What a day of cricket did we witness on the 3rd
day of Ashes! Australia were on the front seat after the end of the second day.
Having posted a total of 448, England came in to bat in overcast conditions and
quickly lost the wicket of Stoneman within the 7th over.
However, rain interrupted – much to the joy of England and
dismay of Australia – and the day ended with 29 runs under the belt of England
having lost the sole wicket of Stoneman. Day 3 began with a lot of expectations
for the Aussies and they didn’t disappoint.
Taking wickets in quick succession, the Kangaroos didn’t
allow the Three Lions to settle down. Almost every player in the middle and
lower-middle order got starts, but couldn’t convert them into a meaningful
score.
Indeed, Craig Overton, batting at number 9, scored a stubborn
41 off 79 balls, helping England huff and puff to 227. He was well partnered by
Chris Woakes’ 36 and Jonny Bairstow’s 21. The lefties, Moeen Ali and Alaistair
Cook, scored 25 and 37, respectively, but couldn’t topple the follow-on score.
Much of England’s miseries could to be accredited to Nathan Lyon’s phenomenal spell of 4 for 60 runs - and that catch to dismiss Nathan Lyon. Woof! Watching it live was a spectacle to behold, a true moment of beauty mixed with athleticism and sheer passion. Almost everyone who witnessed it were left with mouths agape and eyes popped out.
He was extremely well complemented by
Mitchell Starc’s fiery pace that allowed him to take 3 wickets while giving away
only 49 runs. Hazlewood and Cummins, meanwhile, took one and two wickets each.
The Aussie bowlers setup the perfect platform for an
innings-defeat embarrassment for England.
However, in an interesting move, captain Steven Smith
decided to not enforce the follow-on and the Australian batsmen were once again
out on the pitch to bat. The idea was to get as many runs to defend, but it may
have backfired.
Cameron Bancroft lost his wicket in the third over itself,
but Usman Khawaja and David Warner seemingly held the boat together. However,
they couldn’t build on the start that they achieved and lost their wickets in
quick succession.
Warner left the pitch after making 14 runs while Khawaja
reached 20 before perishing to Woakes and Anderson, respectively.
Steven Smith came in with a lot of pressure on his
shoulders, but failed to deliver as he was caught LBW by Chris Woakes. The day
soon ended with the Baggie Greens losing 4 wickets, with James Anderson and
Chris Woakes taking two wickets apiece.
After that, stumps dawned upon us as the sun went down, leaving the fans in wonder as to what could come next. For the neutrals, this is going to be an exciting adventure tomorrow as we might be in for a treat.
Picture Courtesy : Getty Images
