An extraordinary century by England all-rounder Ben Stokes last night breathed life back into this Ashes as the hosts levelled the series 1-1.
In an exhilarating finish, Australia had two golden chances to win the Test, with Nathan Lyon first fumbling an easy runout and then next ball unable to review a plumb lbw because the tourists had already wasted their DRS calls.
With 135* Stokes produced one of the all-time great Ashes performances, saving England from what had looked like certain defeat just 45 minutes earlier.
(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Australia, at that stage, seemed on course to take a 2-0 lead and retain the Ashes. Now the series remains up for grabs as the teams move into the fourth Test, where both sides are expected to regain a star player – Australia their best batsman Steve Smith and England their number one bowler James Anderson.
Australia had started the day as heavy favourites and justified that status when Joe Root was out to a remarkable slips catch from David Warner off the bowling of Nathan Lyon inside the first 30 minutes.
England had been suffocated by wonderfully disciplined bowling by Australia and looked at danger of collapsing. Instead Stokes glued himself to the crease and Jonny Bairstow borrowed strokes from his white-ball repertoire.
Bairstow’s aggression woke Stokes from his slumber and the pair set about changing the narrative. The former was flaying full deliveries, and Stokes began to sweat on anything short of a length. In the space of 12 overs they piled on not just 68 runs but a ton of pressure on the Australian bowlers and captain Tim Paine.
At certain stages of a chase there is a tipping point where one side shifts from being under pressure to applying pressure, from being the hunted to the hunter. This was such a juncture.
Yet instead of wilting under this scrutiny, the Australian bowlers rallied. From the following 56 deliveries they conceded just 14 runs, managing to reel in the talented English pair. That miserly spell almost paid dividends when Stokes then edged Lyon just past the outstretched hand of David Warner at first slip.
Australia barely had time to curse their luck as, from the very next ball, Bairstow tried to cut Josh Hazlewood and edged to second slip.
The tourists had been rewarded for holding their nerve in the face of some enterprising strokeplay. Minutes after, Stokes and Jos Buttler handed a present to Australia when they got involved in a mix-up resulting in the run out of the new batsman.
Stokes, by this point, was batting a dream. He would have felt confident Chris Woakes would offer him support given the bowling all-rounder’s tight technique and fine batting record in England. But Woakes soon offered up his wicket, scooping a drive to short extra cover to be out for one.
That brought to the crease another very capable lower-order batsman in Jofra Archer. He took his time to get set, moving to 7 from 28 balls, and then went after Lyon. Two balls in a row he heaved the off-spinner through mid-wicket only to pick out deep square leg with a third attempted slog in the same over.
It was a needless shot from Archer and two balls later Stuart Broad was lbw to Pattinson, seemingly ending England’s resistance. With one wicket in hand, they needed 73 to win. Even with Stokes on 61* that seemed too difficult a task.
So Stokes decided to all but take his partner Leach out of the equation. He farmed the strike and launched a jaw-dropping assault on the same Australian attack that had rolled his side for 67 in the first innings.
Leach scored just a solitary run from 17 balls, while Stokes thrashed 74 from 45 balls in this partnership to give England an out-of-this-world victory.
Ladies and gentleman, we have a classic Ashes series in the making.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Sure and in the first test Paine was so reckless the way he gave his wicket away first innings when 5 down he came in and hooked it down the throat of the third man like candy to a baby. Reckless yet again
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Australia won the first Test.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Totally agree that laba should have bowled more but your highlighting the poor decision making of paine once again with that view point. I totally agree with you that we needed an extra bowler to rotate with quicks. It highlights poor captaincy yet again. Laba should have bowled more leg spin. We don't know what Paine will do at manchester he's so poor with his decision making so for me id like starc and siddle both in. Im going on pretty solid manchester pitch and result history. Along while back but in 2013 siddle took a brace of wickets and starc bowled well but they had a lot of bowling options to rotate upon review of it all. Unfortunately we have to deal with the way paine will make decisions if they won't drop him he's only been hampering us in these three test matches for the most part when we could get the balance of the side right with one keeper who is batting well.
Rohan
Roar Rookie
You mean like with run outs ? Yes Rob I agree.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Great debating technique, see ya.
Nick
Roar Guru
Your incredibly self-defensive response begs to differ.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
All right then!
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Or you think outside the square and decide that you need to get 25 overs an innings – if necessary – out of Head and Labuschagne as the fifth bowler, but you have to plan to bowl them. More of Labuchagne when Stokes and Bairstow were batting would have allowed more of a break for the quicks, taken the pace off the ball and possibly brought a few skied chances. Bowl at the top of off and let the opponent make the running. As the quicks got 25-30 overs each into their bowling innings they were knackered and trying to make something happen and lost length and rhythm.
Jero
Roar Rookie
There’s the wider public and there’s the cricket public. The cricket public will judge the cricketer first, and accept that he’s done the time. As far as alternative captains are concerned, until now I would have said Head only, given that he’s vice captain, captains South Australia, and also been the only player since the Capetown fiasco to actually retain his spot regularly other than Khawaja, who’s never ever been considered for a vice captaincy role. The new kid on the block Labuschagne may blossom into being a really good Test cricketer and fixture of the team for a long time. But it’s a moot point anyway. It’s a Cricket Australia decision as you say, and Smith’s a lock. The batsman of his generation is always our Test captain. He has the authority, in spite of Capetown.
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
In various conversations with those Aussies in my orbit I’m not even sure most Australians would welcome his elevation back to captaincy, let alone the worldwide cricketing community. But it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if CA put him back there.
RAGAV
Roar Rookie
Not really. He got lucky with 4 overthrows in the 2019 final. In 3rd Test, he got lucky with umpiring decision. He was good when he made his debut. He is still a good player now. He has not actually improved. Compare his records for the first 3 years with the most recent 3 years. I don't think you will find any evidence of him learning anything.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Then you are putting words in my mouth and contriving context which isn’t stated in anything I’ve posted. Typical of discourse and debate these days; make something up, stick it in quotations like I said it and then shoot down your own contrived argument. You need to go and find one of the many commenters on this site who actually felt Australia was robbed, because you’ll find no lack of objectivity in my posts where I congratulated England and particularly Stokes on winning. I mentioned the other day how Gaffney gunned Root too from a massive inside edge, compounding the poor umpiring standard. That was the England Captain I was supporting for a poor umpiring decision. He had a review left, if he didn’t, that woulda been another 20 runs Stokes had to make. My point is poor umpiring impacts the game, it’s human error like any player and should be held accountable like any player. Your comment “And as such, you don’t even post your gripe if it was England that copped it. You’d be all “oh, England’s fault for burning their reviews”, is embarrassing and frankly just plain ludicrous!
Pierro
Roar Rookie
I don't know about that dave, if paine didn't review for such an obvious leg side pithing delivery then we simply have one left. it was so unnecessary I'm not the only one to say it , everyone including the pros know it and have said it. I can't blame lyon I know it was a shambles piece of fielding but it was a physical mistake not a mental lack of leadership . the very next ball lyon bowled a cracker of a ball he could do no more. I felt his captain let him down . Anyway on to the next test theres a vital reason to look at dropping paine away from this point and more so over his three matches to date which have all been really poor he's no leader for me but tactically at manchester it would be huge to have one wicketkeeper batsman for me .
Jero
Roar Rookie
Paine’s final Test will be the New Year SCG Test against New Zealand, after which it’s all T20s and ODIs until November 2020. Finch and/or Carey will captain those games until March 2020. Smith may or may not not be ODI or T20 captain for the various T20 and ODI tours thereafter leading up to next year’s T20 World Cup, and during it. But make no mistake, Smith will be Test captain again in November next year. We all know this. Paine has seven Tests left. Carey will replace him as Test keeper afterwards. Whatever we think of the Headingley debacle, let’s hope they go well. Whatever we think of Smith, he’s done the time and most people will welcome him back.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
No not at all insult. Starc can and arguably should play the last two test matches. Ive done the manchester research over night . Big case to play him and siddle or marsh perhaps in the same line up omitting pattinson at manchester. We will have to drop a batsman though to do it which actually might be a good move . We will also need to drop a second batsman for smith. The history at manchester actually validates it pretty well. Unfortunately one of the keys would be dropping paine to do it easily which they will not do due to political reasons more than anything else I think which is a shame as we need to focus on winning the ashes. I might write an article on it
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Developing and learning from experience, as you’d expect from a 25yo. He had a half reasonable ODI World cup final a bit more recently than 2016. Seems to have learnt a bit since then, don’t you think?
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Well, that's the end of Starc then, isn't it? He had a bad game on some wickets 4 years, but could've been used this time if they played another bowler, like Marsh too......so no Marsh, no Starc!
RAGAV
Roar Rookie
Where was the mental skill when Braithwaite smashed Stokes for 4 consecutive sixes in T20 world cup final?
Rob Porter
Roar Rookie
I agree and I'm and England supporter. Umpires call it as they see it, so make mistakes as they are just human. Even Dickie Bird made some howlers in his day. The pressure that Stokes put back to the Aussies caused the mistakes made by the Aussie team. Could not believe the DRS appeal for Leach. That was a collective failure as the decision was discussed between bowler, wickie and square leg fielder, born out of desperation to end it quick. The Aussie team were not thinking clearly under pressure, hence the cumulative mistakes leading to Stokes hitting the winning runs
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
I see you’re not happy with Paine, Pierro, but while it was a mistake you can’t unscramble the sliding doors of history as someone has said, or something like it. I.e. if Paine doesn’t review, everything happens slightly differently and Lyon’s lbw ball to Stokes probably doesn’t happen, at least the same way. So it doesn’t come down to Paine quite so much. Whereas, if Lyon makes the run out... But again, don’t want to put it all on one moment.