England's Summer of Cricket 2023, Featuring The Ashes

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50 up for Mo at an absolutely vital moment.   

A fortuitous way to get there with Cummins not picking it up. It frankly looked like he wasn't moving well chasing back for it either.

Starc back on which I think slows how key a period the Aussies know this is. He's looked their best bowler today.

msp83 wrote:Bairstow moving on quickly. He needs to put up a score on the board for his pathetic wicketkeeping throughout the series and his casual attitude. Root's playing like Root should. Busy without looking hurried.
As for Stokes, he was building a proper test innings. That ball was there to be smashed. Proper hit-me stuff. Stokes just failed to execute well. So poor execution, not poor shot selection. Brook's was just unnecessary and rash. He wasn't facing a new ball that he's not so good at. The team had a platform but not an impregnable position, and had he stayed on and be a bit more judicious, the game could have been put beyond Australia.

He smashed it into the stands and was caught behind off a very good ball from Hazlewood.

Soul Requiem wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Just didn't need that shot from Stokes. There's time to rein in aggression and just milk the situation for all it's worth.

A gift opens an end, then Hazlewood puts in a good'un to take out Brook. Bang, bang. One from the tail.

That's a real nothing comment to be honest. England got themselves into a good position by playing aggressively as they have for the past 12 months now, it would be great if we got all upside and no downside but it doesn't work like that.

Agree... can't fault the aggression. Just the execution of the shot was the issue. The ball was there to be hit

Fairly even session but given where the game stands Australia needed a bit more. Do think England can stand to be a bit more selective based on game position but as above accept they will be the wrong side of aggressive sometimes.

Lead should be over 300 from here. Will Mo bat?

More of a mixed session. England cruising - and then they're not...

Stokes of course gets out with a loose shot straight after Butcher , I think it was , says something about having Australia where they want them. And Brook follows. Commentator's curse !

Position looks pretty good on paper anyway , 253 ahead , six in hand. But the pitch looks good for batting and we know how quickly England can lose wickets just when they seem to be on top so I am counting no chickens ...

Or even Tortoises

50 for Jonny now as the lead creeps towards 300. Been a fairly calm start after tea

Been exactly the right approach. No over-aggression, just good cricket. 33 runs added.

An excellent innings from Bairstow so far to keep England comfortably in front just as it wobbled.

Just make sure to survive this session and the lead will be fine. Give the bowlers a nice nights rest so they can get going somewhere tomorrow

I'm loathed to make comments like this as they normally backfire quickly but Murphy is not very good at all. Ponting is doing his best to be positive but most of what he's saying is rubbish, he's getting no drift, no spin, little over spin and has no consistency in his line or length.

300 lead up with 6? wickets in hand

Just keep piling them up and keep the seamers feet up in the dressing room

Got to love Root looking disappointed with himself constantly whilst being 79 red off not many more balls.

Soul Requiem wrote:I'm loathed to make comments like this as they normally backfire quickly but Murphy is not very good at all. Ponting is doing his best to be positive but most of what he's saying is rubbish, he's getting no drift, no spin, little over spin and has no consistency in his line or length.

I'll never learn.

Argh. A shame to see Root miss out on the ton but that is a terrific hand from our best player. He kept the momentum going throughout the partnerships and has put England in a fantastic position.

Frustrating again for Root, out for 84 in the previous test and again coming close to a ton, but good signs for England if the pitch produces a few more like that.

Would like to see the lead pushed beyond 400. That *should* be an out of sight lead.

Murphy does get one to rip and keep low and Root just gets a good one.

Out comes Mo to bat for probably his last on field action in tests

Soul did for Root , I see...

England probably won't mind seeing that ball both turn and keep rather low though. Pity Root didn't get his hundred : Aussies have done well to slow the run rate , leading up to that wicket. But the lead is getting substantial.

Don't agree that Murphy isn't much good , by the way. He's still a novice at this level , and no Lyon ; but I reckon he's done reasonably well in this match , despite going for a few early in this innings in particular. Not as if the seamers haven't leaked runs too...

How many century stands have Root and Bairstow had together now ? Must be a fair few.

I do hope Stokes isn't feeling half an hour tonight

Ha... Moeen cops one on the helmet . Can we say he's concussed and send for Rehan Ahmed ?

Mo let off by a near catch so expect him out next over doing the same thing

Jonny looked a bit lax in that Starc over and ends up edging behind.

Lead 348, 4 wickets left or 40 minutes to the close. Be more inclined to let Woakes and Wood bat this evening

Ah that's annoying...Bairstow edges behind to give Australia a bit of hope. He seemed to lose a bit of concentration since Moeen has come in : missing his pal Root and unable to run those quick singles ? 360/6 so need some more from the bowlers...

What's Woakes thinking there... Mo can't run a quick single

It's obviously a fantastic posotion but they ideally need to get up above 400 here IMO. This pitch is good for batting and England's bowlers looked tired at the end of the first innings.

Yes I think I'd prefer to see them bat through tonight. The more rest the bowlers get the better. But not sure they will as Woakes holes out at mid off...

Letting it slip a bit in this last hour.

Woakes falls cheaply. 400 looks a bit far off atm

king_carlos wrote:It's obviously a fantastic posotion but they ideally need to get up above 400 here IMO. This pitch is good for batting and England's bowlers looked tired at the end of the first innings.

Haven't the bowlers just rested for 7 of the last 8 days?
Dodgy weather forecast for next 2 days

Time for some night hawking?

Same old Joel Wilson, is what the crowd should be singing.

Murphy getting some turn late in the day

Likely to have at least half a session rained off tomorrow. Monday's forecast still up in the air.

I'd equally like England to push it beyond 400. Certainly no point in declaring now anyway. You'd get about two overs bowling.

Will be interested to see if Australia's first innings grind pays dividends down the stretch. And might be the case that Smith is due a score.

Mo out but some very useful runs on one leg

Moeen has hit a few boundaries ; but the drawback to having him come in at seven is that he can't really run twos ...or even sharp singles. Has - along with the defensive fields - rather forced the others to try and just whack everything.

And now he's gone ...caught deep third man and it's eight down. Going to be scratching to get that 400 now I'm afraid...

Aye, maybe Woakes should've come in ahead of him and allowed Jonny to keep picking singles. Bit of a lame ending but still a very good day overall

Wood also gone, does look as though the insurance of 400 won't happen.

Anderson coming in. His last ever bat? 41 tomorrow...

alfie wrote:Moeen has hit a few boundaries ; but the drawback to having him come in at seven is that he can't really run twos ...or even sharp singles. Has - along with the defensive fields - rather forced the others to try and just whack everything.

And now he's gone ...caught deep third man and it's eight down.  Going to be scratching to get that 400 now I'm afraid...

Highest ever run chase at The Oval is 263-9. We're 367 ahead. 400 shouldn't be needed.

And Wood gone too so they've rather subsided after Root's dismissal. A good lead but not quite the rock crusher I'd expected a hour or so ago.

No declaration anyway

JuliusHMarx wrote:

alfie wrote:Moeen has hit a few boundaries ; but the drawback to having him come in at seven is that he can't really run twos ...or even sharp singles. Has - along with the defensive fields - rather forced the others to try and just whack everything.

And now he's gone ...caught deep third man and it's eight down.  Going to be scratching to get that 400 now I'm afraid...

Highest ever run chase at The Oval is 263-9. We're 367 ahead. 400 shouldn't be needed.

Agree that 400 shouldn't be needed, but high run chases are becoming more common in the game and the old records aren't worth a lot.

This is exactly the sort of time-wasting that should be punished more actively. Absolute nonsense.

Will be the close if one of these is out anyway

Julia's is quite correct about the previous best chase here. But there have been plenty of higher fourth innings scores that led to draws or defeats so that's not quite a guarantee of safety.

And this is only end of day three . Pitch might not be as worn as some - though it does look as though a few balls are starting to keep low.

You'd think it's enough of a lead. Crazy series though so who knows ?

Duty281 wrote:

JuliusHMarx wrote:

alfie wrote:Moeen has hit a few boundaries ; but the drawback to having him come in at seven is that he can't really run twos ...or even sharp singles. Has - along with the defensive fields - rather forced the others to try and just whack everything.

And now he's gone ...caught deep third man and it's eight down.  Going to be scratching to get that 400 now I'm afraid...

Highest ever run chase at The Oval is 263-9. We're 367 ahead. 400 shouldn't be needed.

Agree that 400 shouldn't be needed, but high run chases are becoming more common in the game and the old records aren't worth a lot.

Yes, Bazball has certainly increased the number of successful high run chases recently. Pity it's just not cricket, eh, old chap?

Some useful boundaries from Jimmy before the close

Joel Wilson.

Just took an absolute guess.

Umpires just wanted to go off early

So 389/9 at the close, lead 377. Will England come out for an over tomorrow morning or get stuck in.

A very good day, just tempered slightly that nobody went on to completely slam the door on an Australian win. It's an unlikely chase but it's not a bad batting pitch still and there's plenty of quality bats to come.

It's got to the point where Joel Wilson giving you out is a pretty good indicator you're not out.

That's a first ...England batted a whole day

And can let the Nighthawk and the Burnley Lara loose with the bat in the morning...

A good day's work I think

Superb day for England. Didn't take full advantage of Australia's exhausted bowling in the first innings, but they've done so here. Some very good contributions all the way through, but I reckon Root/Bairstow was the key partnership.

Guess England will give it some tap tomorrow, rather than declare. Maybe not quite out of range for Australia, it's still a good batting wicket, but they haven't shown the recent form that indicates they'll chase down a score this big (their last six innings has seen them breach 300 just the once). There again you can't rule out a true heavyweight, like Smith or Marsh, scoring 150 and carrying their team home.

Guildford will be pleased England survived to close just to give the Aussie openers less time to prepare at least!