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Post by Admin on Aug 23, 2019 18:43:45 GMT
A dire capitulation with the bat left England's Ashes hopes hanging by a thread after another thrilling day in this engrossing series.
Credit goes to Australia's strike bowlers - led by Josh Hazlewood's devastating five-wicket haul - for putting Australia in positition to win the third Test at Headingley and take a 2-0 lead in the series, which would allow them to retain the urn, with three days still to go in the match. But England did not help themselves one bit, bundled out for just 67 in reply to Australia's first-innings 179 with rash shots an all-too-common feature.
Sixteen wickets fell on a day when Joe Denly was England's top-scorer with just 12, Jason Roy's struggle to establish himself as a Test opener faltered again and Joe Root made consecutive ducks for the first time in his career as questions resurfaced about his batting position.
In all honesty, just about everyone in an England helmet looked out of position and out of their depth in innings like that as Hazlewood struck early en route to claiming 5 for 30, well supported by Pat Cummins and James Pattinson, who chimed in with three and two wickets respectively.
England were in all sorts of bother at 10 for 2 after Hazlewood had Roy and Root both caught in the slips by David Warner - who had not only rediscovered some form with the bat, striking 61 the previous day, but also in the field, overcoming a rash of dropped chances earlier in the series to hold four on the second day at Headingley - the most ever in an innings by an Australian fielder in an overseas Ashes Test.
Roy was out driving at a Hazlewood delivery which was wide of off stump and moved ever so slightly to draw the edge, while Root hung his bat out to a good ball which had a hint of movement off the seam. When Burns gloved a Cummins bouncer to Tim Paine behind the stumps, Engalnd were 20 for 3 and from there the procession of cheap wickets continued.
Ben Stokes toiled for a mammoth15.2 overs between lunch and tea, with only four balls breaking up his spell before he was called back into action when Jofra Archer suffered leg cramps. Stokes' efforts delivered two wickets for England, alongside two for Stuart Broad, as Australia finished with a a lead in excess of 300 well within their sights with Marnus Labuschagne passing fifty for the third time in as many innings and still unbeaten at the close.
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Post by Admin on Aug 24, 2019 18:30:45 GMT
Australia 179 (Labuschagne 74, Archer 6-45) & 246 (Labuschagne 80)
England 67 (Hazlewood 5-30) & 156-3 (Root 75*, Denly 50)
England need further 203 to win
England's batsmen showed some much-needed fight on day three of the third Test, but Australia still look set to retain the Ashes at Headingley.
Set 359 - an England record - to win, the home side battled to 156-3 thanks to 75 not out from Joe Root and Joe Denly's 50.
They repelled the constant threat of the Australia attack with bravery, solid defence and patience - all of the things England were missing when they were bowled out for 67 on Friday.
Their partnership of 126 dragged England from 15-2, when they were in danger of subsiding once more on a glorious day in Leeds.
Australia earlier moved their overnight 171-6 to 246 all out, with Marnus Labuschagne run out for 80.
The tourists' bowling was excellent, yet largely unrewarded and, even though England are in a position from where they could pull off an incredible victory, history is on Australia's side.
However, Headingley is the ground where Australia once successfully pursued 404 and, only two years ago, West Indies knocked off 322.
If England were to pull off the chase and level the series, it would rank alongside Ian Botham's heroics here in 1981 as one of their greatest Ashes wins.
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Post by apm51054 on Aug 25, 2019 11:55:38 GMT
Approaching lunch game on as they say 235/4
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Post by Admin on Aug 25, 2019 15:47:08 GMT
Utterly astonishing day of cricket, to win by one wicket when they had zero chance of winning. Credit to Leach for possibly the greatest 1 not out in history and Joel Wilson for the non giving of a plumb LBW, Lyon missing a run out and the Aussies going to pot at the end, truly wonderful bring on the hundred
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Post by Admin on Aug 25, 2019 15:51:34 GMT
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Post by Admin on Aug 25, 2019 16:04:45 GMT
England 67 (Hazlewood 5-30) and 362 for 9 (Stokes 135*, Root 77, Denly 50) beat Australia 179 (Labuschagne 74, Warner 61, Archer 6-45) and 246 (Labuschagne 80, Stokes 3-56) beat by one wicket
A day that began full of possibility flipped and flopped and flipped again on the balance of probablility and ended with an air of impossibility as England kept the Ashes alive, thanks to a match-winning century to Ben Stokes.
Stokes' unbeaten 135 handed England the most unlikely of victories, by one wicket, in the third Test at Headingly, allowing them to level the series at 1-1.
The hosts had dared to dream when they resumed on a hot summer's day at 156 for 3 with Joe Root unbeaten on 75 and Stokes locked and loaded having faced 50 balls for his 2 not out.
Cue the possibility. These two batsmen at the crease - Root with a point to ram home after going some way to answering critics of his batting, captaincy and combination of both, and Stokes with a fifty and a Man-of-the-Match century to his name in the previous two Tests - were fully capable of bringing England within reach of the 203 runs needed to clinch victory.
Cue the probability. Australia's attack, while frustrated on the third afternoon, had kept the pressure on and, with the second new ball due after eight overs on day four, England faced a big task just to navigate the morning, let alone chase down the target. That became even more unlikely when Root fell, having added just two runs, to a brilliant slips catch from David Warner - his sixth of the match - off the bowling of Nathan Lyon in the sixth over of the day.
Stokes and Jonny Bairstow swung the probability back in England's favour with a defiant, and threatening, 86-run partnership. Their union was broken when Bairstow, on 36, attempted to cut Josh Hazlewood but guided the ball to Marnus Labuschagne at second slip.
Cue the impossibility. Stokes' knock, which included 11 fours and eight sixes, led England to their highest successful run chase in Test history after they had been bowled out for 67 in their first innings. He farmed the strike expertly and England No. 10 Jack Leach deserved huge plaudits for holding his nerve in a 76-run partnership with Stokes off 62 balls, to which Leach contributed 1 off 17.
Numerous times Australia threatened to take the final wicket they needed for a victory that had seemed inevitable, only to fluff their lines repeatedly.
Stokes admitted there were moments when he wasn't part of the action that he couldn't watch. Leach levelled the scores with a single off Pat Cummins and when Stokes brought up the win on the next ball, flaying Cummins through the covers to the boundary, he let out an almighty roar, arms outstretched as Leach ran to embrace him like the saviour he was.
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Post by chris on Aug 25, 2019 17:10:28 GMT
Credit to Leach for possibly the greatest 1 not out in history Credit must go to Workington Town RLFC for bringing Ged Stokes and his family over to Cumbria as their coach. Thankfully they settled in the area and Ben joined Cockermouth Cricket Club. Those decisions have led to today, and the ECB should be thankful. Maybe splash their cash on Cumbrian sport rather than any of their other ideas. Ben's perforamance might just have saved their investment in the Hundred. |
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Post by Admin on Sept 4, 2019 14:43:13 GMT
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Post by apm51054 on Sept 4, 2019 17:10:45 GMT
Aus 170-3 close
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Post by apm51054 on Sept 4, 2019 17:10:57 GMT
Aus 170-3 close
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Post by Admin on Sept 5, 2019 18:44:27 GMT
Men's Ashes: England v Australia, fourth Specsavers Test (day two of five)
Australia 497-8 dec: Smith 211, Labuschagne 67, Paine 58, Starc 54*
England 23-1
England trail by 474 runs
Scorecard
Steve Smith's relentless double century demoralised England and put Australia in prime position to retain the Ashes after two days of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
Smith remorselessly worked his way to 211 - taking advantage of being dropped by Jofra Archer on 65 and dismissed off a Jack Leach no-ball on 118 - to lead the tourists to 497-8 declared.
His third century of the series took his tally of runs to 584 and average to 194.66, all despite having missed the third Test because of concussion.
Even with the brilliance of Smith, England may have had the chance to chip away at the other end had Australia captain Tim Paine not been dropped twice in his 58.
Instead, their tired attack was flogged by Mitchell Starc's 54 not out as the tourists, who at various points could have been 246-6 or 273-6, surged towards a declaration.
England were given a difficult 10 overs to bat and lost Joe Denly to Matthew Wade's superb reaction catch at short leg to close on 23-1. Rory Burns has 15 and nightwatchman Craig Overton three.
All is not lost for the home side - the placid pitch should provide no obstacles as they bid to bat well into Saturday in order to get close to the Australia total.
However, because Australia have such a large score on the board, any sort of England collapse could see the Ashes secured with a Test to spare.
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Post by apm51054 on Sept 6, 2019 18:04:25 GMT
200-5
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Post by Admin on Sept 7, 2019 6:26:50 GMT
Men's Ashes: England v Australia, fourth Specsavers Test (day three of five)
Australia 497-8 dec: Smith 211, Labuschagne 67
England 200-5: Burns 81, Root 71, Hazlewood 4-48
England trail by 297 runs
Scorecard
England face a huge battle to save the Ashes after Australia took three late wickets on the third day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
Josh Hazlewood removed Rory Burns, Joe Root and Jason Roy to leave the home side 200-5, still 297 behind Australia's 497-8 declared.
When Burns and Root were adding 141 for the third wicket, England were making steady progress.
But Hazlewood backed up a superb spell from Pat Cummins to have Burns fencing to second slip for 81, then trapped Root lbw for 71.
When Roy's middle stump was removed, England had lost three wickets for 30 runs.
Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow were together when bad light ended play about 45 minutes early, with England probably needing to bat for much of Saturday and probably Sunday in order to avoid defeat.
If they fail, Ashes holders Australia will be 2-1 up with one Test to play and assured of retaining the urn.
England are unlikely to have the benefit of the rain that delayed play until 13:30 BST on Friday - the weather forecast is clear for the weekend.
Faced with such a huge Australia total, England arrived knowing that any sort of batting slump in their first or second innings would send the urn back down under.
For so long, Burns and Root were defiant in the face of some hostile bowling from Hazlewood and Cummins in particular. Burns was peppered by the short ball, while Root came through an early examination from off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
They were given more vocal support from an Old Trafford crowd still having to shiver through the cold - every run was celebrated, while Lyon came in for regular taunting after his fumble at the end of England's thrilling third-Test win at Headingley.
Australia had to battle the conditions that faced England's bowlers for much of the first two days - not only the wind, but also the placid pitch.
That they tested the batsmen with such regularity is to their credit, and the tourists deserved Hazlewood's late success.
It moved them a step closer to retaining the Ashes, but England could yet take the contest to The Oval if the rest can replicate the battling qualities of Burns and Root.
During an electric 10-over spell from Cummins either side of tea, Root edged between keeper Tim Paine and first slip David Warner on 54 and, in the next over, Australia wasted a review on a wishful lbw appeal against the same man.
Whereas Cummins was luckless, his replacement Hazlewood was incisive.
First he got one to go across Burns that the left-hander followed and edged to Steve Smith at second slip, then got one to scuttle that the pinned Root did not bother to review.
Roy had already moved down the order after opening in the first three Tests and was in no position to play one that nipped back, pushing hard with his hands and on the walk with his feet. It left Hazlewood with 4-48, having removed nightwatchman Craig Overton in the second over of the day.
Such was Australia's momentum, it seems likely they would have done more damage had the light not closed in.
From 23-1 overnight and with Overton adding only two to his overnight three, England were under pressure when Root joined Burns.
Burns bravely repelled the pace bowler, Root engaged in a battle of wits with Lyon and also had his box broken by a blow from Mitchell Starc.
As they warmed to the task, runs were accumulated, particularly when Starc was wayward and Lyon dropped short.
Burns and Root scored square of the wicket on both sides. Root followed up his half-century in the second innings at Headingley, while Burns has almost 100 runs more than all of the other openers in the series combined.
Even though Burns' dismissal sparked the late slump, England have been moved to a position from where they should get the 98 more runs they need to avoid the follow-on.
However, by the end of the day, there were some signs of the ball beginning to keep low, adding a further complication to their task of batting to save the game.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan: "This is Australia's game to lose. England have to bat beyond lunch, bat into the afternoon session and if they can get to 350, they're taking overs out of the game that they'll have to bat on Sunday. It will be the great escape."
"That Pat Cummins spell was probably the best of the series and the fact is, Rory Burns survived that spell. That should give him a huge amount of confidence. Every single person that adores Test cricket would admire what Cummins produced for his team today."
Australia bowler Pat Cummins: "The ball started to zip around and I felt in the game. It was not to be for me. It makes me happy when Josh comes on and takes wickets at the other end straight away. He did say, 'I owe you one for that'.
"We are pretty happy being 300 ahead. It was a tough day of Test cricket. To get those three wickets late, we feel really in the game."
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Post by Admin on Sept 7, 2019 18:54:56 GMT
Australia 497-8 dec (Smith 211) & 186-6 dec (Smith 82)
England 301 (Burns 81, Root 71) & 18-2 (Cummins 2-8)
England need further 365 to win
Scorecard
England's hopes of saving the Ashes faded with the loss of two late wickets on the fourth day of the fourth Test against Australia at Old Trafford.
Faced with the prospect of having to bat for 30 minutes on Saturday evening and another 98 overs on Sunday, the home side saw Rory Burns and Joe Root depart to successive Pat Cummins deliveries.
From the third ball of the innings, Burns got a leading edge to mid-off, while Root was bowled by a wonderful delivery that trimmed the off bail.
Somehow, Joe Denly and Jason Roy got through the next six overs as England closed on 18-2.
When the tourists were reduced to 44-4, with Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer tearing in, their lead was 240, only for Smith to add 82 to his first-innings 211.
It allowed Australia to declare on 186-6 and set England 383 to win or, more realistically, bat out the remainder of the match.
If they fail, holders Australia will be 2-1 up with only one Test remaining and assured of taking the urn back down under for the first time since 2001.
England have not batted through the final day of a Test to earn a draw for more than six years, but the pitch remains placid, even if there has been the occasional sign of low bounce.
Somehow, Saturday at Old Trafford crammed in the majority of the themes from this Ashes series: batting slumps, wonderful new-ball bowling, Stuart Broad dismissing David Warner, the home crowd taunting the Australians and, obviously, Smith scoring runs.
The life seemed to have been sucked from the contest when England were bowled out for 301, giving up a first-innings deficit of 196.
But it was ignited by the burst from Broad and Archer which had England believing, Australia rocking and the party stand - with its Teletubbies, umpires and Chelsea pensioners - whipped into a fervour.
Even the indomitable Smith seemed rattled. If England could remove him, the door really would have been open, yet he played himself in against the change bowling then moved Australia out of sight.
However, nothing could top the drama of Cummins' magnificent first over, one that stunned England and left them clinging grimly to their hopes of regaining the Ashes.
Hope remains. If England can somehow repel the relentless Australia attack and produce a heroic rearguard on the final day, it would write another chapter in this fascinating series and set up a grandstand finale at The Oval.
Broad has been magnificent throughout the series and has turned Warner into a walking wicket. Here, it took six balls for Broad to pin the left-hander lbw for his third successive duck, the sixth time he has dismissed him in eight innings.
England were bowling a fuller length than in the first innings. Broad trapped Marcus Harris leg before and the improved Archer, his pace above 90mph, made Marcus Labuschagne the third lbw of the innings before uprooting Travis Head's middle stump.
't was electrifying bowling, matched by the atmosphere, with Smith also troubled by Broad in particular.
But Craig Overton and Jack Leach could not continue the pressure and Smith took back control in a fourth-wicket stand of 105 with Matthew Wade.
As Smith passed 50, there were times when he seemed to be poking fun at England, playing incredible strokes to hit the ball wherever he pleased.
Only in the push for the declaration did he loft Leach to long-off and Australia called time 37 runs later.
From 200-5 overnight, England's mission was to bat as long and get as close to Australia's first-innings 497-8 as possible.
The plan was derailed when Mitchell Starc took the second new ball. An inswinger and a firm-handed push at the ball resulted in the familiar sight of Jonny Bairstow being bowled, while Ben Stokes poked one to second slip.
Jos Buttler briefly entertained for his 41 and, with the help of Leach, dragged England past a follow-on that Australia probably would not have enforced before he was bowled taking a swipe at Cummins.
It was not known at the time, but that would turn out to be the first of three wickets in the space of five Cummins deliveries, stretched over two England innings.
In the fading light, Burns somehow got a ball from his leg stump to mid-off fielder Head, then Root's defensive stroke was beaten for his third duck and second first-baller of the series.
Roy pushed back the hat-trick ball and, like Denly, admirably came through some tough moments to reach the close.
Both men could perhaps be playing for their Test futures on Sunday. More importantly, they will bat for the Ashes.
How's stat?!
Steve Smith has scored 671 runs in five innings. It is the fifth time an Australian has made 600 runs in England after Donald Bradman (twice), Mark Taylor and Arthur Morris.
David Warner is the first Australia opener to make a pair since Mark Taylor against Pakistan at Karachi in 1994, and the first in an Ashes Test since Ross Edwards at Headingley in 1972.
Warner is the only the third Australia opener to make three successive ducks in Ashes Tests, after Victor Trumper and Graeme Wood.
Stuart Broad has bowled 93 balls at Warner in the series, dismissing him six times and conceding only 32 runs.
Jonny Bairstow has been bowled 15 times in his past 37 innings.
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Post by Admin on Sept 8, 2019 18:20:12 GMT
Australia 497-8 dec (Smith 211) & 186-6 dec (Smith 82)
England 301 (Burns 81, Root 71) & 197 (Cummins 4-43)
Australia won by 185 runs & retain Ashes
Scorecard
Australia finally broke England's brave resistance to retain the Ashes with a 185-run victory in the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
Amid incredible tension on the fifth evening, England ninth-wicket pair Craig Overton and Jack Leach survived for 14 overs, delighting a partisan crowd that grew in noisy belief.
There was hope that England could pull off one more stunning achievement in a summer of astonishing moments, only for it to be sucked away when Leach turned the leg-spin of Marnus Labuschagne to short leg.
Overton was lbw to Josh Hazlewood with 13.3 of the day's 98 overs remaining, sparking Australian jubilation.
England began on 18-2, chasing 383, but more realistically looking to bat through the day and set up a series decider at The Oval.
Joe Denly made 53, while Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler showed defiance and the big-hearted Overton spent 105 balls at the crease.
But the relentless Australia attack was simply too much to hold back as pace bowler Pat Cummins ended with 4-43.
It means Australia will leave the UK with the urn for the first time since 2001, while England will not add the Ashes to the World Cup they won in July.
England must now win the final Test if they are to avoid suffering their first home series defeat against any side since 2014.
The fifth Test - coach Trevor Bayliss' final game in charge - begins on Thursday.
Despite the result, England cannot be accused of a lack of fight in their bid to follow up the World Cup final and their third-Test win with one more remarkable Sunday.
Denly's forward defence to the first ball of the day was cheered by a crowd that was willing England to hang on, and the Kent batsman came through a number of scares to register his second half-century in as many matches.
Roy played within himself for 31 from 67 balls, only to be bowled by Cummins, who had Ben Stokes caught behind for one. Denly punched off-spinner Lyon to short leg after lunch, yet England had plenty more defiance left.
Buttler used up 14 overs with Bairstow and 21 with Overton, with whom he was roared back after tea. Although Buttler's 111-ball vigil was over when he played no shot to Hazlewood's wonderful inswinger, even that was not the end.
Leach joined Overton to face the second new ball. Every defensive stroke, every time Leach stopped to clean his glasses, every occasion that a new pair of gloves appeared from the dressing room was greeted with delight by a crowd louder than at any point in the match.
When Leach was caught by Matthew Wade, it ended a 51-ball stay and punctured the atmosphere.
Two overs later, Overton, who had earlier overturned being given out lbw to Cummins, was pinned by a Hazlewood inswinger and, this time, the review could not save him.
Cummins removed Rory Burns and captain Joe Root in successive balls on the fourth evening and it was the world's number one bowler who again led the Australia attack on Sunday.
Along with Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, the fast bowlers incessantly tested England's patience with accuracy, technique with movement, and mettle with hostility.
Often they rotated at the opposite end to off-spinner Lyon, who struggled to provide a constant threat, but did at least account for Denly with bounce and, later, Jofra Archer with one that scuttled.
In between, left-armer Starc got one to nip back and trap Bairstow leg before and, when the ball needed changing after 58 overs, the replacement swung prodigiously, allowing Hazlewood to produce the beauty that accounted for Buttler.
Only against the stoic pairing of Overton and Leach did the fast men start to show signs of tiredness.
Australia turned to Labuschagne, who needed only five balls to deliver, then, as they gathered to watch the Overton review, the resulting decision sparked wild celebrations.
Smith cures Australia travel sickness
For the past 18 years, only one touring team - England in 2010-11 - have ended a series with the Ashes. That this Australia side have ended their own drought is an impressive turnaround from the turmoil of the ball-tampering scandal 18 months ago.
That controversy has led to them being taunted by the home crowds throughout this series, none more so than former captain Steve Smith.
He responded with 671 runs in only five innings and has been backed up by some superb pace bowling by Cummins and Hazlewood.
Australia would have secured the urn in the third Test had Stokes not played one of the all-time great innings to give England a one-wicket win.
England can point to the rain that denied them victory in the second Test at Lord's and the calf injury that hit James Anderson on the first morning of the first Test and ruled him out for the rest of the series.
But, in a contest of two fragile batting units, the insatiable Smith has been the big difference and Australia's bowling has carried a more constant threat.
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