Australia must find a way of nullifying talisman Ben Stokes as Travis Head ensured a competitive target to strive for victory and the series in a bowler-dominated third Test at Headingley.
Set 251 for victory thanks to Head’s 77, England were 0/27 at stumps needing a further 224 to win following a third day which lost the first two sessions to rain. Victory would give Australia their first successful Ashes series in England for 22 years.
Travis Head steered a great innings. Credit: Reuters
England began in typical Bazball fashion, with eight from the first over and Zak Crawley scoring seven of them as Pat Cummins was taken away from the leg side bowling too straight. Ben Duckett took Cummins for successive boundaries in his second over.
Australia’s last memory of Headingley was Stokes blazing a majestic, unbeaten 135 on the previous tour four years ago as England scored 9/362 for a remarkable victory. It was the second highest successful run chase in the ground’s history and there have been five in all above 250 at Headingley.
If captain Cummins wasn’t such an unflappable character he’d probably be waking up to the spectre of Stokes hammering 155 during the second innings at Lord’s and 80 to drag England back into this Test a day earlier.
Resuming under heavy skies in late afternoon, Australia were reduced to 8/170 with the ball darting and jumping around in helpful conditions when Head decided to protect the tail and take to the bowling, hammering the express pace of Mark Wood for successive sixes at one stage.
It was difficult to know whether England captain Stokes was being kind not unleashing the pace of Wood under such leaden skies, or whether he was concerned that such pace in gloomy conditions may have sent the players straight off the field again after having spent most of the day watching it rain.
Either way it didn’t matter because the regulation pace of seamer Chris Woakes surprised Mitch Marsh with a ball that bounced a little more than expected, taking his glove on the way through to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.
The demise of Marsh brought Alex Carey to the crease with the expected jeers, boos and chants from the Western Terrace. Carey retains his standing as England’s new public enemy number one following the controversial stumping of Bairstow at Lord’s.
With slips in wait, Broad bowled some wonderful deliveries to Carey (5) that moved past his outside edge of the left hander, and then Woakes produced the same delivery that removed Marsh, jumping off a length and striking Carey on his gloves before crashing into the stumps.
Pat Cummins keeps his eye on the Ashes prize.Credit:
This raises the question of why England, like Australia at times in this series, becomes obsessed by short bowling plans.
Despite fresh bowlers on a fresh pitch under overcast skies, Stokes spread his field far and wide and had Woakes and Broad bowling short to him at their modest pace. Head kept swatting the ball behind square leg for easy singles never having his sometimes questionable technique against the moving ball tested. This may prove costly.
By the time Wood was bowling to Head with Mitchell Starc as his batting partner, there were seven men on the boundary, but they quite happily took every run on offer. Wood bowled some uncomfortable short stuff to Starc but he appeared unconcerned, hammering a lovely straight drive to the boundary at one stage.
England captain Ben Stokes congratulates Harry Brook after catching out Mitchell Starc during day three of the Test. Credit:
On 15 Starc skied a Wood short ball. Usually a keeper’s catch, Bairstow pulled out, leaving it for short leg Harry Brook to charge, lunge and dive to gather the catch.
Robinson walked off in Australia’s first innings on the opening day with a back spasm and hasn’t bowled since.
The many hardy souls who hung around desperate for play when none appeared possible for much of the day were rewarded with their persistence and even had bright sunshine at the time stumps would usually be called. They enjoyed themselves, booing the Australians with ever greater ferocity.
