Back of a length delivery outside off, Matthew lets it go to the keeper. |
| 52.3 : J Archer to Wade, On a length on middle, Wade blocks it out off his back foot. |
| 52.4 : J Archer to Wade, Good length delivery outside off, Matthew shoulders arms to this one. |
| 52.5 : J Archer to Wade, BOUNCER! Jofra bowls this down the leg side, Wade ducks under it. |
| 52.6 : J Archer to Wade, Good length delivery on off swinging into the batsman, Wade looks to defend but gets an inside edge towards mid-wicket. |
| 53.1 : J Leach to Paine, Full delivery on middle, Paine pushes this to mid on and takes a quick single. |
| 53.2 : J Leach to Wade, Loopy ball on off, Wade defends it off the front foot. |
| 53.3 : J Leach to Wade, Floated ball around off, Wade comes down the track and pads this one away. |
| 53.4 : J Leach to Wade, Full delivery on off, Wade drives this towards the cover region for a single. |
| 53.5 : J Leach to Paine, Full delivery on middle, Paine defends it off the front foot. |
| 53.6 : J Leach to Paine, Loopy ball on off, Paine blocks it out of his front foot. |
| 54.1 : J Archer to Wade, Good length delivery on off, Wade defends it off the back foot towards the off side. |
| 54.2 : J Archer to Wade, On a length outside off, Wade leaves it alone. |
| 54.3 : J Archer to Wade, FOUR! Nicely played from Wade! Short ball on middle, Wade pulls this towards the mid-wicket region for a boundary. 200 up for Australia with five wickets in hand. 50-run stand is also up between the two. |
| 54.4 : J Archer to Wade, Short of a length delivery aimed at the body, Wade ducks under it. |
| 54.5 : J Archer to Wade, Bouncer above Wade's head who does well to duck under it. |
| Ashes coming to a boil now! After getting hit for a boundary off a short ball, Archer walks up to Wade and has some nasty words with him. That is followed up by a few more stares from Archer while Wade shy's away from it. Spicy! |
| 54.6 : J Archer to Wade, BOUNCER! Short ball over the batsman's head, Wade once again ducks under it. Archer then gives a look again to Wade after bowling that delivery. |
| 55.1 : J Leach to Paine, Floated ball on middle, Paine defends it off the front foot. |
| 55.2 : J Leach to Paine, Full delivery on middle, Paine drives it to mid on. |
| 55.3 : J Leach to Paine, Full delivery on middle, Paine blocks it out. |
| 55.4 : J Leach to Paine, Floated ball outside off, Paine initially looks to play at but decides to leave it in the end. |
| 55.5 : J Leach to Paine, Quicker delivery on middle, Paine defends it off the back foot. |
| REVIEW TIME! Tim Paine, the Australian skipper, has been adjudged LBW. He has taken it upstairs. That looks out but let's see what the replays have to say. |
| 55.6 : J Leach to Paine, OUT! LBW! The skipper has to make the long walk back. England have a real chance to finish the match on this day itself. Floated ball on middle spinning into the batsman, Paine looks to defend it off the back foot but misses. The England players appeal and Dharmasena after a long thought gives it out. Paine takes the review after consulting with his partner. The replays roll in and the Ball Tracker shows that it is three reds. The hosts four wickets away from levelling t |
| Pat Cummins is the new man in. He has to stick around with the man in form, Matthew Wade and try to support him. |
| 56.1 : J Archer to Wade, BOUNCER! Jofra bowls this over the head of Wade who ducks under it. |
| 56.2 : J Archer to Wade, BEATEN! Good length ball with a little bit of reverse, Wade attempts to defend but fails to put any bat on it. |
| 56.3 : J Archer to Wade, Good length down the leg side, Wade looks to flick but misses. |
| 56.4 : J Archer to Wade, Short ball on middle, Matthew sways away from it. |
| 56.5 : J Archer to Wade, Full delivery on middle, Wade flicks it to fine leg and takes a single. |
| 56.6 : Archer to Cummins, Short ball on middle, Cummins attempts to duck under it but gets hit on the head. |
| 57.1 : J Leach to Wade, Wade dances down the track and pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 57.2 : J Leach to Wade, On the pads of Wade, he flicks it towards the man at leg gully. |
| 57.3 : J Leach to Wade, Again on the pads, Wade flicks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 57.4 : J Leach to Pat Cummins, Full and just outside off, pushed towards mid off. |
| 57.5 : J Leach to Cummins, Solid defense offered by Cummins as he pushes it back towards Leach. |
| 57.6 : J Leach to Cummins, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 58.1 : J Archer to Wade, Length ball on middle and off, Wade stands tall and blocks it out. |
| 58.2 : J Archer to Wade, Bouncer down the leg side, Wade ducks under it. |
| 58.3 : J Archer to Wade, Another bouncer, this time outside off, Wade sways away from it. |
| 58.4 : J Archer to Wade, Length ball outside off, left alone by Wade. |
| 58.5 : J Archer to Wade, Full paced yorker on the off pole, Wade does well to jam it out at the last second. |
| 58.6 : J Archer to Wade, On the pads of Wade, he pushes it towards mid on. Maiden over by Archer and Cummins will be on strike against Leach now. |
| 59.1 : J Leach to Cummins, Flatter one just outside off, blocked out by Cummins. |
| 59.2 : J Leach to Cummins, Similar one to the last delivery, Cummins blocks it out. |
| 59.3 : J Leach to Cummins, Huge appeal but nothing from umpire Kumar Dharmasena this time. This one pitches around off and goes on straight down with the angle. Cummins misses his block and is hit on the pads. England put in a loud appeal but the umpire denies it. Missing leg it seems. |
| 59.4 : J Leach to Cummins, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 59.5 : J Leach to Cummins, Outside off, pushed towards point by Cummins. |
| 59.6 : J Leach to Cummins, Shorter in length now, Cummins defends it. He survives the over. |
| 60.1 : J Archer to Wade, BEATEN! Length ball on middle and off, it pitches and nips away. Wade looks to play at it but is squared up. The war between Archer and Wade continues. |
| 60.2 : J Archer to Wade, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 60.3 : J Archer to M Wade, FOUR! Wade on top now! Full and wide outside off, Wade leans into the shot and drives this through the covers for a boundary. |
| 60.4 : J Archer to Wade, NO BALL! NASTY! Bouncer by Archer, Wade looks to duck under it but is late in doing so. He is hit on the shoulder with his eyes off the ball. Archer has another stare at Wade as he walks back to bowl the next ball. |
| J Archer to Wade, FOUR! Answered back in style! Down the leg side, Wade flicks it and gets it towards the fine leg fence for a boundary. |
| 60.5 : J Archer to Wade, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 60.6 : J Archer to Wade, Bouncer again and this has hit Wade on the gloves! Wade looks to push this one onto the ground by getting on top of the bounce but fails to do so and is hit on the glove. |
| 61.1 : J Leach to Cummins, Floated on the stumps, Cummins calmly blocks it off the front foot. |
| 61.2 : J Leach to Cummins, Flighted on off, Pat defends it wide of silly point. |
| 61.3 : J Leach to Cummins, Beauty! Leach gives this one air and bowls a straighter one outside off. Pat lunges forward to defend but is comprehensively beaten. |
| 61.4 : J Leach to Cummins, Loopy ball on off, Cummins strokes it to cover. |
| 61.5 : J Leach to Cummins, On the stumps, Pat blocks it away. |
| 61.6 : J Leach to Pat Cummins, Tossed up on off and middle, Cummins looks to defend but the ball turns in and gets the inside edge of Cummins bat and goes fine down the leg side for a couple. |
| 62.1 : J Archer to M Wade, EDGED AND FOUR! Wade had no idea where this was going but he gets the desired result! Good length ball on middle and off, Wade looks to flick it towards the leg side but gets a leading edge which goes over the gully fielder and into the third man fence. Into the nervous 90s now Wade. |
| 62.2 : J Archer to Wade, This one wide outside off, Wade looks to cut it towards point but it goes off the bottom edge towards second slip on the bounce. |
| 62.3 : J Archer to Wade, Knuckle ball goes wrong as a full toss is bowled by Archer, Wade pushes this one towards cover. |
| 62.4 : J Archer to Wade, Bouncer down the leg side and Wade ducks under it. |
| 62.5 : J Archer to Wade, FOUR! Full and on the pads, Wade drives this powerfully through mid on for a boundary. |
| 62.6 : J Archer to Wade, Short of a length, Wade goes for the pull but misses and Cummins on strike for the next over now. |
| 63.1 : J Leach to Cummins, Coming in with the angle this flat delivery, it hits Cummins on the pads. The English players put in a muted appeal but nothing by the umpire. |
| 63.2 : J Leach to Pat Cummins, Floated on off, driven towards the mid-off region. |
| 63.3 : J Leach to Cummins, Floated on off to Cummins, he pushes this towards cover but it ricochets off Burns boot towards mid-wicket. |
| 63.4 : J Leach to Cummins, Outside off, left alone by Cummins. |
| 63.5 : J Leach to Cummins, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 63.6 : J Leach to Cummins, Floated on middle and off, Cummins blocks this one out. |
| Stuart Broad replaces the entertaining Jofra Archer! 10-1-40-3, his figures so far. |
| 64.1 : S Broad to Wade, Length ball on middle and off, Wade defends it off the back foot. |
| 64.2 : S Broad to Wade, Going down the leg side, Wade tries to flick but misses. |
| 64.3 : S Broad to Wade, Good length ball outside off, Wade pushes it towards cover-point for a single. Moves onto 97 with this and gives Cummins 3 balls to negotiate against Broad. |
| 64.4 : S Broad to Cummins, Length ball on off, pushed towards cover. |
| 64.5 : S Broad to Cummins, Another length ball on off, again pushed towards cover. |
| 64.6 : S Broad to Cummins, Confident leave by Cummins as he covers the stumps and lets this one through to Bairstow. It was close to the wickets but eventually a good decision by Cummins. |
| Drinks! Australia continue to fight but it is England who are inching closer to the victory. Matthew Wade though has continued his fight and is just 3 runs away from a well-deserved century. England drawing the series looks inevitable but the question is how long and hard can Australia push them? |
| Root to bowl after the break. |
| 65.1 : Joe Root to Wade, Bowls it fuller and quick on the off pole, Wade jams it out to backward point. |
| 65.2 : Joe Root to Wade, Wade dances down the track and pushes this one back towards mid off. |
| 65.3 : Joe Root to Wade, Short and wide outside off, Wade slaps this one towards deep cover for a single. |
| 65.4 : Joe Root to Cummins, Pitching outside leg, Cummins pads it away. |
| 65.5 : Joe Root to Cummins, Full and floated on off, Cummins pushes this one towards cover. |
| 65.6 : Joe Root to Cummins, Short of a length ball on middle, Cummins misses his defense and is hit on the stomach. |
| 66.1 : S Broad to Wade, Length ball on middle and off, Wade pushes this one towards cover. |
| 66.2 : S Broad to Wade, Outside off, left alone by Wade. He is just 2 runs away from a ton! |
| 66.3 : S Broad to M Wade, Direct hit and this would have been close! Wade pushes this one towards mid on and sets off for a run. Leach there picks it up and has a shy at the non-striker's end but misses. Replays show that he was well in but Cummins thought he was in danger so he dives anyway at the other end. |
| 66.4 : S Broad to Cummins, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 66.5 : S Broad to Cummins, On the pads of Cummins, he flicks it towards square leg and gets a single. Wade on 99 to face the last ball of the over. |
| 66.6 : S Broad to Wade, On the hips of Wade, he tucks it towards square leg but straight to the man. He is eyeing the single for the ton. |
| 67.1 : Joe Root to Cummins, Loud appeal but turned down. Pitching around leg, Cummins pads it away. The English players think it pitched inside the line but the umpire thinks otherwise. The Ball Tracker later confirms it to be pitching outside leg. |
| 67.2 : Joe Root to Cummins, Flatter on middle and off, defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 67.3 : Joe Root to Cummins, Cummins has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 67.4 : Joe Root to Cummins, Cummins pads it away as this is pitching outside leg. |
| Predicto Praky - 'Psst psst...do you think Australia can win this? Just 174 needed...' @PP - Sometimes it is nice to be on another planet. |
| 67.5 : Joe Root to Cummins, Cummins has nudged the ball fine down the leg side. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 67.6 : Joe Root to Wade, Beauty by Root! This one pitches on off, spins away sharply and beats the outside edge of Wade's bat by a whisker. A few jitters on 99 now. |
| 68.1 : S Broad to Cummins, FOUR! Cummins cuts this one and it goes past the man at point into the fence. Beautiful square cut and first boundary for Cummins. |
| 68.2 : S Broad to Cummins, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 68.3 : S Broad to Cummins, Length ball outside off, Cummins plays this one towards point. |
| 68.4 : S Broad to Cummins, On the pads of Cummins, he flicks it down to fine leg for a single. |
| 68.5 : S Broad to Wade, Full and on off, driven towards mid on. |
| 68.6 : S Broad to Wade, HUNDRED FOR MATTHEW WADE! His 4th in Tests. This has been one fine knock from the Tasmanian. It is not an easy pitch to bat on but he has played a gem of a knock here. Against all odds and he has answered his critics in style. His second century of the series. Wade turns this length ball towards fine leg to reach his milestone. He does a fist pump, removes his helmet and raises his bat in appreciation as he gets to the other end. A lot of people were unhappy with his chirp |
| 69.1 : Joe Root to M Wade, Pressure relieved! Wade comes down the track now, opens the face of his bat and drives this towards deep cover for a couple. |
| 69.2 : Joe Root to Wade, FOUR! Short of a length outside off, Wade goes back and cuts it through backward point. Sam Curran in the deep puts in a dive but it goes underneath him and into the fence. |
| 69.3 : Root to Wade, The ball was floated by Root and hits Wade on the pads but he is outside the leg pole line and Kumar Dharmasena denies the appeal. |
| 69.4 : Joe Root to Wade, Stumping missed by Bairstow! This one pitches in the rough, turns and bounces sharply. Wade comes down the track and looks to go for a push down the ground but does so inside the line. The ball misses the outside edge of his bat and goes to Bairstow but he too misses the ball. Had he gobbled it up, he could have whipped the bails off and there was no way Wade could have survived. |
| 69.5 : Joe Root to Wade, DROPPED! Lucky, lucky Matthew Wade! This one pitches in the rough too, spins away. Wade this time goes for the extravagant cover drive, powerfully and outside edges it. It goes high over Stokes at first slip, he leaps and tries to parry it towards Bairstow but is unable to do so as the pace of the ball is too high. |
| 69.6 : Joe Root to Cummins, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 70.1 : S Broad to Wade, FOUR! Broad bangs it in short, Wade picks the length early. He hops and pulls it behind square on the leg side to get a boundary. Gets to his highest score in Tests with that. |
| 70.2 : S Broad to Wade, Outside off on a length, Wade leaves it alone. |
| 70.3 : S Broad to Wade, Full on off, Matthew pushes it to mid of. |
| 70.4 : S Broad to Wade, Broad misses his line and bowls one down the leg side. Wade still tries to flick but misses. Bairstow does well diving to his right and saving runs for his side. |
| 70.5 : S Broad to Wade, Corrects his line and bowls it full on off, Wade pushes it to cover-point for a single.. |
| 70.6 : S Broad to Cummins, OUT! Caught! Broad gets rid of Cummins. He comes over the wicket and bowls it full outside off. The ball moves away just a hint. Pat goes for a big drive through covers. The ball kisses the outside edge and goes straight towards Bairstow. Jonny gets down and takes a very good catch. Cummins has a word with his partner and after a lengthy chat he opts to go against the review. 4-fer for Broad. Another brilliant day with the ball for England's ace pacer. |
| Peter Siddle is the new man in for the visitors. |
| REVIEW TIME! Matthew Wade, the star of the innings is in question for a caught behind. The replays roll in and they show that this one is... |
| 71.1 : Root to Wade, NOT OUT! The ball turned from west to east but did not hit the bat. Floated delivery outside off, Wade looks to drive it square on the off side. The ball turns and goes to Ben Stokes at first slip. The English players feel they have their man and the umpire agrees. Wade signals the 'T'. Replay rolls in and Ultra Edge shows no spike as the ball goes past the bat. Brilliant piece of technology as that was always going to be difficult for the on-field umpire to spot. Good review |
| 71.2 : Joe Root to Wade, This time drives it off the meat towards deep point for one. |
| 71.3 : Joe Root to Siddle, Floated outside off, Siddle looks to drive but misses. |
| 71.4 : Joe Root to Siddle, Shorter on off, Peter blocks it off the back foot. |
| 71.5 : Joe Root to Siddle, Stifled appeal but nothing from the umpire. Floated on leg, Siddle looks to sweep but misses. The ball looked to be well over the stumps and the umpire is unmoved as the English players go up in appeal. |
| 71.6 : Joe Root to Siddle, Safely home. Tossed up on middle and leg, Siddle glances it towards mid-wicket and calls for a quick single. Wade responds, the fielder quickly gets to the ball and sends it to Bairstow at the keeper's end. He whips the bails off but Wade looks to be home. The square leg umpire still takes it upstairs to be doubly sure. One replay is enough for the T.V umpire to signal Not Out on the giant screen. |
| 72.1 : S Broad to Siddle, Full and wide outside off, Siddle goes for the cover drive but it goes off the inner half towards mid-wicket. |
| 72.2 : S Broad to Siddle, Full and wide outside off again, this time Siddle times the drive correctly but straight to the man at cover. |
| 72.3 : S Broad to Siddle, Outside off, left alone by Siddle. |
| 72.4 : S Broad to P Siddle, EDGED AND FOUR! There is a gap between the first and third slip but the question is, why is there no second slip in place? Full and outside off, Siddle goes for the drive but outside edges it and the ball goes from the empty region in the slip cordon into the third man fence. This also brings up the 250 for the visitors. |
| 72.5 : S Broad to P Siddle, FOUR! Full and wide outside off, Siddle does time this one well and it races through the cover region for a boundary. |
| 72.6 : S Broad to Siddle, Beaten! Length ball outside off, Siddle looks to push but is beaten by the movement. |
| 73.1 : Joe Root to Wade, Full and floated on off, pushed towards cover for a single. |
| 73.2 : Joe Root to Siddle, On the pads of Siddle, he plays it straight to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 73.3 : Joe Root to Siddle, This is on the pads again, Siddle flicks this one towards mid-wicket but this time gets a single. |
| 73.4 : Joe Root to Wade, Outside off, left alone by Wade. |
| 73.5 : Joe Root to Wade, On the off side, Wade pushes this towards cover for a couple. |
| 73.6 : Joe Root to Wade, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| Jack Leach is back on. 20-8-44-2, his figures so far. |
| 74.1 : J Leach to Siddle, Leach defends this one by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 74.2 : J Leach to Siddle, Full and floated on off, Siddle pushes this one towards mid off and takes a quick single. |
| 74.3 : J Leach to Wade, Floated outside off, Wade blocks it out. |
| 74.4 : J Leach to Wade, Tossed up on middle and off, Wade dances down the track and pushes this towards long on for a single. |
| 74.5 : J Leach to Siddle, Solid defense by Siddle. Full and floated on middle, the batter blocks it out. |
| 74.6 : J Leach to Siddle, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 75.1 : Joe Root to Wade, OUT! The skipper strikes and it is the big fish! England now in touching distance of victory and Wade is out of here with just the tailenders remaining now. Root floats up this one on off, it pitches and spins away. Wade comes dancing down the track in an attempt to negate the spin but misses the ball. Bairstow collects it and whips the bails off in a flash. Wade has to take the long walk back but goes off to a standing ovation. England need two more wickets to win now. |
| 0.0 : Nathan Lyon is the new man in. The match virtually over for the visitors now. |
| 75.2 : Joe Root to Lyon, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 75.3 : Joe Root to Lyon, Lyon tries to sweep this one but misses. |
| 75.4 : Joe Root to Lyon, Lyon has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 75.5 : Joe Root to Lyon, Full and floated on middle, Lyon blocks it out. |
| 75.6 : Joe Root to Lyon, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 76.1 : J Leach to Siddle, On the pads, Siddle tucks this one towards the leg side and takes a single. |
| 76.2 : J Leach to Lyon, Lyon sweeps this tossed up delivery towards backward square leg for a single. |
| 76.3 : J Leach to Siddle, Siddle comes down the track and pushes it down the ground for a single. |
| 76.4 : J Leach to Lyon, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 76.5 : J Leach to Lyon, OUT! Leach providing the finishing touches and Lyon is out of here! Nothing too extraordinary about the delivery or the shot, but very good field positioning by Root. Floated on middle and off, Lyon goes for the sweep but does so a touch uppishly. It goes straight to Joe Root at square leg who doesn't have to move himself an inch as he collects the catch low between his legs. Australia 9 down now and England one wicket away from drawing the series. |
| Josh Hazlewood is the last man in for the visitors. Looks like a matter of time before England claim the victory now. |
| 76.6 : J Leach to Hazlewood, OUT! CAUGHT! Leach has dismissed Hazlewood and ENGLAND HAVE WON THE MATCH TO DRAW THE ASHES 2-2! Leach floats this on the middle and leg pole, Hazlewood goes for the drive towards mid on but does so uppishly. Root at mid-wicket dives low to his left and catches this one brilliantly. The dream for Australia to win their first Test series remains unfulfilled as they have been bowled out and ENGLAND WIN THE MATCH BY 135 RUNS! |
| England level the series but Australia walk back with the urn. A series which had everything in it barring a series winner and rightfully so as both sides were equally good and bad. Handshakes all around. |
| Brilliant bowling display from the English bowlers has seen them draw the series. Broad and Leach were the stars with the ball on the day. Picking up 4 wickets apiece. Skipper, Joe Root was the other bowler in the wickets column with 2 to his name. Though Archer and Woakes were wicketless they were very good with the ball, especially Archer. |
| Nothing much to talk about in terms of the Australian batting. Once again there was just one batsman batting like a star and the others faltering around him. This time that star was not the brilliant best, Steven Smith, it was Matthew Wade. It was his gritty century that gave some respectability to the margin of this loss. |
| Apart from the toss, England dominated this Test in all departments. They built on their 69-run lead from the first innings and added further 329 runs to that, courtesy of brilliant 94 and 67 from Denly and Stokes respectively. Jofra Archer was the star with the ball in the first innings for England with a terrific 6-fer. |
| So Australia take back the urn but their wait for a Test series win in England continues. England, on the other hand, failed to make this the best summer as they failed to regain the Ashes and build on that emphatic World Cup. Stay tuned for the presentation. |
| Predicto Praky - 'Psst psst...do you think Australia can win this? Just 174 needed...' @PP - Sometimes it is nice to be on another planet. |
| We are ready for the presentation. The match referee, Javagal Srinath and the umpires come up to collect their medals. |
| Jofra Archer is named the Man of the Match for his brilliant 6-fer in the first innings. Jofra says that it has been an incredible summer since the time he wore the England jersey. On his best moments, Archer says he is leaning towards the Tests but tells it is a different feeling to the World Cup final. Smiles and says he is not sure whether he has taken to Test cricket easily as one day one can get wicket and be wicketless the other. Stresses that there are good days and bad days and he hopes |
| England's Player of the Series is Ben Stokes. Ben says that 2-2 sounds better than 3-1. Admits that they were unlucky in Manchester but he is happy with the game here. Stokes tells it has been a great series for cricket and thinks it showed in the final result. Adds that it was an evenly poised contest and feels the result is a fair one. Smiles and says that he would give his knock from Headingley away if it mean that he could have had the Ashes. Stokes feels everyone who has come in has shown g |
| Australia's Player of the Series and the Player of the Series of Ashes 2019 is Steven Smith. Smith says that walking back to an ovation meant a lot. Tells that the cricket has been fantastic and he has loved every minute in England starting from the World Cup. Steven tells they believed they could chase down the total in this game and adds Wade showed if they took the challenge they could have got it. Credits England for playing good cricket in this game and series. Tells he saw Jofra last year |
| England's skipper, Joe Root is up next for a chat. Root tells that he thought they were excellent throughout this Test and credits his bowlers for the way they bowled on this wicket. On Jofra, he says he was good and ably backed by other talented bowlers. Root thinks they have shown great character. Credits Tim Paine and his side for the way they played. Root admits that it was tough to play against Australia on difficult pitches especially against the quality attack. Thanks Trevor Bayliss for i |
| Australian skipper, Tim Paine is now up for a conversation. Paine admits that he has a couple of regrets about this Test starting with the toss. Credits his bowlers for their performance. Laughs and says he is always 50-50 during the toss as he cannot read pitches. On the series being drawn, Paine admits that this game dampens that but he is still happy and says they are satisfied with retaining the urn as it has not happened for almost 20 years. Tim says that it is a competitive game especially |
| Both captains now go to collect the trophy. The Australian players then gather in the podium all in smiles as they retain the Ashes urn. |
| So that is it from this series. Some called it overrated at the start but the oldest rivalry in Test cricket lived up to its billing. Though Australia retained the Ashes they could not take the series trophy home. The Aussies now go back to their homes before they welcome Sri Lanka for the T20Is starting 27th October. England's stay at home comes to an end as they fly to New Zealand for their next assignment. They too begin their tour with a T20I series starting November 1st. It was a great plea |
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