Tag: England

ADELAIDE: Danger man Travis Head crunched his fourth century in as many Tests at Adelaide Oval on Friday as Australia built a 356-run lead over England to stand on the brink of retaining the Ashes.

The hosts were 271-4 at stumps on day three of the third Test with Head on 142 and first-innings century-maker Alex Carey not out 52, taking the five-match series out of England’s reach.

England must win after crashing inside two days at the first Test in Perth and inside four in Brisbane, both by eight wickets.

But it appears to be an impossible task with the highest run chase at the ground, 316 by Australia against England in 1902.

Head’s crucial ton, his 11th, came off a composed 146 balls, although he almost didn’t get there, dropped on 99 by Harry Brook as impatience got the better of him.

He has now scored a century in four consecutive Tests on his home ground, following 140 against India last year and 119 and 175 against the West Indies.

Australia suffered an early setback in a tense 20 minutes before lunch after England were all out for 286 on the back of Ben Stokes’ gritty 83 in response to Australia’s first innings 371.

Bryson Carse trapped Jake Weatherald lbw for one, and he walked without reviewing after the umpire lifted his finger, although replays showed the ball was pitching outside leg stump.

It gave England a glimmer of hope, but after the break, Travis Head slammed the door shut, cutting and chopping boundaries to all corners of the ground.

Marnus Labuschagne went for 13 when he edged Josh Tongue to Harry Brook at slip, with reviews showing it carried.

Usman Khawaja, who hit a defiant 82 in the first innings after his last-minute call-up for the ill Steve Smith, was a perfect foil for the more aggressive Head.

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But on 40, he was undone by the spin of Will Jacks, caught behind, and Cameron Green followed soon after for seven, edging Tongue to Brook.

After getting through the nervous 90s, Head finally brought up his century with a four off Joe Root, taking off his helmet and kissing the turf before pumping his fists.

While not in the same vein as his match-winning 69-ball century in Perth, it was a critical knock, supported by Carey and aided by Stokes not bowling after his exploits with the bat.

After a woeful batting display on Thursday, Stokes and Jofra Archer kept England’s dreams alive with a stirring 106-run ninth-wicket stand. They resumed at 213-8 in muggy conditions with Stokes not out 45 and Archer on 30.

Stokes, who suffered leg cramps and dehydration during his gutsy rearguard action in sweltering 40 Celsius heat on Thursday, brought up his slowest ever 50 in Tests, off 159 balls.

He kept plugging away but finally fell when Mitchell Starc took the new ball and bowled him, with Stokes one of the few players who showed the fight he had demanded before the game.

Archer was another, ably helping his captain. The fast bowler was the last man out when caught by Labuschagne off Scott Boland for 51, his highest Test score and a maiden half-century

Boland ended with 3-45 while Pat Cummins took 3-69 in his first Test since July.

England’s woes began when openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, along with the under-performing Ollie Pope, departed in a 15-ball blitz on Thursday at the hands of Cummins and Nathan Lyon.

Harry Brook showed some resistance with 45, but the Australian attack was relentless.

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ADELAIDE: Australia’s ace spinner Nathan Lyon opened up after surpassing his childhood hero Glenn McGrath during the third Ashes Test against England here on Thursday.

Lyon claimed his 564th Test wicket, moving past McGrath and sitting behind only Shane Warne among Australian bowlers.

The landmark came in memorable fashion as the 38-year-old struck twice in his very first over after returning to the Test side, removing Ollie Pope before clean-bowling Ben Duckett to reach the milestone.

The achievement came on day two of Lyon’s 141st Test and underlined his enduring value to Australia’s red-ball setup.

Speaking after the day’s play, Lyon talked about his ideals and expressed pride in the achievement.

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“I grew up idolising Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath and these guys in my childhood were my heroes,” he said.

“And to think of being able to overtake Glenn … it’s pretty humbling to be honest with you, and it’s something that I’ll look back on at the end of my career, or even tonight,” Nathan Lyon added.

The 38-year-old thanked teammates for standing by his side, noting that he would take time to reflect on what he described as an ‘extremely special’ moment in his long career.

“I’ll sit back and try and have a moment because it is an extremely special moment for myself. “But I haven’t been able to do that without the guys at the other end, my teammates.”

“I’ve been around this group long enough to understand my role inside, and it’s an amazing group to be a part of,” he explained.

“I’ll continue to enjoy that while I can, it’s a pretty special group, and just extremely grateful for that opportunity, I guess. “Same emotions as usual, nervous, but that’s me,” the veteran spinner concluded.

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ADELAIDE: A pumped-up Australia ripped through England’s fragile batting Thursday to leave the tourists staring down the barrel of a third Test defeat with their Ashes campaign on the brink, barring a miracle.

At stumps on a sweltering day two, England had ground to 213-8, trailing by 158 after Australia added 45 to their overnight 326-8 as temperatures soared to 40 Celsius.

A gutsy Ben Stokes was a weary not out 45 after facing a marathon 151 balls in searing heat with Jofra Archer on 30 in a Test England must win, and on a pitch ideal for batting.

The captain’s mood was not helped by another suspect decision by the Snicko technology, but at least his brave knock, including a blow to the helmet off Mitchell Starc, helped his side avoid the follow-on.

Australia lead the five-match series 2-0 and will retain the urn if they win or draw after back-to-back eight-wicket thumpings in Perth and Brisbane.

Opening pair Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley saw off the early overs from Starc and Pat Cummins.

However, it was a mirage, as England lost three wickets for five runs in a 15-ball blitz, the latest chapter in a familiar tale.

Cummins first tempted an edge from Crawley, on nine, to wicketkeeper Alex Carey in the Australian skipper’s first Test since July after lower back issues.

Then, in a stroke of genius, he brought on spin king Nathan Lyon, who was controversially left out for the pink-ball second Test at the Gabba.

Lyon grabbed two wickets in a sensational opening over, with a hapless Ollie Pope (3) flicking to Josh Inglis at midwicket before he bowled Duckett for 29.

Joe Root edged Scott Boland to Carey, but a review showed it did not carry.

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England’s most experienced player failed to capitalise and was gone in the third over after lunch to Cummins, with Carey collecting another edge.

It was the 12th time Cummins has dismissed Root, more than any other bowler.

With the Ashes on the line, Stokes showed what he called “a bit of dog”, and he barely flinched when a Starc bouncer thudded into the back of his helmet.

But he lost a succession of partners, the first when Cameron Green removed Harry Brook, again caught by Carey.

Jamie Smith departed for 22 when Carey took what Australia claimed was a faint bottom edge off Cummins.

Snicko showed a small spike despite a gap between bat and ball, with Stokes shaking his head in disbelief as Smith trudged off.

Carey’s day one century on his home ground had been shrouded in controversy over a Snicko error when he was on 72 and given not out.

England failed to have the decision overturned on review, with replays showing a noise spike well before the ball reached his bat.

Carey later conceded he likely edged the delivery from Josh Tongue, and the technology operator admitted to an error.

Scott Boland quickly removed Will Jacks (6) and Brydon Carse (0) before Archer dug in with Stokes to see out the day.

Earlier, Starc plundered five quick fours before being bowled by Archer for 54. Lyon and Boland then piled on the pain in a 23-run last-wicket stand before Lyon was trapped lbw for nine by Archer, who ended with 5-53 as Australia posted 371.

READ: Nathan Lyon overtakes Glenn McGrath’s record in third Ashes Test

ADELAIDE: Controversy erupted as Australia wicket-keeper batter Alex Carey wrongfully survived a caught behind England review on the opening day of the third Ashes Test here on Wednesday.

Carey hit 106 off 143 balls on his home ground, which kept Australia afloat at stumps as the scorecard read 326-8.

His knock hauled Australia out of trouble after losing two quick wickets in the first over after lunch. However, he could have been out way too early from his landmark.

The left-handed batter survived a caught behind review when he was batting on 72, and the scoreboard read 245-6.

During the second ball of the 62nd over, England appealed for a caught behind and reviewed it straight away, which was eventually turned down by umpire Ahsan Raza.

There was an evident noise as the ball went past Carey’s outside edge, whereas a large spike was also seen on Snicko technology.

However, TV umpire Chris Gaffaney swiftly ruled the not-out decision should be upheld because the Snicko spike showed up before the ball had reached the bat.

Later on, the operator of the Snicko technology, BBG Sports, admitted the mistake that led to Carey’s wrongful survival of an England review.

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Carey, who went on to make 106 having been on 72 at the time of the review, admitted during a press conference after the close that he thought he had edged the delivery.

Later on Wednesday, BBG Sports, the company that owns Snicko, accepted culpability for the mistake.

Notably, the sound used for the review was taken from the stump microphone at the bowlers’ end rather than the striker’s end, which caused a discrepancy between the pictures and the sound wave shown to TV umpire Chris Gaffaney.

“Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, the only conclusion that can be drawn from this, is that the Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing,” BBG Sports said.

“In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error,” it added.

For the unversed, the decision review system (DRS) technology, which is mandatory in ICC World Test Championship matches, is provided by the host TV broadcaster for the home team.

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ADELAIDE: Captain Ben Stokes has demanded England to “show a bit of dog” in the must-win third Ashes Test against Australia on Wednesday after “raw” conversations following heavy defeats in Perth and Brisbane.

The tourists have crashed to consecutive eight-wicket losses and must snap a 17-match winless streak in Australia at Adelaide Oval to keep the five-match series alive.

They have made one change with Josh Tongue replacing fellow quick Gus Atkinson, while off-spinning all-rounder Will Jacks kept his place ahead of Shoaib Bashir.

Stokes said after the Gabba defeat that Australia was “no place for weak men” and admitted to hard dressing-room discussions in the aftermath.

“What’s been said has been said,” Stokes told reporters. “I’ve done all the talking over the last two days that I needed to. All that stuff’s done now, so it’s about what gets seen out on the field in Adelaide this week.”

Ben Stokes was called “the most competitive person I’ve ever come across” by former England captain Alastair Cook last week, and the 34-year-old all-rounder wants to see more fight from his team.

“It’s just about trying to fight in every situation that you find yourself in, understanding the situation and what you feel is required for your team,” said Stokes.

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“Just look at your opposition every single time and show a bit of dog. That’s fight to me. You’re giving yourself the best possible chance if you’ve got a bit of dog in you.”

Asked how the team had responded to his demands, Stokes replied: “It goes one or two ways, and the response that the whole group has shown as a collective has been exactly what I wanted.

“And we’re going into this week with a full understanding of what we need to do. I think the team is very, very understanding of some of the bits that I’ve raised in the dressing room.”

Ben Stokes cited England’s battling third Test win against India at Lord’s in July as an example of the grit he wanted to see, the hosts having won by 22 runs deep into day five after a time-wasting row.

“That’s exactly what I’m on about,” he said. “We were probably in a situation where we would have to be absolutely perfect to win that game, and we were.

“The attitude and the mentality towards that specific situation is what gave us the best chance of winning that game.”

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England paceman Gus Atkinson was axed, with Josh Tongue replacing him in the playing XI for the third Ashes Test against Australia in Adelaide starting Wednesday as the tourists fight to stay alive in the series.

It was England’s only change, with off-spinner Will Jacks keeping his place ahead of Shoaib Bashir.

Atkinson struggled in eight-wicket defeats at Perth and Brisbane, clobbered for 236 with just three wickets to show for it.

Tongue was named Monday for his seventh Test to complement a pace attack led by Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and skipper Ben Stokes.

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Bashir was considered England’s number one spinner leading into the tour, but he was overlooked in an all-pace attack for Perth, then Jacks got the nod in Brisbane.

Jacks only bowled 11.3 overs at the Gabba, taking 1-34, but was composed with the bat, cracking a gritty 41 in the second innings in a 96-run stand with Stokes.

England kept their same top seven, with the under-performing Ollie Pope fending off Jacob Bethell to retain his place at number three.

England Playing XI for third Ashes Test

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith, Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue

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BRISBANE: Australia skipper Steve Smith and England fast bowler Jofra Archer were involved in a heated altercation during the second Ashes Test here at the Gabba on Sunday.

Smith propelled Australia over the line with an unbeaten 23 off just nine balls, which was laced with two sixes and two fours, including two boundaries and a maximum in Archer’s over.

With this, Australia took a 2-0 lead in the Ashes, defeating England by eight wickets in a commanding all-round display.

However, things got heated. Smith took on Archer, who was bowling at 150km/h. The right-hander hit a four off the first off Archer and missed the next ball in a bid to hit an uppercut.

 

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After this, both exchanged words with the pacer, asking Smith why he was playing shots when there was nothing on the scoreboard.

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“Why play your shots when there’s no rush on the scoreboard?” Archer had asked Smith.

The ace batter gave a cheeky reply, “You bowl fast when there’s nothing going on, champion.”

Archer did not bowl another over, as Smith launched Gus Atkinson over deep square leg for six before an animated celebration with Weatherald.

After the match, Smith commented on the spat and explained the reason behind his aggressive approach.

“I heard there’s a bit of a storm coming around. We obviously had a few behind us. It was a chance to just play a few shots,” he said.

“The adrenaline was pumping at the end there. Obviously, we didn’t need too many to win, and Jof was bowling pretty quick.

I had a short boundary behind me, and I thought, ‘Why not just try to get up and under a few, and put a few in the stands?’ Fortunately, it hit the middle of the bat on a couple of occasions,” Smith explained.

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BRISBANE: Australia’s stand-in skipper Steve Smith took three catches on day four of the second Ashes Test to equal former India great Rahul Dravid’s record for most catches in Test cricket.

Steve not only demonstrates his prowess with the bat but is also an excellent fielder.

Earlier today, Smith grabbed three catches, which helped Australia bowl out England for 241. Smith first took a blinder at slips of Will Jacks to break the threatening stand.

Later on, he took Gus Atkinson’s catch at mid-wicket, followed by the final catch of Brydon Carse, which wrapped up the Three Lions innings.

With this, the 36-year-old equalled Rahul Dravid’s record of 210 catches in Test cricket, and he is now only trailing behind England ace Joe Root.

Most catches for a fielder in Tests

213 – Joe Root

210 – Steve Smith

210 – Rahul Dravid

205 – Mahela Jayawardene

Additionally, Smith also surpassed Greg Chappell’s long-standing record of taking the most catches at home against a single opponent.

Most catches at home against an opponent in Tests

39 – Steve Smith vs ENG in Australia

38 – Greg Chappell vs ENG in Australia

32 – Rahul Dravid vs AUS in India

31 – Alastair Cook vs IND in England

For the unversed, All-round Mitchell Starc and Michael Neser’s five-wicket haul helped Australia romp to an eight-wicket victory in the second Test to go 2-0 up in the Ashes series against England here at the Gabba on Sunday.

Australia comprehensively chased down a mere target of 65 runs in 10 overs with skipper Steve Smith remaining unbeaten on 23 from nine balls laced with two sixes and two fours.

The home side outplayed the visitors in every department of the game and took a 2-0 lead. On the contrary, the only silver lining for England was Joe Root, who hit an unbeaten 138 in the first innings.

READ: All-round Starc powers Australia to 2-0 lead over England in Ashes

A relentless Australia took a 44-run lead over England in the day-night second Ashes Test in Brisbane on Friday, with aggressive opener Jake Weatherald and Steve Smith leading the charge.

By stumps, the hosts had not only reeled in England’s first-innings 334 but raced clear, ending a draining day two on 378-6 in front of a big crowd at a humid Gabba.

A decent lead is shaping as crucial, with the pitch likely to deteriorate in the coming days.

Alex Carey, who was dropped first ball and again on 25, was not-out 46 with Michael Neser on 15, but England’s pace cartel made in-roads under lights in the evening session.

Australia were cruising at 291-3 before the expensive Brydon Carse removed Cameron Green (45) and Smith (61) in four deliveries to rekindle hope as England’s short-ball tactics paid off.

The bowlers, though, lacked consistency and were guilty of too many loose deliveries, with Australia plundering 51 boundaries, while four easy catches were put down.

Weatherald, in only his second Test, slammed 12 fours and a six in a punchy knock before being trapped lbw by Jofra Archer with an angled yorker.

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Marnus Labuschagne — Australia’s form batter in recent months with a slew of centuries in domestic cricket — was similarly assured, cracking 65 as the shadows moved over the ground.

But as he looked destined for another ton, England captain Ben Stokes got the crucial breakthrough with a nick to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.

Steve Smith, wearing black adhesive anti-glare strips under his eyes to help with the Gabba lights, as is common in American sports, was the big wicket.

Once he got in, the veteran skipper appeared immovable, but Carse tempted him into a hook shot that Will Jacks caught spectacularly at backward square leg.

Travis Head, Australia’s wrecking-ball hero in the first Test win at Perth, fell before tea for 33.

England were dismissed in the second over of the day with Joe Root the last man standing on 138.

They resumed on 325-9 after he guided them from a precarious 5-2 with his maiden century on Australian soil and 40th overall in a gripping day one.

He added nine to the overnight score with partner Archer before the number 11 fell for a career-best 38, caught brilliantly by a diving Labuschagne in the deep to end a valuable 10th-wicket partnership of 70.

Veteran Mitchell Starc took 6-75.

Head smashed an explosive 69-ball century to help Australia stun England by eight wickets in Perth, but was more reserved this time after being retained as opener in place of the injured Usman Khawaja.

It took him 15 balls to get going before a huge escape on three when Smith fluffed a sitter off an edge from Archer.

The scare woke him up, and he let rip in the next over, but his luck ran out when he sent an edge high to Gus Atkinson off Carse, with England breathing a sigh of relief as he walked off.

Weatherald quickly found his rhythm with a series of early boundaries, cutting and driving with ease.

Three of them came in five balls off Atkinson as the outfield ran fast and he brought up an impressive 50 from 45 balls, before Archer worked his magic.

Labuschagne picked up where he left off, reaching a 25th Test half-century, with 10 boundaries in his 65.

It was then down to Smith, who produced a series of high-quality shots to pass 50 for a 44th time and, oozing confidence, looked set for a big score before Carse again pounced, then Stokes removed Josh Inglis (23).

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Joe Root finally scored his maiden Test century in Australia on his fourth Ashes tour to guide England from a precarious 5-2 to 325-9 at stumps after a pulsating first day of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane on Thursday.

Mitchell Starc became the most successful left-arm fast bowler in history as he claimed 6-71, but the opening sessions of the day-night contest were dominated by Root, who scored a masterful 135 not out.

Number 11 Jofra Archer thrilled the travelling army of fans as he smashed a career-best unbeaten 32 off 26 balls with two sixes to provide some late fireworks.

His unbroken 10th-wicket partnership of 61 with Root was a record for England at the Gabba.

The world’s top-ranked batter, Root, had failed to reach triple figures on three previous Ashes tours.

But the man who is second on the all-time run-scoring list behind only Sachin Tendulkar silenced the critics who said he couldn’t be considered a true batting great until he had made a century in Australia.

Coming to the crease in the third over at 5-2 with Starc swinging the new pink ball, he embarked on an epic knock, bringing up his century with a leg glance to the fine leg boundary off Scott Boland.

Starc’s six wickets moved him to 418 in Tests, surpassing Pakistan great Wasim Akram’s 414 as the most prolific left-arm paceman in Test history.

“Wasim’s still the pinnacle, I think he’s still better than me,” said Starc.

Starc again was the destroyer at the top of the order, removing Ben Duckett in his first over and Ollie Pope in his second to reduce a shell-shocked England to 5-2.

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But unlike in the first Test defeat in Perth, England showed some grit with the partnership between Root and Crawley moving the score onto 122.

Australia, who won the opening Test inside two days, went into this match without regular skipper Pat Cummins.

He had been rumoured to be making an early return from a back injury, but instead the hosts sprung a major surprise by leaving out off-spinner Nathan Lyon for seamer Michael Neser.

It was the first time in almost 14 years that Australia played a Test at home without a frontline spinner.

Duckett was first to go on the last ball of Starc’s first over, nicking a full ball to Marnus Labuschagne at first slip for a golden duck.

Pope then chopped on a wide delivery he could have left alone to leave England wobbling.

Crawley and Root survived an examination from the Australian attack and began to take advantage as the wicket flattened.

Root shared important partnerships with Harry Brook (31), Ben Stokes (19) and Will Jacks (19) as England played more conservatively than they had in the first Test.

Root brought up his half-century off 83 balls, shortly after England had reached 150.

Starc was the only Australian bowler who looked threatening, but Boland did produce the ball of the day — bowling Jamie Smith for a duck with a beautiful delivery which cut back from outside off stump.

England had slipped from 210-4 to 211-6 before off-spinner Jacks justified his inclusion to bolster the batting with some positive stroke play before an expansive drive to Starc brought his downfall.

England were 251-7, which quickly became 264-9 as Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse came and went to a rampant Starc under the lights.

Just when it looked like England would fold, Archer and Root went on the attack.

Pace bowler Archer hit two towering sixes, and Root joined the fun with a reverse scoop off Boland that cleared the ropes at third man.

READ: Joe Root ends Australian century wait in second Ashes Test