The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Australia still on top by stumps on day three

Michael Clarke is ready to come out of retirement. Anyone keen to ask him? (AFP PHOTO/Lindsey Parnaby)
Roar Pro
22nd August, 2015
0

The Aussies remained on top throughout day three, though England did their best to fight back.

Australia needed to finish England off early this morning, but Mark Wood and Moeen Ali had other ideas.

They put on 42 runs on the morning of day three, before Wood fell to Mitchell Johnson, top-edging out to Mitchell Starc at midwicket.

The batsmen crossed while the ball was in the air, so it was Ali facing the next ball.

This was to be the end of England’s first innings, with Ali nicking to Peter Nevill, giving Johnson his third wicket and dismissing England for 149, still trailing by 332 runs.

Australia enforced the follow on with just over an hour left until the lunch break.

England’s openers looked like they tried to adopt a similar tactic as Warner and Rogers did with the new ball, trying to wear it down and hold out until batting got easier.

It was going well, until Chris Lyth edged a ball from Peter Siddle to Michael Clarke at second slip, in the 13th over, out for 10 from 33 deliveries.

Advertisement

Australia was hoping to get another wicket before lunch, but they missed out, England going to lunch at 1/31 from 17 overs.

Ian Bell and Alastair Cook started to pick up the run rate, before Marsh made the breakthrough in the 26th over.

On the second ball of the over, Bell smashed Marsh through midwicket. Rogers failed to cling on to the speeding ball and it raced away to the boundary.

Rogers went off immediately for treatment on his hand, before Marsh got the ball to rear up at Bell, hitting him on the thumb and the ball deflecting to Clarke in the slips.

Bell made 13 from 40 balls.

Poor shots continued to cost England, Joe Root being the next to go due to a rash shot.

Johnson was brought on to replace Siddle, and made the breakthrough on his fifth ball, with Root pulling to fine leg, top-edging down to Starc just in from the boundary, sending Root back for 11.

Advertisement

Johnny Bairstow and Cook held out under Johnson’s aggressive bowling, heading to tea at 3/123 after 43 overs.

Things were quiet for Australia after tea, with England pushing on slowly.

It wasn’t until the 52nd over that a breakthrough was made; with Bairstow catching an inside edge from Nathan Lyon, which popped up for Voges at short leg, Bairstow out for 26.

Lyon struck again in the same over, teasing Ben Stokes into a tentative push, and edging it to Clarke in the slips, Stokes out for a duck.

Jos Buttler and Cook continued to drag it out, before Lyon got his man again, getting Cook out when he got the inside edge and the ball popped up, Voges diving forward to catch it at short leg.

The danger man, Cook, was out for 85 from 234 balls.

Mark Wood was brought in as the night watchman, he and Buttler holding out until stumps after the 79th over.

Advertisement

At the end of day three, England is 6/203, still trailing Australia by 129 runs.

close