Key occasions
forty fifth over: England 196-5 (Stokes 35, Bairstow 20) Frustration rising for Cummins! First will get belted by way of level, sq. of a wrong-footed Green, then he will get Bairstow’s nick off a flailing minimize and sees it go simply by slip. The Hollies Stand is in full voice. Bumper time, decides Cummins, bringing Smith from slip to midwicket. Labuschagne is at a striagther midwicket, Khawaja at mid on, Head at deep sq. leg. Plus Boland at high-quality leg. Bairstow evades the first one. Knocks away a single from the second. Stokes blocks. Another over goes for ten runs. This scoring charge is unimaginable. The lead is 203.
forty fourth over: England 186-5 (Stokes 34, Bairstow 11) This pair nonetheless haven’t gone at Lyon. Bairstow defending, again and throughout. Lyon across the wicket to the right-hander, wanting to show down the road of the stumps. Reverse sweep, single to deep level. Then Stokes is caught – or so it appears, nevertheless it’s a bump ball. Top edge, reverse sweep, looping to Boland at brief third, who dives ahead and comes up saying he held it cleanly. Which he did, however the umpires examine the replay and discover it hit floor slightly below the bat earlier than looping up.
forty third over: England 184-5 (Stokes 33, Bairstow 10) Cummins changing Boland, and after a few sighters, Stokes goes arduous. Walks at him to whack one ball by way of mid on, waits again to flash a top-edged minimize behind level. Eight runs. Long on is shipped again, becoming a member of deep sq., high-quality leg, and deep level. Stokes glances one. Bairstow one other. Just the ten off the over then.
forty second over: England 174-5 (Stokes 24, Bairstow 9) Lyon retains working. The lead is 180. Australia want to interrupt the partnership. England want at the least one other 70. Bairstow fiddles down the leg facet and misses, however retains his again foot down as Carey will get throughout to take. Only rating is a Stokes single to begin the over.
forty first over: England 173-5 (Stokes 23, Bairstow 9) Delicate from Bairstow, reaching for Boland and guiding him simply previous Green at gully for four. The fates haven’t been with Boland at the moment, in the way in which they’ve on different days. Twice Bairstow miscues badly, arduous into the bottom attempting to wallop by way of cowl. Third time he will get it, however the level sweeper fields.
fortieth over: England 167-5 (Stokes 22, Bairstow 4) Leading edge from Stokes to mid off, scampers a run. Bairstow seeps one. The singles off Lyon tick over.
To reply Michael Keane’s query, the session instances have been:
11 to 13:15
13:55 to 16:10
16:10 till presumably 19:10?
Given we are able to add a rain half hour in addition to the same old further half hour.
thirty ninth over: England 163-5 (Stokes 20, Bairstow 2) Boland from the Pavilion End, getting Bairstow off stability with a ball spearing into the stumps. Keeps it out, nearly. Slip and gully ready. Bairstow thrashes a minimize however the deep level saves three. And there may be the first large Stokes shot! Doesn’t get it cleanly, charging and thrashing at width, the ball bobbling over cowl off the angled blade for 2. But he does get the subsequent one, advancing once more, taking it on the up, hitting the hole straight of canopy. Labuschagne strikes over somewhat. Stokes performs a reverse sweep to the seamer, one run to deep backward level.
thirty eighth over: England 155-5 (Stokes 13, Bairstow 1) Lyon to start from the City End. Steve Smith at slip for Stokes. Short third for the reverse, deep backward level for the minimize, cowl and additional cowl, lengthy off for the lofted shot, mid on, deep midwicket, brief high-quality leg. A sweeper’s discipline. And Stokes does play the reverse sweep, on the bounce straight to Boland at brief third. No run.
As per the outdated debate, surprise for those who want the lengthy off particularly, earlier than he’s even tried a giant shot. Stokes is anchored to the crease on this over, hit on the pad twice, defending the remainder. Another maiden.
We’re again… what’s going to the second session carry?
Barnaby Jenkins. “Putting my son to bed here in Sydney with the cricket on in the background. Quietly singing to myself as I go. Just before lights out, he asks me, ‘Dad, what’s a shit Moeen Ali?’”
Lunch – England 155 for five, lead by 162 within the third innings
What a session of cricket. Joe Root began together with his foot pressed flat to the ground, as if no time in any respect has handed since he completed batting on the first day. Pope was blown away early, however Brook went with Root strike for strike. Then Australia discovered their approach again into the competition by way of Lyon, extracting first Root, then Brook, to go to 493 Test wickets.
England have a lead, and have energy of their batting, however have a variety of work to do between Stokes, Bairstow and Moeen. The match fantastically within the stability! Grab a snack.
thirty seventh over: England 155-5 (Stokes 13, Bairstow 1) So shut, however Bairstow survives! In-ducker from Boland, seam motion, smashes the pad. Umpire Raza takes a very long time, then slowly places the finger up. Contact is excessive on the pad with some angle in. Looks prefer it could be clipping the leg bail if something. And DRS offers Bairstow a inexperienced gentle by about one millimetre, on the high nook of the bail. Would have been an unfortunate dismissal had a millimetre been hitting, it seemed too excessive live. Next ball, pad once more, enchantment once more, Raza retains his finger holstered. Australia have one evaluation left so that they don’t likelihood it. England attain lunch in security!
thirty sixth over: England 155-5 (Stokes 13, Bairstow 1) Another quiet one from Lyon. A single to Bairstow to begin his scoring day, two blocks from Stokes.
thirty fifth over: England 154-5 (Stokes 13, Bairstow 0) Boland comes again, having switched ends to have the pavilion at his again, and Stokes offers him the cost to deflect four to high-quality leg. Bairstow follows up by almost getting run out, charging down and being despatched again, beating the throw from level however he’s injured his hand within the course of. Did that throw clip his hand? Seems so.
“Enjoying the OBO,” writes David Roche. “Agree that we need specialist third umpires, and the decision on the LBW referral for Lyon to Stokes demonstrates why. If an umpire makes the right decision but for the wrong reason, it is still a bad decision.”
I ought to make clear, and I’m fairly certain on this however not 100%, that the rules for DRS give the umpires no latitude. In the identical approach as there’s a set order for every bit of train, it additionally says that any motion on the soundwave on the proper time should be handled as an edge. Because in any other case the decision-making is simply too opaque, and the optics for spectators who don’t perceive the distinction could be too tough to clarify. If so, it’s not the correct course of, nevertheless it’s a obligatory course of.
thirty fourth over: England 150-5 (Brook 46, Stokes 9) So it’s Bairstow and Stokes, the Headingley duo, those who acquired that chase shifting in 2019. Bairstow defends his first two balls towards Lyon to finish the over. The lead is 157.
WICKET! Brook c Labuschagne b Lyon 46, England 150-5
Oh ho! Do your finest Ravi Shastri voice and say, “Against the run of play!” Straightforward stuff actually, Brook performs a pull shot at a brief ball, doesn’t get the position or elevation, and though he hits it arduous Labuschagne dives to his proper at midwicket and takes an excellent catch. Five down.
thirty third over: England 150-4 (Brook 46, Stokes 9) A protracted delay for a change of ball midway by way of the over. Hazlewood will get bounce with the brand new one, and after Stokes hits it to level he runs down the pitch shaking his hand, it will need to have jarred. Gets again on strike, then leaves a ball outdoors off stump. I used to be joking earlier about Stokes not taking part in pictures, however it’s a little odd by the point it’s 9 off 26 balls. He may hit the hammer at any second, after all.
If you need our round-up of the county champs and the Blast outcomes over the previous week, right here you go.
thirty second over: England 146-4 (Brook 44, Stokes 7) England lead by 151 runs with this pair on the crease and large hitters to return in Bairstow and Moeen. Another hundred runs and so they’re in a great spot. Brook punches one run off Lyon to cowl. Stokes defends! Then, will get his entrance leg out of the way in which and jams a single off leg stump whereas half falling over.
thirty first over: England 144-4 (Brook 43, Stokes 6) Yep, ultimately we get ball-tracking exhibiting that the Stokes enchantment from Lyon was lacking off stump. Still, if that had gone at hand off the pad, he would have been given out caught on that proof. It’s a transparent flaw with the system.
Brooks has one other waltz at Hazlewood and skews three runs by way of cowl. Stokes will get a pair extra.
thirtieth over: England 137-4 (Brook 39, Stokes 3) A few singles, then Stokes survives an lbw referral upstairs. The ball will get beneath the toe of the bat and hits pad. I believed simply outdoors the road, possibly turning away. The DRS although, says he’s hit it. Which he hasn’t. The disturbance on the soundwave graph is lengthy and low, which is a scrape sound, not an edge. But as so usually, the lack to learn the expertise appropriately means the incorrect determination is made. Any noise is held to be an edge, though a certified sound engineer may inform you what sort of noise it was. Resume the argument for specialist third umpires.
“I’ve just noticed that the forecast for tomorrow has improved, at least for the afternoon. Might England be being a bit more circumspect now that there’s a chance of some play tomorrow after all?”
Right this minute, Richard O’Hagan, they’re. Not certain how lengthy it’ll final.
twenty ninth over: England 135-4 (Brook 38, Stokes 2) Twelve balls for one run, Stokes, after blocking the final of the earlier over. Hazlewood bowls to Brook, who takes four balls to place Stokes again on strike. England’s captain covers his off stump and drops the ball to backward level, no run. Finally, he costs Hazlewood however will get nothing to hit, can solely bunt a run to midwicket.
twenty eighth over: England 133-4 (Brook 37, Stokes 1) Hot stat alert: Carey is now one stumping away from a share of the document for an Ashes Test. Which is four.
Those already there? Bert Oldfield, twice, what a person. From a stretcher-bearer within the First World War trenches to gloving the whole lot that got here his approach. Affie Jarvis, the cheerful South Australian with the high-quality moustache. And Jack Blackham, the person who stored Jarvis out of the workforce for many of his profession.
Elevate Carey to that firm, and will probably be a grand day for lovers of historical past. You’d like his possibilities of getting another from this England workforce.
Two leg byes and a single from the Lyon over.
Ben Stokes has confronted a maiden over
twenty seventh over: England 130-4 (Brook 36, Stokes 1) What doing? What are we seeing? Josh Hazlewood has bowled a really respectable over tight on an off stump line, and, effectively, England’s captain, he simply, he blocked it out. I don’t know the way else to say it. He defended every ball, solidly, getting ahead.
Is this some new degree of thoughts sport? Get them anticipating one thing after which maintain altering? Ever twisting and turning? Twirling in direction of freedom?
The entire floor sits in disbelief.
twenty sixth over: England 130-4 (Brook 36, Stokes 1) This is the actual quiz. Stokes to the center. Five balls to face. And he… defends four after which tucks a single? What’s this?
WICKET! Root st Carey b Lyon 46, England 129-4
He falls! It has been a joyously entertaining morning’s work, however midday has handed and Joe Root’s pumpkin has arrived. He gallops out at Lyon, isn’t to the pitch, faces critical flip, and Carey takes the ball effectively outdoors leg stump after it beats the within edge, and knocks off the bails. Didn’t have a stumping earlier than he went to India earlier this yr, Carey, however he has three on this match.
twenty fifth over: England 129-3 (Root 46, Brook 36) We had a later than common drinks break there due to the prolonged session. At final, right here’s Hazlewood. Had some errors with our block order for those who have been confused there, sorry. Brook lays into him simply as arduous. Smokes him by way of the covers for four!
twenty fourth over: England 121-3 (Root 45, Brook 29) More from Lyon. This is assertion batting. Picks off two by way of level, then clouts four over cowl. No one will get a simple time right here.
twenty third over: England 113-3 (Root 44, Brook 22) Cummins bowling his seventh over of the spell. A Brook single. Root simply retains out a yorker, seemed nearly as good because the Pope one. Cummins goes across the wicket to the right-hander, searching for one thing completely different. Root guides a run to deep third.
If you’re , Joe Root at the moment has additionally gone to twenty first on the listing of Ashes run-scorers, passing The Big Ship, Warwick Armstrong, and gone to eleventh on England’s listing, passing Kevin Pietersen.
twenty second over: England 111-3 (Root 43, Brook 21) Lyon on to bowl, and Brook takes to him instantly! A minimize shot by way of level, a sweep behind sq., four runs from every. Two extra with one other sweep, two with a clip, another with a standard shot to midwicket. Just the 13 from the over. England have been ruthless this morning.
twenty first over: England 98-3 (Root 43, Brook 8) Serious seam motion inwards from Cummins as Brook leaves, the ball bouncing simply over his off bail. Cummins drops to his haunches for a second in disbelief. Then fires one previous the skin edge as Brook costs and wafts, earlier than staying residence and leaving one other very near the off stump. Impressive burst from the bowler. Searching, will get too straight and Brook picks off one run to deep midwicket. A uncommon quiet over on the scoreboard.
Root has simply gone previous Richie Richardson into seventeenth spot for many Test runs towards Australia. Currently 2177 at a mean of 41.
twentieth over: England 97-3 (Root 43, Brook 7) First boundary for Brook, selecting off a full straight ball from Green by way of midwicket. Four, then one. Root comes approach throughout his stumps and almost loses leg, attempting to meet up with the ball and lacking. Stays leg facet of the subsequent ball and glides one.
“Liked the Jonathan Liew piece, while it’s not Father’s Day in this hemisphere,” writes Eamonn Maloney. “It’s indeed so that cricket fans are usually made through their fathers, but often so also is the way they interact with the game. My brother noticed a comment I made on the OBO yesterday which led to a discussion about how dad used to call up the ABC radio’s Grandstand coverage from the rotary phone in the hallway, in a bid to have his (strongish) opinions amplified. Required more patience and commitment in those days but there’s a clear line from the dialing digits to the typing thumbs.”
nineteenth over: England 90-3 (Root 42, Brook 1) Cummins continues, no Hazlewood. Root takes him off the pads to deep midwicket, the place Head will get razzed in entrance of the Hollies sliding throughout to maintain it to 2 runs. Same dose subsequent ball. Scoring so simply. Then Root tries the news once more however there’s an excessive amount of tempo from Cummins and the road is straighter, over center stump. Misses. More luck with typical play, selecting off a full leg-stump error by way of deep backward for four.
Matt Dony has been pondering Joe Root too.
“As you eloquently explained yesterday, it’s aa fool’s errand dwelling on ‘what ifs’. If you change one thing, you change everything. But, I do wonder what could have happened had Root stepped down from the captaincy a bit earlier. He is a sensational batter, even more fluid and creative without the (cliche klaxon!) Burden Of Captaincy. My suspicion is that Stokes became captain at the perfect time for him, so any intervening period between an earlier Root abdication and now would have been played in a different style and with a different approach. But surely Root would have flourished whatever. Alas, we’ll never know. We can simply enjoy the now. It’s impossible to know whether it’s the best timeline, but it’s a million miles away from the darkest timeline.”
18th over: England 82-3 (Root 34, Brook 1) Cameron Green is the person for all jobs now. He was at first slip within the earlier over, Khawaja out from there. Now he’s bowling forward of Hazlewood. Is there an issue? Hazlewood was off the sector briefly. He’s again on now at high-quality leg. Seems to be warming up.
Green from the City End. Root slices a single. Harry Brook does likewise. Deep third and deep backward level now for Root, together with a deep sq. leg and a high-quality leg. So Green has licence to bounce him? Slip, cowl, mid off, mid on, midwicket. Runs wherever sq. on the off facet, and Root goes there, driving in entrance of level for 2. Then a single sq..
WICKET! Pope b Cummins 14, England 77-3
seventeenth over: England 77-3 (Root 30) Finally one goes down! Australia get one thing again their approach, final ball of the over.
It begins with Cummins to Root, who’s taking just a few breaths between bursts of freneticism, defending a pair. Cover is open for him, level and mid off now stationed, and he takes a run to deep third. Nathan Lyon fields, then does some bowling warm-ups. He’ll certainly be on quickly. He comes as much as backward level for Pope, and that’s a mistake as a result of Pope cuts high-quality, proper the place Lyon had simply been, for four. Cummins zeroes in on off stump and Pope stays behind it.
But Pope isn’t anticipating the fullest pitch. That’s the right yorker, proper on the road, a pointy angle in on the stumps from wider on the crease, and it sneaks beneath the toe of the bat to flatten off stump. Brilliant quick bowling.
sixteenth over: England 72-2 (Root 29, Pope 10) Interesting. Cummins is normally fast with a bowling change if somebody is getting tonked. But maybe he thinks that doing so with Boland now could be some type of defeat. Boland will get one other over, and tucks up Root with two actually good balls, earlier than erring in width and being slashes for four! Leaning away from the ball is Root to make extra room, such a shot. Then performs a crisp straight drive however mid on is ready to cease it. Glides one other single. The solar is shining. He can do no matter he likes. It should really feel so good to be Joe Root proper now.
fifteenth over: England 67-2 (Root 24, Pope 10) Cummins mentioned earlier than the match about that there could be instances when England’s method had him beneath stress as a captain, and mentioned there was nowhere he would relatively be. This is the second. He bowls to Pope, who takes two extra runs by way of sq. leg. Green again within the gully for Pope, the cordon applauding a good ball. Making some extent of conserving their very own spirits up. A drive on the bounce to cowl. Only two males out, deep sq. and high-quality leg. Sun shining strongly now. Pope strokes a drive for 3, straight of Labuschagne once more, who’s lurking between cowl and mid off attempting to be each. Root pinches another and retains the strike.
“I hope you’re ready for a day of excesses!” emails Tony White. “I can’t wait to hear from the OBOers who failed their Bazball GSCE’s trying to understand JR’s rocking start to the day!”
14th over: England 61-2 (Root 23, Pope 5) This was all the time the query: would Boland be prone to a Bazzing? He overpitches right here and Root drives him completely by way of further cowl. Then opens the face and dabs so high-quality that it goes on the bounce to Smith at second slip. Green is again nearer to the motion now, backward level. Head is down at deep third. Labuschagne at cowl. No mid off. Then a mid on, midwicket, ahead sq. leg, lengthy leg, so Boland can goal the stumps. He doesn’t, and Root will get the glide away for a run this time.
Pope advances at Boland and hits that hole at mid off for four! His first runs of the innings. Boland responds with a greater size and attracts a uncommon defensive shot. Then a single to level.
“I see Root has done that thing where he unobtrusively races to 20 odd runs without doing anything flashy,” writes Martin Lloyd. “I imagine once he’s in he’ll start to play some shots…”
thirteenth over: England 51-2 (Root 18, Pope 0) Off strike with a leg bye goes Pope, so he nonetheless hasn’t scored however will get Root again into the motion. Root is pleased with a single tucked off his leg stump. More leg byes for Pope, four of them to high-quality leg. Cummins hasn’t acquired his line proper. Australia, dare I say, rattled early.
twelfth over: England 45-2 (Root 17, Pope 0) Too straight for thee! Scott Boland strays onto the pads and Root whips him by way of midwicket with elan. Lovely. Then Boland will get his line proper, and Root performs his reverse once more for six. Gets loads of that one, over the keeper who’s as much as the stumps. It soars away!
He enjoys it a lot that he performs it once more, subsequent ball. Doesn’t get a full piece, skews the ball flatter, however simply over slip and away for four.
That takes Green out of the cordon, Australia placing their tallest man again on the rope at deep third. So Root faucets the ball into the hole at level for 2 runs.
Sensational batting.
eleventh over: England 29-2 (Root 1, Pope 0) Ummmm, okay? That’s one strategy to begin the day. Cummins bowls size, and Root tries the reverse scoop over deep third with out having seen a supply but. Misses it by a mile, and it misses his stumps. Settles for a single to high-quality leg a few balls later.
Only three balls within the over, ending the one which was deserted yesterday.
Here we go.
“Appreciate the blog from Perth (Australia),” writes the helpfully particular Brendan Crozier. “Any reason why play has not started early today, given the time lost yesterday?”
They don’t try this right here, Brendan. The idea is that as a result of the evenings are gentle, you possibly can play late. But that solely works if the sky is evident. There’s additionally an outdated argument that it’s not truthful to begin play early as a result of individuals have deliberate their arrival time and would miss that a part of play. But if the overs aren’t bowled, they miss that a part of play anyway.
But, sure. There is rarely an early begin in England, there may be time added to the tip of the day. And we’ll have quarter-hour added to every of the first two classes earlier than the breaks, too.
Now, right here’s the sort of e-mail I can get behind. From Dennis Johns.
“Morning Geoff. Nice to see you here this morning, looking forward to the Aussie perspective on an absolute snorter of a Test match. But that’s not why I’m writing. I was reading Dead Lions (spy novel, part of the Slow Horses series) by Mick Heron this morning and found a reference to the OBO in it! We’re told that a character called Harper ‘emails the Guardian’s over-by-over cricket blog on a regular basis’. It was published 2013 – did we know this? Does the OBO get a shout out in any other novels? Enjoy the day’s play.”
Here’s a name out to the OBO readership. Another query, do we’ve a collective title for such? What is the Beyhive of the OBO?
Drop us a line
Of course you possibly can ship me an e-mail by way of the day, or get in contact with Twitter, for ideas giant and small. Have at it.
I’ve simply settled on an government determination for at the moment although. Most of the emails have already got been about Robinson and Khawaja and sledging, and I recognize that folks have views on it, however I’d relatively not sidetrack the protection this morning into extra backwards and forwards on a effectively tilled discipline.
It would be the identical dialogue we’ve had again and again: some persons are all for it, some say it’s the comprehensible by-product of competitors, and a few discover it diminishes their enjoyment of the sport.
Robinson has in depth type, and you’d suppose that somebody together with his historical past may have interaction in additional thought or tread extra rigorously. But he doesn’t, and hasn’t, so almost definitely received’t. There’s not a lot level hashing it throughout.
And final on our listing of hyperlinks, one of many nice mysteries of the OBO. I’m solely its servant, so who am I to query?
Behold, the Test Match Special abroad listening hyperlink.
Lastly, we’ve had an enormous response in a single day to this one from Jonathan Liew, who arrived yesterday with a pensive air on Father’s Day. “I’m going to write about my dad,” he mentioned when it got here time to debate column subjects. And, what a chunk.
This is a high piece from Barney Ronay, capturing the strain of outdated and new, and what may be impressively irritating about Bazball for anybody not on the within of it.
If you’re the sort of one that likes a podcast wrap whereas strolling to the bottom or making a sandwich, there’s Day 3 on The Final Word with me and Adam Collins. Here.
I wrote concerning the shifting moods of an English summer time and an English Test match, which continues to be becoming provided that we’ve seen at the least three of these moods in the previous couple of hours.
And right here is Simon’s Ashes Diary, throwing collectively the vignettes into some semi-coherent entire. Like making a quiche.
Once that’s finished, examine in with Ollie Robinson’s press convention through Simon Burnton. Played just a few pictures final evening, did Robinson.
Let’s play our favorite sport: Read What We Wrote on The Guardian Yesterday!
I recommend you begin with Ali Martin’s match report. Be knowledgeable.
As ever for England, Joe Root is the important thing. Played like a dream on the first day, made his thirtieth profession ton, and he’ll resume on 0 not out. So almost may have been out thrice yesterday, a few lbw shouts and a caught behind enchantment that missed by a millimetre. It was a troublesome time to bat. This morning, not a lot.
England are already on the sector, in a giant circle on the southern finish doing keepy-uppy warm-ups. Some Australian gamers are on the japanese facet of the bottom doing cricket warm-ups. Cricket? Nerds.
Preamble
Geoff Lemon
Hello from Edgbaston! The solar is out, and the forecast is ready truthful, although there may be nonetheless loads of scattered cloud about and was the occasional chilly blast of wind as we made our approach into the bottom. It ought to, general, be a very good batting day for England, however the forecast for tomorrow is terrible. So, if that is the final dependable day, what does the brand new England philosophy demand?
They’re 28 for two, main by 35 runs. They have, in idea, 98.3 overs of play at the moment. So do they go hell for leather-based for 2 classes after which throw Australia in? We’ll see simply how Baz the Ball could be over the day.
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