[ad_1]
And the on-field action is just as spicy, with Pat Cummins and Scott Boland rattling the tourists with a 22-ball onslaught last night before Joe Root and Harry Brook hit back this morning.
England’s lead is building rapidly, but the wickets are falling steadily on another seesawing day of Test cricket.
12.10PM: DRINKS! AUSSIES ROAR BACK INTO THE CONTEST
This match is in a very tense spot, with England leading by 222 – a reasonable chase as it is, especially with rain to come tomorrow – and with the tail at the crease.
The runrate has slowed since Ben Stokes’ dismissal, as you might expect with the recognised batsmen back in the grandstand.
Australia are up and about after a solid half-session after lunch so far, but they can’t let the tail wag at all.
To that end, it’s quite surprising how much leeway they’re giving Ollie Robinson with the defensive fields he’s facing.
11.55PM: WICKET! STOKES STUMBLES TO OPEN DOOR FOR AUSSIES
That’s the wicket the Australians wanted!
Ben Stokes has been in a mood since lunch, but Pat Cummins has got him dead to rights there.
Trapped in front, Stokes reluctantly reviews but you suspect he knows it’s a foregone conclusion – as ball-tracker confirms, although it’s umpire’s call on clipping the leg stump.
It’s an important 43 from Stokes, but his wicket leaves the door ajar for Australia.
He leaves with England holding a lead of just 217, and Australia are into the tail.
Because here comes the man of the moment: Ollie Robinson. Will the Australians give him a warm welcome to the crease, after his send-off of Usman Khawaja yesterday?
11.40PM: WICKET! LYON WITH THE BREAKTHROUGH
Well, it’s been coming. After a series of near-misses, and overturned decisions, Australia has their breakthrough.
Nathan Lyon has a third wicket of the day, and it’s Jonny Bairstow who falls just after England’s lead pushes past 200.
Bairstow, given out LBW, attempted for a review – and why not? DRS has been kind to England today – but this one has missed the glove, and is crashing into leg stump.
That is wicket number 494 for Lyon, with the incredible 500-mark rapidly approaching.
Bairstow is gone for 20, and there’s another twist in this contest.
Out comes Moeen Ali, he of the blistered finger. And after this partnership, Australia will get a look at England’s tail.
Does Stokes dial it up another notch?
11.30PM: ENGLAND PUSH LEAD INTO DANGEROUS TERRITORY
A rough 10 minute stretch there for Australia.
Once again, they thought they had Stokes again – seemingly caught by Scott Boland at gully off a reverse sweep, but replays show it’s a bump ball.
The fans love that one. Their favourite chant of the Test, “Same old Aussies, always cheating”, gets another run.
Soon after, a thick edge from Jonny Bairstow evades the clutches of Steve Smith at first slip – and travels for four, stretching England’s lead past 200.
This is a very dangerous period for Australia. Stokes and Bairstow are in a mood, they’re scoring quickly, and before long this lead could be reaching areas that might remove an Australian victory from the likely results.
11.15PM: STOKES ON THE CHARGE
We’re seeing a different Ben Stokes after lunch.
He’s taking a far more aggressive approach at the crease, charging Scott Boland and attempting reverse sweeps to disrupt Australia’s bowling plans.
It’s not 2019 Headingley Stokes (yet, I suppose), but there’s a bit more fluidity to how he’s playing now compared to before lunch.
He also appears to be favouring the knee which has caused him such trouble over the past 18 months, after being caught on the crease by a Lyon delivery which kept low in the first over after lunch.
He’s moving freely between the wickets, but there’s a noticable whince on some strokes.
However he’s also really pushing hard and it is bordering on reckless. Australia will look at this and think there’s an opportunity for a wicket. But if it comes, how much damage will have been done?
11.00PM: SECOND SESSION UNDERWAY
We go again. Another lengthened session, to go for two hours and 15 minutes, and another huge opportunity for one of these teams to impose themselves on this game.
It’ll be Nathan Lyon to Ben Stokes to start.
LUNCH: LATE WICKETS LIFT AUSTRALIA
An elongated session, but does anyone really know who is in front here?
England dodged a massive bullet in the final over before lunch, with Jonny Bairstow given out LBW to Scott Boland before having the decision overturned on review.
Ball-tracker shows the ball nipping over the top of the leg-stump, much to the dismay of Steve Smith who was out to a similar delivery in the first innings.
Just as it looked like England were about to really take Australia out of the game, through Joe Root and Harry Brook, both have fallen to Nathan Lyon before lunch.
Australia took three wickets, while England added 127 runs, to once again share honours in a desperately tight contest.
Lyon also thought he’d trapped Ben Stokes LBW, but didn’t get any luck with the third umpire – with DRS finding an edge that didn’t seem to exist, and ball-tracker later appearing to have a mind of its own.
But as it stands, England lead by 162 – warm favourites at this point, given the ability of the two men at the crease, Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, as well as a tail that has shown it can wag.
There’s plenty of rain forecast tomorrow, so who knows if a result will even be possible. But what would Australia feel comfortable chasing on this wicket, if the weather Gods play their part?
10.00PM: LYON STRIKES BEFORE LUNCH!
We’re nearly at the lunch break of this extended session – and Australia have grabbed a crucial scalp before the major break.
Harry Brook, who has hammered away at roughly a run-a-ball all day, falls just short of his half-century as Marnus Labuschagne takes an excellent low catch at mid-wicket.
He falls to Nathan Lyon for the second time this Test, and becomes Lyon’s second victim of the day.
It wasn’t a vintage Lyon delivery, short and looked like it was there to be hit really, but it drags him closer to the incredible mark of 500 Test wickets.
He’s up to 493 now. How many more to come today?
9.40PM: LYON DENIED BY CONTROVERSIAL DRS CALL
Huge appeal from Nathan Lyon and Alex Carey, who think they have Ben Stokes trapped LBW.
Their pleas fall on deaf ears with umpire Marais Erasmus, but they have convinced Pat Cummins to take a review.
After a lengthy process while the third umpire waits for Ultra-Edge footage to appear, the Australians are denied with replays indicating there was an under-edge before it hit Stokes’ pad.
But former Australian captain Mark Taylor believes there’s been a misstep by the DRS.
“That one’s confused me, to be honest. There’s a noise, but it’s not a sharp noise. It’s not a flick on the bat. I think Ben Stokes might’ve said that he didn’t hit it,” Taylor said.
“He’s been given not out. (And) I think there was a gap between the ball and the bat. There certainly wasn’t a spike.
“You can see daylight between ball and bat. There was a noise, but it could’ve been the shuffling of his feet. He hasn’t hit it.”
It all amounts to nothing, because HawkEye, soon after, shows that the ball wouldn’t have gone on to hit the stumps anyway – although that, too, has raised some eyebrows.
Australia are down to one review.
9.20PM: WICKET! JOE ROOT FALLS IN GAME-CHANGER
That’s a huge wicket for Australia, with Joe Root well and truly taking the game away from the tourists.
He falls just short of his half-century, and it is Nathan Lyon who takes the wicket – a man whose confidence can rise and fall rapidly.
An early wicket for Lyon could mean great things for Australia.
Root has been aggressive all morning, but he might regret charging down the wicket there – beaten by turn as he looks to thump Lyon through midwicket, and Alex Carey’s tidy work behind the stumps does the rest.
England are four down, with a lead of 136. Big partnership, this, between Harry Brook and Ben Stokes.
9.10PM: DO AUSTRALIA NEED A TACTICAL MAKEOVER?
It’s been England’s session this morning, with their lead ballooning out to 128 after the hour (and a bit) of play as Joe Root continues has first Test masterclass.
Australia have the wicket of Ollie Pope to show for their efforts, but since his dismissal Root and Harry Brook have added nearly 50 at more than six runs an over.
And again questions are being asked about their tactics. Are they too passive? Steve O’Keefe would like to see Australia’s quicks force England’s batsmen onto the back foot with some short-pitched bowling, but there’s been almost none of that in the opening hour of play.
After the drinks break, it’s Josh Hazlewood to bowl his first spell of the morning. Perhaps he’ll have some different plans.
8.50PM: BROOK DEMOLISHES LYON IN PAYBACK MISSION
Nathan Lyon is into the attack, and Harry Brook greets him with a cutshot for four, and backs it up with a sweep for the same result.
This will be an intriguing battle.
Lyon won the fight on day one when Brook was removed via one of the more freakish dismissals you’ll see in cricket – the ball rolling up the thigh pad, nearly landing on the batsman and then spinning back into the stumps.
But Brook has arguably been Bazball’s finest product, bursting onto the scene and immediately becoming one of cricket’s most prolific batsman.
He’s signalled his intent by taking 13 runs off Lyon’s first over this morning.
8.35PM: WICKET! CUMMINS CASTLES POPE
Pat Cummins has delivered an absolute peach of a delivery there!
Full, and angling in, Ollie Pope stood no chance as Cummins breaches his defence with a thunderbolt.
It’s the first wicket of the day, and Australia badly needed that – because England had started to get going in a big way, through Joe Root primarily.
Pope is gone for 14 and he looks rather miffed at that one. England three down, with an 84 run lead.
And in comes Harry Brook, as Cameron Green joins the attack for the first time this innings.
8.25PM: HOW LONG UNTIL AUSTRALIA UNLEASH LYON?
England’s lead has grown rapidly this morning, with Joe Root taking the game to Australia with a combination of the sublime (glorious cover drives) and the ridiculous (equally glorious revere ramp shots for six).
And he’s on the verge of hitting Scott Boland out of the attack. Boland had a rough opening day in Edgbaston, before briefly looking like his normal self under cloudy skies last night.
But on a warm day, he looks vulnerable once again and Root is on the attack – with Boland’s first two overs going for 26 runs.
How long until Nathan Lyon is called on by captain Pat Cummins? There’s no question Lyon will shoulder a huge workload today, and on a wicket that has taken turn from Moeen Ali and Joe Root, he looms as the key for Australia.
It won’t be long before he’s asked to warm the fingers up.
8.05PM: ROOT’S OUTRAGEOUS WARNING SHOT
If there was ever any doubt about what England’s approach was going to be today, Joe Root has removed it after just one delivery.
On the first ball of the fourth day, Root attempted a reverse ramp shot off Pat Cummins – a remarkable, inventive stroke which delivered two sixes in his first-innings century.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that in Test cricket…” offers England great Kevin Pietersen.
It’s certainly a bold strategy. But that’s the Bazball way. The English entertainers are not going to let this game meander.
The following over, Root goes again – and ramps Scott Boland over the fence for six, and then for a boundary the very next ball.
Extraoardinary.
8.00PM: DAY FOUR IS UPON US!
A monster day of Ashes cricket awaits.
With yesterday’s rain, we’ll have elongated sessions and a whole lot of cricket to get through, with 98 overs scheduled.
And we’re ready to ride the rollercoaster again. No team has truly been able to get on top in this match – even when England scored nearly 400 on day one, it didn’t feel like Australia was out of the contest on a flat wicket, and the days which followed have delivered more of the same.
England will start with Joe Root and Ollie Pope at the crease, both yet to score, and with a 35-run lead in their pocket.
They’ll be aiming to push the tempo and apply the blowtorch to Australia’s bowlers, who in turn will be hunting early wickets to cash in on their hard work from last night
7.30PM: ASHES GREAT’S REVENGE THREAT FOR ENGLAND VILLAIN
Australian Ashes great Brad Haddin has given England villain Ollie Robinson fair warning: there will be retribution for his ugly day three antics.
Robinson hit the headlines for his expletive-laden send-off of first-innings hero Usman Khawaja, where he sceamed ‘f**k off you f**king pr**k’ after ending the Australian’s innings on 141.
Robinson also employed England’s short-ball tactics against Australia’s tail-enders, a strategy which Haddin warned could come back to bite him and England’s fellow fast bowlers when it’s time for Pat Cummins and his pace allies to have a crack at the host’s lower order.
“I think it’s stupid (Robinson’s send-off). I thought England and the way they were going to play their cricket, this wasn’t going to be part of the game,” Haddin told the Willow Talk radio show.
“But it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed in the changeroom. Ollie went after the Australians with short-pitched bowling at 123kms.
“It’s going to be an interesting… because Australia get a right of reply. Ollie Robinson, yes he let emotions get the better of him here but it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed from the Australian bowling cartel.”
Short-ball barrages have been effectively deployed in Ashes battles in recent years, with Mitchell Johnson famously rattling England with pace and aggression in a career-defining series in 2013-14.
And with speedsters Cummins, Scott Boland and Josh Hazlewood, Australia have the artillery to return fire at Robinson and the rest of England’s tail.
“I don’t think Usman would’ve really noticed what happened,” Haddin added.
“But there would’ve been a little word (in the changerooms), ‘just hold that in the back of your mind, we’ll get a right of reply and an opportunity to use our short-pitched ball’.
“They’ll remember it. They won’t say too much about it but just watch when Ollie comes in to bat. The game will just lift in energy.”
6.45PM: WEATHER UPDATE: HUMID, BUT NO RAIN
We’re a little over an hour away from the first ball of day four, so it’s time for your all-important weather update.
After yesterday’s showers, and twin rain delays, fans will be excited to hear that the rain should stay away today – but Pat Cummins and his fast bowling allies will be pleased that the air is thick with humidity.
That should be encouraging for Australia’s quicks, after Cummins and Boland did made the most of yesterday’s overcast conditions with a brutal 20-minute onslaught that delivered the wickets of both English openers.
The loss of nearly two sessions of play on day three will extend play by an extra half-hour today and tomorrow, meaning the scheduled finish time is 3.30AM AEST – before the additional half-hour allowed for slow overs during the day. So a 4am finish looks likely tonight, for those wanting to go the distance.
6.00PM: FIERY SLEDGE REVEALS ENGLAND’S BRUTAL PLAN
Australia’s tail-end batsmen are fastening their seat belts for a rib-rattling summer.
For generations Australia have been renowned as the cricket team who would mercilessly snip your tail … suddenly they are watching their own.
A pointed throwaway line from feisty English seam bowler Ollie Robinson has spotlighted the one area where England may have an advantage over Australia this series and will mercilessly target.
Robinson cheekily commented: “We said once we get past (Pat) Cummins (at No 8) we feel like they have three No 11s. It’s something we can target through the series and try and wrap up their innings quite quick and give us that momentum into our batting innings.’’
He was commenting after Australia lost 4-14 at the end of the first innings of the first Test.
Nathan Lyon (one), Scott Boland (0) and Cummins (38) fell to short balls which will surely become standard fare for them for the rest of the series.
Over the generations Australian bowlers such as Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Jeff Thomson and Mitchell Johnson were known as great tail-spinners but now Australia will face its own challenges.
Australia’s long tail was one reason why it was such a major decision to omit Mitchell Starc who has a batting average of 27 in England.
Australia matches up well against England in most areas. It’s bowlers are younger and faster. Nathan Lyon is a superior spinner to Moeen Ali. Alex Carey has Jonny Bairstow covered as a gloveman and is not as far short as a batsman as many think.
Australia’s batsmen dominate the world rankings and Cameron Green’s numbers may outshine Ben Stokes’ at the end of the series.
But with Mooen coming in at number eight with a Test batting average which floats around 28 England have a stronger tail on paper. – ROBERT CRADDOCK
Originally published as Ashes cricket 2023: Follow all the action and live scores from day 4 of the first Test
[ad_2]
Source link
