The theme of this series is England’s batters giving cheap wickets away and handing Australia control of the game, today they can hold their hands up and simply just say one thing: the Aussies were better.
Boosted by the returns of Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, Australia’s attack tore through England’s top order, with deliveries that deserved wickets rather than the gifts offered up this series. It was a far cry from the events of Perth and Brisbane where multiple batsmen surrendered their wicket with big flashes outside off.
There were of course exceptions, the most notable being Ollie Pope with one of the softest dismissals of the tour. Snicko could share the blame with Jamie Smith for his wicket, despite the keeper’s horrible choice of shot.
But it was definitely a day for the bowlers, in particular the now ‘unfilthy’ Nathan Lyon. The returning spinner moved up to second for the all-time Aussie Test wicket-takers behind only the great Shane Warne.
The day’s play started with England hunting for the final two wickets that eluded them in the final overs last night. Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse were handed the ball, the latter once again flattered to deceive, gifting boundaries to Mitchell Starc who made his way to another half-century.
Archer wrestled control of the innings back to England, first bowling Starc for 54 and taking the final wicket of Boland to leave Australia all out for 371.
The score seemed around par for the pitch and England, or should I say Australia’s top order, had given the tourists an opening to get back into this series. In the break the general thinking was clear. Nothing silly, bat out the day and give us a serious chance to win our first Test of another tortuous Ashes down under.
Crawley and Duckett indeed started well, Duckett in particular playing some very nice shots. I wasn’t starting to believe, but part of me was going ‘what if…’.
It was short-lived. Up stepped the returning Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, the captain firstly producing a beauty to find a faint edge of Zak Crawley, before Lyon was handed the wicket of Ollie Pope. The England number three has been under pressure for a long time now but this feels like it could be the end.
It’s not so much his low scores, but the weakness of his dismissals. He looked horribly out of sorts at The Gabba, and again today he never played a solid shot. Chipping up to short leg in a wicket not too dissimilar to Labuschagne’s or Green’s yesterday who were rightfully hammered by the media.
It was soon time for more Alex Carey-related Ashes controversy. This time the debate was over a catch that may or may not have carried into the Aussie keeper’s gloves.
Carey by all accounts is a lovely guy, and none of his controversies are a negative reflection of him as a character. He was within his rights to run Bairstow out, not walk from a faint edge and especially to his credit, he didn’t claim or celebrate this ‘catch’.
Multiple replays proved fairly inconclusive but probably edged towards it just not carrying. Either way in the absence of conclusive evidence, the umpires were right to stick to their original decision.
England hobbled to Lunch on a very shaky 59-3.
Shortly after tea Joe Root edged behind and all of a sudden that sinking feeling of the impending England collapse set in. So much was made of how lovely a wicket this pitch was to bat on, yet our batsmen (and to their credit Cummins and Lyon) made it look treacherous.
Ben Stokes stepped out into another game-saving position. Even more pressure than usual on his innings as the Test, series, Ashes, his captaincy and England future rested firmly on his shoulders. At the other end was a fairly settled Harry Brook, who has appeared to have calmed down from some of his wild shot selection from the first two Tests.
Brook unfortunately fell just short of his half-century. He batted maturely and only his harshest critics would blame him for his wicket today.
Not content with the mild controversy caused yesterday, Snicko was at the centre of two huge calls. The first came when the Aussies claimed a catch from Jamie Smith. And they may have had a point too, if the ball actually carried into Khawaja’s hands or if it didn’t actually come off Smith’s helmet.
That second point was a little facetious and there may be a case that it brushes off his gloves first, but the usually out-of-sync Snicko showed a flat line as it passed his gloves so the umpires were left with no choice.
Snicko was back in the spotlight a few overs later. The actors all the same, except the ball found its way into Alex Carey’s (of course) gloves this time. Snicko shows a gap and flat line between bat and ball as it passes, yet remarkably it was still given out.
BBG Sports, who admitted fault with the Carey wicket yesterday, came out and said the correct decision was reached with both decisions. Maybe they were, maybe they weren’t but the players don’t trust it. Mitchell Starc even went as far as to say it should be ‘sacked’ – ironically caught on the stump mic at the centre of yesterday’s Snicko-Storm.
Faith has completely been eroded. Pat Cummins’ appeal yesterday when he knew he edged it was the most obvious indicator. Any close call, you may as well review it because it’s a coin flip which way the decision could go.
It’s farcical to have cricket’s showpiece series not use the best technology available. Imagine at the upcoming World Cup, FIFA decides against the new semi-automated offside technology and went back to drawing the lines manually. It would never happen, but then again I never would have thought they’d reinvent the Nobel Peace Prize.
What was also farcical was Jamie Smith’s choice of shot. It was one which deserved to be caught behind, faint edge or not. He looked to be getting settled after a tough series but handed the Australians, and technology, a chance to get him out.
Maybe it’s too much too soon for a player who, after a bright start to his Test career, has looked tired and out of confidence ever since the second half of last summer’s Test series against India. Today’s dismissal makes it a measly 101 runs in his last nine innings.
The wickets of Jacks and Carse fell shortly after, poor dismissals but the game was long gone by this point. Archer, who shouldn’t have had to even bowl this morning if other bowlers could match his level of output yesterday, had to come to the crease far too early again. He put in a spirited performance, where he and Stokes fought until the end of play to leave England 213-8.
It leaves England clinging onto the hopes of a 2019 Headingley Ben Stokes innings to save the Ashes, which would be nothing short of a Christmas miracle.
