The Ashes 2023: England chase 251 to beat Australia on day four of third Test – live | Ashes 2023

thirty first over: England 146-4 (Brook 34, Stokes 6) Cummins together with his final earlier than lunch. Harry Brook slashes at a large ball and almost items his wicket to Australia. England choose three extra off the goal. It is down to 105 runs wanted for England and 6 wickets for Australia.

thirtieth over: England 143-4 (Brook 33, Stokes 5) Ignore my witterings about lunch – this session is due to go on to 13:15pm. Starc almost nicks off Harry Brook however Carey drops it! Was {that a} drop? Replays present it would’ve been a bump ball or maybe Brook hit the ground. Either manner I’ve received palpitations. Cripes. Brook lashes the following ball over the slips for four. No backward step taken.

twenty ninth over: England 135-4 (Brook 28, Stokes 4) Ben Stokes is roared to the crease. England want him once more right here. He clips his first ball from Cummins off his pads for a sweetly timed four. There aren’t any phrases.

WICKET! Root c Carey b Cummins 21 (England 131-4)

twenty eighth over: England 129-3 (Root 20, Brook 27) Starc hares in for an additional from the Kirkstall Lane End. Brook opens the face to choose up two extensive of gully. We’ll get yet another in earlier than lunch I believe.

twenty seventh over: England 127-3 (Root 20, Brook 25) Close! Pat Cummins has introduced himself again into the assault and he almost nicks off Harry Brook first ball, the sting simply dying earlier than a diving Carey and first slip.

A fizzing pull from Brook is distributed scorching handed Umpire Dharmasena at sq. leg. The official has to bounce out of the best way fast sharp while holding onto his sunhat – wanting precisely like a bloke in a beer backyard who has simply stepped on a canine’s tail. Root drives Cummins for four! Emphaaaaatically. This has been an honest second hour for England, Australia took the primary.

twenty sixth over: England 120-3 (Root 16, Brook 22) Pat Cummins goes again to Mitchell Starc however Brook isn’t mithered… he marmalises the southpaw seamer via cowl for four first ball! Starc is then again on the spondoolies, four dots earlier than Brook steals strike from Root once more with a single off the final. I dare say the senior Yorkshireman ain’t mithered both.

twenty fifth over: England 115-3 (Root 16, Brook 17) Double-whammy! Harry Brook makes all of Headingley purr by peeling off two of the nicest cowl drives you may want to see off consecutive balls. Boland drags again his size to dot up three balls however a glide from Brook sees him steal the strike and make it 9 runs from the over. England want 136 runs. Australia want 7 wickets.

So much to unpack on this tweet.

twenty fourth over: England 106-3 (Root 16, Brook 8) Marsh continues, Root and Brook rotate the strike to take four off the over.

“Good morning from Pittsburgh!”

Hello from Headingley, Eric Petersen.

“Listening and reading with two questions in mind at the moment: whether England has the composure to see this out and stay alive in the Ashes, and whether there is room in the OBO payroll for Stuart Howes and his rather alarming prescience regarding Zak Crowley’s fate (18th over).”

twenty third over: England 102-3 (Root 14, Brook 4) Crunch! Brook clouts Boland again down the bottom for four however is then minimize in two by a ball that zips again. My my my. How are your nerves? The 100 is notched up from England and is met with jittery applause. Root drives handsomely to mid-off the place Marnus saves a boundary with a flying save.

twenty second over: England 96-3 (Root 13, Brook 2) Root edges Marsh to the slips however the ball doesn’t carry, they take a single. Brook clips to leg to make it a pair off the over. Full sunshine now, pretty batting situations, you’d assume.

twenty first over: England 94-3 (Root 12, Brook 1) Australia can scent blood within the water. Bright sunshine bathes Headingley and England want all the assistance they will get. Boland sends down a maiden to Brook. The stress cooker will increase a notch or two.

WICKET! Crawley c Carey b Marsh 44 (England 93-3)

nineteenth over: England 86-2 (Crawley 40, Root 11) Boland to proceed after a slurp of one thing, he hits Root on the pad and throws his arms to the heavens however there’s nowt doing – it was excessive and a bit leggy. It seems like Australia are swapping the ball, the previous one should’ve been knocked out of form. Root defends towards the change of Dukes after which performs a fuller supply with mushy arms, it traces away via the slips all alongside the baize for four runs.

18th over: England 81-2 (Crawley 40, Root 7) Mitch Marsh replaces Mitch Starc. England have seen off the 2 Aussie strike bowlers this morning however aren’t unscathed. Shot! Crawley rocks again and cuts Marsh powerfully to the Western Terrace for four. They loved that. One hour accomplished and time for a DRINK.

England want 170 runs. Australia want 8 wickets.

“Would love Crawley to swish his way to a tonne here, as a fitting riposte to all of his doubters, but also just for style points.” Writes Stuart Howes.

“But I’m well aware that by the time you get round to this he will have departed for 42 having chipped one back to the bowler whilst looking rueful.” Oh ye of little…

seventeenth over: England 75-2 (Crawley 35, Root 6) Flash arduous! Crawley performs an expansive drive to Boland and the ball flies over the slips for four! subsequent ball is dropped at his toes and so they run via for a well-judged single. Engrossing cricket.

sixteenth over: England 70-2 (Crawley 30, Root 6) Shot! Root peels off an outstanding cowl dive to choose up four. The nervous rigidity dissipates across the floor for a second or two. It ramps up once more with Starc stomping in for his subsequent ball – a brief supply is nicely paddled not far away for a pair extra by Root. Scott Boland is coming on to substitute Cummins. Wonder if that could be a bit of a let off for Root. We’ll see.

fifteenth over: England 64-2 (Crawley 30, Root 0) Crawley mis-times a drive via mid-on however collects two runs, the second a bit dangerous and Root had to get his skates on heading again to the non-striker’s finish. Root defends to Cummins. This looks like a key battle, Cummins has Root’s scalp ten instances in Test cricket.

Enjoyed this bit of gentle reduction from Joe Meredith:

“Oh, is this the way they say the future’s meant to feel?
Or just seven waiting catchers in the deepest field?
And I don’t quite understand just what this series is,
But that’s okay, cause we’re all sorted out for sweeps and biffs.”

14th over: England 60-2 (Crawley 27, Root) Eeeeesh! Root goals an enormous drive to his first ball and narrowly avoids feathering an edge to Carey. England’s ways are clear – they’re going to meet assault with assault.

WICKET! Moeen b Starc 5 (England 60-2)

thirteenth over: England 59-1 (Crawley 26, Ali 5) Big bouncer! Cummins slams the ball into the center of the pitch and it soars over Carey’s head and away for a freebie four. Crawley pokes a single and Moeen defends with the total face.