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Aussies hoping history does not repeat
By Malcolm Conn
Cloud cover in at Headingley and forecast to stay most of the day.
This should give Australia’s bowlers a fighting chance of defending the modest total they set England on Saturday.
The 251 target was reduced by 27 without loss by the end of day three, although England batted in bright sunshine after the first two sessions were washed out and Australia resumed under leaden skies.
Players warm up before play on day four at Headingley.Credit: Getty Images
The bracing fact for Australia is that since the Bazball era began little more than a year ago England have run down more than 250 four times batting last.
Then of course there is the 9/362 England scored during the last Ashes Test here four years ago, when Ben Stokes blazed an amazing, unbeaten 135.
Australia will be hoping that history does not repeat.
Weather report at Leeds
There was a lot of rain in Leeds overnight, but the conditions are dry this morning.
The good news for Australia is there is plenty of cloud cover over Headingley, so with a five-over old ball, Pat Cummins will be hoping to see plenty of swing.
England extracted plenty when play resumed after tea last night, however, by the time Australia bowled, the sun was out and the conditions offered very little movement.
‘There are nerves in the camp knowing what we can achieve’: Travis Head
Head’s knock gives Australia 250 to defend and a chance to emulate Benaud’s famous win
By Daniel Brettig
Sixty-two years ago in Manchester, Alan Davidson made a brilliant 77 batting with Australia’s last man, Graham McKenzie, to take a negligible chase for England to 256.
Given those precious runs to defend, Richie Benaud spun through Ted Dexter’s side at Old Trafford to secure the Ashes urn for Australia.
Travis Head’s innings gave Australia some hope of defending a modest score to win the Ashes, as Richie Benaud’s (inset) team did in 1961.Credit: Reuters
Travis Head is not exactly a cricket historian, but the punchy South Australian performed the Davidson role to perfection in murky light at Headingley, giving his skipper Pat Cummins – the first bowler since Benaud to captain Australia – the chance to claim the Ashes by defending 250 on a pitch still offering plenty of life.
Mid-series report card: Cummins and Stokes set pace in Ashes series
By Daniel Brettig
Leeds: It was as if even the heavens needed a breather after 12 breakneck days of this Ashes series. Rain shrouded Headingley from about 10am and hung around for some six hours.
The Western Terrace, purportedly to be filled with fans brandishing hair razors at Alex Carey after an erroneous barbershop story peddled by the former England captain Alastair Cook on the BBC, had to wait until after 5pm to resume singing.
Pat Cummins has been supreme, again, this series.Credit: AP
When play finally resumed under heavy skies and floodlights, Australia soon lost Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey to the wobbling ball of Chris Woakes, before Mark Wood’s pace did for Mitchell Starc. Pat Cummins did not last long either, but Todd Murphy and Scott Boland helped Travis Head set England 251 to win.
‘Headingley does weird things’: Test and series on a knife’s edge
By Malcolm Conn
Australia must find a way of nullifying England’s talisman Ben Stokes after Travis Head ensured his team had a competitive target to defend as it strives for an Ashes series victory 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 when the first two sessions were lost to rain. Victory would give Australia their first successful Ashes series in England for 22 years.
Travis Head went on the attack for Australia.Credit: Reuters
“There’s enough there,” Head said of helpful pitch conditions, pointing to the relatively low team scores across the first three innings. “We know they’re going to come hard and try and push us off our lengths, and hopefully that creates opportunity. Headingley does weird things. You can look up and clouds can come in, and the ball can start swinging, or if it’s a sunny day it can be really nice to bat.”
Opinion: Why England can’t rely on Ben Stokes
By Oliver Brown
This time, England cannot simply place all trust in their grimacing goliath of a captain.
Ben Stokes, already suffering with both knee and gluteal injuries, has done more than enough to dig his mercurial team out of the mire when half-fit at best. Twice in a week he has conjured the unlikeliest flourishes to keep the urn within reach, first with his mesmerising 155 at Lord’s and then a free-swinging 80 to rekindle hope here at Headingley just when all looked lost.
England’s batsmen must share responsibility in their run chase at Headingley. They can’t leave all the work to skipper Ben Stokes. The team effort must start with openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley (inset).Credit: Getty
Now it is imperative that the top order delivers. All series Zak Crawley has tended to give his wicket away cheaply after playing himself in, while Ben Duckett’s form has fluctuated, with his 98 and 83 at the home of cricket bookended by two lazy dismissals at Edgbaston and another in Leeds.
Welcome to day four of the third Test!
Good evening and welcome to our blog of the fourth day of the third Ashes Test.
Damien Ractliffe here again to take you through all tonight’s action.
While it’s the fourth day, we’re all but certain to get a result tonight, given England require just 224 further runs for victory.
But could they collapse, and provide Australia with 10 dismissals? The equation is that simple for Pat Cummins’ men, who can claim The Ashes tonight if things go their way.
Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley will kick off proceedings at the crease, and you can expect Cummins and Mitch Starc to have first look with the five-over old ball.
Ben Duckett survived five overs late on day three.Credit: Reuters
