18 June 2023 , 18:35
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England's First Test ambitions were pegged back by a combination of bad luck and fired-up Aussie bowlers that put Bazball back in its shell.
With the game now effectively a one innings match after England held on to a first innings lead by the barest of margins, the loss of two early wickets checked their progress before rain wiped out most of the afternoon.
Australia could only register 386 all out, seven shy of England, as their tail were shot out in a barrage of short-pitched bowling.
But there was no early third innings onslaught against the harder new ball to push their slender lead off into the distance at a rate of knots.
Instead it was a traditional, watchful and sedate start that encouraged Australia’s bowlers and got them going.
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After an initial deluge, they were then unlucky in the sense that Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley were both accounted for within the 22 balls that were possible between rain showers, both caught from edges.
For two and half days the pitch and the cloudless sky were a batsman’s best friend with bowlers having to toil for their successes.
But for 3.4 overs everything was in the bowler's favour with the floodlights taking full effect and the ball seemingly zipping off an otherwise docile surface.
And England’s generosity extended to their openers marking their guard and happily accepting the on rushing Pat Cummins and Scott Boland to send down their thunderbolts when the sky was as dark as David Warner’s mood whenever Stuart Broad has just bowled him.
How they couldn’t find an undone shoelace between them was a mystery. It is easy to think of many a batter who would have been rummaging around in the umpire’s pockets for the lightmeter rather than tapping their bat awaiting the next delivery.
Australia got two vital wicketsThankfully for England the rain eventually did fall to send the players running from the field for the second time with the score stuck on 28-2, a lead of 35, with what would prove to be the last act of day three.
It was the sort of little session that had the ability to cost England the match, and having avoided any further damage, they can put their foot down again on day four.
Across 10.3 overs, they scored just one boundary in complete contrast to their first innings approach, which smacked of a little uncertainty where none had existed previously.
Maybe Australia’s bowlers were just too good and too hard to get away, but the intent seemed to be missing and soon enough so too were the openers.
Usman Khawaja was eventually bowled out fort 141With two days left to play and a pitch that is ready to misbehave more and more, every run will be a precious addition to the piggy bank, while time spent in the middle might be somewhat overrated.
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Who knows how far ahead England might be had they taken all the chances that had come their way too?
You can’t live your life by the woulda, coulda, shoulda’s, and that is most definitely not what this team is about.
Earlier in the day Ben Stokes had continued to be bold and creative in the field as the final four Aussie wickets fell for 14 runs in 23 balls with Ollie Robinson finishing with 3-55.
They have come this far committing to an attacking philosophy that has thrilled and kept them right in the game. More is required from the start of day four.