Tea and Biscuits at The Ashes
SCG, Sydney, Day 3: Stokes and Bairstow arrest the English slide but the Aussies remain fully in control of the 4th Test Match.
SCG, Sydney, Day 3: Stokes and Bairstow arrest the English slide but the Aussies remain fully in control of the 4th Test Match.
Before we delve into the nitty gritty of the day’s play, can I direct you to (1) the reason why I’m sitting up through the night watching Test Match cricket and (2) my blogs from the first two days in this, the 4th Test Match:
A cricketing journey
Why I’m going to Australia at 2am this winter for lunch and why cricket memories never fail to make me smile.medium.com
Tea and Biscuits at The Ashes
SCG, Sydney, Day 1: Australia make progress in the Sydney rain whilst in the New Zealand sunshine, Bangladesh beat the…medium.com
Tea and Biscuits at The Ashes
SCG, Sydney, Day 2: Deja Vu as Australia bat all day and England are snookered and behind the 8 Ball. Again.medium.com
In the irrepressible and much missed style of Richie Benaud
“Good Morning everyone”
and welcome to my recap of day 3 of the 4th Ashes Test between Australia and England here at the magnificent Sydney Cricket Ground. It could be another day of cricketing clichés and storied uses of a unique vernacular known only to those who love our game. With Australia leading by a mammoth 403 1st innings runs and holding an unassailable 3–0 Series lead and having not lost to their English opponents on home territory since 2011 the odds are stacked heavily in favour of the hosts. There’s the “scoreboard pressure” of one team (Australia) having a huge lead whilst the other (England) are already so far behind in this Test Match and with every wicket that falls leave heads turning toward the scoreboard and the vast amount of runs that are firmly in the scorebook for the Aussies. England have no alternative but to “dig in” and at least one player if not three have to have the patience and fortitude to bat for a huge chunk of this day. Bare minimum England have to score 204 1st innings runs today to avoid the “follow on”, whereby that vaunted scoreboard pressure has told on them and they’ve collapsed way behind Australia’s 1st innings and the Aussies can then, if they so desire, enforce England to bat again and grind their noses further into the dust. I doubt though that Australia would enforce the follow on here (if they are able to do so) as they love to run from the front, control the game and thoroughly humiliate their cricketing foes on a wicket that is already showing signs of wear and tear and on which will be difficult to bat the longer the match continues. It’s an Aussie trait to revel in and rub their opponents into the dust. As is attacking cricket, “ring fields” of close in chirping fielders, 3 or 4 slips, a Gully and more than likely Marnus Labuschagne loudly exclaiming every other delivery that a wicket is coming, that wicket invariably brings another, and soon this English team will follow in the depressingly similar path of so many Test Matches of recent years and collapse without sight for a meagre total that’s not realistically even close to being competitive.
At 8.13pm and excitedly writing this 3 hours ahead of today’s opening session it will either be a case of Deja Vu and England collapse, again, amid 4 slips, 2 gully’s and a ring of close in Australian fielders chirping like newly in love songbirds. Or England finally buck the trend, resurrect a cricketing ghost or three and gloriously bat all day and make this an intriguing and competitive game.
Scoreboard pressure looms large, as does Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland, just three Australians who love and thrive on having an English batsman in their sights and an almost brand new ball to hurl brilliantly and expertly in their direction. Australia love to attack, England usually collapse and scoreboard pressure tells. Time also tells too.
After a frustrating rain delay of 2 hours and 10 minutes, here’s the morning session, in real UK time. After a morning full of rain, cloudy conditions, a wicket that will have “sweated” under the protective covers and a new ball, I fear the worst for England in this rain shortened first session of now just 1 hour and 20 minutes.
MORNING SESSION: England 36–4 at Lunch (Trail by 380 runs)
1.10am and the 3rd day of the Sydney Test Match is underway and otherwise known as “Jane McGrath Day” now for over 10 years.
1.20am Haseeb Hameed edges a brilliant delivery from Mitchell Starc but is granted a cricketing “life” as wicket keeper Alex Carey drops a flying catch between himself and David Warner at 1st slip. Both England openers have now had additional lives after Crawley was reprieved last night on a Mitchell Starc no ball. Starc has now been denied twice and to say he’s fired up would be an understatement!
1.29am HASEEB HAMEED bowled Starc (6).
9 minutes after being granted that extra “life” Hameed plays a dreadful shot to a beautiful in swinging delivery from Mitchell Starc which clatters into the top of middle stump. It was a gorgeous delivery from a pumped up Starc but Hameed was bowled “through the gate” in cricketing parlance and it was both a loose and indeed dreadful shot to play. England have added just 9 runs to their overnight total of 13 and now stand at 22–1.
1.36am Zak Crawley has played positively this morning hence far and here on 7 runs he gains yet another cricketing “life” as he edges into his pads and the resultant looping ball is almost held by Marcus Harris at the short leg position. It was a difficult catch to make but in just 26 minutes play the Aussies have dropped two possible catches and Crawley has received extra lives when on 0 and now on 7.
1.42am The 12th over of the innings from Mitchell Starc is pure cricketing theatre as first he hits Zak Crawley in the abdominal area (yes, that particular male area!) and the next ball from a high octane Mitchell Starc crashes into his gloves and forcing him to drop his bat in pain. The English youngster is being given the “treatment” and not just from the England medical team attending to his fingers. Starc and Nathan Lyon share some loud “chirp” or in the vernacular of cricket “sledging” and they are clearly after the under pressure youngster. Crawley responds with a brilliant hook for 4 off the last ball of a brilliant over.
2.09am ZAK CRAWLEY bowled Boland (18).
Melbourne hero Scott Boland clean bowls Crawley “through the gate” as he pings back the youngster’s off stump. Much like his opening partner Hameed, Crawley was bowled through a loose defence and a loose shot in the circumstances but that is the only criticism you or I can level at the 23 year old. He only scored 18 runs but he stood tall and resisted amid some positive shots both last night and this morning but Boland’s delivery was just too good for him. England are 36–2 and yet again their Skipper comes to the crease in the middle of a crisis.
2.23am JOE ROOT caught Smith bowled Boland (0).
And the wheels are coming off yet again for England as the expected batting collapse is well underway and their Captain departs for a cricketing duck after a rash and loose shot when on 0. Unforgivable from the Captain and his team are still stuck on just 36 runs and are now 3 wickets down. Scott Boland, hero of Melbourne, is fast becoming a Sydney hero too as he has the patently ridiculous figures of 4 Overs, 4 Maidens, 2 Wickets for 0 (Zero) Runs.
2.32am DAWID MALAN caught Khawaja bowled Green (3).
On the stroke of the Lunch Break, England collapse to 36–4 as Malan edges a delivery from Green to Khawaja in the Gully position and in an hour and 20 minutes play this morning England have added just 23 runs for the loss of their top 4 prized wickets and (from an English perspective) it’s all been rather embarrassing. Again. Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow resume after the Lunch Break with their team in the deepest of holes and no doubt midway through their usual collapse. Alas.
AFTERNOON SESSION: England 135–4 at Tea (Stokes 52 not out)
3.42am An injured and struggling Ben Stokes gets yet another English “life” today as he’s dropped by bowler Pat Cummins in his bowling follow through. It was a difficult “caught and bowled” chance but the Aussies have spilled another chance and if they’d held onto their chances today as they usually do, the England innings could already be virtually over.
3.55am One of the most bizarre situations I’ve ever seen in a game of cricket! Cameron Green bowled a brilliant delivery to Ben Stokes who left a ball that ducked back towards the stumps and rattled the off stump but did not dislodge the bails. Now, the ball didn’t just tickle the off stump, it hit it and veered away, giving the impression that Stokes had edged the ball and fooling Umpire Reiffel into giving him out! The bizarre situation was resolved via the Decision Review System and Stokes was rightly reinstated as he wasn’t out, but he’s been given another “life” in some of the strangest cricketing circumstances I’ve ever seen.
4.16am Drinks Break: England 72–4. In a blossoming partnership of 36 runs so far, Stokes (22) and Bairstow (12) have doubled the innings score from 36 to 72.
4.27am 50 Partnership between Stokes and Bairstow and at this stage Stokes has seemingly taken the “death or glory” approach as he’s severely restricted by the injury to his side he received bowling last night and has attacked his way to 37 runs out of the overall partnership of 50 with Bairstow.
4.53am Ben Stokes reaches a gutsy 50 not out from just 70 balls and in addition to his side injury has been peppered in the groin and twice on the gloves in this innings but is hanging tough. England 118–4.
5.12am After reaching his half century Stokes seemed to take a somewhat backseat to his partner Bairstow who for 20 minutes only dealt in boundaries and his score rocketed to 45 not out at the Tea Break. Alongside Stokes at 51 not out, they’ve added 99 in this invaluable partnership and the two Englishmen have “carried their bat” through an entire session. Quite a rare feat indeed in this Series and quite the comeback from 36–4 when they first came together. Can they continue in this vain and still be at the crease come stumps at the end of play?
Stumps on Day 3: England 258–7 (Bairstow 103 not out).
5.32am and with a nudged two runs from Jonny Bairstow this brings up the 100 partnership with Ben Stokes.
5.42am 10 minutes later and Bairstow now matches his partner Stokes by reaching his personal 50 from 80 balls received. Like his partner, it’s been a gutsy innings from the Yorkshireman and England are now 146–4.
5.51am BEN STOKES lbw bowled Lyon (66).
Stokes continued his “death or glory” approach and smashed his eventual conqueror Nathan Lyon for 4’s and 6’s before Lyon bowled a quicker ball that trapped Stokes squarely in front of the stumps for an easy Leg Before Wicket decision. It was a gutsy 66 runs from a clearly injured (again) Ben Stokes. Well batted Mr Stokes.
6.08am JOS BUTTLER caught Khawaja bowled Cummins (0).
A tame dismissal, an easy catch and England have slumped from 135–4 at Tea to 173–6 now.
6.36am Drinks Break: England 205–6. The spirited Mark Wood has kept Jonny Bairstow company since Buttler’s lame dismissal and they’ve clubbed a quick 32 run partnership with both players cracking 6’s in a desperate attempt to reduce the run deficit with their hosts. Bairstow was struck a fearful blow on his thumb and the England injuries continue to mount but he’s still at the crease and 87 not out. Wood is 9 not out but his company at the wicket is far more valuable to Bairstow.
6.55am 50 partnership between Jonny Bairstow (now 90 runs) and the continuing spirit of Mark Wood (24). England are now 223–6 and this half century partnership is much needed.
7.10am MARK WOOD caught Lyon bowled Cummins (39).
Woody’s entertaining swish with the willow comes to an end in another bizarre incident from a bizarre day’s play as he gets the slightest of edges onto his batting helmet and the ball looped to Lyon for an easy catch. An incredibly unlucky and cruel way for his innings to come to an end. England are now 249–7, 167 runs behind, and Jonny Bairstow is just 6 runs from a Test Match century.
7.31am and with a slashing 4 Jonny Bairstow reaches an emotional century and finishes the day 103 not out as two balls later stumps are drawn and a quite breathless day of Test Match cricket comes to an end.
Bairstow’s century along with Stokes’ gutsy 66 and Mark Wood’s brilliantly slapdash 39 truly rescued England’s day, as from a collapsing position of 36–4 to end on 258–7 is a remarkable turnaround, much needed and roughly two months overdue. England’s recent batting collapses are legion and today they teetered on the brink again and for once, through Stokes, Wood and centurion Bairstow they stopped the bleeding and kept their side in the game with two days to go. Make no mistake, Australia still hold all the Aces but if Jonny Bairstow could smash a quick additional 50 runs tomorrow that could yet make this is a competitive Test Match. It’s a long shot, but England were an even longer shot to finish the day as they have done when they were collapsing at 36–4.
Roll on tomorrow!