3rd Test Thu 6-10 July 2023 - Headingley

[ZeroTheHero]

We are going to concede a large (huge) first innings lead on this pitch - probably 100 or so. Shambles is right.

 

[unification]

Who would have thought the best team in the world would be better than England.

The 5-0 is on.

 

[QR]

Who would have thought the best team in the world would be better than England.

The 5-0 is on.

If our fielding was at test standard this would be tight contest. Catches win matches has never been more true.

 

[Oufcrealist]

And again!! Woakes wafting his bat at everything short with the inevitable outcome. Brainless, just don't play at them. They'll get fed up with bowling like that if we don’t play at them. There's loads of time and we need to grind out the runs not chase them.
I'm getting absolutely pi**ed off with watching this idiotic approach. It won't work against the Australians.

 

[Foley]

Who would have thought the best team in the world would be better than England.

The 5-0 is on.

Australia haven't won in England for some time. England have won all 3 tosses, Australia are without Lyon.
Had England held their catches, and played more pragmatic cricket they could be up in this series.
Australia have played well but boy have England helped them

 

[andystroud]

Crucial morning’s play coming up. We need a partnership similar to Marsh/Head to form the basis of a (significant) lead. Plenty of batting to come, so hopefully a couple can go big.

Well that didn’t quite go to plan .

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Another excellent innings by Stokes but still a significant (on this pitch) first innings deficit. Stokes on one leg and Robinson with some sort of twinge - those still fit will need to bowl well and the fielders (and keeper!) will need to CATCH THE BLOODY THING given a chance!

 

[unification]

England could maybe chase 250 which means skittling the Aussies for 224.

As their first innings showed though, allow one person to get in and you can post 200 pretty easily.

 

[Marked Ox]

England could maybe chase 250 which means skittling the Aussies for 224.

As their first innings showed though, allow one person to get in and you can post 200 pretty easily.

Also, the first innings showed our players struggle with catching.

 

[tonyw]

Another excellent innings by Stokes but still a significant (on this pitch) first innings deficit. Stokes on one leg and Robinson with some sort of twinge - those still fit will need to bowl well and the fielders (and keeper!) will need to CATCH THE BLOODY THING given a chance!

I just wish that the rest of the England batsmen would watch Stokes and adjust their batting accordingly.

He's capable of some extraordinary brutality, but he also picks his moments. In his 155 at Lord's, he hit nine sixes and nine fours but his strike rate was only in the low 70s and two thirds of the balls he faced were dots. Exactly the same is true in this first innings at Headingley.

It's proper batting - understand the match situation, understand what the bowlers are doing and react to it. Be willing to leave and grit it out if you're under the cosh; batter it if the bowling's poor, you're on top or you're running out of partners.

Until Crawley, Duckett and Brook realize that there's more than one gear to play in, they're not going to consistently score big when facing quality bowling.

(and don't get me started on Moeen - he's adding nothing to the side right now. If we're not ready to play Rehan, then let's just replace him with Foakes so that we actually get some competent keeping, and rely on seam and some overs from Root)

 

[Leysboy]

Luckily for Bairstow Labachagne got out on 33, but it was a chance before Moeen got him out.

Don’t like Bairstow at all with the gloves.

 

[andystroud]

91/4. Very similar to the 1st innings. Now if only we could take a couple more quick wickets

 

[Leysboy]

Close of play.

The test match is in the balance, if England want to win this test match then they need to skittle these Aussies out chasing around 200. Anything around 250+, then I reckon it could be tough.

 

[andystroud]

So far in this series every time it has been “in the balance” we find a way of handing control back to the Aussies. Perhaps tomorrow will be different

 

[Marked Ox]

So far in this series every time it has been “in the balance” we find a way of handing control back to the Aussies. Perhaps tomorrow will be different

Ah, an optimist.

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

Mo got a couple of key wickets to be fair to him.

Stokes batted like a hero once again but sadly no-one else could help him. For Wood to be our third top scorer as a bowler facing 8 balls is embarrassing and shambolic.

I fancy England to chase 200-230, I think they‘ll struggle at 260-280 and almost zero chance of 300+.

 

[holdsteady]

Whatever Australia set will be 30-40 runs to many going by what has happened so far, we will press the self destruct button at some point in our innings.

 

[38yearsofpain]

We are 2-0 down and The Ashes are in the balance, yet if we had held catches and fielded better and certainly had a decent wicket keeper we could be looking at winning The Ashes this weekend.
We have not played well, yet we have been in all the matches. Like most sports the margins between success and failure is small.
Great shame Stokes has not had the support he deserves, batting and bowling on one leg is tough, but he is showing that he is one of the best of all time.

 

[Essexyellows]

Weather will play a huge part one feels...........

 

[andystroud]

No play before lunch, which is now being taken at 12:30. And it has started raining again